What does best practice HDR Supervision look like in Australia? A multi-institutional perspective

Supervision plays a critical role in the responsible conduct, quality and impact of research and graduate research outcomes. To ensure continuous improvement in support for supervisory practice, Flinders University has recently initiated a project to establish a HDR Supervisory Framework and associated resources. The project aims to enhance support for individual supervisors, candidate, university and sector benefit. A benchmarking sub-project was undertaken within a wider research project, aimed to identify novel and best practice across the Australian and New Zealand sector in policy, processes, frameworks and training related to supporting excellence in supervisory practice. This roundtable discussion brings together representatives from the universities involved in the sector-wide benchmarking project to build on understanding and innovation in supervisory practice.

The roundtable will tackle questions such as how we measure and reward quality supervision at an institution, and what success in supervision looks like. We will also explore the concept and benefit of a HDR Supervisory Framework. Differing from policies, procedures or charters of responsibly, a supervisory framework provides guidance to supervisors and institutions on what successful supervision looks like in practice. Such a document is not found in many universities, but can go a long way in supporting best practice.