The paper explores the challenges of supervising postgraduate students in open distance learning in higher education. The researcher argues that inaccessibility of information and services provided by supervisors, can contribute to a low quality of students' success. The responsibility of institutions is to ensure that facilities provided to…

This article presents the results of a cross-institutional survey on PhD students' supervision at Russian universities. It is aimed at answering three questions concerning (1) styles of PhD supervision and their prevalence, (2) the relation between supervision style and PhD students' satisfaction with their supervisor, and (3) the relation between…

This paper provides insights into thesis supervisors' perceptions of the supervisory relationship and process in English-medium international master's degree programmes (IMDPs). It contributes to the field of supervisory pedagogy in a master's level education by examining how supervisors perceive their supervisory practices and what they consider…

Postgraduate master's dissertation supervision is one of the least understood aspects of academic practice. Using action research, 25 master's supervisors aimed to develop a better understanding of the complexities and challenges involved in this role. Through focus groups, individual interviews and monthly workshops, they developed and piloted…

Effective supervision in doctoral research is critical to successful and timely completion. However, supervision is a complex undertaking with structural as well as relational challenges for both students and supervisors. This instructional paper describes an internationally applicable approach to supervision that we have developed in the health…

Although thesis supervision has been widely studied, little is known about supervisors' performance dimensions and thesis development from a quantitative perspective. For this reason, this research aims to analyse the relationship between thesis development and supervisors' performances according to the perceptions of postgraduate students. A…

Medical educators are tasked with decisions on trainee progression and credentialing for independent clinical practice, which requires robust evidence from workplace-based assessment. It is unclear how the current promotion of workplace-based assessment as a pedagogical approach to promote learning has impacted this use of assessments for…

In a globalizing economy, education is key to competitiveness and economic growth. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is playing catch up in terms of investing in the human capital needed to participate effectively in the world economy. The Sub-Saharan region is currently engaged in what has been termed as a "catch-up" period as is reflected in…

This study investigated graduate students' perceptions of and satisfaction with the approaches used by their thesis or dissertation supervisors, and contrasted student perceptions with those of their supervisors. Students reported that their supervisors used collaborative supervision more often, and a statistically significant relationship was…

An action research project involving 25 master's supervisors, from health and education disciplines, sought to enhance their understanding of dissertation supervision. Recognising that they were sometimes slightly unsure about their role, they sought to identify issues that contributed to this circumstance, and to develop supervisor preparation…

Doctoral supervisors aim for two goals. One is a strong thesis, timely in submission. The other is the fully fledged independent researcher who is able to write about research clearly within an epistemologically accepted framework. Feedback and feedforward on writing should address both goals. However, in many institutions, supervisors are under…

Effective postgraduate supervision is a concern at universities worldwide, even under optimal conditions where postgraduate students are studying full-time. Universities are being pressured by their governments to increase the throughput of postgraduates where there is a need for supervisory guidance in order to produce quality graduates within a…

Drawing upon the componential theory of creativity, cognitive evaluation theory and social exchange theory, the study reported in this paper tested a mediating model based on the hypothesis that abusive supervision negatively influences creativity sequentially through leader-member exchange (LMX) and intrinsic motivation. The study employed…

At the time when Diana was writing " A Woman's Guide to Doctoral Studies" (2001), she was supervising a number of female doctoral students. She drew on some of their experiences in the writing of the book, and they in return benefited from the extensive insights she had about the politics of academic life that she portrays in her…

The purpose of this study was to investigate formative postgraduate assessment from an international perspective while acknowledging the two countries' differing cultures and environments. Using a case study approach, data were collected from research supervisors of postgraduate work at a university in the United States (USA) and a university in…