Creating Postgraduate Collaborations › Forums › CPC Supervision Development Course › Module 2 › Module 2, Session 4: EPE resources’ assessment
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all these resources are very useful for both supervisor and PG students. in my case, the exception would be creating a questionnaire which in the natural sciences especially earth sciences is really a tool used.
I really enjoyed the video developed by the University of Zululand about how to apply for graduate school, mainly because I am too new in the South African context. For instance, I was not aware that doctoral students applicants had to consider whether their potential research was subject of intellectual property as a part of the application process.
The website in its entirety provides very useful resources broken down into the different areas of postgraduate work. I found it very interesting to read and i will definitely be using it for my postgraduate students. The videos and screen casts are appropriate since it brings variety in the material so that its not just reading but also listening and watching to get the first hand experience and skills for the different material e.g. the in-depth qualitative interview and the video on using Mendeley
All the resources are useful in the Journey for PG studies. I was particularly impressed by the Predatory Journals resource. I have been wondering how one can publish an article in a week or less. This is happening and has been happening in our institutions of higher learning. Universities need to guard against this since some promotions and clearance for graduation of PG students are being based on publications purely done in predatory Journals. The earlier the Institutions act, the better to avoid wastage of research.
I only had time to look at the site now and this is a fantastic website that clearly outlines all the skills and steps needed for any Post-graduate study. I will definitely use it as a tool, especially to look at skills we miss, such as “how to read an article”. The tools needed for each task is clearly outlined. This is a great resource for myself and future students. Great links to various supportive sites. The examination and assessment section is very useful.
I find the website rich in resources for both the postgraduate student and the supervisors. Particularly, my students struggle with writing a literature review which is closely related to reading a journal article; and I now realize where I could direct them to for assistance. To make their reading more organized they could even use Mendeley. Most interestingly was how to identify predator journals and the provided list of predator journals – usually students use them due to the time factor.
All the resources provided are indeed valuable! I single out the material on avoiding plagiarism. The idea of likening this to cooking food really simplifies the whole issue. I come across students who find the whole concept of using information sources quite challenging. We provide our students with very limited support related to source use. With regard to use of sources, we often tell our students what they should not do, and hardly teach them how to use their own logic in putting together the relevant parts of others’ work that they have selected.
The website on postgraduate environments was very useful particularly the aspect of signing an MOU between the student and the supervisor at the onset of the supervision relationship. This doesn’t happen in my university. I always thought it should be a vital document in the relationship but didn’t know it actually exists! I am extremely excited that I can use the template I downloaded to make the experience of supervision even more professional, solid and binding. It might be just the missing link in so many derailed student projects sort of like a marriage without ‘vows’.
I also found the section on POMODORO Technique very heart warming, simple and to the point. My supervisor kept talking of something similar but it was never structured. I sure will have a lot of mentoring for my students on this one.
What I would add onto the resources is something on ‘annotated bibliography’ and practical ways on how students can summarize their literature review as they attempt to ‘frame’ their field of study. Keeping a reading Journal was one of the most difficult things I encountered and my students keep needing help with critical analysis of literature in order to construct their own argument within the proposal or thesis.
The EPE website is a wealth of information! I found myself struggling to figure out what would be most relevant for my students and for me as a supervisor…I eventually gave up. I must commend all of the people who gave their time to the development of the website. Very easy to navigate too!
The one thing that stuck out for me is that when we talk about dissemination and publication, we always have at the back of our minds the academic community. For me, postgraduate research is definitely more, and we need to start promoting ways that allow researchers to get the findings of their research out to the lay public. That, is what I would add.
Apparently all the 12 resources were very useful to me as a supervisor and to postgraduate students in the sense that it informs the methodology to quality research.Reading part seem to be very interesting, most postgraduate students seem to take reading as a burden without knowing the underlying benefits towards the area of research one is working on.
All the articles were informative. However, I found the one on Predatory Publishing quite an eye opener. My key learning point is that we should not publish our research just for the sake of it. Rather, we should publish in credible journals from which our articles can generate conversations from researchers having specific interest. Our target audience should be known right from the word go as this is the best way to contribute to knowledge.
The main issue in my country is that job promotion of academics is pegged on the number of publication points primarily in peer reviewed journals, yet rarely do we get asked during interview whether our publications are in predatory journals or not. It is therefore common to see academics not caring much about where they publish because if they do, they are likely to be left behind by those who get promoted by publishing in predatory journals. Unless quality assurance mechanisms are put in place to verify the quality of our publications, predatory journals are most likely going to thrive.
The website is a very resourceful tool for both postgraduates, as well as supervisors who often need to refer students to such resources throughout the supervisory process. There is a growing awareness of mental health education in academia especially now when people are having to adjust to the ‘new normal’. I believe postgraduate students and perhaps supervisors, will find such content particularly useful and complementary to the existing resources on the website, as they navigate the supervisory journey.
I concur with the majority of the respondents that all the resources are very useful. My take-home is the realisation that these resources that are meant to support both the supervisors and the PG-students are available online. Sharing this information with both colleagues and the students is important.
The resources are useful for the supervisor as well as for initiating and guiding the postgraduate students throughout their journey in research.
This session has been of great impact on my supervision processes.On the starting the postgraduate journey, the video presentation of ‘ Reading a Journal Article’ mirrors my approach but with some deviations. In the introduction I do advise my students to identify what the theme or conceptualization of the study is, the narrative of the social problem under investigation. For instance, if the paper is on GDP and Schooling, the rhetoric questions would be: What are the issues of interest on GDP and Schooling which needs improvements? What are the possible problems with GDP and schooling in the society? The trends and statistics may be relevant at this point. For the literature diagnostics to tap the gaps, brings in the research problem. The research problem comes from the critic of empirical literature. The statement of the problem sums up the social and research problem. The methodology, I do go with the how of the study – the data (periodicity, collection and instrumentation), variables, measurements of the variables, the method of analysis. Lastly, I check for the robustness of the findings, discussions and conclusions arising from the study.
The advisory on predatory publishing, writing for research funding, use of technology in research was also quite informative and enriching experiences. The inputs on examination assessments has made me be more critical in approaching the key areas of interest in theses. Dissemination and publications as improved my understanding of how to go through the two elements with my students and my self in my own research.
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