[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 5, Session 1: Project Management and Time Planning #5919

Being a project, postgraduate studies needs to be planned for and managed appropriately. Both the student and the supervisor needs to set realistic expectations and agree on a number of issues before supervision begins. This may help in minimizing conflicts and completing the project on time. It is unfortunate however that I have never come across a written MoU in my department however based on what I have learnt in this session there is need to develop one in my department.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 4, Session 4: Food for thought #5854

The practices of PhD assessment in Antwerp is highly similar to what goes on at my institution in kenya. I want to believe that our PhD asssesment is rigorous
however i am not aware if there is a specific period set aside to determine whether a student can go ahead and defend their thesis after reports from the examiners have been handed in. It would be great to enlighten us of what informs the decision on whether the student should be allowed to defend their thesis or not given that a written thesis does not measure all the possible graduates’ attributes.

Pre-defences when conducted approriately by a balanced pannel can add alot of value and improve students’ reserch however i wish we could assess our students with the same kind of rigor that we use during the final defence during pre-defence.

Neutrality of the jury can be guaranteed by having atleast one external examiner, have atleast one board member appointed from outside the students’ departments and finally, the defence should be chaired by a netral member of the academic staff.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 4, Session 3: Coaching and Mentoring #5853

To become a good supervisor i believe one has to take on both roles. You need to develop a good relationship with your student and at the same time help them in achieving their goals interms of research. However all these come with challenges. Our expectations of the student may sometimes be unrealistic and sometimes there are supervisors who misuse their students in the name of mentoring by asking them to perform tasks required of the mentor. This often puts the student in an awkward position. There is need to match students with coaches that they can work with comfortably.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 4, Session 1: Ethics in Research #5847

Ethical issues that are pertinent in the field of psychology include autonomy- students are required to document a right to informed consent; No maleficence – psychological risks to participants should be minimized; all members of the study population should have equal opportunity of being selected to take part in the study.

To nurture ethical responsibility in students, they should be guided or taken through ethical issues in research and the importance of ethical approval in research.

In my view, the process of obtaining ethical clearance at my institution is quite vigorous and valuable however it takes too long before researchers get feedback on their research proposals.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 3, Session 3: Research approach and design #5808

Being a social scientist I believe horizontal knowledge structures is the most applicable in my discipline.

Each world view may be applicable to different research problems however I feel that the pragmatism approach is the most ideal in social sciences especially wheñ research funds are available. It is ideal because it integrates multiple research methods hence helps in gaining a better understanding of the problem of study.

When it comes to disciplinary perspective, I would prefer the interdisciplinary approach since it may help in solving complex research problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of one discipline

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 2, Session 4: EPE resources’ assessment #5772

I have learnt alot on enhancing postgraduate environments resources. There are three things that standout for me. The first is that i cannot distance who i am from my research. As a result i have to consider who i am before i engage in any particular research. Secondly, as a supervisor i can enhance my students information literacy by providing them with information sources and linking them with support available in my institution. Lastly,when selecting examiners for theses we need to consider a spread of expertice. From my experience most of the time we tend to focus more on the discipline of the examiner than the expertice on various areas of the theses.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 2, Session 3: Zoom discussion of key readings #5768

I keep a reading journal however this session has given me insight on how to improve on my reading. Before this session, i have been taking notes as I read and I have realised that this does not allow me to analyze the important information im getting. I hope to practice this more often and pass this knowledge to my postgraduate students.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 2, Session 2: Scholarly community of practice #5765

In my view a post graduate support network may inform them of available scholarships in their field of study, intorduce them to scholars in their field of study and assist them in accessing relevant literature and journals in their field of study. They may also assist them in joining relevant societies in their field of study.

This support network can be built by being an active researcher in your field, attending conferences and workshops in related fields of study where you are likely to meet other scholars. One also needs to be conversant with new approaches in their fields and review for relevant journals.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 1, Session 4: National Policies #5433

I am aware of the Commission for University Education in Kenya however I have learnt that there are more policies from this forum. This platform is quite helpful in creating awareness.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 1, Session 3: Models of supervision #5398

In my university and especially in my school, co-supervision is the most common mode of supervision. From my experience conflicts often arise between some supervisors and this sometimes affects the students and as a result the student may take longer in the program. I prefer cohort supervision since students are able to work together and navigate the different challenges they experience together. Students are also able to learn from one another and motivate each other in the course of their studies.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Quinter Migunde.

[Quinter Migunde]

in reply to: Module 1, Session 2: Supervision with a humanizing pedagogy #5308

The presentation was educative and an eye opener on matters to do with social inclusion. i have learnt that there are certain ways of being and thinking that we have embraced as supervisors that lead to social exclusion even to our fellow members of faculty without realizing. As a supervisor I realize that sometimes I expect too much from my student without considering that they come from different backgrounds, have different educational experiences and face different challenges in their struggle to get into the knowledge community. it is important for supervisors to take into consideration the fact that some of our postgraduate students may not be aware of what they are expected to do and as a result it is our duty to induct students into the new world of the knowledge community. Supervisors also need to see students as social beings with knowledge, ways of thinking and experiences that are different from theirs and to certain disciplines. As supervisors we need to create the right climate for our students to learn and develop.

In my view, the main factors that contribute to social exclusion are age (Older learners tend to have lots of responsibilities hence may not complete their studies on time), lack of funds and previous educational experiences. Some students have good background on the disciplines they wish to study compared to others.

Thank you

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