Target group

This course is for experienced supervisors working at Leiden University. Participants have supervised at least three PhD-candidates through to the defense of their dissertation. An experienced supervisor is also at the level of a prospective (associate) professorship, leads their own research group, and holds a formal role within their department or faculty.

Topics

The success of a PhD-candidate partly depends on the guidance they receive from their supervisor. It is therefore important to guide PhD-students effectively and to give this guidance structural attention. Since most supervisors build on their own experience with their promotor, it is valuable to complement this with a broader perspective for effective supervision.

This course aims to deepen your knowledge and skills in handling the complex issues involved in supervision. Topics discussed during the training are:

• Motivating and giving effective feedback
• Expectations management about the dissertation and the process leading to
• Management of a supervision team
• Supervising with attention combined with a full agenda

After the training

By the end of the course, you will have greater insight into your own supervisory practice and the knowledge and skills to organise it effectively and with a focus on supporting the success of the PhD candidate.

More specifically, after participating in the course, you will:

• have insight into your approach to supervision and the strengths and challenges of that approach
• have deepened and expanded your knowledge and skills in supervising PhD candidates
• be able to apply theories of supervision didactics to situations you encounter in your own supervisory practice
• be able to analyse complex supervisory situations and find possible solutions.
• have designed and tested several interventions in your supervision practice
• have learned how to discuss supervision-related issues with colleagues and understand why such discussions are valuable

Approach

The approach of the course focuses on reflecting on situations from your own supervision practice, sharing and analysing experiences and “good practices” in the context of the scientific literature on this topic. The knowledge and insights gained are directly applied in practice by designing and testing interventions.

Format

The course consists of three on-site group meetings (three hours each) and two individual online meetings. The group is limited to a maximum of 10 participants. Between meetings, participants read assigned literature and complete exercises in their own supervisory practice.

1. Individual introductory meeting: Exploring goals, supervisory strengths, and challenges.
2. Plenary meeting 1: Supervision style and strategies for promoting candidate independence.
3. Plenary meeting 2: Managing expectations and supervising in teams.
4. Individual meeting: Topic relevant to the participant.
5. Plenary meeting 3: Motivating and providing effective feedback; conversation techniques.

The program allows room for participant-suggested topics, including those at the institutional level. Drawing on their own and others’ experiences, as well as existing literature, participants analyse cases and practice implementing interventions in their supervision.

The course will reference international scientific publications in the field of PhD supervision and use the following book, which will be provided: Kearns, H. & Finn, J. (2017). Supervising PhD Students: A Practical Guide and Toolkit. Adelaide: ThinkWell.

Workload

The workload of this course is 16-22 hours, distributed as follows:

• Plenary meetings in Leiden (physical appearance is mandatory): 3 x 3 hours
• Individual online meetings: 1,5 hours
• Reading and practicing on the work floor: 5-10 hours.

Practical information

If you have already completed the Supervising PhD Candidates course, please do not register for the Next Level course. These courses do not build on one another; they overlap and target different audiences.

This Next Level course is intended for experienced supervisors. If you are a beginning supervisor (fewer than three candidates through to completion), please enroll in Supervising PhD Candidates instead.

If you have any questions, please contact hrmopleidingen@bb.leidenuniv.nl.