Good practice groundwork: Managing initial meetings with higher degree research students

Effective supervision is a critical factor in the successful completion of higher degree research (HDR) students. The supervision of a HDR project incorporates a range of issues beyond the research activities; it includes professional development, strategic planning, basic administration, meeting deadlines, quality assurance and managing stakeholder expectations. Supervising a doctoral student is a complex task; arguably, it is the most complex level of teaching in higher education. This paper argues that initial meetings with students set the tone for the continuation of the supervisory relationship. The establishment of rapport, negotiation of expectations, and initial analysis of the student's needs are crucial first steps to successful candidature. This paper reviews literatures on supervisory practice in an interdisciplinary context in order to develop a comprehensive best practice strategy for the first supervisory meetings with a HDR student. Rather than a prescribed formula for structuring the meeting, this paper identifies core areas that need to be addressed, which can be adapted by novice and experienced supervisors to cater to their own and their students’ contexts. Brief lists of ‘guiding questions’ are provided in each section, not as prescriptive tools, but as launching points from which mutual negotiations between supervisor and student can develop.

► The supervisor–student relationship is the heart of a successful research completion.
► Supervision cannot be based on a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
► This paper consolidates a practical and adaptable best practice from the outset.