Description

<aside> 💡 This guide focuses on how to supervise academic projects, i.e. mindsets and activities that might be helpful to you as an academic supervisor who navigates the supervisor-student relationship. For more specific and/or formal guidance, you can check out Chalmers-/TME-level information (see e.g. here for master thesis projects at TME) or ask your unit manager.

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The concept of supervision is central to many activities in academia, especially in academic projects such as PhD, bachelor thesis, master thesis, or course projects. Similarly, supervision can be a highly regarded skill in other professional contexts such as large business corporations. No matter what you plan to do after your PhD, becoming better at supervising will likely be helpful for your Career.

The role of the supervisor in academic projects can be confusing, both to supervisors and students. Below are a couple of common misconceptions about the role of the academic supervisor.

• Is the supervisor supposed to actively work on the project? → No!
• Is the supervisor the students’ boss, telling them what to do? → No!
• Is the supervisor evaluating (i.e. grading) the success of the project? → Not always!

If the supervisor neither works on the project, nor is the boss, nor evaluates the work, what then can students expect of him? That is a good question, and there is no generalizable answer to that question. A good point of departure though is to think of the academic supervisor as a guide for students along the project, ensuring both the quality of students’ learning and the quality of the project’s output (e.g. project report).

It is important to consider both the learning and the output here. For instance, while giving students all the answers to their questions, removing all the roadblocks for them, or - in extreme cases - doing the work yourself (as the supervisor) may improve the quality of the project report, students will likely miss out on the learning that comes from handling those aspects themselves.

Tips and tricks

While the role of the academic supervisor can be fruitfully filled with different styles and approaches, the following tips and tricks might help you become better at supervising:

Discuss roles and expectations early

It is highly advisable to discuss roles, expectations and ways of working early in the project, e.g. at a joint kickoff meeting. It is often advisable to involve all key stakeholders in this kickoff meeting. For a thesis project for instance, you may consider inviting not only the students but also the examiner and the industrial supervisor (if applicable) to the meeting.

Questions to consider discussing at the meeting include:

• What do you expect from students? → e.g. make clear that students OWN the project, NOT you
• What can students expect from you? → e.g. guide along the process, but NO active work; make sure that you have multiple other activities and only a limited “time budget” to support them
• When and how often will you meet? → e.g. weekly 30-min check-in
• When and how do you expect students to contact you with questions or feedback requests? → e.g. via email; send draft texts at least 2 days before meeting

Ask questions rather than giving answers