Effective Undergraduate Supervision (Physical Sciences and Technology)

PrerequisitesSpecial

This course complements the supervising training and information your Department will provide. It is a course that consists of: an online module, which introduces practices and principles of undergraduate supervision at Cambridge, and a face-to-face workshop in which you will explore challenges and approaches to supervising.

By the end of this course you will know:

• the purpose of supervisions at Cambridge
• how to deal with common supervision scenarios
• how to provide effective feedback
• the practicalities of starting to supervise

Topics covered:

• Introduction to supervising (including what supervisions are, format, preparing for them)
• Background information for those who need it (British education system, Cambridge undergraduate system)
• Role of a supervisor
• Dealing with different supervision scenarios
• Departmental information
• Summary of what you have learnt
• Practical tips and advice
• Resources for ongoing support and information

Physical Sciences and Technology PhD Students

Completion of Pre-Workshop Online Materials

• A short online package will be sent to all participant in advance of attending the workshop
• This on line package will provide some background information on Cambridge’s undergraduate teaching system and the role of the supervisor in enhancing student learning
• This package is interactive in nature and you will be asked to consider your own perceptions about what it means to be a supervisor of undergraduate students.

You should expect to spend 1-3 hours on this preparation. The amount of preparation time will vary, depending on whether you are familiar with the information in the module on UK secondary education and undergraduate supervision at Cambridge.

Number of sessions: 1

Please see the Course Description and Topics Covered for the course aims.

Blended learning course consists of introductory online component, face-to-face workshop and follow-up online component. Face-to-face workshop for 20 researchers, comprising of discussions and activities

• After taking part in the face-to-face workshop, you will be given access to a permanent online resource which will include outputs from the workshop session, as well as more detailed information about aspects of supervision practices at the University of Cambridge.
• It will provide information on topics such as effective feedback practices, reporting to college(s) on your supervisions using CamCORS, supervising students with disabilities, and effective questioning strategies.
• In addition, the package will include links to useful discipline-specific materials such as departmental marking criteria and supervision guides.

Introductory online module sections 1-5: approximately 1-3 hours
Face-to-face: 3 hour session
Follow-up online module sections 6-10: approximately 1 hour

Multiple instances in Michaelmas and Lent

• Effective Undergraduate Supervision
• Teaching and Learning