Semester Progress Report - Form PGM
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Supervision

(Extract from the WIT Research Postgraduate Regulations)

4.12 Supervisory Arrangements

Academic Council must be satisfied that the academic department has provided for the supervision of each candidate by members of academic staff who have appropriate research experience and a continuing active involvement in research. This is an important aspect of the registration process. The academic department must ensure that the proposed research area is within the range of the supervisor(s)’ methodological and theoretical expertise and can be adequately supervised when the supervisor(s)’ other commitments are taken into account.

It is the role of the head of department to appoint:

• the principal supervisor;
• the mentoring supervisor (if required);
• a co-supervisor (if required).

4.12.1  Principal Supervisors

Where there is a supervisory team approach, as in many research centres, one person must be nominated as principal supervisor. This person will normally be a member of staff of WIT and he/she will take responsibility for the overall management and supervision of the student’s work and progress. In some special circumstances, external academics who have a long-standing relationship with WIT (i.e. more than three years) may be appointed as principal supervisors. Such circumstances include – retired staff members, staff who have moved to another university during the research period or associate staff involved in joint research activities with WIT.

Normally, all principal supervisors should be qualified to at least the level of the award sought by a candidate and should:

• have prior experience as a postgraduate supervisor at the level of the award being sought;
• have attended a training course in research supervision if appointed after 2006;
• have appropriate expertise, and be currently active, in the area of research proposed;
• not be currently registered for a postgraduate research award in a cognate area at the same level as the candidate.

Departments have a duty to consider carefully the workload of academic staff involved in the supervision of postgraduates. WIT does not put a fixed cap on the number of research postgraduate students per principal supervisor because of:

• variations between disciplines / departments / research groups or centres;
• availability of other support persons including postdoctoral fellows and co-supervisors from the world of work;
• experience and track record of the supervisor.

Student / supervisor ratios should be included in the registration application and will be monitored carefully by Academic Council.

4.12.2  Co-supervisors

           Additional suitably qualified co-supervisor(s) shall be appointed in the following circumstances:

•  where Academic Council believes it necessary to cover adequately the field of study;

•  to maintain contact between the academic and industrial, professional or other external environments.

           This should also be considered when the postgraduate is a staff member at WIT.

4.12.3  Mentoring Supervisors

An additional mentoring supervisor shall be appointed in instances where the proposed internal supervisor does not have experience of bringing a student through to awards stage.

The mentoring supervisor may be from WIT or an external body. He/she will come from a discipline related to that of the proposed supervisor and have brought students through to the award stage in a university or HETAC approved institution.

His/her role will be to advise and support the proposed supervisor. In addition to at least one formal meeting per semester, he/she should sign off on all annual progress monitoring reports.

In instances where a candidate transfers from the Masters to the Doctoral register, supervisory arrangements will be reviewed.

4.12.4  Replacement

The replacement or substitution of a principal supervisor on any grounds requires the prior approval of Academic Council as outlined in the variations to candidature section of these regulations.