Procedure: HDR supervision development and registration

Purpose

To provide advice on the University’s supervision development and registration framework and requirements for supervision of ANU Higher Degree Research (HDR) candidates.

Definitions

New supervisors are defined as supervisors of ANU HDR candidates who have not previously supervised any HDR student through to completion.

Experienced supervisors are defined as supervisors of ANU HDR candidates who have previously supervised any HDR student through to completion.

Registered supervisors are supervisors who satisfy the requirements described in this Procedure for the supervision of ANU HDR candidates.

Unregistered supervisors are supervisors who do not satisfy the requirements described in this Procedure for the supervision of ANU HDR candidates.

Deregistered supervisors are supervisors who have been determined to be ineligible for the supervision of ANU HDR students.

Procedure

1. This procedure should be read in conjunction with the Higher degree by research – supervision policy.
2. The ANU Higher Degree Research (HDR) Supervision Framework comprises:

1. the suite of ANU Rules, Policies, Procedures and Guidelines relevant to supervision of HDR candidates;
2. processes for HDR supervisors gaining and maintaining registration;
3. a HDR supervision register maintained by the Graduate Research Office;
4. activities and resources to support HDR supervisors and share knowledge and learning about good supervisory practice.

3. HDR supervisor registration (‘registration’) is mandatory for all ANU staff who supervise HDR candidates in any panel role, and for all non-ANU staff (including emeriti) who supervise HDR candidates in the role of Chair of Panel or Primary Supervisor. Registration is optional for all non-ANU staff (including emeriti) who supervise HDR candidates in the role of Associate Supervisor.
4. Gaining registration requires initial registration, and maintaining registration requires annual renewal, as defined below. Initial registration can be gained, and registration maintained, at any time in a given calendar year.
5. HDR supervisors who gain initial registration and who annually maintain their registration will be assigned the registration status of ‘Registered’. ‘Registered’ status is assigned from the date of completion of the initial registration, or of the timely renewal of registration, until the end of the following calendar year.
6. HDR supervisors who do not satisfy initial registration requirements, or who do not renew their registration within a current calendar year, will be assigned the registration status of ‘Unregistered’ from the start of the following calendar year.
7. HDR supervisors whose status is ‘Unregistered’, and who subsequently satisfy registration requirements, will gain the registration status of ‘Registered’ only for the remainder of the calendar year.

Initial registration

8. Initial registration of both ‘experienced’ and ‘new’ supervisors will require either:

5. completion of an online module, ‘Higher Degree Research Supervision at ANU: Responsibilities and Good Practice’. For ANU staff, this module is available in Pulse; for those who are not ANU staff, the equivalent content will be available in Qualtrics;
6. completion of a face-to-face workshop, Higher Degree Research Supervision at ANU: Responsibilities and Good Practice, offered by staff of the Office of the Dean HDR;
7. exceptionally, prior completion of an activity at ANU deemed by the Dean HDR to be equivalent to 8a or 8b.

9. Initial registration of ‘new’ supervisors will also require completion of a face-to-face workshop, ‘Foundations of HDR Supervision’, offered by staff of the Office of the Dean HDR. New supervisors who have previously completed a workshop deemed equivalent by the Dean HDR may be exempted from this requirement. Non-ANU supervisors offsite from the ANU Acton campus may be able to substitute an alternative activity with the approval of the Dean HDR.

Registration renewal

10. After the first year of registration, HDR supervisors will be required to undertake and self-report at least one qualifying activity annually to maintain their registration.
11. A ‘qualifying activity’ is one approved by the Dean HDR. Qualifying activities include, but may not be limited to, College- or School/ Centre-level activities endorsed by the Associate Dean or Director HDR and workshops offered by the Office of the Dean HDR.
12. A HDR supervisor’s registration will be renewed when their self-report is submitted.
13. HDR supervisors should include their HDR supervision practice and registration renewal activities in their staff performance and development review.

Registration status and supervision role

14. HDR supervisors for whom registration is mandatory and whose status is ‘Unregistered’ will not be eligible for membership of supervisory panels for any HDR candidates other than those of whose panels they were a member at the time their registration status became ‘Unregistered’.
15. HDR supervisors who are found to be in breach of University policies relevant to HDR supervision (which includes, but is not limited to the Code of Conduct, Responsible Code of Research, or Research Awards Rule), or whose performance in relation to HDR supervision is assessed as unsatisfactory as outlined in the Higher degree by research – University, candidate and supervisor responsibilities, may be de-registered as a HDR supervisor.
16. The College Dean should make a case, in writing, to the Dean HDR outlining the reasons under which de-registration is being recommended.
17. HDR supervisors with ‘De-registered’ status will be required to relinquish all existing HDR supervisory roles, and not assume any other HDR supervisory roles.
18. HDR supervisors with ‘De-registered’ status may, with support of their College Dean, request re-registration through the Dean HDR.

Registration notifications and reminders

19. HDR supervisors who have satisfied requirements for initial registration or renewal of registration will receive confirmation of their registration via email.
20. The Graduate Research Office will send notification and reminder emails to supervisors to complete initial and renewal training requirements.

Supervisor Register - Oversight and Monitoring

21. Registration status will be reported in the Student Administration System, against the Supervisor Profile.
22. The Graduate Research Office is responsible for the oversight and monitoring of supervisor registration in an ANU Supervisor Register. Enquiries should be directed to HDR.Supervision@anu.edu.au.
23. College and School/ Centre HDR Administrators, in conjunction with the Graduate Research Office, assist Associate Deans/ Directors HDR, HDR Convenors and Heads of Schools/ Centres in monitoring HDR supervisor registration status.

Annex: Summary of registration requirements