Individual professional development

Who is this course for?

• Any staff member in a role that supports / guides students doing undergraduate research (including dissertations, major projects, research essays)
• New supervisors wanting to explore and develop their supervisory style and skills
• Experienced supervisors wishing to refresh / enhance their skills and knowledge within a structured programme
• This course is free to all BCU staff

What do you have to do?

If you wish to attain the certificate, then you will need to:

• Attend all three days of the course
• Observe two supervision sessions
• Take part in an assessed discussion
• Produce a 2000 word (equivalent) portfolio (variety of formats possible)

However, you are also welcome to attend the three days as training / professional development and not submit for the assessment. 

What will you get?

This is a SEDA accredited course. On completion of the course and associated assessment (having met all the SEDA outcomes and values), participants will be awarded a nationally recognised certificate

The course will expand your knowledge and skills to support and guide undergraduate students through the research process, allow you to review your practice, identify professional development goals and create an action plan

What does the course offer?

Session 1: Preparing to supervise (skills and role audit), establishing relationships, discussing expectations, the learner’s perspective, different supervision practices, styles and models.

Session 2: Supervisor roles, responsibilities and skills, case study scenarios, dealing with dilemmas, diversity and challenges, developing your style, helping students help themselves.

Session 3: Supporting and guiding students through the final stages, what to do when things go wrong, assessing undergraduate research, evaluating your supervision and creating action plans.

What do previous participants say about it?

Overall impressions:

“Very interesting and helpful”.

“Excellent.

Thoroughly enjoyed it”.

“Productive and engaging sessions”.

“The content has been varied, relevant, thought-provoking, stimulating and, at times, fun”.

The best bits:

“The course has been very insightful and it was beneficial to work with members of staff from different disciplines”.

“The depth and breadth of information about supervision from across the university and beyond”.

“The guidance has been great and the chance to collectively share experiences and ideas in our group as a whole has been very productive”.

“Really useful overview of process and practicalities with lots of real examples”.

Outcomes:

“Increased confidence in supervision”.

“I feel more prepared and ‘qualified’ to supervise UG research now. Am more comfortable with student expectations”.

“A very informative and enjoyable course which challenged my way of doing things and has given me a new enthusiasm for supervising my students”.

“Developing a more strategic approach to supervision and the potential to improve the way we do things”.

“Great opportunity for me to gain insight into the process and identify what is required of me. It has been very informative and helpful”.

Who is this course for?

• Any staff member in a role that supports / guides students doing master’s research (including dissertations, major projects, research essays)
• New supervisors wanting to explore and develop their supervisory style and skills
• Experienced supervisors wishing to refresh / enhance their skills and knowledge within a structured programme

What do you have to do?

If you wish to attain the certificate, then you will need to: 

• Attend all three days of the course and observe a supervision session
• Organise a focus group / interview with a supervisor / student to discuss their experience leading to a short presentation
• Produce a 2000 word (equivalent) portfolio (variety of formats possible)

However, you are also welcome to attend the three days as training / professional development and not submit for the assessment. 

What will you get?

• This is a SEDA accredited course. On completion of the course and associated assessment (having met all the SEDA outcomes and values), participants will be awarded a nationally recognised certificate
• The course will expand your knowledge and skills to support and guide master’s students through the research process, allow you to review your practice, identify professional development goals and create an action plan

What does the course offer?

Session 1: Supervisor roles, responsibilities and skills, exploring student / supervisor expectations, different supervision practices, styles and models.

Session 2: Dealing with dilemmas, diversity and challenges, different stages of supervision, giving student feedback, developing communities of research, evaluating your practice and developing action plans.

Session 3: Individual assessed presentation, plus activities around assessing master’s degree research (feedback, marking, moderation) .

What do previous participants say about it?

“Enjoyed working with peers and the opportunity to learn from each other”

“Plenty of helpful, supportive discussion across range of subject disciplines”.

“Level of discussion was great”

“Very good informative course providing knowledge and practical assistance”

“Practical guidance on supervision underpinned by theory / knowledge”

“Helped me understand the need for different supervision approaches in order to support student learning”

“Really useful course helped me gather my thoughts, ideas and strategies and begin to formulate them into a more structured plan”

“One of the best courses I have done (ever!)”

Who is this course for?

• Any Postgraduate Research Student at Birmingham City University. This includes those studying full or part time towards an MPhil or PhD and those employed as Graduate Teaching Assistants
• This course is free for all of the above

What do you have to do?

• Attend all four days of the course
• Run at least one teaching session and observe one teaching session
• Take part in a viva to review, reflect and discuss your teaching, leading to a short presentation
• Produce a 2500 word essay

What will you get?

• This is a SEDA accredited course. On completion of the course and associated assessment (having met all the SEDA outcomes and values), participants will be awarded a nationally recognised certificate
• The course provides an introduction to philosophies, techniques and values that under- pin learning and teaching. It equips you with knowledge and skills to facilitate and support learning in a variety of situations
• Programme is mapped against Descriptor 1 (Associate Fellow) of HEA.

What does the course offer?

Session 1: Linking research and teaching, discussing good teaching in higher education (HE), exploring own experiences of HE, plus introduction to SEDA and BCU values.

Session 2: Understanding learning outcomes, setting session objectives, getting to grips with documentation and quality assurance, and exploring teaching and learning methods and models.

Session 3: Tools and techniques for large group teaching, reviewing presentation skills, guidance on assessment, marking and moderation and giving and receiving feedback.

Session 4: Individual assessed presentations, evaluation of your own teaching and continuous development, and tools and techniques for small group teaching.

Who is this course for?

• This programme has been designed to assist any visiting tutors whose work involves teaching and supporting students within Birmingham City University (BCU)
• This course is free for Visiting Tutors employed by BCU

What do you have to do?

• Attend both sessions of the course
• Produce a portfolio containing: a discussion of what learning and teaching means to you and how this defines you as a teacher in Higher Education, a report and analysis of a technique used in a teaching session, an evaluation of yourself as a teacher and an identification of your goals and priorities

What will you get?

• This is a SEDA accredited course. On completion of the course and associated assessment (having met all the SEDA outcomes and values), participants will be awarded a nationally recognised certificate
• The course aim is to equip you with knowledge and skills to enhance the learning experience of Higher Education students. It covers different concepts, models and theories to inform professional practice and enhance skills. Quality assurance and enhancement; assessment, marking and feedback are also integral to this programme

What does the course offer?

Session 1: Drawing on your experience of teaching and learn- ing, exploring identity and values, creating a philosophy of learning and teaching, managing student experience and expectations, defining the curriculum, aims, outcomes and objectives, introducing constructive alignment, active learning and techniques for learning and teaching.

Session 2: Analysing and using documentation, quality assurance and enhancement, technology enhanced learning and teaching, assessment, marking and feedback.

Who is this course for?

• This programme has been designed for both new and experienced research degree supervisors
• It is free for all BCU staff

What does the course offer?

In this professional development process, groups of research supervisors collectively discuss their experiences of research degree supervision. Based on a Community of Practice model, all participants benefit from their peers’ shared stories and experiences. The conversations scaffold them to subsequently undertake practice-led inquiry based on their own research supervision context. The programme aims to build on participants’ experience of supervising research students and expand their knowledge and skills to enable them to develop their supervisory style.

The professional development model is structured around five conversations:

1. Who am I as a participant of this community of practice?
2. What prior knowledge do I bring to the practice of research supervision?
3. What is good research supervision?
4. What resources can I use to support my aim of improving my research supervision?
5. How will I know when I have achieved my aim of improving my research supervision?

At a final community meeting participants report on their practice-led inquiries and ongoing development plans as a supervisor.

How do you find out more?

Please contact the programme leaders Sian Vaughan and Carolyn Blackburn.