Postgraduate Supervision: Practical Handbook

Postgraduate supervision is a complex and demanding job. For the past 16 years, I have been deeply involved in postgraduate supervision at masters, and doctoral levels. Supervising master’s and doctoral students have significantly enriched my life academically, scientifically, emotionally, and culturally. This is because my postgraduate students came from different educational, socioeconomic, religious, cultural, and scientific and technical backgrounds. I have learnt to be open-minded, patient and more tolerant. Supervision demands specific qualifications and skills to ensure effective and quality supervision that would enhance completion of postgraduate study and research at the desired time, higher rate of graduation and increased research output. This book was written as part of my scholarly contribution to the art and science of postgraduate supervision. The book views postgraduate supervision as one of the core academic activities of universities; providing a link between teaching and learning and research; supporting the creation, transference of research and related skills, knowledge, and management of knowledge in the knowledge economy considering the fact that knowledge generation is the key function of universities which should in turn stimulate universities to invest more in postgraduate training and the training of supervisors. The book is divided into various sections such as the goals and roles of postgraduate supervisors, criteria, and justification for selecting postgraduate students, key elements in effective postgraduate supervision and many more topics. The book aim to equip both experienced and inexperienced postgraduate supervisors in the simple and systematic approach to postgraduate supervision, to understand the challenges associated with postgraduate supervision and the approach to tackling such challenges. Interestingly, the book also draws from personal experience of over 16 years of postgraduate supervision and the lessons a person could learn from the experience. It is expected that this book will benefit, postgraduate supervisors, undergraduate project supervisors and leaders, postgraduate students, research administrators in the university and various stakeholders who are involved in postgraduate supervision and administration directly or indirectly.