Co-supervision of doctoral students: enhancing the learning experience

Area of Science:

• Higher Education
• Doctoral Studies
• Academic Supervision

Background:

• Co-supervision is an increasingly relevant model in doctoral education.
• Understanding its benefits and drawbacks is crucial for effective implementation.
• Existing literature and practical experiences offer valuable insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the advantages and challenges of doctoral student co-supervision.
• To define co-supervision and discuss its implementation process.
• To provide a balanced perspective from faculty and student viewpoints.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on co-supervision.
• Analysis of faculty experiences with co-supervision.
• Inclusion of a former doctoral student's perspective.

Main Results:

• The advantages of co-supervision significantly outweigh the challenges.
• Co-supervision enhances doctoral student learning experiences.
• The process is intellectually stimulating for supervising academics.

Conclusions:

• Co-supervision is a beneficial model for doctoral education.
• Seasoned academics should consider co-supervision to improve student outcomes.
• This collaborative approach fosters academic growth for both students and supervisors.