Strategies for Using Technology for Graduate Student Supervision

Dr. Valerie IrvineCo-Director, TIE Research LabUniversity of Victoria, Canadahttp://tie.uvic.cavirvine@uvic.caTwitter: _valeriei

My Background

• Educational Psychology Dept Graduate Student President at the University of Alberta• Graduate Student Service Award @ U of A• Assistant Professor at the University of

Victoria

THE MOST important element in a graduate program….

…. YOUR relationship with your supervisor

Graduate students can be divided into two groups:

“I missed the bus.”or

“The bus left without me.”

Communication

• How NOT to be the graduate student who fell inbetween the cracks• THINK how it is to teach the same class 10x• Create a lab manual (or manual for those

working with your supervisor)• Expectations of students• Where things are/resources• Library of past scholarship apps• List of conferences, templates, etc.

Communication

• How often – weekly, bi-weekly, monthly at least• Quality and depth of interactions• Understand that constructive feedback is

LOVE! Not an insult.• How to sustain it – skype, etc.• (IMHO… be on campus…)

Communication

• Understand there are two perspectives• Find out your supervisor’s expectations

from graduate students ASK!

Create a HUB

• Need elements• Of public materials between supervisor and

all of her/his graduate students• Of private materials shared only between

supervisor and an individual graduate student

Create a HUB

• Can be done with any technology• Simple shared server space• Cloud computing• In my example, sharepoint• http://tie.uvic.ca

Discussion? Questions?

• virvine@uvic.ca

• Twitter: _valeriei