External Supervision Arrangements

Rationale

The staff of other universities and research institutions may play a major role in the training of JCU research higher degree students. This role ranges from:

1. 1.

   the student being located at the other institution, which provides virtually all of the supervision, infrastructure and project costs; to

2. 2.

   the student having occasional access to research infrastructure or specialist expertise at the other institution with JCU providing virtually all of the supervision, infrastructure and project costs; and

3. 3.

   many situations between the two extremes.

Arrangements should be negotiated on a case by case basis between the HDR student’s JCU Head of School, supervisor and relevant researchers at the other institution, with particular emphasis on the university’s need to exercise ‘duty of care’ for the student. In the past, both the University and other institutions have occasionally expressed some dissatisfaction with the arrangements that have been negotiated. The checklist below aims to identify issues to be negotiated to ensure an outcome that is satisfactory to all parties.

This checklist is also relevant to the situation where an independent researcher is asked to be a member of a research higher degree student’s supervisory committee because of his or her specialist expertise.

The checklist has been developed in the context of the recent government discussion paper New Knowledge, New Opportunities which has resulted in major changes to research training in Australia. In particular, there is:

1. 1.

   increased scrutiny of completion rates and times;

2. 2.

   an increased alignment between research strength and research training;

3. 3.

   increased emphasis on the quality of the research training environment including supervisor training; and

4. 4.

   increased emphasis on research skills training.

These matters need to be considered when formalising arrangements for particular students.

Matters to be negotiated:

1. 1.

   Location of student

2. 2.

   Supervisory arrangements - membership and duties of the supervisory team

3. 3.

   Supervisor training requirements

4. 4.

   Funding arrangements for student stipend, supervision¹, project costs and infrastructure costs

5. 5.

   Infrastructure needs and access

6. 6.

   Intellectual property

7. 7.

   Authorship of publications

8. 8.

   Research skills training and coursework requirements

9. 9.

   OHS training

10. 10.

    Other requirements as required by the school e.g. Confirmation and Pre-completion Seminars

¹Any payment for external supervision must be met by the school. Supervisors who are full-time employees of other academic or research institutions would not normally receive payment. Supervisors who are independent researchers may be paid a negotiated honorarium.