PGR Supervisors - Supporting Mental Health and Wellbeing Session September 2021

Gemma Dale Presentation

Mental health support services: Supporting your mental health | Staff wellbeing | StaffNet | The University of Manchester

Short videos: Having a conversation about mental health and wellbeing action plans

Mind charity booklets:

• Stress - information booklet
• Depression - information booklet
• Anxiety and panic attacks - information booklet

UoM Sport activities: UoM Sport | Sport and Activities - UoM Sport (manchester.ac.uk)

Wellbeing videos / filmed lectures: wellbeing videos | Staff wellbeing | StaffNet | The University of Manchester

PGR Supervisors - Supporting PGR Wellbeing and Mental Health Online Training Resources

Two online modules, originally developed by the University of Durham have been adapated for supervisors at the University of Manchester. 

Supporting PGR Mental Health and Wellbeing for PGR Supervisors - An overview of mental health within the context of postgraduate research and guidance on how supervisors can identify, respond to and support PGRs in distress.

Case Studies for PGR Supervision in the Context of Mental Health Difficulties - Case studies are used to examine the process of PGR supervision when a supervisee is experiencing difficulties. 

A short video update on the progress and impact of our Research England/Office for Students PGR Wellbeing Project our project as presented to the UKCGE Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference May 2021.

Postgraduate Researcher Supervisor Toolkit

In consultation with academic and PS colleagues across the University, Manchester Doctoral College Strategy Group has developed a Manchester-focussed online Postgraduate Researcher Supervisor Toolkit, based on the UKCGE good supervisory practice framework, to support supervisors in their role. The resource brings together information and guidance about all aspects of research supervision from recruitment through to completion, with the aim of quickly signposting you to useful services, enabling you to navigate policies and regulations, and facilitating your interactions with postgraduate researchers. The resource is a source of information for supervisors from all academic areas and all levels of experience and will be reviewed and updated biannually; please use the form within the resource to send us your feedback and help ensure the resource continues to be useful and relevant.

To access the toolkit click Postgraduate Researcher Supervisor Toolkit and follow the steps below:

1. When logged in to Blackboard, click the Enrol button with the green + symbol
2. Click Submit in the bottom right corner of the window
3. Click OK in the bottom right corner of the window
4. When you click on the link within Blackboard to launch the toolkit, ensure that pop ups are enabled

If you have issues accessing Blackboard, please contact IT Support. If you can access Blackboard but have trouble with the toolkit, please contact staffLD@manchester.ac.uk”

Postgraduate Researcher Supervision from a Distance

University of Manchester Guidance on Remote Supervision

The UK Council for Graduate Education has developed and shared resources and good practice for its members.

Guide to Online Research Supervision

This guide identifies the benefits of online supervision, considers the challenges, and suggests ways in which supervisors might be able to overcome them.

Webinar: Effective Practices in Doctoral Supervision at a Distance 

See 31:19 for Dr. Sam Oakley’s presentation on ‘Supervising Remotely During the Coronavirus Crisis

Supervisor Recognition

The UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE), the independent representative body for postgraduate education in the UK, has recently launched a Research Supervision Recognition Programme. This is a professional development toolkit which includes the sector approved good supervisory practice framework and offers a route to recognition, specifically for research supervision. Becoming a UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor, demonstrates to your university, peers and candidates that your supervisory practice has been recognised by a national body.

Applications

Applications require the submission of a reflective account of your supervisory practices in relation to the ten criteria of the good supervisory framework along with two personal references.

The reflective account should include for each criteria one or more examples drawn from your own supervisory practice and should also demonstrate your familiarity with scholarly literature. You should aim at an overall length of approximately 5,000 words.

Personal references should be from one former doctoral candidate and one colleague familiar with your research supervision. References should be no more than 500 words and it is your responsibility to contact referees and ask them to authenticate your reflective account. References must be submitted with the application.  

Process and Deadlines

Please inform your Faculty contact or gemma.muckle@manchester.ac.uk of your intention to submit. If you would like your submission to reviewed please note the earlier deadline.

The reflective account and two references will be submitted along with the fee to UCKGE on your behalf. Please note that the University will cover the cost of the submission fee and will ask all accredited supervisors to join a pool of accredited supervisors and support fellow supervisors applying for accreditation by reviewing their submission. You will be asked to review a maximum of three submissions per academic year.

Sources of support

UKCGE Webinars

UKCGE Guide to Reflection

Annotated Reflective Account

Example Reflective Account

University of Manchester PGR Supervisor Toolkit

If you have any questions about this accreditation programme or process please contact gemma.muckle@manchester.ac.uk.