Infrastructure Support for Postgraduate Research Students: The Responsibilities of Academic Departments
2. Information for postgraduate research students
3. Specific facilities and resources
Introduction
A crucial goal pursuant to the Melbourne Agenda is to advance the reputation and performance of Melbourne as a major international research university, and to strengthen its role as a centre of advanced research education. Providing postgraduate research students with research supervision, infrastructure and support of the highest possible quality is a key operational strategy.1
The University of Melbourne has established guidelines on PhD candidature for departments, supervisors and candidates,2 and seeks to continually improve supervision and academic support. This statement focuses on the responsibilities of departments* regarding facilities and resources for postgraduate research students.
High quality education of postgraduate research students requires that the University provide appropriate facilities and resources. Completion rates, submission times, satisfaction with the graduate research program and research outcomes are all closely related to infrastructure provision. Departments play a crucial role in ensuring that postgraduate research students are only admitted to higher degree candidature where there are appropriate facilities and resources to support their research studies. Departments must strive to achieve optimal standards of resources for postgraduate research students.3
1. Offers of candidature
1.1 Prospective supervisors, postgraduate coordinators and Heads of Department should ensure that postgraduate research students are only accepted into areas where there are appropriate facilities and resources to support their studies. This includes issues related to departmental infrastructure, Faculty facilities and resources (such as computer rooms, labs and workshops) as well as University infrastructure (eg specialist library collections or high performance computing). If funds will be required for postgraduate research students to spend time at other institutions or gain remote access to resources vital to their research project, departments must ensure that an appropriate source of financial support is identified.
2. Information for postgraduate research students
2.1 Departments should ensure that postgraduate research students are familiar with departmental, Library and other University resources available to support their research activity. University facilities and resources may include, for example, campus specific services, ITS computer labs, the Graduate Centre, travel and overseas research experience awards, and statistical consulting services. Good practice includes department-specific information available through the Campus Wide Information Service (www.unimelb.edu.au), including links to information about general University facilities; information sheets; and information in department guides for postgraduate research students.
2.2 Each department must provide comprehensive induction for all new postgraduates, and include in this induction specific information about the facilities and resources available for postgraduates and how these may be accessed. GSA should be invited to attend and take part in formal sessions.
2.3 Supervisors are expected to discuss during their initial meetings with postgraduate research students what general facilities and resources will be available (including building access, access to office or lab space, photocopying, consumables, travel, internet access etc) as well as project-specific issues (such as support for fieldwork, testing, technical support, statistical services, equipment access etc).
2.4 Departments should ensure that postgraduate research students are aware of ancillary student support services such as counselling, health, careers and employment, and child care.
2.5 Departments should advise international postgraduate research students about University provision of assistance with English language skills.
3. Specific facilities and resources
3.1 All full-time research postgraduate research students should ideally be provided with shared office accommodation that includes a sole-use desk, lockable filing cabinet and bookshelf facilities. Part-time research postgraduate research students should ideally have shared accommodation and at least shared use of a desk. It is acknowledged that some departments face major space and accommodation problems. The University is committed to improving the availability of office facilities for all postgraduate research students.
3.2 With due regard to security and safety, there should be 'after hours' and ideally 24 hour access for research postgraduate research students to their offices, labs or shared work space.
3.3 Postgraduate research students must have access to on-campus computer facilities for data analysis, writing and information access. This might involve use of desktop computers, mainframe systems or high performance computing time; networked printing; technical advice; and help with academic software supported by the University. Postgraduate research students need an appropriate level of access to research and communication tools such as the WWW and e-mail, including dial-in access.
3.4 'Off campus' postgraduate research students must have reasonable access to University Internet services and other resources required to support their research and thesis preparation.
3.5 Departments should each year determine what levels of general maintenance, consumables and travel support will be provided to postgraduate research students, and inform their students and supervisors accordingly. Provision of infrastructure such as photocopying, printing, funds for research travel, outside mail, controlled STD or ISD telephone use and fax use need to be commensurate with the requirements of research topics and thesis writing. What is a reasonable limit will vary from department to department.
3.6 Postgraduate research students should be encouraged to present their work at conferences. It is highly desirable that departments contribute to conference registration and attendance costs. The level of support that is offered will vary between Departments. Departments should contribute toward doctoral student attendance to present at national conferences at least twice or at an international conference at least once during candidature. Research masters candidates should ideally be supported for at least one national conference.
3.7 Wherever possible, departments should offer suitably qualified postgraduate research students the opportunity to tutor, demonstrate or engage in other professional development activities, within the guidelines on work approved by the Research Higher Degrees Committee.
3.8 Departments should encourage postgraduate research students to make effective, efficient use of library resources. This will often require participation in general orientation sessions and tours, as well as specialist courses run by the University Library, other specialist libraries and the Melbourne School of Graduate Research. Departments should meet the cost of inter-library loans approved by their supervisor.
Footnotes
* In this context, the term 'academic departments' includes all academic units responsible for postgraduate research supervision, including departments, schools, centres and single-department faculties of the University.
1 The University of Melbourne Operational Plan, 2000
2 See Melbourne School of Graduate Research, The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Handbook
3 This Statement arises in part from consideration by the Research and Graduate Studies Committee (now defunct) of Academic Board of a report on 'Postgraduate Facilities and Resources' (1999) by the University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association (UMPA). (University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association (UMPA) is now called Graduate Students Association – GSA). That report pointed to areas of best practice but also identified problems in some departments with postgraduate research students unable to access appropriate facilities and resources or unaware of support provided by their departments. A Working Party convened by the Dean of Graduate Studies was established to recommend to the Research and Graduate Studies Committee guidelines on the standard of facilities and resources for postgraduate research students. The Working Party wishes to acknowledge the information provided by the UQ Graduate School in regard to the University of Queensland PhD Program Handbook, Appendix D: Supervision of Research Higher Degree Students: Departmental Management and Infrastructure Guidelines.