HDR Supervision Development Workshops

The Higher Degree Research (HDR) Supervision Development team offer a series of HDR Supervision Development Workshops, complementing those offered by Colleges, Schools and Centres.

These workshops address a range of topics, issues and experience relevant to good practice in HDR supervision. Participation in any of these is a 'qualifying renewal activity' for HDR Supervision Annual Registration Renewal under the ANU HDR Supervision Development Framework. The 2025 program will be listed below as it is confirmed, and in the monthly Research News.

HDR Supervision Development Workshops are open to all HDR supervisors, and are free; please enrol to receive the Zoom link or location details.

Foundations of HDR Supervision Workshops are offered to those new to supervision, as part of the HDR Supervision Initial Registration process. Please visit the Foundations of HDR Supervision Workshops webpage for more information, and to enrol for one of these workshops.

HDR Supervision Topic Workshops, Issues Forums and Masterclass Panels

The 2025 program is posted below*

* The HDR Supervision Topic Workshops, Issues Forums and Masterclass Panels are offered online (unless otherwise indicated), via Zoom (Zoom information). Subject to demand, other workshops may be scheduled as the year progresses. We’ll update the schedule on this webpage and in the monthly Research News.

Setting up your new HDR candidate for success 

The first weeks and months of a HDR project can be overwhelming for new candidates. Supervisors play a key role in orienting them to the requirements and expectations of doctoral study. What do candidates already know and what are their questions? This workshop explores strategies for getting off to a good start, including building a positive relationship, providing access to resources, and clarifying who is responsible for what.

Lead - Professor Peter Kanowski, Director HDR Supervision, who has been supervising HDR candidates for 35 years.

Tuesday, 29 April 12-1pm. Details and enrolment.

AI-Intelligent Supervision

If you're not using AI tools with your PhD candidates yet, you're probably either skeptical or feeling overwhelmed (or both). When ChatGPT appeared, many worried it would compromise research integrity. Instead, it's opening up powerful new possibilities for supervisors and candidates who know how to use it thoughtfully.

While AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT and NotebookLM can be misused, they're also valuable allies that can enhance the research journey while maintaining rigorous academic standards. In this practical workshop, you'll learn evidence-based strategies for guiding your candidates in using AI effectively and ethically.

We'll explore how to:

• Support candidates in using AI for literature organisation and synthesis
• Guide appropriate AI use for writing development
• Protect sensitive research data while leveraging AI capabilities
• Help candidates develop AI literacy without becoming over-reliant
• Save time on routine supervision tasks without compromising quality

Drawing from real supervision experience and current research, this workshop will show you how to help candidates integrate AI thoughtfully into their research practice. You'll learn specific prompts and techniques that work, understanding both the opportunities and limitations of these tools.

If you're concerned about AI compromising research originality, you might be surprised. Like any powerful tool, it's all in how you guide its use. Come along and discover how to help your candidates navigate the AI landscape responsibly.

Lead - Professor Inger Mewburn is the Director of Researcher Development at The Australian National University, but she is better known as @Thesiswhisperer on the internet. Aside from running workshops for ANU researchers, she creates new posts on the Thesis Whisperer blog, writes scholarly papers and authors books about research education. She has special interests in post PhD employability, research communications and neurodivergence.

Wednesday,12 March 12-1pm. Details and enrolment.

Thesis by: artefact, creative work, publication, or written? – options and considerations for ANU HDR thesis formats’

ANU has revised its Thesis Formats Procedure to encompass four categories: artefact, creative work, publication, or written. This workshop will discuss these formats; when and why your HDR students might choose one of these formats; and what they and their supervisors should consider ahead of a final decision.

Lead - Professor Peter Kanowski, Director HDR Supervision, who has been supervising HDR candidates for 35 years.

Tuesday, 29 April 12-1pm.Details and enrolment.

HDR oral examinations at ANU 

Oral examinations are now required for all ANU HDR candidates who commenced from 1 July 2024, and optional for those who commenced earlier. In this workshop, Profs Ann Evans and Peter Kanowski, who have chaired the ANU HDR oral examinations conducted to date, will share their experiences of the process, and reflections for HDR supervisors and other oral examination chairs. For more background, see the ANU HDR Oral Examination Sharepoint site.

Leads - Professor Ann Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Graduate Research); Professor Peter Kanowski, Director HDR Supervision.

Wednesday,14 May 12-1pm.Details and enrolment.

Beyond Red Pen: Transforming Writing Feedback

Are you spending hours editing your candidates' drafts? There's a better way. This workshop shows you how to shift from editor to writing mentor, helping candidates develop as writers while actually reducing your workload.

In this interactive online session, you'll learn:

• Why traditional editing approaches often slow down candidate progress
• How to give feedback that develops writing capability
• Practical strategies for supporting neurodivergent writers
• Ways to intervene earlier in the writing process
• Time-saving frameworks for giving effective feedback

You'll leave with practical tools and techniques you can implement immediately with your candidates. Perfect for new supervisors, but experienced supervisors will also gain fresh perspectives on writing development.

This workshop challenges traditional approaches to supervisor feedback, showing you how to:

• Break the cycle of waiting for complete drafts
• Help candidates become independent writers
• Create clear expectations around writing and feedback
• Support different thinking and writing styles
• Speed up progression to submission

Lead - Professor Inger Mewburn is the Director of Researcher Development at The Australian National University, but she is better known as @Thesiswhisperer on the internet. Aside from running workshops for ANU researchers, she creates new posts on the Thesis Whisperer blog, writes scholarly papers and authors books about research education. She has special interests in post PhD employability, research communications and neurodivergence.

Tuesday, 22 July 12 - 1pm.Details and enrolment.

Myth busting statistical methods

What has happened in statistical methods since you were a PhD student?! This workshop will examine three statistical myths (1) nothing has changed in statistical methodology since the 1980s (2) traditional methods work fine even when assumptions are not met (3) when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I will introduce exciting new concepts such as hierarchies of variability, bootstrapping, machine learning and imputation.

Lead - Professor Alice Richardson, Lead of Statistical Support Network

Thursday, 14 August 12-1pm.Details and enrolment.

Giving and receiving feedback

Giving feedback is a fundamental part of a supervisor’s role, and a key component of the supervisory relationship. Receiving and acting on feedback can be challenging. In this workshop, we will explore feedback from both staff and student perspectives, and we will consider what recent research has to say about effective HDR feedback practices. 

Lead - Susy Macqueen is Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics. Her research is on language assessment in education, health and migration contexts. Her doctoral studies focused on English language learning for university study.

Wednesday, 15 October 12-1pm.Details and enrolment.

Respectful Relationships training

The ANU Respectful Relationships Unit (RRU) offers a range of training for University staff. They are designed to increase understanding of sexual assault and sexual harassment and support preventative strategies. The training resources include the Rights, Relationships and Respect in Research online module, which you can undertake at any time

Various dates. Details and enrolment.

Recordings of the HDR Supervision Topic Workshops and Masterclass Panels

You can access recordings of the HDR Supervision Topic Workshops and Masterclass Panels at the HDR Supervision Development Portal.

More information or suggestions

We welcome your feedback and suggestions for workshop topics. Contact us at hdr.supervision@anu.edu.au or via telephone on +61 2 6125 1503.