Abstract:

Systematic education for PhD supervisors is not common at universities. Universities started higher education pedagogical education for their teachers because, universities recognised, that many university teachers had poor understanding, what is good teaching and how to provide favourable learning conditions at universities. It has a direct connection to the students’ learning conditions, experiences and proceedings in their studies. Teachers can sometimes produce unconscious hindrances rather than accelerated students’ studies. In past this happened, because it was emphasised independent status of teachers. Today the situation has totally changed. Teaching and supervision practices have been made public and transparent and students are aware of their legal rights and of quality standards, which they can expect from their teachers.

Actually university teachers’ pedagogical skills cannot be separated from the supervision skills. At last it is a question of relationship between the student and the teacher. Student is considered an active part of knowledge construction, not a passive recipient of knowledge or information. Negotiation and communicational skills are essential part of leaning processes between the human subjects. Metacognitive skills are important contribution of supervisors’ qualifications.

For example in Finnish universities there are nowadays much guidelines and standards, how to supervise PhD thesis. Also contracts between the students and the supervisors are commonly used. Contracts are mutual – both parts are aware about expectations and contracts are followed-up and updated regularly. Various methods and steps leading to development of PhD supervisors competence across the world are going to be identified and discussed in the article.

Generally it can be said, that qualifications, which PhD students should master after graduation are very much the same as supervisors should master in their supervision practices.

Keywords:

Supervisors’ education, university pedagogy, PhD studies, international, comparison.