Situating Supervision in the Research Environment

Re-situating Supervision in a Peer-Learning Context.

Lead Partner: Glasgow School of Arts

This work package aims to explore the nature of the research community (or communities), the potential for identifying new discipline-specific and interdisciplinary areas of research, and the nature of (and possibilities for) rethinking supervision within this context.

The discussion questions the prevailing policy that places emphasis on particular institutional support for research students, the training of supervisors and the provision of what is generally recognised as a rich research environment that places emphasis on the idea of ‘peer’ learning and its implications on notions of community within the context of research. Furthermore, within this context the current focus on ‘mindfulness’ in the educational experience of students and staff may also play a significant role.

Questions:

• To what extent is the development of a broad research environment across disciplines important for the development of an artistic research community?
• How important is it to create a critical mass of research staff and students as a community of peers?
• What is the benefit of creating specific discipline or inter-disciplinary supervisory teams?
• To what extent does ‘peer learning’ impact upon or enhance the situating of supervision in the research environment and what role does ‘mindfulness’ play?

The workpackage focuses at the consideration of situating supervision in relationship to peer learning, pedagogy, current thinking on learning and teaching and its implications for artistic research. It aims at rethinking the role and function of the supervisor and the situating of the supervisor within the research environment and to develop a shared understanding of how such forms of engagement can be sympathetic to each other, mindful of each other, and productive in the development of the students’ research project. Such knowledge when shared is transferable in terms of enabling staff and students to work in a more productive way.