A common product in all academic degree levels is the production of a thesis or a written report of a project, as may be the case in some contexts. That product is the result of a process that involves a relationship between a supervisor and a supervisee. Supervision is an entrenched systematic process that provides the platform for a supervisee to be guided by a supervisor towards producing the expected product. It is not just any type of relationship, but one that brings together formal academic expectations, attitudes, and processes. But it also comes with it expectations, attitudes, and challenges that are beyond the context of the academia. This creates a challenging task for supervisors, as well as supervisees.

Consequently, successful supervision then results, not only on laid-down academic processes, but also on the “art of the game”. Beyond the science of the systematic ways of implementing the supervision, understanding the art of doing it will lead to a fruitful engagement and makes the experience worthwhile for both the supervisor and supervisee.

Often, many supervisors who take up the task of academic supervision do not have prior knowledge or experience of the required skills to be successful. This is exacerbated by the fact that many institutions do not have opportunities for training in academic supervision. Recognizing the need to support academic supervisors in leading a fruitful and rewarding supervision engagement, ASFI has developed this unique course tailored to African academics.

The course is suitable for anyone who is currently supervising or those who may find themselves supervising academic thesis in the future. The course approaches the supervision engagement from a multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral perspective.

Brief content:

• What is academic supervision?
• History and development of academic supervision
• The context of academic supervision
• Expected outcomes in the supervision process
• The attitudes in academic supervision
• Academic supervision vs mentoring vs coaching
• Challenges and barriers in the supervisory engagement
• Field-specific academic supervision experiences