Supervisors will need to establish communication and feedback processes with all of their off-campus candidates, particularly as they are not able to meet face-to-face. This page will help supervisors get started on supervising online, with information on good practice, tips for establishing a workspace, and technology resources. This will include ECU-centric information as well as linking to external resources that may be useful.
At ECU we recommend supervisors create an online supervisor workspace using Microsoft Teams. Teams is a communication and collaboration platform for Microsoft Office 365 that allows integration of several apps that are useful for the research journey. Detailed instructions on setting up the shared workspace can be found in the downloadable guide.
Teams can be used via desktop application or through a web interface: teams.microsoft.com. There are also apps available for iPhones and Android devices. Access to Teams is through Office365, using your ECU institutional login. External supervisors and candidates will need to be added to a Teams workspace by an ECU staff member.
You can use Teams as a virtual environment for supervision, by using the appropriate applications with it. An online Teams Workspace could use the following features:
Supervisors are advised to set up a ‘Team’ for each of their off-campus candidates, allowing all the information for that candidate, as well as any associated materials, to be contained within the one application. Once you have set up the workspace, it will appear in your Teams list and will be accessible whenever you log into Teams in the future.
The tracking of candidate progress is now required by the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. To this effect, Supervisors are strongly encouraged to store the documents associated with MyPLAN, electronic copies of completed forms, as well as any feedback on writing and associated materials.