Building Positive Relationship with your Project Supervisor

Project supervisors are well knowledgeable and adequately trained pedagogically on how to supervise. In no doubt, they are key to determining how the project would be graded by the external supervisor(s).

However, some students complain about their relationship with their supervisor. It is pertinent to note that the factors responsible for lack of positive relationship are multifaceted. This cuts across latent problem(s) of the supervisee, the environment, inability to deliver required content, etc. There is a need for these latent and apparent problems to be identified and solved as failure to do so could be detrimental to the achievement in the research.

Every student must understand that they have a role to play in order to bring about a positive relationship with their supervisors. Most at times, students assume their supervisors derive pleasure in “stressing” them (supervisee). This may not be so because failure to meet the requirement of these supervisors could warrant some “irrational” reaction/attitudes by the supervisor and therefore, the supervisee labels them as being “bad” owing to their reaction.

Here are Tips in Building a Positive Relationship with Your Project Supervisor

· BEGIN WITH A GOOD IMPRESSION

The nature of a project supervisor and the quality of communication between the supervisee and supervisor are determinants to having success in the project. A student can ensure effective communication with the supervisee if he/she shows a positive attitude towards the supervisor. This could come in simple form such as greeting the supervisor or offering to assist them whenever you got a chance. Doing this with smile on your face is the onset of a positive relationship as well as your ticket in getting the attention of your supervisor.

· BE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR PROJECT WORK

Students’ lackadaisical attitude to project work cannot be overemphasized. Many after receiving their project topics would drop their files in their dormitories/hostels while they continue with their regular activities. The urge to finish on time coupled with the rush to meetup with the deadline given by the supervisor will then warrant supervisee to plagiarize (a form of academic fraudulence) or prepare an ill-structured literature which at most times are often rejected or better still awarded low grades. Having positive attitude towards research would go a long way not just in fostering good performance in the project but the knowledge gained can be applied in everyday life.

· EXHIBIT HIGH LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE AND PROBLEM MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Every supervisee must understand that their supervisors are there to provide them with appropriate advice and guidance but they are not there to do the thinking or tell what they should be doing at each step of the way. It is important to keep your supervisors informed of your progress, but they will expect you to take the initiative in managing your time and overcoming any difficulties that you may encounter. In this regard, supervisees are hereby advised to obtain the department format for their project in order to use the pattern. By so doing, the supervisor will see a level of commitment as well as a sense of responsibility in the student. This would also assist the supervisor by reducing his/her effort in making corrections.

· DETERMINE THE REQUIREMENT OF YOUR RESEARCH

Many students, at some stage feel that they are not getting the support they need especially when their project has been rejected or subjected to corrections severally. What you need at this point is to ascertain the requirement of your research. Ask yourself if you have been following the required format, if you have been doing exactly what your supervisor requires you to do. Take a step back and reflect on the situation from both viewpoints. If you think you have been doing it right all along, then meet with experts who are more knowledgeable in research to review your project for you. There is no crime in allowing someone to explain the requirements better for you. You can meet with other lecturers, post graduate students or research consultants etc. It is believed that these people understand research ethics and are more experience than you. If you discover you have been doing it the wrong way, now is the best time to take the right approach.

· KNOW YOUR SUPERVISOR

Understanding your supervisor is paramount to building a positive relationship. All supervisors aren’t the same; some are temperamental, some are “cool”, while some might be somewhat indifferent in their lifestyle. Let’s approach this in a simple way!

Note: Supervisors are humans like you, they may also be going through challenges, it is therefore necessary to be ready to empathize with them and also share a sense of understanding.

· ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES

This has to do with setting limit with the time you meet your supervisors as well as the avenue you use in meeting. Do not call your Project Supervisor at odd hours, respect their privacy and expect them to respect yours. Avoid home calls if possible and endeavor to meet in formalized environment. If you must call, try to know a little about how they are faring before you table your project matter. The moment you observe that the tone isn’t friendly, you could simply respectfully tell him/her you’ll call back. If you are faced with a particularly “randy” project supervisor, organize the rest of the students which he/she is supervising then go as a group.

· MAINTAIN REGULAR CONTACT WITH YOUR SUPERVISORS

Students who maintain regular contact with their supervisors are more likely to regularly reflect on and review their progress against their agreed objectives and plans and to take action if they have fallen behind or are in danger of not submitting their project on time. Maintaining regular contact involves setting up a meeting time (in a formalized environment) in case the supervisor may not be on seat. You can politely ask your supervisor when next you should report. You can also make enquiry if your supervisor would like to receive your work via other platforms such as emails or through any other media he might prefer. This way, a student can check up on his supervisor and not just going to the office at times in which the supervisor might be busy or out of reach.

· FOLLOW YOUR SUPERVISORS’ INSTRUCTION(S)

One of the issue supervisors have with their supervisee is refusal (by the supervisee) to follow the instructions in the previously corrected work. This could get some supervisors angered as telling a student to make a correction repeatedly can be frustrating especially when they are having a lot of academic work to attend to. It is your right to ask the supervisor (politely) what correction is to be made especially when you do not understand what he requires of you. If the supervisor chooses not to reply or there isn’t an avenue to meet with him one on one, simply reach out to an expert who could put you through.

· SET A TIMEFRAME FOR PROJECT COMPLETION

Most supervisors are time conscious, failure to meet the agreed deadline might lead to poor scoring or worse inability to complete the research in that academic year. To prevent this, the most important tool in helping you manage your time effectively and giving you the best chance of completing your degree on time is to have clear objectives and agreed deadlines for meeting each objective. To do this, set up a plan, these plans should comprise a number of specific objectives each one of which should have a date for completion. A “strict” adherence to this plan can guarantee completion of the project at the required time. You can also employ some project management tools to efficiently manage your project, check our previous topic on “contemporary tools for managing research” https://medium.com/@heyresearch.edu/6-examples-of-contemporary-tools-for-research-writing-d980206b79a1.

These tips have been tested; therefore, students who apply these tips in a bid to build a positive relationship with their supervisor are guaranteed an excellent result!

Still having issues with your supervisor? Contact HeyResearch through the mail heyresearch.edu@gmail.com