Supervisor Resources
Good supervision of graduate students improves graduate student learning, productivity and satisfaction with their experience at the University of Alberta. Mentorship goes beyond supervision to address the whole person and the life-long career choices ahead for the graduate students we supervise. These pages host a collection of resources to help supervisors of graduate students achieve these goals.
Upcoming Events
Date: Friday, June 6, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. MT
Location: Zoom
Thriving in Graduate Supervision – Strategies for Wellbeing, Resilience and Reward
Supervising doctoral research is an academic responsibility AND an emotional, intellectual, and institutional balancing act. If you’ve ever felt the weight of guiding students through complex research journeys while juggling your teaching, publishing, and administrative duties, you're not alone. This workshop is for you, the academic supervisor, who navigates the highs and lows of mentoring, often without a roadmap for your well-being. Let’s move beyond surviving the role—and start thriving in it.
In this practical, research-informed workshop, we’ll explore:
- The hidden pressures of supervision and their impact on identity, resilience, and professional satisfaction
- Key stressors across personal, learning, and institutional dimensions
- Research-backed strategies to build personal well-being, intellectual engagement, and sustainable supervision practices
- Real stories, challenges, and proven methods from academic peers—so you leave with more than theory: you leave with a toolkit
For supervisors. By supervisors. Informed by research.
Presenter:
Dr. Gina Wisker is an internationally recognized academic with extensive experience in higher education teaching, research, and academic development. She has taught at institutions including the Open University, Cambridge, Brighton, and Anglia Ruskin, and holds multiple teaching fellowships, including a National Teaching Fellowship and Principal Fellowship from Advance HE. She is involved in several national and international committees on quality assurance work, doctoral education, and learning and teaching.
In addition to her passion for literature, her work integrates research, professional practice, and pedagogy, with a focus on doctoral supervision and academic identity. She has supervised more than 40 doctoral students, examined over 50, and is the author of widely used texts such as The Good Supervisor (2002) and The Postgraduate Research Handbook (2009), with Getting Started in Supervision (forthcoming).
Gina has contributed to major international research and development projects (SARiHE, Changing Mindsets, British Academy and Council initiatives) and delivered workshops and keynotes across the globe—from South Africa to Scandinavia, the Caribbean to the Middle East. She serves in leadership and editorial roles for several academic networks and journals, including Innovations in Education and Teaching International. She also co-edits creative and scholarly publications in Gothic and fantasy literature and has held visiting roles at universities in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, and South Africa.
Generative AI: Graduate and Research Supervision
Mentorship Academy Workshops
Specialized sessions to build supervisory skills
Graduate Student Supervisory Development Program self-enrollment
Information on the Professional Development Requirement
Graduate student supervisors have questions about the university's Professional Development Requirement — and we have answers. Follow the links below to learn more.
Other Resources
- Areas of Responsibilities related to Graduate Programs (Graduate Program Manual, Section 1)
- The Role of the Supervisor (Graduate Program Manual, Section 1.2)
- Regulations Governing Supervision (Graduate Program Manual, Section 8)
- Guidelines for Supervision and Mentorship for Faculty and Administrators
![[PDF Document]](https://www.ualberta.ca/graduate-studies/media-library/migrated-media/images/shared/smpdf.gif)
(Updated October 18, 2018)
- Tips for Success (Updated November 4, 2015)
- Communicating Expectations (Updated June 2, 2016)
- Dispute Resolution (Updated November 4, 2015)
- Supervisors and Termination (Updated November 6, 2015)
- Supervisors on Leave (Updated November 4, 2016)
- CAGS Guiding Principles for Graduate Student Supervision (Updated 2008)
- Krogman Report on Graduate Supervision (Updated June 19, 2014)
- The Graduate Advisor Handbook: A Student-Centered Approach, Written By: Bruce M. Shore
- Recommendations for Improving Graduate Student Supervision (Updated January 28, 2016)