ABSTRACT
In this chapter I reflect on my experience as a PhD supervisor and examiner in the UK and Canada and in particular on my own journey of rapid learning in a totally different system. It seems that we learn to supervise and examine through a process of osmosis and it is assumed that no formal training is required; this becomes acutely obvious when one enters a different academic context with a highly structured process. I also discuss the role of the supervisor and Graduate Chair in selecting, approaching and persuading others to become external examiners for my students (not just those I directly supervise), a process which is sometimes political. At Simon Fraser University each PhD candidate requires a panel of three supervisors, a situation that requires cooperation and negotiation and which provides for a further learning journey as supervisory team members each bring their own expertise into the project. One aspect of my supervision is to support my students to adapt their work for alternate audiences and so I mentor for publication, lecturing, syllabus planning, and conference presentations both individually and with the whole graduate cohort in a formal programme of professional development.
