Introduction
Our postgraduate researcher development education at CCTL fosters students’ collaborative capabilities, developing independence and personal effectiveness. We support new supervisors in developing practice, and we work with academic and professional services departments to enhance Cambridge’s distinctive and complex research environment.
Writing Retreats for Students with ADHD or Autism
In Michaelmas 2022 we held our first one-day writing retreat for PGR students with ADHD or autism following requests from neurodiverse students. Working with colleagues in the ADRC, the programme included a number of features such as highly structured activities, regular intervals, fidget toys available for participants to use, and defined spaces including a ‘quiet’ room and a ‘noisy’ room.
In response to demand we ran two further retreats, supporting a total of 60 students across the year.
For more information, contact Dr Amanda Brunton (alb200)
“I’ve attended many other courses over the years with desperate hopes to find strategies or solutions, but they have often left me feeling even more lost. The advice [here] was so relevant, and the structured day helped considerably. I’ve understood basic differences that are likely to have a lasting effect on my PhD.”
Researcher Development Forum
Colleagues involved with researcher development across Cambridge - including the Careers Service, Public Engagement and Libraries - joined us in June to discuss insights, share experiences and learn about how CCTL are redeveloping our Postgraduate Researcher Development provision. As described by one colleague, “An excellent chance to share experience on supporting researchers over the past year and to brainstorm ideas with RD providers.”
The Forum will continue across 2023-24 to inform future planning and foster opportunities for collaboration.
For more information, contact Dr Christian Gilliam (cag78)
Supporting PGR Supervision and Supervisors
In 2021-22, we introduced a workshop for new supervisors of PGR students and worked with the Blended Learning Service and Postgraduate Research Office to develop a comprehensive online resource which combines University policy and guidance with advice drawn from more than 100 Cambridge supervisors. This year 333 staff visited the online resource over 500 times.
We are now using action research, a participatory and iterative approach that seeks to capture multiple perspectives, to co-develop contextualised support for experienced supervisors. The model employed allows the project to evolve in response to need. After presenting the pilot at the Annual Meeting for Directors of Postgraduate Education & Postgraduate Tutors, the project now involves 10 departments drawn from across all 6 Schools.
For more information, contact Dr Sophie Pickford (seop3)
“The survey developed with several departments has been well thought out, as evidenced by the useful data collected from participants. Equally impressive and helpful has been the efficiency of execution, communication, data analysis and discussions. Really, really helpful and exciting as this has tremendous potential to improve how we supervise postgraduate students.”