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Secrets of supervisors' success at Malaysia

Academics from across Malaysia have attended a workshop for research supervisors at the Monash University Malaysia campus.

Professor Amrik Sohal (centre) with some of the workshop participants.

The workshop -- for higher-degree research supervisors interested in improving their supervisory skills -- attracted 90 participants, mostly academics and postgraduate students from institutions including Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang and Mantissa Institute.

Speakers at the 27 and 28 September workshop included Professor Max King, pro vice-chancellor of research and research training, and Professor Amrik Sohal, associate dean of research in the Faculty of Business and Economics.

Professor Sohal said the workshop had generated considerable interest from participants, who shared their experiences and ideas, particularly on how best to produce quality research theses.

"One major focus of the workshop was how supervisors could balance their teaching workload with their supervisory work without compromising on quality," Professor Sohal said. "This seems to be a recurring theme in our discussions, as some feel that supervising puts a strain on their workload."

Dr Chua Chong Keow from Mantissa Institute said he found the workshop enlightening as it had provided Australian and Malaysian perspectives on how postgraduate supervision was conducted.

Dr Norizah Mohamad, from Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, said she found the opportunity to meet with other academics fruitful.

"The opportunity to interact allowed me to understand the constraints other academics face in their supervisory work," she said. "It also presented opportunities for future collaboration with academics who share the same research interest."