CECS 2010 HDR Study Program and Implementation Guidelines

The CECS-2010 HDR Study Program and Implementation Guidelines were endorsed by the CECS Education Committee on 21 July 2010. This Program will be reviewed on an annual basis and improved if needed.

Background - CECS HDR harmonisation

Before the formation of the ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS), HDR students in the Faculty and the Research School were enrolled in two programs with different reporting and coursework requirements. CECS has developed a new harmonised HDR Program to assure that all research students benefit from best practice, resulting in graduates that are at the highest level possible.

The CECS 2010 Study Program achieves this goal through improved reporting and monitoring supplemented by appropriate coursework. The aim is to produce HDR graduates that have the skills required to become leaders in academia, research, industry and government organisations.

A CECS HDR graduate is expected to:

• have completed a research thesis at a high standard as determined by internationally recognised examiners who are experts in the field,
• demonstrated achievement in relevant technical and professional coursework,
• have networked within relevant Australian academia and industry,
• have multiple networked colleagues overseas and at least one significant networking visit with colleagues in Australia or overseas,
• have a clear understanding of the intellectual property and commercialisation potential inherent in the work completed for their HDR thesis.

CECS 2010 HDR Study Program

All HDR students will be a member of at least one research group, with one research group assigned primary responsibility for that student. It is the collective responsibility of the academic staff members in the primary research group to oversee the progress of all its research students. The mechanism of how this is ensured is at the discretion of the research group.

All HDR students must fulfil the requirements of the relevant ANU degree rules. This includes progress reports/plans and bi-annual meetings with their supervisory panel.

In preparing progress plans, the following items should be included:

1. Name and roles of the supervisory panel.
2. Name of primary research group.
3. Thesis topic.
4. Research plan.
5. Coursework plan.
6. Publication plan.
7. Networking plan (including conference and/or workshop attendances).
8. Financial plan.
9. Supervision plan.

The panel chair is required to comment in writing on the progress of the student twice per year. Once will be part of the standard ANU reporting mechanism; the other will be through a form provided by the College.

Guidelines for research group HDR oversight

The approach outlined below is for guidance only and individual research groups may implement alternative arrangements providing that they can demonstrate suitable monitoring of student progress with respect to the HDR research and educational aims.

It is suggested that as far as possible research group monitoring should coincide with the supervisory panel reporting updates outlined above.

It is suggested that research groups instigate an oral, seminar based, monitoring. This has the advantage that it allows HDR students to practise their presentation skills, calibrate themselves with others in their research group, facilitate feedback from academics, and enable all in a research group to get an overview of HDR research. More specifically:

• All students, academics and adjuncts of a research group attend all presentations in their group (as feasible).
• Monitoring seminars should consist of 20 minute presentations by the HDR student followed by 10 minutes of questions. HDR students in their first 6 months of candidature may only have to provide a short (5 minutes) introduction presentation.
• The monitoring be followed by a feedback session, where HDR students are given individual feedback by the academics in their research group. This will also allow the HDR student to provide feedback to their supervisors and other academics in their group.

In support of the above model, the College will provide administrative support to facilitate six-monthly group monitoring seminars.

Guidelines for coursework

Supervisory panels and students should collaboratively set coursework expectations at the beginning of candidature. The College provides the following as a rough guide:

• HDR students attend courses equivalent to around 24 units (480 working hours) for PhDs, or around 12 units (240 working hours) for MPhils. Working hours are defined to include contact hours (attending lectures, tutorials and laboratories), time spent on self-study, as well as working on assignments and attending examinations.
• HDR students attend professional development courses of around 60 contact hours for PhDs, and around 30 contact hours for MPhils.

These coursework expectations should be refined throughout the student's candidature.

The courses selected should reflect the student's background and balance coursework types showing acquisition of depth, breath, professional skills, and where relevant cross-disciplinary understanding expected of a CECS HDR graduate.

The default for most students will be to attend ANU courses. However, other forms of coursework, such as summer schools, courses at other universities, or workshop attendances as appropriate are possible.

Graduate skills attributes

The development of graduate skills attributes has in recent time gained traction both nationally and internationally. At the ANU, the Research Graduate Skills project recently completed with the aim of developing new approaches to graduate skills development. The ANU is currently working on enhancing its graduate skills list. The current version is shown below. HDR students:

• are able to undertake independent research of a very high standard resulting in a substantial contribution to knowledge;
• are able to relate their research to the broader framework of their discipline or interdisciplinary fields;
• have an in-depth knowledge base and comprehensive understanding of the conceptual and theoretical underpinning of their disciplines or inter-disciplinary fields, including ethical considerations;
• are trained in computer-based technology, and relevant discipline-based technical and methodological skills;
• are independent thinkers with analytical and problem-solving skills;
• are able to analyse others' research results critically; and
• are competent in written and oral communication.

Relevant links:
http://www.anu.edu.au/cabs/rules/ResearchAwardsRules.pdf
http://www.gradskills.anu.edu.au
http://www.gradskills.anu.edu.au/?q=desired-graduate-attributes
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/cmsweb/downloads/rcuk/researchcareers/jsstrainingrequirements.pdf