Excellence in teaching

Professor Mark Bush is the Head of Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award for Postgraduate Research Supervision in 1999 for the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. This award represents a joint effort by the Guild and the University to recognise and reward exemplary teaching.

I was somewhat surprised and flattered to be nominated for the postgraduate research supervision award, even more so to receive the award. The nomination forced me to think about what I actually do as a supervisor. I found this to be a rather difficult exercise, as each student is different, requiring differing amounts of assistance and guidance, and each research project is unique. I do not believe that I have supervised any two students in quite the same way.

I recall having very mixed feelings when my first PhD student commenced his studies. The relief at finally having a graduate student to work on a research project of mutual interest was accompanied by anxiety over the implied responsibility. This person’s entire future research career was in my hands! One could be forgiven for tending to over-supervise, to make sure the road is clear and that all the fruitless avenues of investigation are closed off, to ensure that the path to the end of the PhD is smooth, and your responsibility thereby discharged. Would this approach really be in the best interest of the student or the research project? I think not. It is those apparently fruitless avenues that often yield unforseen results. The act of following a particular line of investigation that in the end may not produce results is in itself a valuable learning exercise.

I have found this need for balance in supervision to be the hardest aspect of the job. Students must be given ownership of the project to develop their own research plan and to carry out speculative investigations, yet they must also be guided on to new paths when it is clear they are trapped in a rut. There is no formula for success; however, I do feel that the task is made easier if the relationship between the student and supervisor is collegial from the very beginning; the student is a colleague, not a slave. I believe the student will more quickly develop confidence, independence and a willingness to test “crazy” ideas out on the supervisor if they work in an environment in which they are treated as a peer and where their views are always treated seriously.

I wish to share the honour in receiving this award with the students themselves. I am fortunate to have supervised an excellent group of students, which has made the job of supervision relatively easy. I have learned a great deal from each of them.