Good practices in thesis supervision

Thesis supervision is competence-based teaching carried out at the university in accordance with the practices of aligned teaching. Competence-based aligned teaching means that the solutions applied in teaching and supervision are guided by the intended learning outcomes. The teaching, assessment, learning methods and assessment methods are based on the learning outcomes.

Regarding alignment, the good practices of thesis supervision are based on the learning objectives set at university level (link to be added) and specified further at the different faculties (link to be added). The assessment criteria have also been agreed at university level (link to be added) and customised for each faculty (link to be added). The purpose of assessment is to demonstrate the level at which the student has reached the intended learning outcomes.

Do not start the supervision before you know the learning objectives and assessment criteria of the thesis. The purpose of your supervision is to guide the student towards achieving the learning objectives. Discussions between the supervisor and the student often reflect the level that the student hopes to achieve. For example, the grade of a master’s thesis may have an impact on whether the student qualifies for doctoral studies.

As the thesis and seminar work advance, students learn many generic and expert skills (a link to the new table published by the Centre for University Teaching and Learning table). As a supervisor, you can help students to identify the expertise they accumulate during their studies by pointing out the generic and expert skills honed in your class and under your guidance and by paying attention to the students’ evolving expertise. You can encourage the students to consider how it may be possible for them to utilise the expertise they have gained through their thesis project in working life and the society as a whole.

The relationship between the supervisor and the student is often more interactive and intense than other instruction situations. As the supervisor, you have the opportunity to monitor up close the student’s growth as an expert in your field. The student’s situation with their studies and life in general is often reflected in the supervision. 

As a thesis supervisor, you are supervising an extensive process that allows the student to demonstrate the competence they have gained through university studies. The supervisor plays a dual role: while you provide support to a goal-oriented project in accordance with the objectives set for the thesis, you also have to support the student as an independent actor. Starting from the choice of topic, a thesis is often a personal assignment for students. At best, the resulting motivation and sense of capability may spread to all areas of study and life in general. The supervisor’s job involves many ethical aspects.

Sometimes students need a lot of support. The supervision plan helps the supervisor and the student understand the rights and responsibilities of thesis supervision. Supervision situations can be challenging at times. If necessary, discuss your workload with your colleagues and supervisor. If you are concerned that any problems a student clearly struggles with during the thesis process are related to reasons beyond your control, encourage the student to seek help.

A good source for information on supervision relationships is the guide (in Finnish) Vehviläinen, S. (2014): Ohjaustyön opas: Yhteistyössä kohti toimijuutta. Helsinki: Gaudeamus. The e-book is accessible through the University of Helsinki library.

When writing a thesis, the student carries out a research process that consists of several parts. Supervising a master’s thesis is also about supervising and supporting the student’s project management. Your task is to structure the process to make it manageable for the student. 

Divide the thesis projects into steps and create a schedule for them. Process writing instructions will benefit both you and the students (link). The student will normally also attend a thesis seminar with meetings that set the pace of the thesis work and offer support.

Tell students to come to their supervision sessions prepared and having completed specific thesis work. Focus on what is most important for making progress, take the students’ questions seriously and thank them for their progress. Be demonstrative and practical in your advice.

Thesis supervision also includes guidance towards the responsible conduct of research and research ethics. The student holds the copyright to their thesis. You can read and instruct the student to read more on copyright on, for example, the Kopiraittila Academy website: https://korkeakoulu.kopiraittila.fi/en/etusivu

• Supporting students' academic writing
• Teaching and copyright 
• Data protection guide for researchers (Flamma)
• Data protection guide for teachers