NORED's 8th Annual Doctoral Supervision Seminar 2026
NORED's 8th annual PhD supervision seminar
Welcome to The Nordic Graduate School of Educational Research's 8th annual PhD supervision seminar in Bergen, October 5-6th.
The seminar is designed as two consecutive course days, with a highly interactive teaching form based on a combination of group work, exercises, plenary discussions, and lectures. To tailor the program to participants鈥 needs and local practices, participants are asked to prepare beforehand by writing about perceived challenges in supervision. Instructions on how to prepare will be provided. The main purpose of the seminar is to expand supervisors鈥 repertoire of strategies to make supervision a professional, effective, and enjoyable process. The purpose is also to create a safe space for supervisors to reflect on their role and to exchange experiences with other supervisors.
The seminar addresses three key supervisory skills:
- Process skills: e.g., to establish and maintain constructive work relationships with PhD candidates, to align expectations early and regularly, to balance conflicting needs, and to plan and monitor progress.
- Text-related skills: e.g., to support PhD candidates鈥 writing processes, to assess their academic texts, and to provide formative feedback that is targeted, prioritized, criteria-based, specific, and instructive.
- Communication skills: e.g., to ask questions that promote PhD candidates' independent thinking, to listen actively and attentively, and to meta-communicate the content and process of supervision.
After the seminar, participants will have increased competence to:
- align expectations with PhD candidates early and regularly regarding goals, ambitions, and forms of collaboration in the project
- orchestrate a team of supervisors to ensure efficient collaboration
- balance conflicting needs in the supervision process, e.g., between support and structure, between product and process, and between being private and professional
- provide constructive text feedback
- encourage PhD candidates鈥 independence and ownership of their projects
- apply questioning and listening techniques to ensure progression and efficiency in supervision meetings
- assist PhD candidates in project planning and support their progress
- manage potential crises in the candidates鈥 research journey
The seminar is open to supervisors from NORED's member institutions. NORED will cover the seminar fee, accommodation from October 5-6, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. NORED will not cover travel expenses. The two seminar days will take place at a hotel in Bergen (detailed information coming soon).
Seminar facilitator: Gitte Wichmann-Hansen, PhD is a Professor at the University of Agder. She also owns the consultancy 鈥淎cademic Supervision鈥 that offers high quality professional training for research supervisors. She is an established publishing researcher within the field of supervision, and she has 20+ years of experience with running workshops for supervisors at all career stages across European Universities.
General information
- Course certificate: You will receive a course certificate after completion of the seminar.
- Language: The seminar is offered in English.
- For practical questions regarding the seminar, please contact NORED's administration.