S4-TutorResponsibilities

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Modul Kursus Persediaan Pengajian Siswazah Pegawai Akademik UPM

Pusat Pembangunan Akademik (CADe)2007 1

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TUTOR DURING CANDIDATURE

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this session, participants are able to:

(i) Explain their responsibilities as tutors during candidature(ii) Describe the skills needed to successfully complete their studies

according to the prescribed time(iii) Demonstrate their motivation to complete their studies on time

INTRODUCTION

"To know the road ahead, ask those coming back"- Chinese proverb

(1) Congratulations. You have been accepted as a tutor at UPM. Youwont regret serving at this prestigious research university. Imsure that you have read the offer letter from the registrars office.Now that you have accepted the offer, you have biggerresponsibilities, that is, to be enrolled in a graduate program andcomplete your study within the prescribed period of time.

(2)

This module will help you realize your responsibilities in completingthe graduate program on time. Your main responsibilities include:learn and gain as much experience as you can. When you comeback to UPM as a lecturer, you will have a lot more to contribute toPUTRA SATRIA by being a scholar, an agent of change, a teaching-learning expert, a researcher, image maker and administrator.

(3) You don't have to be a genius, but you must be reasonablyintelligent to do well in graduate school. Character traits and socialskills become more important in determining success and separatethe excellent graduate students from the ordinary ones.

(4) Self-motivated students who communicate well both orally and inwriting, who get along well with their committee members and whoare familiar with the system will be able to get things done andpursue their dream.

"Being a graduate student is like becoming all of the SevenDwarves. In the beginning you're DopeyandBashful. Inthe middle, you are usually sick (Sneezy), tired (Sleepy),and irritable (Grumpy). But at the end, they call you Doc,

and then you're Happy."


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(5) Completing a graduate program is a long, hard road with manyobstacles along the way. You may run over some turbulances andhave to explore other routes. If your goal is clear and important toyou, then these obstacles will not hinder you from realizing yourdream.

The Golden Rule:Those who have the gold make the rules

(6) Graduate student is a job title a peculiar type of business calledacademia. You must prove to your professors that you are capableof getting the work done. If you do your job well, both your needsand your professors' needs will be met.

(7) If you go through a graduate program, you will find it a verydifferent world from undergraduate program due to the fact thatthe courses are deeper and more advanced. Most of what you learnin a graduate program comes from doing research on your own,attending conferences, and discussing with faculty members andfellow students. Success in graduate school comes from completinga research program. Remember that people judge recentgraduates by their research, not by their class grades.

(8) Graduate study is more like an apprenticeship where students havetheir own projects. Excelling in a graduate program requiresdifferent skills. In a graduate program, you have to learn how todo research: working closely with your professors, staff and fellow

students, communicating results. The next hurdle will be passingthe qualifying exam after finding an acceptable research problem.

BE A QUALITY GRADUATE STUDENT

(9) The first set of responsibilities of a tutor during candidature is todevelop certain qualities expected of graduate students. Thequalities of an excellent graduate studies are discussed brieflybelow for you to realize and take proactive actions to develop thosequalities. You must be FIT to be a graduate student, that is,

flexible, initiative and tenacious.

(a) Flexible. Flexibility means taking advantage of opportunitiesand synergies, working around problems, and being willing tochange plans as required. You must be flexible in yourapproach and research program.

"The Chinese call luck opportunity and they say it knocksevery day on your door. Some people hear it; some do

not. It's not enough to hear opportunity knock. You mustlet him in, greet him, make friends and work together."

- Bernard Gittelson


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(b) Initiative. The thesis represents a focused, personalresearch effort where you lead your own way. Graduatestudents must show initiative to successfully complete thedissertation, of course with guidance from professors. The

more you work independently to complete appropriate tasks,the more your professors will provide the freedom to work onwhat you want to do.

"The difference between people who exercise initiative andthose who don't is literally the difference between night

and day. I'm not talking about a 25 to 50 percentdifference in effectiveness; I'm talking about a 5000-pluspercent difference, particularly if they are smart, aware,

and sensitive to others."

-Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

(c) Tenacity. Nobody finishes a dissertation without beingtenacious (ability to stick with things even when you getdepressed or when things aren't going well). You willencounter unexpected problems and obstacles. You caneasily become depressed and unmotivated to go on. If youare not tenacious about working on the dissertation, youwon't finish.

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. Mystrength lies solely in my tenacity."

- Louis Pasteur

DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS AS A GRADUATE STUDENT

(10) The second set of responsibilities is for you, as a tutor to developthe basic skills to survive and succeed in the graduate program.

You must have the skills as a SCORER, that is, skills to study, tocommunicate, to organize, to relate to others, to accept criticismand to develop the research culture.

(a) Skills to study. Most graduate students feel that they neverhave enough time to study. No matter how busy your life is,you must find time to study. Understand your learning styleto improve your study habits and you'll succeed in graduateprogram.

Once you've identified your style, you can then begin to

adjust your study habits to suit your needs. There are


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basically three types of learners: audial, visual and manuallearners.

i. Audial Learners. If you are an audial learner, youoften don't take notes in class because you are good at

remembering things. You are able to carry on anintelligent conversation and learn a great deal from agood conversation. Reading may be difficult and youwill find yourself reading and rereading the samematerial.

ii. Visual Learners. You may be a visual learner whowill thrive on books and often take meticulous notes.You have to discuss the subject matter fluidly. You willgenerally remember what you have learned, but may

get bored or have trouble following a longconversation.

iii. Manual Learners. You may be a student who doesntget it if you don't do it. Hands-on is the only way toretain some things for you. The challenge is that youare in the graduate school and you have to read tosurvive.

(b) Skills to communicate. Communication skills, both written

and oral are vital for making a good impression as a graduatestudent and as a researcher. You have to effectively defendyour dissertation with an oral presentation; write technicalpapers and reports, give presentations at conferences, andgive demonstrations to groups of visitors. You must writeand speak well to earn recognition and distinguish yourselffrom the other graduate students.

"Present to inform, not to impress; if you inform, you willimpress"

- Fred Brooks

(c) Skills to organize. As a graduate student, you have toorganize your tasks just as you can only work on one task ata time. The order of working on tasks often determineswhether or not you meet all your deadlines. Manage yourtime well: kill your television; keep your priorities straight.The most important thing is to finish the dissertation.

"Failing to plan is planning to fail"


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(d) Skills in relating to others (interpersonal). Your successin graduate school and beyond depends a great deal uponyour ability to build and maintain interpersonal relationshipswith others: your adviser, your committee, your researchand support staff and your fellow students.

This is due to the fact that in graduate program, you have todepend upon and work with other people to achieve yourgoals. You have to treat people with respect. You have togive credit where credit is due; acknowledge and thank themfor their help; return favours; respect their expertise, adviceand time; apologize if you are at fault.

"I can calculate the motions of the heavenly bodies, but notthe madness of people."

- Isaac Newton

(e) Skills in accepting criticisms. As a graduate student, youmust learn from mistakes. You have to learn to think outsideof the box. You must accept constructive critique of yourwork in a positive manner and be willing to discuss issues.You must not be too defensive. Constructive critique ofresearch methods and writing should be regular and ongoingbecause it is an essential part of the research process.

(f) Skills in developing the research culture. As a researchstudent you must grab the opportunities to be involved in aresearch culture through activities such publishing orpresenting your work in appropriate forums such as peer-reviewed journals; and writing joint papers and presenting

papers at seminars and conferences.

With the help your supervisors, you need to be alert and playactive roles in the following activities: establishing andfostering networks with their research peers; findingopportunities to openly debate and present their work;searching and applying for funds and further experience intheir field; attending seminars and conferences; publishingin appropriate journals securing funding for conferences andfieldwork; recommending opportunities for students to bemembers of departmental or peer support groups; finding

openings to meet experts in related fields of study and to beinvolved in cross-discipline activities.

"Generally speaking, people provide better maintenance fortheir cars than for their own bodies."

- Scott Adams, The Dilbert Future


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"Dissertations are not finished; they are abandoned."Fred Brooks

DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS IN NETWORKING

(11) The third set of responsibilities of a tutor during candidature is todevelop the skills in establishing networking with the supervisorycommittee. You must have a good CGPAS, that is, choosing theright supervisor and committee members; having a good start;observing the practical details; meeting your supervisorsexpectation; and striking the balance and perspective.

(a) Choose the right supervisor. The choice of an appropriate

adviser is crucial to successfully completing the graduatestudy. Your adviser must be someone who is familiar withyour area of specialization and someone you can get alongwith. The adviser-student relationship must be bothprofessionally and socially close. Ask around. If you feel thatby changing to another professor is a more appropriatematch to your needs, don't be afraid to switch. Pick acommittee that can cover the areas of your thesis and thatwill be available for meetings.

(b) Have a good start. Quality student-supervisor relationshipis an important influence on students success in graduatestudies. Students must get the relationship off to a goodstart and maintain effective relationship through the varyingblockages and challenges.

(c) Observe the practical details. You have to observe forpractical details that include the followings:

i. Access. Are meetings to be by appointment only orcan the student drop in to the office at any time?

ii. Contact Between Meetings. Will contact be by phone

or email, within office hours or after hours?

iii. Frequency and Regularity. Will meetings be scheduledweekly, monthly or as needed?

iv. Meeting Procedures. Will there be pre-meeting advicesuch as an agenda, how formal will they be, will notesbe taken and if so by whom, and what kinds of follow-up will occur?


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(d) Accept your supervisors expectations. The nature ofguidance, direction and collaboration provided by thesupervisor. There may be different expectations with regardto the extent and nature of guidance and direction on suchmatters as: choice of topic; suitability and feasibility of a

study; choice of research methods; quality of writing; andquality of the research.

Supervisors have expectations of students too. They mayexpect you to:

share responsibility for their progress make genuine attempts to meet mutually agreed

objectives and deadlines raise any concerns they have with their supervisors comply with University policies, procedures and

regulations access the services, resources and information that the

supervisors have recommended

(e) Strike the balance and perspective. Supervisors areexpected to provide direction and guidance in their field ofexpertise, but students must accept some responsibility fortheir own progress. They need to strike a balance betweenfollowing their supervisors expert advice and continuing tobe self-directed and self-motivated.

Remember that there is more to life than graduate work.Keep your health and sanity intact because they are bothvital to achieving the primary goal of graduating. Earning agraduate degree is like running a marathon. Maximize yourlong-term productivity without ignoring other aspects bytaking time out to travel to keep your stress down andrecharge your energy through some exercise.

CONCLUSION

(12) There are two conclusions that can be made here. First, thegraduate program is the beginning, not the culmination, of yourcareer. Don't worry about making it your masterpiece or stunningsuccess. You must get out sooner, rather than later. By followingclosely at all the skills required of you as a graduate student, youhave less problem in fulfilling the expectations of the university,that is, for you to come back successfully with a degree. Second, ifyou bother to talk to and learn from the people who have alreadygone through this process, you might graduate two years earlier.

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S4-TutorResponsibilities