On 1 October 2020 a webinar was held for academics intent on embarking on the supervision of doctoral students.

The aim of the programme was to increase awareness of good practice and to develop the skills required to manage the supervisory process successfully. The initiative was a joint collaboration between the Doctoral School, the Office for Professional Academic Development, and the Office for Human Resources, Management & Development.

Thirty-six participants were introduced to the University’s regulations and to procedural issues regarding Ph.D. examination and supervision. A panel of local and international resource persons shared their views about doctoral supervision, highlighting the different supervisory approaches and styles. They included Prof. Ronald Sultana (Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Educational Research), Prof. Godfrey Baldacchino (Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts), Prof. Kathryn Rountree (Massey University, New Zealand) and Prof. Gina Wisker (University of Bath, UK).

The training of doctoral supervisors has been identified as a key performance indicator in the University’s Strategic Plan (2020-2025). 'This is the first time that such a gathering was organised by the University', said Prof. Nicholas Vella, Director of the Doctoral School. 'It was a pleasure to see lecturers discuss the challenges of doctoral supervision with seasoned academics hailing from a variety of disciplines. We are now working to see how to make this event a better one and a fixed feature in the University’s provision of continuous professional development opportunities for its staff.'