Guidance can be a great help in establishing a good work process and successfully completing your assignment.
Good guidance is a collaboration, and there is a lot you can do yourself — for example, by preparing in advance, communicating clearly, and ensuring that the guidance is based on your concrete work.
Pitfall | What steps can you take? |
|---|---|
You postpone your supervisior meetings Many students put off their supervision sessions and save them for the later stages of the assignment process. Often the reasoning is that you can always read one more text, think a bit more, or prepare just a little better. | Start supervision early It’s important to get off to a good start, which is why it’s a good idea to seek guidance early in the process. For example, you can already get supervision on your initial ideas or early drafts of your problem statement — even if you feel you don’t have enough material yet, or that you haven’t read or thought enough. Together with your supervisor, you can develop your ideas further, make some decisions, and get on the right track. Read more about choosing a subject and problem statements. |
You perform for you supervisor You don’t dare show your doubt or uncertainty, which leads you to “perform” for your supervisor. For example, you may be afraid to share drafts or unfinished texts. The supervision session can start to feel like an exam situation, where you feel you have to demonstrate what you know and what you can do. | Show your uncertainty If you perform for your supervisor, you prevent them from taking your actual challenges as their starting point — and that means they can’t give you the best possible guidance. Remember: if you were expected to know everything in advance, the whole idea of supervision would be meaningless. So make sure to show your uncertainty, and don’t hesitate to ask for feedback on drafts and unfinished work. Read more about feedback. |
You don’t take responsibility and your problems remain unsolved Der er noget i din vejledning, som ikke fungerer for dig. Det kan være at du og din vejleder misforstår hinanden, og du ikke føler, at du får brugbar råd og feedback i vejledningen. | Acknowledge the problems and try to resolve them Address the issues directly with your supervisor. Supervision is a collaboration, and it’s important that you work together to solve problems if they arise. In rare cases, it may be necessary to change supervisors. If so, talk to your student advisor about it. |
You keep your challenges to yourself You don’t feel like exposing yourself, and you convince yourself that the problems will sort themselves out along the way. But time passes, and the submission deadline gets closer and closer. | Ask for help Ask for help when things are difficult, when you’re stuck, when there’s something you don’t understand, or when you can’t move forward with your assignment. Supervision exists so you can get the support you need. Read more about the writing process. |
You are overly considerate of your supervisor You don’t want to disturb your supervisor and take too much responsibility for the fact that they’re busy. | Claim your supervision Many supervisors are busy, but you are entitled to supervision, and you should make use of that right. If you want to accommodate a busy supervisor, you can suggest scheduling your meetings well in advance. |
No matter what kind of supervision you take part in, it’s important that you, your supervisor, and any fellow students share a common understanding and starting point.
At your first meeting with your supervisor, it’s a good idea to talk about the framework and expectations for the supervision process. For example, discuss:
In your programme regulations, you can read about the requirements for the assignment you need to write. Understanding these requirements can help you frame the scope and complexity of your project. If you are unsure how to interpret any of the requirements, talk to your supervisor about it.
You can also read more about taxonomy and the academic genre.
Supervision can take many forms, and you will typically encounter several different types throughout your studies.
What they all have in common is that they are professional conversations about academic content, offered to help you plan and carry out a project or assignment.
In individual supervision, you meet one‑on‑one with the supervisor you have either been assigned or arranged to work with. Often, it will be your responsibility to contact the supervisor, schedule the meetings, and communicate clearly what you need from the supervision. In that sense, you carry much of the responsibility for organising the supervision process.
Below you’ll find suggestions for what you can do before, during, and after a supervision session.
Before supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Prepare | By considering:
|
| Communicate with your supervisor | Communicate with your supervisor so they can prepare as well. It’s a good idea to:
|
During supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Take ownership | Take ownership of the meeting, its content, and its progression by thinking of the session in three distinct phases: |
| Opening | Set the framework for the meeting:
|
| Middle | The supervisory discusssoin itself, covering, e.g.:
Take notes during the meeting, or agree to record the session. |
| Closing | Summarise and make a plan for what you will work on next. |
After supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Reflect | Reflect on:
If your supervisor has given you feedback or suggestions that you need to incorporate, you can make a to‑do list based on those and the above reflections. |
If you are writing an exam assignment with other students, you will be supervised together, and you will therefore need to collaborate to get the most out of the supervision.
Otherwise, group supervision is often organised much like individual supervision.
Below you’ll find suggestions for what you can do before, during, and after a group supervision session.
Before supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Prepare together | Prepare together by considering:
|
| Create an agenda | So everyone is in agreement on the meeting's content and purpose. |
| Communicate with your supervisor | Communicate with your supervisor so they can prepare as well. It's a good idea to:
|
During supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Share speaking time | Distribute speaking time so everyone participates actively. In some groups, it may be necessary to agree in advance on who will present specific issues to the supervisor Read more about good collaboration and writing exam assignments with others here. |
| Use collaboration to your advantage | Use you collaboration to get more out of the supervision meeting by dividing roles, e.g.:
|
| Everyone should receive feedback | Everyone should receive feedback, so make sure the supervisor reads text sections written by different group members. This is especially important if you must indicate individual authorship for each section of the assignment — check your programme regulations. |
After supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Reflect together | Reflect together on:
If the supervisor has given you feedback or suggestions that need to be incorporated, you can create a to-do list and divide the tasks among you. |
In collective supervision, you and other studentds receive guidance on your individual projects togethre, gaining feedback from several people and the chance to exchange ideas with one another.
Collective supervision usually takes place as part of a supervision process where you meet several times during the semester with a supervision group. The supervisor will often coordinate the meetings and set a specific focus for each session.
You will often need to prepare some material in advance—for example, a draft of a particular section of your assignment. Because peer feedback is a central element of collective supervision, you will also be expected to read one or more fellow students’ drafts and provide feedback. Your preparation is the foundation for ensuring that everyone benefits from the session. Read more about giving and receiving feedback here.
The main focus in collective supervision is the learning that comes from engaging with and giving feedback on others' text – and from having others engage with yours. So even if some students feel that there is less direct focus on their individual project, the sparring with peers in the presence of a supervisor is highly valuable for your own process and assignment.
Some key benefits include.:
Receiving feedback from multiple people
Practicing academic argumentation and professional dialogue
Feeling less alone with your project because you have peers to spar with and lean on
Learning to recognize and apply disciplinary criteria more quickly by reading others’ texts and giving feedback
Getting started with writing earlier, since you will often need to produce text for supervision
More time spent with your supervisor present
Below are suggestions for what you can do before, during, and after a supervision session.
Before supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Write drafts | Prepare a draft, either of your full text or a specific section, for the others to give feedback on. |
| Write a cover note | Write a short cover note reflection on:
|
| Give feedback | Provide feedback on others’ drafts based on their wishes and any points highlighted by the supervisor. |
During supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Participate actively | Engage actively in the academic discussion and feedback process so you both contribute and benefit. |
| Share your uncertainties | Share your doubts – if you're unsure about something, chances are others are too, and you can help each other move forward.. |
| Learn from others | Learn from your peers, who may have different approaches, experiences, or perspectives that can help you develop your own work. |
After supervision meetings | |
|---|---|
| Reflect | Reflect on:
Reflect on the feedback and suggestions you received from your peers and supervisor. You can create a to-do list of the points you want to incorporate. |
Familiarize yourself with your study regulations to understand the requirements for each course in your programme.
The student counselling service can help you prepare for your exams and develop a strategy in case things don’t go as planned. You can also get guidance on handling nervousness and exam anxiety, as well as improving your exam techniques. Find the student counsellor for your faculty or programme here.
In the podcast Studiekammeraten student counsellors talk to students or experts about different aspects of life as a university student.
