AVETH Survey on Supervision of Doctoral Students

Abstract

Good supervision is a key factor for the success of doctoral studies. But there are multiple good ways. Depending on the field of studies, the supervisor ‘style’, and the students’ specific needs, multiple approaches can lead to good results. This variety of supervision contexts makes it difficult to have an overview of the supervision practices, and their actual impact on students’ satisfaction. Thus, in fall 2017, AVETH conducted a survey on the doctoral supervision practices at ETH Zurich, with two objectives: (i) draw a picture of the actual supervision practices at ETH, and (ii) investigate the doctoral students’ satisfaction with respect to their supervision and the impact of specific practices. Based on 1’594 completed survey answers (corresponding to a response rate of ~36%) this report summarizes the findings. It appears that 62% of doctoral students are generally satisfied (Grade 6 and above – See figure below) and 40% are very satisfied (Grade 8 and above) with their supervision. However these numbers vary a lot across departments. Furthermore, there are relations between satisfaction and (i) the number of years of the doctoral thesis, (ii) the opportunities for scientific interactions (both within and outside of the group), and (iii) formal or informal appraisal interviews. Finally, 24% of the survey respondents stated that they experience some kind of ‘abuse of power’ from their supervisor, ranging from lack of scientific freedom to pressure to work long hours or on weekends. This survey offers a factual description of supervision practices at ETH Zurich and raises some alert flags on practices, which should be monitored and/or prevented. Using this new information, AVETH will work together with the ETH School Board to propose a set of ‘supervision guidelines’, which will hopefully contribute to improve everyone’s situation at ETH.