Modul Kursus Persediaan Pengajian Siswazah Pegawai Akademik UPM

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TUTOR DURING CANDIDATURE

LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this session, participants are able to: (i) (ii) (iii) Explain their responsibilities as tutors during candidature Describe the skills needed to successfully complete their studies according to the prescribed time Demonstrate their motivation to complete their studies on time INTRODUCTION

"To know the road ahead, ask those coming back"

Chinese proverb

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Congratulations. You have been accepted as a tutor at UPM. You wont regret serving at this prestigious research university. Im sure that you have read the offer letter from the registrars office. Now that you have accepted the offer, you have bigger responsibilities, that is, to be enrolled in a graduate program and complete your study within the prescribed period of time. This module will help you realize your responsibilities in completing the graduate program on time. Your main responsibilities include: learn and gain as much experience as you can. When you come back to UPM as a lecturer, you will have a lot more to contribute to PUTRA SATRIA by being a scholar, an agent of change, a teachinglearning expert, a researcher, image maker and administrator. You don't have to be a genius, but you must be reasonably intelligent to do well in graduate school. Character traits and social skills become more important in determining success and separate the excellent graduate students from the ordinary ones. Self-motivated students who communicate well both orally and in writing, who get along well with their committee members and who are familiar with the system will be able to get things done and pursue their dream. "Being a graduate student is like becoming all of the Seven Dwarves. In the beginning you're Dopey and Bashful. In the 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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Pusat Pembangunan Akademik (CADe)2007

Modul Kursus Persediaan Pengajian Siswazah Pegawai Akademik UPM

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Completing a graduate program is a long, hard road with many obstacles along the way. You may run over some turbulances and have to explore other routes. If your goal is clear and important to you, then these obstacles will not hinder you from realizing your dream. The Golden Rule: Those who have the gold make the rules

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Graduate student is a job title a peculiar type of business called academia. You must prove to your professors that you are capable of getting the work done. If you do your job well, both your needs and your professors' needs will be met. If you go through a graduate program, you will find it a very different world from undergraduate program due to the fact that the courses are deeper and more advanced. Most of what you learn in a graduate program comes from doing research on your own, attending conferences, and discussing with faculty members and fellow students. Success in graduate school comes from completing a research program. Remember that people judge recent graduates by their research, not by their class grades. Graduate study is more like an apprenticeship where students have their own projects. Excelling in a graduate program requires different skills. In a graduate program, you have to learn how to do research: working closely with your professors, staff and fellow students, communicating results. The next hurdle will be passing the qualifying exam after finding an acceptable research problem. BE A QUALITY GRADUATE STUDENT

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The first set of responsibilities of a tutor during candidature is to develop certain qualities expected of graduate students. The qualities of an excellent graduate studies are discussed briefly below for you to realize and take proactive actions to develop those qualities. You must be FIT to be a graduate student, that is, flexible, initiative and tenacious. (a) Flexible. Flexibility means taking advantage of opportunities and synergies, working around problems, and being willing to change plans as required. You must be flexible in your approach and research program. "The Chinese call luck opportunity and they say it knocks every day on your door. Some people hear it; some do not. It's not enough to hear opportunity knock. You must let him in, greet him, make friends and work together."
- Bernard Gittelson

Pusat Pembangunan Akademik (CADe)2007

Modul Kursus Persediaan Pengajian Siswazah Pegawai Akademik UPM

(b)

Initiative. The thesis represents a focused, personal research effort where you lead your own way. Graduate students must show initiative to successfully complete the dissertation, 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 on what you want to do.

"The difference between people who exercise initiative and those who don't is literally the difference between night and day. I'm not talking about a 25 to 50 percent difference in effectiveness; I'm talking about a 5000-plus percent 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 being tenacious (ability to stick with things even when you get depressed or when things aren't going well). You will encounter unexpected problems and obstacles. You can easily become depressed and unmotivated to go on. If you are not tenacious about working on the dissertation, you won't finish. "Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength 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 develop the basic skills to survive and succeed in the graduate program. You must have the skills as a SCORER, that is, skills to study, to communicate, to organize, to relate to others, to accept criticism and to develop the research culture. (a) Skills to study. Most graduate students feel that they never have enough time to study. No matter how busy your life is, you must find time to study. Understand your learning style to improve your study habits and you'll succeed in graduate program. Once you've identified your style, you can then begin to adjust your study habits to suit your needs. There are

Pusat Pembangunan Akademik (CADe)2007

Modul Kursus Persediaan Pengajian Siswazah Pegawai Akademik UPM

basically three types of learners: audial, visual and manual learners. i. Audial Learners. If you are an audial learner, you often don't take notes in class because you are good at remembering things. You are able to carry on an intelligent conversation and learn a great deal from a good conversation. Reading may be difficult and you will find yourself reading and rereading the same material. Visual Learners. You may be a visual learner who will thrive on books and often take meticulous notes. You have to discuss the subject matter fluidly. You will generally remember what you have learned, but may get bored or have trouble following a long conversation. Manual Learners. You may be a student who doesnt get it if you don't do it. Hands-on is the only way to retain some things for you. The challenge is that you are in the graduate school and you have to read to survive.

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(b)

Skills to communicate. Communication skills, both written and oral are vital for making a good impression as a graduate student and as a researcher. You have to effectively defend your dissertation with an oral presentation; write technical papers and reports, give presentations at conferences, and give demonstrations to groups of visitors. You must write and speak well to earn recognition and distinguish yourself from the other graduate students. "Present to inform, not to impress; if you inform, you will impress"
Fred Brooks

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Skills to organize. As a graduate student, you have to organize your tasks just as you can only work on one task at a time. The order of working on tasks often determines whether or not you meet all your deadlines. Manage your time well: kill your television; keep your priorities straight. The most important thing is to finish the dissertation. "Failing to plan is planning to fail"

Pusat Pembangunan Akademik (CADe)2007

Modul Kursus Persediaan Pengajian Siswazah Pegawai Akademik UPM

(d)

Skills in relating to others (interpersonal). Your success in graduate school and beyond depends a great deal upon your ability to build and maintain interpersonal relationships with others: your adviser, your committee, your research and support staff and your fellow students. This is due to the fact that in graduate program, you have to depend upon and work with other people to achieve your goals. You have to treat people with respect. You have to give credit where credit is due; acknowledge and thank them for their help; return favours; respect their expertise, advice and time; apologize if you are at fault. "I can calculate the motions of the heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people."
- Isaac Newton

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Skills in accepting criticisms. As a graduate student, you must learn from mistakes. You have to learn to think outside of the box. You must accept constructive critique of your work in a positive manner and be willing to discuss issues. You must not be too defensive. Constructive critique of research methods and writing should be regular and ongoing because it is an essential part of the research process.

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

- Scott Adams, The Dilbert Future

(f) Skills in developing the research culture. As a research student you must grab the opportunities to be involved in a research culture through activities such publishing or presenting your work in appropriate forums such as peerreviewed journals; and writing joint papers and presenting papers at seminars and conferences. With the help your supervisors, you need to be alert and play active roles in the following activities: establishing and fostering networks with their research peers; finding opportunities to openly debate and present their work; searching and applying for funds and further experience in their field; attending seminars and conferences; publishing in appropriate journals securing funding for conferences and fieldwork; recommending opportunities for students to be members of departmental or peer support groups; finding openings to meet experts in related fields of study and to be involved in cross-discipline activities.

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Modul Kursus Persediaan Pengajian Siswazah Pegawai Akademik UPM

"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 to develop the skills in establishing networking with the supervisory committee. You must have a good CGPAS, that is, choosing the right supervisor and committee members; having a good start; observing the practical details; meeting your supervisors expectation; and striking the balance and perspective. (a) Choose the right supervisor. The choice of an appropriate adviser is crucial to successfully completing the graduate study. Your adviser must be someone who is familiar with your area of specialization and someone you can get along with. The adviser-student relationship must be both professionally and socially close. Ask around. If you feel that by changing to another professor is a more appropriate match to your needs, don't be afraid to switch. Pick a committee that can cover the areas of your thesis and that will be available for meetings. Have a good start. Quality student-supervisor relationship is an important influence on students success in graduate studies. Students must get the relationship off to a good start and maintain effective relationship through the varying blockages and challenges. Observe the practical details. You have to observe for practical details that include the followings: i. ii. iii. iv. Access. Are meetings to be by appointment only or can the student drop in to the office at any time? Contact Between Meetings. Will contact be by phone or email, within office hours or after hours? Frequency and Regularity. Will meetings be scheduled weekly, monthly or as needed? Meeting Procedures. Will there be pre-meeting advice such as an agenda, how formal will they be, will notes be taken and if so by whom, and what kinds of followup will occur?

(b)

(c)

Pusat Pembangunan Akademik (CADe)2007

Modul Kursus Persediaan Pengajian Siswazah Pegawai Akademik UPM

(d)

Accept your supervisors expectations. The nature of guidance, direction and collaboration provided by the supervisor. There may be different expectations with regard to the extent and nature of guidance and direction on such matters as: choice of topic; suitability and feasibility of a study; choice of research methods; quality of writing; and quality of the research. Supervisors have expectations of students too. expect you to: They may

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

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Strike the balance and perspective. Supervisors are expected to provide direction and guidance in their field of expertise, but students must accept some responsibility for their own progress. They need to strike a balance between following their supervisors expert advice and continuing to be self-directed and self-motivated. Remember that there is more to life than graduate work. Keep your health and sanity intact because they are both vital to achieving the primary goal of graduating. Earning a graduate degree is like running a marathon. Maximize your long-term productivity without ignoring other aspects by taking time out to travel to keep your stress down and recharge your energy through some exercise. CONCLUSION

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

Pusat Pembangunan Akademik (CADe)2007