Development, Implementation and Sustainability Report: PhD Supervisor Training in Authentic Leadership

This report summarises all activities related to the development and implementation of the PhD Supervisor Training course in ‘Authentic Leadership’. This course was part of the project Intellectual Output 2 (IO2) that had the objective to enhance the quality, relevance and professionalism of doctoral supervision and supervision training.
The PhD Supervisor Training course was designed as a 2 ECTS professional development training for PhD supervisors to facilitate the development of their leadership authenticity which carries forward to the supervised candidates. Regarding level knowledge and skills, the course respects the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education. Leadership authenticity enhances the quality of doctoral education making it more fulfilling
for the candidates and supervisors and more impactful for society.
The PhD Supervisor Training course was developed by a dedicated project team led by Linnaeus University, with regular inputs from the whole consortium and the project external quality auditor on working versions of the curriculum and the programme. Local project leaders from University of Tartu and Linnaeus University were responsible for the implementation of the pilots.
The course was first piloted in October of 2021, hosted in a hybrid format by University of Tartu. 22 PhD supervisors from the consortium and outside took place in the course. The programme comprised three full days of work as well as pre-course and post-course assignments. The course was evaluated by the participants, the project external quality auditor, and the project team. The aggregated feedback was taken into account in enhancing next version of the course. The next pilot took place in May of 2022. It was hosted by Linnaeus University in-person. 13 PhD supervisors from the consortium participated. The
same approach to the course assessment was adopted. The totalled feedback contributed to the development of a generic curriculum and programme of the PhD Supervisor Training course, which serve as sustainability implementation actions.