The role of the Supervisor

Your supervisor plays an important role in the Personal Project process, and the more you use their expertise and advice, the better off you are likely to be.

The Personal Project supervisor is there to HELP YOU. They are your first line of support and advice for all aspects of the project.

The role of a Personal Project supervisor is to:

Meet with you at least once every two weeks for about 15-20 minutes to discuss the progress you are making
To advise you on aspects of your project
To advise you on your research process and provide suggestions on research options if needed
To regularly check on your process journal entries and suggest improvements
To record meetings in ManageBac
To read and comment on at least one draft of your Personal Project final report
To sign your sign-off sheets, document your meetings on ManageBac, and write comments on your progress for the Personal Project Coordinator
To ‘flag’ your Personal Project progress on ManageBac using progress indicators (gold medal if you’re doing brilliantly, green flag if you’re on-track, red flag if there are some problems or you are behind)
To communicate with the Personal Project Coordinator if there are any problems with your progress so you can receive extra help and support
To grade your Personal Project according to the summative criteria and provide comments explaining why you received the grades you did for each criterion
To attend the Personal Project Presentation Evening and discuss the final outcome of your project with you

The role of a Personal Project supervisor is NOT to:

Set up your meetings (that is your job)
Do your work for you
‘Tell on you’ if you’re not keeping up – your supervisor will certainly flag up any issues with the Personal Project Coordinator, but this is in order to support you, not get you into trouble!
Tell you every single thing you have to do – this is YOUR Personal Project. It is mostly self-managed, so your supervisor is there to support you, not to teach you all about it. Any ‘teaching’ that is done will take place in Advisory and Study Skills lessons by the Personal Project Coordinator and your Study Skills teacher.

Helpful hints for working with your supervisor:

Plan meetings in advance, and show up at the arranged time – don’t forget!
Communicate regularly with your supervisor – you might be doing fine, but your supervisor won’t know that unless you tell them.
Be organised – it is very frustrating for a supervisor if you say you will bring something to a meeting and then you don’t.
Be classy – please remember that your supervisor takes on this role on top of a full-time teaching or workload. They don’t get paid extra for helping you. A thank you once or twice during the process – at the very least, a card or an email at the end of the Personal Project – will show that you appreciate the effort and time they have put into supporting you.
If you’re really struggling to find a time to meet with your supervisor, ask the Personal Project Coordinator to help you communicate with your supervisor.

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