Student’s Advisory Committee

Before registering with the Open University, a Research Supervisor must be identified as principal supervisor and the research project must receive initial scrutiny by the Research Degree Coordinator to ensure that it is likely that the programme will meet the Open University standards.  The student and principal supervisor, with the Research Degree Coordinator, must select a Student Advisory Committee comprised of at least five members. The chair of the committee should be the principal supervisor and should be listed as an Open University recognized supervisor (or Director of Studies on the application form). If the principal Supervisor does not have experience in supervising post-graduate students in the UK system, at least one member of the committee must have UK experience (and be listed as supervisor or co-supervisor). The remaining members of the committee may be members of the Stowers Institute or members of affiliated research institutions. The Research Degree Coordinator and Open University must approve the composition of the Student’s Advisory Committee and any changes in composition made after initial formation of the Committee. 

The Student Advisory Committee will meet with the student at least twice each year.  After each meeting, the Chair of the advisory committee will write an evaluation which summarizes the Committee’s assessment of the student’s progress.  This evaluation will provided to the student, who will be able to respond if they wish and, together with any student response, be submitted to the Research Degree Coordinator within two weeks of each meeting. These reports will form the basis of the annual progress report provided annually to the Open University.

• The duties of the Student Advisory Committee include:

• Identification of any training needs, including generic skills training, and subject and project specific training. This development evaluation needs to be an inclusive process, between the committee and the student. Progress in acquiring these skills and training will be monitored by the Student Advisory Committee.
• Students will undertake a wide range of training centered on OU’s 'STM895 Research Skills', fully compliant with the Research Councils' Joint Skills Statement. It is web-based and has the aim of enabling students to understand the requirements of a research degree, supporting students through the various stages of the PhD process, and preparing students to continue with a scientific career in either industry or academia. The course is split into three main sections, reflecting the different phases of a PhD: Orientation, Investigation and Discourse. Maintenance of personal development logs will be facilitated by the use of OU’s e-portfolio which will allow the students' progress to be monitored, assessed, and validated at each stage. (This application may not be available until 2007-8 academic year.)
• Guidance in early development of the thesis project.
• Approval of research proposal and a review of the annual project report  (see Annual Report Guidelines)
• Evaluation and report of student progress after the 12-18 months probationary period to determine the appropriate degree registration (PhD or MPhil). The probationary period report should involve a major review of the student’s progress so that a recommendation can be made about which degree s/he is to be registered for (see Open University's Progress Guidelines).
• After completion of the probationary period (see for details, Open University's Summary of Research Degree Processes), the committee will continue to guide the student’s dissertation research
• Review and evaluate the dissertation to help prepare the student for his/her dissertation’s oral defense (viva)

Documents Referenced:

OU-ARC\S1G,  Summary of Research Degree Processes, 2005.

OU-ARC\S4G,  Progress Guidelines, 2005.

SIMR-ARC 14,  Annual Reports from Students, 2005.