The pains and gains of supervising postgraduate students from a distance: The case of six students from Lesotho

Challenges Confronting the Quality of Postgraduate Research Supervision and Its Effects on Time-to-Degree and Throughput Rates: A Case of a South African University

“…The mentor can be an excellent source of ideas and "can serve as an informed reviewer of the student's work" (Cohen, 2002: 586 mentor can be a trusted source for guidance on personal matters. This notion is supported by Mapesela and Wilkinson (2005) who maintain that there is need for a personalized mentorship approach in postgraduate research supervision.…”

M.Ed Graduates’ Perceptions of Thesis Supervision, Writing and Defence

“…About 89% of the participants acknowledged that the knowledge and skills gained during the research projects done in the undergraduate courses helped them when they were doing their theses. Mapesela & Wilkinson (2005) also noted that insufficient background and experience in research was one of the major challenges facing postgraduate students when doing research. This is the reason why perhaps, students involved in the current study acknowledged the usefulness of the knowledge and skills gained when they were doing undergraduate projects.…”

“…These findings are consistent with research findings elsewhere. Mapesela & Wilkinson (2005) conducted a study involving postgraduate students at the University of Free State, South Africa, and found that most of the students felt that the supervision they received for their mini-dissertations was quite adequate and useful.…”

“…One of the key roles of a supervisor is not only to ensure student progress but also to ensure high standards by sharing his/her expertise with the student. In fact, research studies, for example, Mapesela & Wilkinson (2005) and Okwilagwe (2002) have demonstrated that students are more committed to their work if help and guidance were more readily available and their efforts appreciated.…”

Investigating the role of non-academic support systems of students completing a Master’s Degree in Open, Distance and e-Learning

“…As such, the supervision process has evolved into a critical component in student success (Van Biljon & De Villiers, 2013). As Mapesela and Wilkinson (2005) note, the student-supervisor relationship has been redefined and can include aspects such as mentoring. Schulze (2011) identifies an additional six roles that supervisors fill during supervision: provider of functional support with the emphasis on practical advice; assurer of quality; mentor; facilitator of enculturation into the academy; critical-thinking facilitator; and in some cases, provider of emotional support.…”