16 November 2021

AGC e-News

Dean's Message

Last week I was very pleased to be able to attend the annual University Outstanding Achievement Award presentation where, along with many other very deserving award recipients, the Adelaide Graduate Centre received the team award for An Enhanced Student Experience. AGC Director Dr Doreen Krumbiegel and 28 team members were recognised for their work to implement a student-focussed service culture and for maintaining this in the support of students in difficult circumstances throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

You will all be aware of AGC’s role in administering the processes of admission, enrolments, annual reviews, scholarships and examinations. This is all important and necessary work, but less well understood perhaps is the level of support that AGC provides to candidates who face various forms of difficulties during candidature.

This is thankfully a minority of candidates, but is by no means an uncommon occurrence. The AGC Team is very experienced in assisting HDR candidates dealing with a very wide range of problems, small and large, is always prepared to listen, and can refer candidates to other services and resources as needed.

I strongly encourage you to contact the Centre if you have any concerns or questions at any time, however small. A problem addressed early is a problem minimised!

It has been a genuine privilege working with the AGC Team, candidates, supervisors and postgraduate coordinators over these past three years, but after more than 40 years working at the University I have decided to start my retirement in early December. I am very grateful to you all for making this such an enjoyable and rewarding stage of my career.

From December 6, Professor Carolin Plewa will be taking over as Interim Dean of Graduate Studies. Carolin is Professor of Marketing and Stakeholder Engagement in the Faculty of Professions, where she is currently Deputy Dean (Research). She is a highly experienced researcher, educator and academic leader. Her research is focussed on university-industry engagement and she has most recently been assisting the AGC in planning to increase the scale of internship placements in PhD programs. I know Carolin will be an outstanding Dean, and I am certain will continue to work enthusiastically with the AGC Team to improve the HDR student experience.

Thank you all once again for your wonderful support and I wish you all great success in your future careers.

Take care of yourselves and each other,
Mike

Professor Michael Liebelt
Dean of Graduate Studies

Tip of the Month

To ensure your thesis submission can be processed by the AGC without delay, please review the process for submitting your thesis and use the Thesis Submission Checklist to ensure you have everything needed, i.e., correct declaration, completed Statement of Authorship forms, and the Certification of Thesis for Examination form. If you do not have the completed forms or items are missing from your thesis, we will be unable to accept your thesis for examination. Many students underestimate the time it can take to gather required signatures and we encourage you to let your signatories know that you will be requesting them to sign the form and provide a timeline so you can be sure they are available to sign. This can be particularly important around the end of year holiday period.

Thesis Submissions and Examinations

Thesis submissions in December 2021

The Graduate Centre encourages all students intending on submitting their thesis before the end of the year to submit as early as possible and preferably prior to Friday, 17 December. This should enable our team to send theses out for examination prior to the Christmas closedown (assuming examiners have been nominated and all documentation is in order).

How long will my thesis examination take?

We ask examiners to complete the examination and provide their reports to the AGC within eight weeks from their receipt of the thesis. To expedite this process, the AGC reminds examiners if their reports have not been received by the due date and follows up with additional reminders where necessary. In practice, it takes an average of three months before you will receive notification of the outcome of your examination.

Why is my thesis taking longer than 3 months to examine?

There are some key reasons why an examination can take longer than usual.

Firstly, examiners are busy people and sometimes have commitments or circumstances which necessitate them requesting an extension to complete their assessment. On rare occasions, an examiner may need to withdraw from an examination due to ill health or other personal circumstances. Where a situation like this arises, the AGC will consult with your supervisor to agree on the most expedient way to move the examination forward (e.g. agree to the extension request or appoint a new examiner).

Secondly, time can be added to the examination process if examiners make discrepant recommendations on the outcome of a thesis examination (e.g. one examiner recommends the degree be awarded (with or without amendments), whilst the second examiner recommends that the thesis is revised and resubmitted, or failed). In such cases, the University will normally appoint a third independent examiner. Where this happens, the length of the examination process may be significantly increased.

Please be aware that while the Graduate Centre works to ensure examinations are completed as quickly as possible, some things are outside of our control and we therefore cannot guarantee an outcome by a specified date. We do appreciate that waiting for an examination result can be a nerve-wracking and frustrating time for students. We look forward to hearing about your successful outcomes too!

Scholarship Holders

Please note earlier Payroll processing timelines leading up to Christmas and New Years – refer to Human Resources website “HR Payroll Processing Deadline Changes“ - https://www.adelaide.edu.au/hr/news/list/2021/10/06/hr-processing-deadlines-in-the-lead-up-to-the-2021-end-of-year-university-1

NOTE: Any documentation that may affect your payments should be lodged with the AGC at least two days earlier than the indicated Payroll deadlines. Where possible, documentation received too late will be processed for the next possible pay date.

Postgraduate Scholarship Opportunities

The Adelaide Graduate Centre maintains a searchable database of available scholarship opportunities (both full scholarships and supplementary scholarships), funded by both the University of Adelaide and external funding bodies. While the majority of available scholarships are awarded as part of the standard admission and scholarship rounds for domestic and international students, some are awarded at different times throughout the year, and may have a separate application process.

Visit the Postgraduate Scholarships website regularly for up to date information on current scholarship opportunities.

Hugh Martin Weir Prize 2022

The University Library invites applications for the 2022 Hugh Martin Weir Prize. The maximum value of the prize will be $2000.The Prize is open to University of Adelaide students who are enrolled in a postgraduate program by coursework or by research, either commencing or already in progress.

The Prize may be put towards the costs of travel and accommodation, books, printing, interlibrary loans, copying and publication or other agreed purposes identified in the candidate’s application to support the research.

Applications are now open and close on 28 February 2022. More information and an application form are available on the website.

University Library

Advanced Library Essentials (Health)

The Library offers a set of Advanced Library Essentials courses for Health and Medical Sciences, which focus on the knowledge and techniques required for advanced database searching, useful for completing literature or systematic reviews. The courses provide detailed information and interactive content to help you develop a range of skills that will be useful both for your assignments and for your future career, whether in research or elsewhere in the workforce.

Advanced Library Essentials are available for you to enrol in Allied Health, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Psychology and Public Health. Successful completion of an assessment at the end of the course will earn you two CaRST points.

Liaison Librarians

New Liaison Librarians have recently joined the Library team. The team of Liaison Librarians are available to help you with your research.

Faculty Liaison Librarian contacts are:

ECMS: Becky Eley

Arts: Ursula Henderson and Mary Filsell

Sciences: Robert Franchini

Professions: Paula Everett

Health: Vikki Langton and Mary Filsell

More details on the Liaison Librarians webpage, where you can also book a consultation.

Adelaide Graduate Centre Website Links

Respect. Now. Always.

The University seeks to promote an inclusive, respectful and fair environment for all people whilst engaged in University-related activities. A range of services are available to assist students who have safety concerns or have experienced bullying, sexual harassment or assault. For further information, help, or to report an incident, please visit the Safer Campus Community website.

As a student of the University, you can help to keep your campus safe by looking out for your own safety, and the safety of others and by conducting yourself in a manner consistent with the Student Charter. Remember that unacceptable behaviours such as Harassment, Discrimination, Bullying and Victimisation are not tolerated at the University.

Free, independent and confidential Counselling Service

Did you know that as a Postgraduate Student you are entitled to access counselling services provided to students at The University of Adelaide. To find out more information visit the Counselling Centre website.

Free and confidential Disability Service

As a Postgraduate Student you are also eligible for assistance from the Disability Service if you have a disability or ongoing medical condition. Information about the nature of your disability is not disclosed – information obtained from you about the functional impact of the disability is shared with academic staff solely for the purpose of assisting you with your studies. Details relating to the Disability Service and the on line registration process can be found on the Disability website.

Useful resources for staff can be found at the staff section of the Disability website.