Building a professional relationship with your supervisor is a lifelong skill that benefits you both in graduate school and in your professional life. 聽provides a range of tools you can rely on as you navigate your supervisory relationship in an academic context.
The hosts resources for supervisees and supervisors that can help you discuss expectations with your supervisor, keep the lines of communication open with your supervisor throughout your studies, and talk with your supervisor about your professional goals.
The workshops below provide opportunities to identify strategies for improving your supervisory relationship, learn about the resources 91黑料网 offers for supervisees, and enhance your skills in a hands-on way.
Setting Expectations with the LOU
This 90-minute interactive webinar introduces graduate students to the Letter of Understanding (LOU) as a tool for building effective, supportive relationships with their supervisors. Through guided discussions and case studies, participants will explore how to navigate implicit and explicit expectations, initiate conversations about communication, workload, and work-life balance, and adapt the LOU as their academic journey evolves. Participants will leave with greater clarity on how to use the LOU to advocate for themselves and sustain a productive supervisory relationship.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the role and value of the LOU in clarifying expectations with a supervisor
- Identify strategies to initiate and revisit expectation-setting conversations
- Reflect on how communication, workload, and work-life balance can be addressed in an LOU
- Recognize how to adapt the LOU over time to reflect changes in goals, roles, or responsibilities
Goal Setting with Your Supervisor
How can a grad student talk about what they really want in life with their supervisor?
Graduate experiences are individual, centred on growth, achievement, and identity. Supervisors play an essential role as a guide, helping orient and propel students. A successful student/supervisor relationship depends on good communication to make sure students are moving in the right direction and that goals are aligned.
This discussion and reflection-based workshop addresses how to have conversations with participants鈥� supervisors about goals and future plans. This 1.5 hour workshop is designed and led by graduate students.
Learning outcomes:
- Reflect and establish goals and motivations to discuss with participants鈥� supervisors
- Determine the type of support participants need from their supervisors
- Practice communicating these goals and requests for support with peers.
Taking Ownership of Your Degree with the Progress Tracking Form
This 90-minute interactive workshop helps graduate students reframe the Progress Tracking Form (PTF) as more than a bureaucratic requirement鈥攖ransforming it into a personal roadmap for reflection, planning, and building strong supervisory relationships. Through discussion, case studies, and practical strategies, participants will explore how to take ownership of their degree progress, make the most of limited supervisor time, and use the PTF to foster communication, identify challenges early, and secure the support they need. By the end, students will be equipped to approach the PTF as a proactive tool for academic and professional growth.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Explain the purpose and benefits of the Progress Tracking Form beyond meeting formal requirements.
- Apply strategies to take ownership of their degree progress and actively engage with supervisors and committees.
- Use the PTF to set intentional goals, reflect on achievements, document progress effectively, and connect with your supervisory committee
As a 91黑料网 student, your participation in full to activities聽such as training workshops and volunteering are tracked on your Co-Curricular Record (CCR)!聽Having your co-curricular activities listed in one document can help you revise your CV or cover letter, prepare for interviews, and聽explore career options.