Unified Growth: Empowering University Graduate Students through Online Supervision, Collaboration and Mentorship

Abstract

Thesis supervision is one of the critical responsibilities of a supervisor. A graduate student’s supervisor can be compared to a family doctor. Even though the doctor may have many patients, striving to know the needs of each patient is vital in meeting their needs. Likewise, being knowledgeable and competent, a doctoral supervisor is expected to know each doctoral student’s immediate needs. This qualitative case study explored the role of mentorship and collaboration strategies in the scholarly and professional development of graduate students. Purposive sampling was done and focused on the communication platform used by graduate students and faculty. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The study findings indicated that through mentorship graduate students received guidance, support, and encouragement that is critical in graduate studies. Additionally, collaboration among the students and between the students and the supervisors offers valuable insights into research development, self-development, networking, and career planning.