3.1 The Student ●
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Discuss with your supervisor (taking into account any input from the supervisor) the preparation of the report, and decide when it is ready for submission Write up and submit the report within the time limit, and in accordance with local submission guidelines Address and respond to criticism, guidance, and suggestions given by the supervisor, which may include undertaking any study required by the supervisor, e.g. directed reading or applying a statistical test to analyse your data Be informed about and respect any regulations and considerations, legal as well as ethical, that are relevant for the project Drive the project forward and initiate discussions Inform your supervisor of any problems or difficulties, technical as well as non-technical, e.g. any personal circumstances which prevent you from working on your project Take pride in and responsibility for your work; prioritise and organise your work in such a way that it represents your best efforts.
Please note, although your supervisor will point out problems and errors in your written work, he or she will expect you to proofread your own text, and will assume that it represents your best effort. Only then will you be able to maximise the resource that is your supervisor, and thus enhance your own learning during the project. Remember, too, that your supervisor is a busy person with limited time. If you hand in material that is carefully proofread, well structured and clearly written, it means that the supervisor can spend less time on commenting presentation details. As a result, more time can instead be spent on discussing your results, future directions for your work etc. In this way, you will be using your portion of the supervisor’s time more efficiently. As a general guideline, it is well worth to keep in mind that it is your project, and under no circumstances should the supervisor do the work for you!
3.1.2
Projects with Multiple Students
When there are multiple students working on the same project, there are additional issues to be taken into account, e.g. project co-ordination and responsibilities. Although larger projects with many people have some unifying problems and goals, it is generally a good idea to identify unique parts of the problem, which can then be assigned to each person. However, in certain situations it is difficult to allocate responsibilities and tasks fairly and evenly among the project members. In these circumstances, it is essential that all project members are held equally responsible for the outcome of the project. It is good for both students and supervisors if students are allocated distinct problems in the project, even when there will be extensive collaboration resulting in one report. In the event of your writing one report together, it is important to realise that you are all equally responsible for its content.