Explore upcoming events led by the GSSHub, designed to support graduate supervisors and students in strengthening their supervision practices and learning experiences.
Spring Conference 2024
Collaborative, Constructive, Considerate: Fostering Dialogue on Best Practices in Graduate Supervision in Canada
As part of our 60th-anniversary celebrations, the Faculty of Graduate Studies at York University, in partnership with Memorial University of Newfoundland, is pleased to announce a one-day fully online Graduate Supervision Conference geared specifically for graduate supervisors.
Date & Time: Friday, May 31st, 2024 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm (EST)
Location: Online (Zoom Webinar)
Central to graduate student success and retention is the educative role of the supervisor and supervisory committee. Struck with a central task of inspiring, mining and refining graduate student scholarship, the act of graduate supervision involves key components of self-reflection, capacity-building efforts and attention to the relational. Strong supervisory efficacy is not innate, nor is it sufficiently acquired through an osmotic transfer from one’s own experience of being supervised. It benefits from a scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) approach, from intentional pedagogical practices, mutuality, and reflexivity and from the fostering of dialogue regarding best practices.
Developed with graduate supervisors in mind, York University's 60th Anniversary Graduate Supervision Conference, in partnership with Memorial University of Newfoundland, seeks to foster dialogue amongst graduate supervisors regarding best practices in graduate supervision. Join us as we welcome experts regarding the pragmatics of supervision, mediating conflict and the requisite principles that are now guiding Ontario universities. Following a lunch break, we welcome two panels featuring award-winning supervisors reflecting on the themes of the conference in a Fireside chat, followed by a sampling of graduate supervisory supports across the Canadian university landscape. The conference will close with a go-forward plan to develop national principles for graduate supervision in Canada. We hope you’ll join us!
Conference Agenda – Day of Event
Developing Intercultural Competencies in Graduate Supervision
The Graduate Supervision Support Hub at York University is pleased to welcome Dr. Erica Amery for a webinar designed for graduate supervisors. Supervising postgraduate students today means engaging with diversity in many forms — including culture, language, gender, ability, and academic background. This online webinar will introduce key concepts and strategies for recognizing how diverse perspectives shape communication, feedback and supervisory relationships and draw on international case examples offering supervisors practical approaches to foster equity, inclusion and success across differences in postgraduate research
- Date: Tuesday, October 28th, 2025
- Time: 12:00pm-1:15pm EST
- Location: Online via Zoom
- Read the Digital Swag Bag of resources (pdf) from the webinar along with the Strong Start to Supervision: International Graduate Student Companion Guide (pdf).
Supervision 101
Supervisors, join us for an online workshop and discussion on graduate supervision, hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Graduate Supervision Support Hub. Whether you are new to YorkU, beginning graduate studies, or an experienced supervisor, this session will provide best practices, key guidelines and policies, supervisor reflections, and space to explore your own supervision style.
The online workshop will feature:
- Supervisory best practices
- Guidelines and policies you will want to know
- Reflections from graduate supervisors
- Time to reflect on your intended supervision style
- Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025
- Time: 1:00pm–2:30pm (EST)
- Location: Online via Zoom
- Read the Digital Swag Bag (pdf) of resources from the workshop.
Canadian Graduate Students’ Views On Ideal Supervision
The Graduate Supervision Support Hub at York University, in collaboration with the National Community of Practice on Graduate Supervision is pleased to welcome graduate supervision scholar Dr. Michele Jacobsen for an online webinar to share findings from a Canadian study outlining graduate students’ views on ‘ideal supervision’. Documenting the views of students from diverse disciplines, this webinar will outline the qualities and characteristics of ‘ideal supervision’ and how supervisors can strive for these qualities while attending to self-care, balance, authenticity and wellbeing.
In this online national webinar we will discuss findings related to:
- Personal Characteristics
- Teaching/mentoring
- Relational Trust
- Professional Support
- Academic Support
- Supervisory wellbeing while striving for strong role enactment
- Date: Monday, December 1st, 2025
- Time: 12:00pm–1:15pm (EST)
- Location: Online via Zoom
- Coming Soon! Read the Digital Swag Bag of Resources from the webinar.
Supervision Sparkshop (30-minute topics for busy supervisors)
Identifying and Responding to Students in Distress
This online Sparkshop, facilitated by Tiina Ranta, Assistant Director Well-being, Division of Students, will introduce faculty to York’s updated Identifying and Responding to Students in Distress guide and navigating the various student resources across York’s campuses.
During the 30-minute session, we will:
- Walk you through York’s updated guide
- Identify the necessary steps to recognize levels of distress and respond accordingly
- Also share the GSSHub’s Response Guide for Graduate Supervisors
- Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
- Time: 12:00pm-12:30pm EST
- Location: Online (via Zoom)
Registration is required (click link)
View and share the Sparkshop poster (pdf).
Supervision 101 Online
Whether you are new to York University, new to grad studies or a seasoned graduate faculty member, you are warmly invited to join the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Graduate Supervision Support Hub for a workshop and facilitated discussion regarding graduate supervision.
The online workshop will feature:
- Supervisory best practices
- Guidelines and policies you will want to know
- Reflections from graduate supervisors
- Time to reflect on your intended supervision style
- Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
- Time: 1:00pm–2:45pm (EST)
- Location: Online via Zoom
Registration is required (click link)
The Changing Landscape of Doctoral Education: Implications for Supervision
The Graduate Supervision Support Hub at York University, in collaboration with the National Community of Practice on Graduate Supervision is pleased to welcome international graduate supervision scholar and author Dr. Stan Taylor to share insights from his long-standing commitment to support doctoral supervisors to enhance their practice.
In this online national webinar, Dr. Taylor will:
- Look briefly at the traditional model of supervision in the Humboldtian world
- Outline the changing landscape of doctoral education, including massification, diversification, McDonaldisation, regulation, structuration, and capitalisation
- Consider the implications of these shifts on graduate supervision highlighting the additional knowledge and skills which supervisors need to be effective
- Foster discussion regarding how programs and institutions can support supervisors to develop and enhance their supervision.
- Date: Wednesday, March 4th, 2026
- Time: 12:00PM-1:15PM (EST)
- Location: Online via Zoom
Registration is required (click link)