Collaborative Supervision Pedagogy for Increased Postgraduate Student Success: The Importance of Writing Camps as an Alternative Supervision Programme

Abstract

A persistent challenge in postgraduate studies is the low retention and throughput rate following initial access, often due to delayed graduation. This issue is frequently exacerbated by the prevailing 'lonely scholar' model typically adopted by academic faculties and research supervisors. This paper proposes an alternative supervisory pedagogy grounded in a multifaceted, collaborative approach. It integrates the structured design of a writing camp with the traditional 'master-apprentice' supervision model. The study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of this collaborative support system in accelerating the completion of postgraduate research reports – dissertations and research articles – while enhancing the quality of scholarly output. Adhering to established ethical standards in social science research, the study employed a qualitative approach within a descriptive and programme evaluation research design. Thirty-nine pipeline students were purposively selected to participate in a writing camp, based on a defined set of selection criteria. Data were gathered through participant testimonials and a post-camp telephonic survey, then analysed using Atlas.ti (Version 23). Ethical principles – including voluntary participation, the right to withdraw, confidentiality, and anonymity – were rigorously upheld. Findings highlight the substantial benefits of collaborative supervision models in strengthening research and academic writing skills, alleviating the supervisory burden, and incorporating specialist input to enhance the overall quality of student research. The study recommends the early integration of writing specialists into postgraduate supervision to build student confidence and improve throughput rates.