to improve throughput rates often clashes with the reality that doctoral studies are a long, demanding process that cannot be rushed without compromising quality. Amid these pressures, ethical responsibilities remain paramount. Supervisors must ensure fairness, uphold academic integrity, and nurture student well-being. As highlighted in a study by Masuku (2021), training courses for supervisors have become essential. These initiatives encourage supervisors to reflect on their practices, engage in peer learning, and develop strategies for managing the multiple dimensions of supervision, from project management to navigating power dynamics (Masuku, 2021). Suzy’s reflection: Master’s students, by contrast, occupy a liminal space between being taught and becoming independent researchers. Recent studies (Manathunga, 2020, Grohnert et. al, 2024) highlight that Master’s supervision often requires supervisors to balance project management with intellectual partnership. I resonate with this, as my Master’s students need sharper guidance in refining research questions and theoretical framing, but they also need space to make mistakes, develop resilience, and begin contributing to scholarly conversations. I see my role here as gradually shifting from directing to collaborating, creating opportunities for publication and conference presentations where possible. At the PhD level, supervision is increasingly understood as academic socialisation and identity formation (Halse, 2011; Wisker, 2023). Doctoral candidates are expected to make an original contribution to knowledge, which requires both highlevel critical engagement and navigating disciplinary communities of practice. Suzy’s reflection: For me, this means cultivating an environment of intellectual partnership - moving from teaching a student to co-creating knowledge with an emerging scholar. I often find myself learning alongside my PhD students, as their projects push into new methodological or thematic terrain. It is deeply gratifying to see former Honours or Master’s students mature into confident scholars, as one of my own students did - progressing from Honours with me in 2019 to nearly completing his PhD today, with multiple co-authored outputs along the way. Supervision at each level, therefore, requires different layers of support: Honours: high structure, skills training, and emotional support. Master’s: balance between direction and autonomy, with developmental mentoring. PhD: collegial partnership, academic identitybuilding, and co-production of knowledge. The evolving landscape of technology and AI One of the most significant changes shaping supervision today is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) with tools such as ChatGPT have entered the postgraduate space, offering students immediate feedback, scaffolding for writing, and support in exploring ideas. Research shows that students experience tangible benefits when using these tools: greater confidence, improved critical thinking, enhanced efficiency, and sometimes even deeper engagement in their work (Dai et al., 2023). Dai et al (2023 posit that on the one hand, AI can ease the burden on supervisors by helping students refine their work before submission, thereby allowing supervisory meetings to focus on higher-order intellectual and strategic discussions. However, they caution against the over-reliance on AI that can erode deep engagement with texts, encourage plagiarism, or produce formulaic work devoid of original insight. Omodan (2025) argues that AI should not replace human supervision but must be integrated through hybrid models that balance efficiency with humancentred mentorship. AI can enhance supervision by streamlining processes; however, without robust governance, transparency, and ethical safeguards, it risks undermining postgraduate research’s relational, pedagogical, and ethical foundations (Omodan, 2025). 74 A Journey of Innovation
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