Dr Nicola Palmer RSVP Co-Investigator, Head of Doctoral Training at Sheffield Hallam University, UK and Senior Lecturer at the University of York, UK
Dr Palmer is Head of Doctoral Training at Sheffield Hallam University and leads the pedagogy and scholarship strand of RSVP. She is an active research supervisor who has rich experience in examining and supervising to completion over 30 doctoral candidates across different types of doctoral awards in diverse institutional contexts.
Dr Richard Tresidder Member of RSVP Pedagogy and Publications strand, and Associate Professor at Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Dr Tressider is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Sheffield Hallam University. During his long academic career, Richard has validated PhDs and Professional Doctorates and managed doctoral programs. Richard is a UKCGE Recognized Research Supervisor and has developed and managed development programs for doctoral supervisors, delivering these both in the UK and internationally.
This article was a contribution to the Researcher Education and Development Conference (REDS) 2026. It discusses the use of cue cards as a valuable reflective practice tool within continuing professional development for research supervisors.
In many institutions, supervisor development is led by dedicated ‘third space professionals’ (Whitchurch, 2022) who can offer invaluable expertise in pedagogy, researcher development, and institutional policy. But, in the complex world of doctoral education amidst higher education resource pressures, sometimes supervisor development falls to academics – active research supervisors with doctoral leadership roles, burgeoning pedagogical expertise, and networked links across multiple doctoral communities of practice.
The article suggests that research supervisors value this tacit, experience-based knowledge, the kind of wisdom gained through years of practice. The role of cue cards in capturing this voice of the experienced supervisor is discussed.