Berita dan gambar oleh Saharah Saad
SINTOK, 7 October 2025: The Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business (OYAGSB) at Universiti Utara Malaysia has taken a decisive step towards raising the standards of postgraduate research supervision.
The OYAGSB Supervision Workshop 2025 was aimed at strengthening doctoral mentorship and reinforce academic accountability across disciplines.
The forum-style workshop brought together academic leaders and doctoral supervisors for an in-depth dialogue on enhancing the quality of supervision. Central themes included research integrity, structured mentoring, and student autonomy. As Malaysian universities continue to align with global postgraduate benchmarks, initiatives such as this firmly position OYAGSB as a model for excellence in supervision practices.
Opening the workshop, Prof. Dr Subramaniam A/L Sri Ramalu, Deputy Dean of OYAGSB, emphasised that postgraduate supervision today demands more than a simple academic oversight.
“Effective supervision requires mentorship, structure, and a genuine commitment to student development. Supervisors must be trained, qualified, and responsive to the evolving demands of research leadership,” he said.
Underscoring the varied demands of doctoral pathways, Prof. Ts. Dr Norazah Mohd Suki, Deputy Dean for Research, Innovation and Corporate Relations, explained that supervisors must be prepared to guide both theoretical and applied research with equal rigour.
“Unlike PhD students, who focus on advancing academic theory, DBA and Doctor of Management students apply research to address pressing business and leadership challenges. Supervisors must therefore be well-equipped to guide both research trajectories with precision and purpose,” she said, citing her experience in producing Graduate on Time (GOT) students and supervising award-winning theses.
Adding to this, Prof. Dr Wong Woei Chyuan, Chair of the SEFB Postgraduate Programme, highlighted the importance of balance in supervisory engagement.
“Both over-supervision and under-supervision can hinder student progress. Timely feedback and structured checkpoints during the proposal and data collection phases are critical to ensuring academic rigour and building student confidence,” he noted.
Beyond technical guidance, the workshop also explored the relational and ethical dimensions of postgraduate supervision. Supervisors were encouraged to cultivate trust, respect students’ independence in making academic choices and foster open, constructive communication.
Discussions further examined strategies for fulfilling publication requirements prior to viva examinations, as well as the use of structured templates to refine research abstracts and improve clarity.
The initiative reflects OYAGSB’s broader commitment to enhancing postgraduate outcomes and supporting faculty development. As doctoral programmes face growing expectations to deliver both scholarly impact and professional relevance, OYAGSB’s proactive approach to supervision quality sets a benchmark that other institutions may well emulate.
