Projects and dissertations.

Michael Shaw, student, Biosciences:
When I used to go and see my tutor about my project I used to tape what he said and I used to explain to him that I’m a visual person and what he used to do was do sketches to explain, and I found that really beneficial as well.

He used to draw to the best he can because obviously some tutors can’t really do drawings but he used to keep them very basic and just draw illustrations.

Kate:
Right, so the mix of the audio taping and the visual?

Michael:
Yes, so I could go away with the audio tape and listen to it and look back on the visual to write it down. And I’d use those visuals in my exams as well.

Kate:
And Ryan, doing PhD level research, what kinds of things can your supervisor do that really helps you study?

Ryan Beardsley, PhD student, Physics:
I don’t know really, he just sort of treats me like he would any other student, I think. I think that it’s more my responsibility to sort of get around the problems than it is his, but he’s a pretty understanding guy and if I say to him "Look, draw me a picture of that" or "Slow down" or something, then he will.

Kate:
Right, so it’s about you maybe taking the lead on those.

Ryan:
Yeah, I think it’s having a good relationship with him really, being able to talk to him and say "Look, I don’t understand that" or "Just give me some more time to read this."