EAST-SPARK Toolkit
Day 3 - Modules 7 -10
EAST-SPARK Modules 7–10 focus on the later stages of doctoral development and on how supervisors can help candidates move towards completion and transition beyond the PhD. They address academic writing and publication, professional development and career reflection, as well as thesis completion and preparation for the defense. Together, these modules underline that effective supervision does not end with guiding the research process itself: it also supports candidates in communicating their work, preparing for key transition points, and moving forward with greater confidence, independence, and professional readiness.
Module 7 focuses on how supervisors can support doctoral candidates in becoming stronger academic writers and more confident participants in scholarly publication. Its purpose is to move beyond the assumption that writing develops automatically during the PhD and to underline that writing and publication are important areas of supervisory attention. The module helps participants reflect on writing as a developmental process, on the difference between helpful supervision and over-editing, and on the broader publication environment in which doctoral candidates increasingly need to operate. In this way, the module connects writing development, ethical practice, and publication literacy within one supervisory perspective.
Module 8 focuses on a dimension of doctoral supervision that is often acknowledged in principle but addressed too little in practice: the broader professional development of doctoral candidates during and beyond the PhD. Its purpose is to help participants reflect on how supervision can support not only research progress, but also the development of skills, networks, visibility, career awareness, and readiness for future transitions. The module presents professional development as part of doctoral success rather than as an optional extra, and invites supervisors to think more deliberately about the ways in which they can contribute to it.
Module 9 focuses on the final stage of the doctorate and on the supervisor’s role in helping candidates move from sustained writing to submission readiness and, finally, to preparation for the defense. The purpose of the module is not only to address the defense as an examination event, but to frame the whole final phase as a connected process in which writing habits, revision practices, judgement about readiness, and procedural preparation all matter. The module therefore draws together several themes from earlier modules and applies them to the last and often most demanding stage of the doctoral journey.
Module 10 serves as the closing module of the EAST-SPARK training. Its purpose is to give participants structured space to look back on the programme, reflect on what they have learned, and consider how this learning may influence their future supervisory practice. The module is not primarily about introducing new content. Instead, it is designed to consolidate the training, reconnect participants with the expectations and questions they brought at the beginning, and encourage an orientation toward continuous reflection and professional development beyond the workshop itself.
Modules 8–10 provide trainers with a strong closing sequence for the EAST-SPARK programme. They focus on later-stage supervision and help participants reflect on how supervisors can support doctoral candidates’ broader professional development, guide them through thesis completion and defense preparation, and consolidate learning at the end of the training. For trainers, these modules offer a good balance between input, reflection, and practical discussion, and they work especially well when linked clearly to the earlier modules on writing, feedback, relationships, and the overall research journey.
Modules 8–10 invite supervisors to look beyond the immediate research project and consider how their role also includes supporting professional growth, helping candidates prepare for key transitions, and guiding them through the final stage of the doctorate. The modules address how supervisors can open access to networks and opportunities, encourage reflection on future pathways, support thesis writing and submission readiness, and prepare candidates for the thesis defense in a realistic and professional way. They also offer space for supervisors to reflect on their own learning and next steps in practice.
Modules 8–10 highlight the importance of supporting doctoral candidates not only during the research process, but also in relation to professional development, completion, and transition beyond the PhD. They show that good supervision contributes to more than academic progress alone: it can strengthen readiness for future careers, improve completion through better writing support, and enhance candidates’ preparation for examination and defense. For academic leaders, these modules reinforce the value of structured support, clear expectations, and a broader institutional understanding of doctoral success.
These presentations were created jointly by Fredrick Nyamwala, Caroline Ayuya Muaka, Caroline Kimathi, Stephen Ojiambo Wandera, Emmanuel Mutungi, Alinane Linda Nyondo-Mipando, Fanuel Aaron Lampiao, Tukae Atiyo Mbegalo, Brighton Emmanuel Maburutse, Angela Meyer and Lucas Zinner in the framework of the EAST SPARK project. The content has been inspired by the authors‘ own experience, the academic literature and various training courses in which the authors have had the opportunity to participate. In this regard, the authors would like to express their special thanks to CREST at Stellenbosch University and CARTA.
It is intended to be shared under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Everyone is welcome to use, adapt, or distribute this content, provided that it is done under the same condition and proper credit is given to the authors. This work has been made possible through the support of the OEAD,