Fast supervision: changing supervisory practice in changing times

In a context where timely completions are paramount and where the nature of research degrees is shifting dramatically, research supervision has become the focus of research and debate. This paper will consider, first, the changing research environment brought about by the research performance regime in Australia and, second, changes in the nature of research degrees consequent on shifts in the way legitimate knowledge is recognised. It will be argued that the research process and its outcomes now exemplify a crossing of borders hitherto considered impermeable and unchanging, such as the written thesis, disciplinary accountability, and research unbounded by time, with ramifications for research supervision both conceptually and in practice. This paper will present a blending of theoretical and practical positions and an examination of challenges for the future with a view to extending and enhancing the current debate on research supervision.