Ways to help HRD research students isolated by COVID-19

In the wake of the rapid 2020 global on-line development of higher education curriculum, many reports focus on the structured coursework student and their transition to the inadvertent on-line learner. However, there are fewer conversations on this transition for the unstructured non-coursework student, specifically Higher Degree Research (HDR) students. These students are mostly conducting independent research projects to attain a masters or doctoral level degree. Even though they are “independent” learners, they are still under the guidance of academic supervisors/mentors. The impact of COVID-19 on these students, who have also had to adjust to on-line environments, has different ramifications. Self-motivation, communication with the supervisory panel, data collection activities, attendance at conferences and building research reputations through networking, have all been hampered by the necessity to remain isolated and on-line. Responding to this relatively neglected COVID-19 cohort and working across two universities, we have drawn together best practise, tools and/or activities that build capability for HDR supervisors when guiding their remote students.