Introduction

Welcome to the second edition of Rock the Boat — an open-access multimedia resource that consists of four dramatized scenes, a facilitation guide and supplementary readings. Rock the Boat was designed to provoke dialogue, enhance awareness and shift the culture of graduate supervision within universities, especially as it impacts graduate student, faculty and staff wellbeing.

This new edition is designed to reflect the lessons learned while implementing the resource for over two years. The structure has been improved. A new section for organizers of sessions has been added. The discussion questions have all been reworked. The facilitator training section has been improved to reflect feedback from facilitators of sessions. We’ve also added special notes, shown in pink boxes on various pages, that offer additional insight into the reasoning behind many aspects of the guide.

Drawing upon the tradition of Research-based Theatre, Rock the Boat focuses on graduate supervision as a neglected form of pedagogy that is vital to higher education yet rife with challenges — especially relating to equity, inclusion and diversity. Importantly, the scenes featured within this resource are pieces of theatre. Each scene is based on what we learned through extensive storytelling sessions; however, their theatrical nature means that certain elements are exaggerated to evoke emotional responses, increase empathy and generate dialogue.

These scenes are not intended as training videos. Likewise, this resource is not designed as a didactic training manual. Scenes are not designed to show the “right” or “wrong” way to handle these topics. Situations are often portrayed as messy to reflect the complex nature of these situations in real life. Similarly, situations are often left unresolved to generate conversation and prompt reflection on ways to address these issues within the participant’s specific context. We recognize that there are no simple, universally applicable solutions to these issues.

We also recognize that many of the issues portrayed in these scenes will be familiar for many participants. Our goal is not to make participants relive possibly traumatic events or to add to the already considerable amount of labor taken on by marginalized individuals. We hope that these scenes will increase understanding and empathy, particularly for those who have not experienced these situations and allow participants to discuss these issues through the lens of the scene and the characters rather than by disclosing personal experiences.

By supporting structured and safe dialogue about some of these challenges on campus, we hope to engage students, faculty and staff in developing supportive and respectful supervisory relationships, thereby enhancing the wellbeing of all.