Cyber-supervision during the Covid-19 pandemic: An exploratory international survey

INTRODUCTION: This article presents the findings of an exploratory international survey on supervisees' and supervisors' experiences of cyber-supervision during the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey aimed to establish a baseline of these experiences. METHODS: An online survey of 195 respondents was conducted. Demographic data and the supervisees' and supervisors' views were analysed descriptively. Spearman's Rho correlations were undertaken using IBM SPSS 28 to examine the associations between supervisees' and supervisors' ratings of their situation, views and experiences of cyber-supervision, and overall satisfaction and evaluation. FINDINGS: The results showed that the respondents' supervision changed to online supervision, with video conferencing as the primary method. The supervisees and supervisors shared similar views about online supervision. Items that indicated a constructive view of online supervision correlated positively with overall satisfaction and evaluation. In contrast, items less favourable of online supervision correlated negatively with overall satisfaction and evaluation. Overall, it was found that the attitudes and perspectives of supervisees and supervisors about online supervision were related to their overall satisfaction and evaluation. CONCLUSION: The practice implications for supervisees and supervisors using online supervision are that they discuss their attitudes and cultural perspectives about online supervision early in the relationship, particularly if they plan to use this medium regularly or in conjunction with face-to-face supervision. Further research is recommended on the influence and impact of supervisee and supervisor attitudes and cultural perspectives on online supervision.