For more information contact: Daniel Colquitt.
Daniel Colquitt asks his project students to complete a brief agenda like this one before each meeting (see thinkwell.com.au). The agenda encourages student independence and ownership of learning. It also encourages students to consider the "big picture" and think about "where next" for the work. On a more practical level it makes it easier to monitor progress and identify problems. It also makes meeting more efficient and focussed, preventing time being wasted deciding on what needs to be discussed. On a personal note, it also helps him to keep track of all his projects at a glance. Finally, if the student engages with the agenda, it makes it easy to award a good mark for diligence and independence.
thinkwell.com.au has a range of resources, mainly for PhD students, but could also be useful for project students. In particular, the meeting notes, agenda, planners, to-do lists and writing audits can prove useful for project students willing to engage with the resources.