Transcript Document

Humanities Division
Oxford University
34 St Giles
Oxford OX1 3LD
www.humanities.ox.ac.uk
Introduction to the DPhil:
managing your graduate experience
Debbie McVitty
Humanities Training Coordinator
[email protected]
What the session covers
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What is the UK/Oxford DPhil?
Academic practice
Managing and planning ahead (i)
Employability and planning ahead (ii)
– with Dr Denise Best
• You and your supervisor
• Sources of support
• Troubleshooting
– with current DPhil students
What is the UK/Oxford DPhil?
• A research project
‘a significant and substantial contribution in the
particular field of learning within which the subject
of the thesis falls’ (Exam Regs)
‘three or at most four years of full-time study’
• Evidence of ‘competent autonomy’
Reflecting the changing economy
A high-level skill-set
• Preparation for academia
...Sometimes
Why does it need managing?
• Research is hard!
– Your destination may be unclear
– How you spend your time is not monitored
– You are learning the ‘how’ as well as the
‘what’
– You are personally invested in the project
• Balance of activities/time-management
– the elements of the project are varied
– the rest of your professional/personal life
Academic practice
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Attend/present at research seminars and conferences
Apply for small travel grants and prizes
Organise events or a conference
Teach – and get a professional teaching qualification
Engage in some form of administration/service
eg. college or faculty committee
• Develop skills and knowledge external to project
eg. second language, web publishing, other academic
interests
• Pursue personal interests and hobbies
eg. a new sport, fine dining
See Graduate Studies Framework for more info
Planning ahead (i) – the basics
• Write it down (on paper or electronically)
• Get a clear sense of what you hope to
achieve…
• …and when you need to achieve it by
• Break it down into its component parts
• Estimate how long each will take
• Set intermediate deadlines
• Block out time in your diary
• Plan for setbacks
• Review and revise your plan
SMARTE objectives
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Specific
Measurable
Advantageous
Realistic
Time limited
Evidence based
Example
• A bad plan
– ‘think about research proposal’
• A better plan
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find out deadlines
review literature (2 hr/day)
survey field (1 hr/day)
break to seek inspiration...
draft to supervisor by 00.00.00
make revisions by 00.00.00
Some dos and a don’t
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DO let things be adequate sometimes
DO know when to stop
DON’T cut corners
DO develop systems that work for you
DO write early and often
DO keep an ideas journal
DO read outside your subject area
DO take time off
DO enlist the help of friends and family
You and your supervisor
• Code of practice
Expect
Don’t expect
General research advice
Detailed reading lists
Feedback on conference
abstract
Alerting to conference
opportunities
Agreed task for the next
meeting
To be chased if you don’t
do it
Guidance on study skills
Knowing when you’re
struggling
Critical commentary on
your work
Re-writing your
arguments
You & your supervisor: tips
• Who is your supervisor?
– big picture thinker or micro-manager?
• Take the initiative – how do you work effectively?
• Relationship changes over time
• Manage meetings
– send writing in good time
– have an agenda
– take notes and ask for clarification
– agree a way forward and a deadline
– send an email afterwards to confirm
• Always keep your supervisor posted
Getting feedback from your supervisor
• Ask the right questions
– specific
– open
• Consider a cover sheet or covering email
– your assessment of the work/what you aimed
to do
– where you would appreciate pointers
• You are allowed to disagree
– ask for clarification
– defend your arguments (up to a point)
– negotiate
Formal feedback and monitoring
• Online reporting system
– available from December 08
– opportunity to review and reflect
– anything not raised in supervisory meeting
• If you are having supervisor trouble
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could it be temporary?
seek informal advice first
assess your own expectations
contact your Director of Graduate Studies as a
last resort
Challenges you might face
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Financial troubles
Personal or family issues (illness, visa troubles)
Writer’s block
Lack of motivation
Stress/burnout
Isolation/lack of support
• Get the support networks in place early on
• Keep your supervisor informed
• Worst case scenario – option to suspend status (use
form GSO 17)
Other sources of support
• Friends and other graduate students
• MCR, faculty graduate organisation, OUSU VP (Grads)
and student advisor
• Graduate Studies Assistants/grad handbook
• College advisor
• Director of Graduate Studies
• University code on Equal Opps & harassment
• Student Health and Welfare
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/shw/
The Student Counselling Service
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/shw/counserv.shtml
What graduates say
‘Don’t expect it to be easy’
‘Make contact with other people working in your field’
‘Go to conferences and meet people’
‘Read DPhils in your subject area, realise how bad some
of them are...’
‘Start writing straight away’
‘Allow yourself to read around the subject’
‘Take meticulous notes even when you don’t think
something is relevant – it will be!’
‘Don’t mess about in cafes’
‘Don’t let it be the only thing you do...have something
different for when your brain goes on thesis strike’
‘Work hard and then rest...Come back with fresh
perspective’
‘Have fun!’
Troubleshooting: the task
• Write something you’d like to discuss further
on a piece of paper and send it to the front
– personal/specific enquiries I’ll email
afterwards (put your name on the paper if this
is you)
– more general enquiries we’ll discuss
– Start drafting plans and objectives if you like
– Use the grad studies framework and objective
setting form if you find it useful
And finally...
• Thanks to Denise and our graduate students!
• Please fill in your feedback forms and leave
them somewhere
• Email [email protected] to raise
any issues