Learning and Development
Doctoral students: feedback from students
What can our programme do for you? You may be interested in these examples of
how it has helped other doctoral students:
If you would like any more information about our programme or have any
comments or suggestions, please contact
Terry Barry, Professional Development Manager
Sustaining Your Motivation (PhD Student, Health and Human
Sciences)
"I attended the Sustaining Your Motivation course, part of the programme run
by the Learning and Teaching Unit, not long after I began my PhD. The course
included a talk from someone who had completed his PhD quite recently. The talk
illustrated a number of ways in which that student had sustained his motivation.
I was particularly struck by the fact that writing articles for publication
had been such a motivating experience for the speaker. Writing articles gave him
a break from his usual research activities and getting things published had been
both an immediate boost to his motivation and a longer term benefit – by adding
to his academic profile. I realised from the talk that it was possible to write
an article for publication even as early as the first year of my PhD.
I discussed writing an article with my supervisor the next time I saw him. It
can take a long time for an article to appear in print, so I am glad I raised
the question then. I wrote my article, which appeared in a journal one year and
one month after the Sustaining Your Motivation course.
A further message from this course was to build variety into your work as a
research student in order to sustain your motivation. As a result I have
enrolled on the University's Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education
Practice and Frontrunners programmes. I am also a member of the University's
Dignity & Respect Working Group.
Looking back, I feel that the course I attended was very valuable. It alerted
me to the possibility of getting some of my work published. The varied things I
have become involved with have added greatly to my experience and as well as
sustaining my motivation, they will hopefully enhance my career prospects too."
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Presentation Skills (PhD Student, Literature, Film and
Theatre Studies)
"I am a first year PhD student. This year I have attended a number of
workshops organized by the Learning and Teaching Unit, but the most useful ones,
and the ones with skills that I have been able to practice right away, have been
Presentation Skills and Advanced Presentation Skills workshops.
I knew from the start that I have a problem with public speaking as I have
encountered difficulties related with stress management during a presentation
before while being a student and later presenting at conferences in my home
country. This is why I initially decided to attend the courses, but later had an
even greater motivation, as I was to present at a conference in Cambridge in
March this year.
I found the classes to be very useful as while being able to practice my
skills, I received very valuable structured feedback from other participants.
This helped me realise that what I had initially considered to be my problem was
in reality not something I should worry about and that I should concentrate
instead on other aspects of presenting, such as pace and voice levels. Without
the feedback I would have never realised the mistakes I had been making
previously. The workshop also helped me a lot to be more open in communicating
with the audience and making eye-contact.
My Cambridge presentation went very well and the whole conference turned out
to be one of the highlights of the term. I am very grateful to everyone from the
Learning and Teaching Unit for their dedicated and highly professional work with
the students."
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Poster Presentations (PhD Student, Language and Linguistics)
"I took part in a poster competition organised by the Learning and Teaching
Unit. My poster was chosen to go forward to the Regional Poster Competition
which was held in Cambridge. This was a meaningful experience which motivated me
as a novice researcher. Approximately 60 PhD students from different
universities participated in the competition and experts in various areas were
invited as judges of the poster presentation. The first step which was making a
poster was difficult as it was necessary to consider how to show my research on
a limited space effectively. I was not only asked to present the poster orally
but also to judge other posters as a peer evaluation.
It was challenging for me to talk about my research to people who are not
familiar with my research topic. I needed to simplify the contents as much as
possible to make audience understood. Although some of the audience gave me
unexpected questions, I received useful and encouraging comments on my
presentation. I was glad to hear that my poster was interesting and easy to
follow. Through this experience I became confident in talking about my research
and I think that my presentation and communication skills were improved.
Furthermore, I learned how my poster presentations can be better by evaluating
other posters objectively and critically, which is beneficial to my future
poster presentation."
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Surviving the Viva (PhD Student, Art History and Theory)
"In the final year of my PhD, I attended the Surviving the Viva course. The
thought of sitting the Viva was a relatively stressful one, and I was keen to
get as much information as I could before I sat down across from my examiners.
The session was exactly what I'd hoped for. The session was included
presentations by a professor who had served many times as an internal and
external examiner, and a recent viva 'survivor'. I found this especially useful,
as it gave me a direct look at what happens in the viva – arguably one of the
most mysterious aspects of doctoral study! We also worked in groups to enact
mock vivas – one person acting as the examiner, the other being examined. I was
surprised at how useful this exercise was in streamlining my ideas, even if my
'examiner' had limited familiarity with my subject – a skill I've put to use in
countless academic and non-academic situations since. The atmosphere was
collegial, and it was interesting to imagine oneself in both roles. To assist in
the process, we were primed with a list of common viva questions prepared by
examiners. I put these to use after the session in my preparation for the real
thing.
There is nothing that brings quite the same feeling of confidence as knowing
you are prepared. After Surviving the Viva, I felt much better both about how to
prepare for the viva, and also about what it was that was expected of me on the
day. I would, and have, recommend it to anyone preparing to defend their
thesis."
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If you would like any more information about our programme or have any
comments or suggestions, please contact
Terry Barry, Professional Development Manager.