Facilitated by: Prof Pam Denicolo and Dr Julie Reeves  who are the co-convenors of the Postgraduate Issues Network. For more details about the network and its activities, please click here.

 Overview

This event is intended to help doctoral researchers to prepare productively for the final assessment of their research. Participants can be at any stage of their doctoral programme, the earlier the better, but will also be useful for those approaching a viva. The workshop will aim to demystify the final assessment, including the viva, by exploring the range of purposes it serves, how the viva works procedurally, and the criteria generally imposed by institutions and those used by examiners on the thesis and on viva responses. Some insights into the examiners’ perspectives will be provided to further shed light on the process.

Advice will be provided about intellectual, practical and emotional preparation, including how to respond productively to the range of possible questions and outcomes. Participants will be expected to engage in activities that will help them prepare for the viva so should come prepared to discuss their research with an intelligent lay audience.

Schedule  

Speaker bios

Pam Denicolo is an Emeritus Professor of Professional and Postgraduate Education at the University of Reading and a Consultant Professor of Researcher Education and Training at the University of Surrey. Having previously published widely in academic journals and produced a range of books and SRHE Guides on teaching, learning and research, Pam now co-edits and writes for a book series with Sage, Success in Research, aimed at supporting early career researchers in their endeavours, and a series with Sense, Critical Issues in the Future of Learning and Teaching aimed at supporting educators across all sectors but especially those in Higher, Further and Professional Education.

Julie Reeves has been a Researcher Developer since 2002.  Currently based at the University of Southampton, where she works with research staff, doctoral supervisors and research leaders. With Pam, she was a key contributor to the Vitae ‘Researcher Development Statement and Framework’ (RDF), and currently chairs the working group refreshing the RDF.  Julie is a Vitae Researcher Developer Senior Fellow and member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.  She co-convenes the Society for Research into Higher Education’s Postgraduate Issues Network and facilitates the South East Researcher Developers network (SERD), and co-founded the international Research Management Network (ReMNet).  She is a co-editor of the SAGE Success in Research series with Pam Denicolo, Dawn Duke and Alison Yeung. Julie is the 2024 Vitae Impact, Culture and Engagement (ICE) awardee for ‘Outstanding Contribution’ to researcher development.