Induction, progression and responsibilities
You said...
-
“A clear timeline with progress requirements should be explained to students at induction, and be available for reference as we progress.”
- “There is very little pastoral care and guidance regarding university procedures and regulations. This increases anxiety and stress and affects mental health.”
What the university is doing
- The Bristol Doctoral College run a range of induction activities, workshops and training around key milestones of a research degree: Getting Started with Your Research Degree; Maintaining momentum; and Finishing your research degree and forging ahead.
- We also launched a self-assessment template via online tool myPGR to help you take a structured approach to assessing your needs and planning your development.
- Since the onset of COVID-19 we’ve also been running regular online PGR Welcome Events to orientate PGRs and make them feel part of the wider community. These events have including facilitated discussion about concerns and hopes for new PGRs and a live Q&A with current PGRs to provide the opportunity to ask questions about the research journey. 211 new PGRs attended one of our five induction events in betweem September 2020 and January 2021.
- As well as live training sessions, we have developed digital on-demand personal and professional development resources, available to access at any time. These cover all aspects of the research process, from time management to organizing your writing.
- A new Annual Progress Monitoring system was piloted in the in the Faculty of Engineering during the academic year 2019/20. This will be rolled out across the remaining faculties during the summer of 2021. The Bristol Doctoral College is supporting the transition from the current system.
Actions taken by your faculty or school
Selected case studies from faculties and schools:
Improving the induction experience for PGRs in the Faculty of Arts
In response to PRES feedback around induction, the Faculty of Arts revised their approach to informing new PGRs of available resources and support. Rather than overwhelming PGRs with lots of information sessions during their first week, the Faculty restructured their approach by introducing an overarching welcome session in the first week and new sessions 2-3 weeks in called 'What to expect from my PhD/MPhil' to follow up and drill down with more detail once they've found their feet. These news sessions have been very well received.
Icebreaker sessions for new PGRs within the School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (CAME)
In response to PGR feedback about induction of new students, the School PGR Director, Department PGR deputies, CAME Graduate Administration Managers and PGR Student Administrator worked together on a range of actions to improve the experience of first-year PGRs. This included organising an ice-breaker meeting (originally planned to be in person, but held on Zoom due to COVID-19). This gave new PGRs the chance to meet staff within the School who were responsible for looking after them, as well as their PGR reps. The session also included a short presentation from PGR alumni, who shared their experiences with incoming students.
Find out more
- See our upcoming training on the PGR life cycle.
- Find out about our online PGR welcome events.
Feedback
“It helped me in clarifying what should be the first essential steps to getting started with a doctorate.” Attendee, Getting started with your PhD, 2019
“It encouraged me to think about myself as a researcher, and to pursue healthy working practices. I also really liked the advice on note taking.” Attendee, Maintaining momentum, 2019
"It was very well timed with my current position in the PhD. They brought up lots of things that I hadn't thought about and I thought the practical tips and website suggestions were great." Attendee, Finishing your PhD and forging ahead, 2019