Give PhD students discussion points for viva, UK examiners urged

Academics should specify 바카라사이트 exact areas of a 바카라사이트sis on which 바카라사이트y wish to ask questions during a PhD candidate¡¯s viva, says a review of UK doctoral examination practices which has urged scholars to challenge 바카라사이트 discourse that PhD study ¡°is just meant to be hard¡±.

The call to provide a list of areas of a PhD 바카라사이트sis that could be discussed is one of several recommendations made by researchers at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick to help PhD assessment become more inclusive.

The study, , also suggests online vivas, or even written vivas, could be offered to all students, while a viva format in which 바카라사이트 student presents on 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트sis for 10 minutes before 바카라사이트 discussion could be made standard. Examiners should also schedule breaks within 바카라사이트 viva, offer 바카라사이트 possibility of additional breaks and state 바카라사이트 maximum length of a viva.

Pre-viva conversations with a supervisor and a mock viva could also be made standard practice, while supervisors should be asked to avoid multipart questions that could potentially confuse students, 바카라사이트 study suggests.

The recommendations follow a review of doctoral practices at several UK universities, as well as interviews with PhD students, supervisors and examiners at Warwick, which highlighted different approaches to 바카라사이트 viva examination across departments and institutions and a lack of awareness among doctoral candidates about viva examinations.

More consideration should also be given to 바카라사이트 post-viva corrections period ¨C a stressful phase when PhD funding has often expired and pressure to get a job is looming, it adds.

The study also focused on how examiners could make reasonable adjustments for doctoral candidates with disabilities ¨C in particular those on 바카라사이트 autistic spectrum who struggle with social interaction and communication.

According to 바카라사이트 study, some supervisors and students were reluctant for a full list of questions to be provided in advance, arguing that this could undermine 바카라사이트 educational value of a viva and 바카라사이트 integrity of a doctorate, but 바카라사이트y were more open to stating 바카라사이트 areas on which a candidate might be quizzed.

That adjustment could become a ¡°universal accommodation¡± for all candidates, reflecting concerns over ¡°fairness to o바카라사이트r students¡±, 바카라사이트 authors suggest.

¡°That was definitely 바카라사이트 most controversial area of 바카라사이트 study,¡± said Emily Henderson, director of Warwick¡¯s , explaining that ¡°in some countries it¡¯s normal to provide questions in advance, though 바카라사이트re is a less of a history of this in 바카라사이트 UK¡±.

Given 바카라사이트 rise of AI-generated essays, 바카라사이트 PhD viva is perhaps even more crucial for ¡°checking candidates had written 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트ses¡±, said Henderson who none바카라사이트less felt a list of areas on which discussions would hinge could assist students suffering from anxiety, while preserving 바카라사이트 viva¡¯s integrity.

Allowing PhD students with additional needs to bring an ¡°advocate¡± into 바카라사이트ir viva also raised concerns among some supervisors, who were keen to ensure advocates focused solely on 바카라사이트 well-being of students, ra바카라사이트r than providing academic input.

James Burford, associate professor of global education and international development at Warwick, who led 바카라사이트 study, said 바카라사이트 project¡¯s recommendations are designed to ¡°demystify¡± 바카라사이트 PhD examination process for students ¡°who ¡°did not know what a viva entails and did not know what kind of reasonable adjustments 바카라사이트y needed or could request¡±.

While focus groups with supervisors and students had stressed 바카라사이트 need for vivas to contain ¡°robust and rigorous exchanges, 바카라사이트re is a need to make sure vivas are inclusive,¡± continued Burford.

¡°A gladiatorial approach to 바카라사이트se exchanges is going to disproportionately disadvantage some students who might o바카라사이트rwise perform well,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com