Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for Postgraduate Research Students
Here are some frequently asked questions about life as a Research student in the Department of Education
1. What arrangements will be put in place for supervising the graduate’s work?
You will have a named supervisor or supervisors, normally as indicated in your offer letter, who will have overall responsibility for the direction of your work on behalf of the department. Typically, you should expect to have individual meetings with your supervisor for one hour not less than three to four times each term, and you should also meet during the vacations, though the frequency may vary according to the time of year and according to the stage you are at in your research programme. The programme is an all year programme and you should expect to have at least 18 hours of formal supervision time with your supervisor during the course of the year.
2. What induction arrangements will be made?
Over the summer period before your first term you will receive an induction pack of essential information and guidance, including some preliminary reading lists. The main induction for all higher degree students to the department is provided in the week preceding the start of the autumn (Michaelmas) Term, when you will be introduced to the Department, its courses, staff and students. During that induction week you should make a particular effort to meet with your supervisor to discuss your studies, and your supervisor(s) will arrange more specialised induction during the early weeks of the term. In the induction week you will receive information on the Department and the University, an introduction to the DPhil programme, and how to use the Department/University computer systems and the University libraries. The induction will also include a social event where you will have the opportunity to meet your colleague research students and other higher degree students and also meet members of staff. You will also receive a college induction during this week.
On Monday of the first week of term (week 1) there is a poster conference at which research groups in the Department display their research, and a social event. Information on the induction together with a timetable will be sent to you in the early summer before you come to Oxford.
3. What workspace will be provided?
The Department aims to provide workspace for second and third year research students who request space, and for some students in their fourth year. In addition there may be desk space available to students to use for shorter periods if appropriate.
4. What IT (Information Technology) support/ library facilities/ experimental facilities will be available?
The Department has two ICT (Information and Communication Technology) technicians to support students and staff. Where possible requests for support should be made by email. You will have access to the Department of Education Library, in addition to the other Oxford University libraries, including the Bodleian Library. You will also be able to access electronic resources, including full text e-resources, subscribed to by the library service. The Department offers a number of training workshops on the use of the library and IT systems, and provides excellent support for students in bibliographic and related resources. One to one assistance in using the library resources is also available. Wireless internet access (password protected) is provided in all public spaces.
5. Which research seminars will be available?
The Department provides a rich and varied programme of research seminars and lectures in which research students are expected to participate. The Department’s research groups (see Department website) provide opportunities for more specialised seminars and for research students (doctoral researchers) to present and discuss their work in progress; all doctoral researchers are expected to present their own work. You will also have the opportunity to attend seminars organised by other departments in areas relevant to your research area.
Departmental seminars bring research students together with academic and other research staff in the department to hear about on-going research, and provide an opportunity for networking and socialising. The annual poster conference (in October) and research students conference (this year March 18-19) provide opportunities for students to meet each other, discuss their research and meet socially with other students and staff.
6. What access to research funds will be available?
From time to time the Department has a limited number of studentships in addition to its two or three ESRC quota awards. All non grant funded PRS and DPhil researchers are entitled to apply for £100 a year to assist with conference attendance or fieldwork expenses.
7. What formal graduate skills training will be provided?
All research students are registered first as PRS (Probationer Research Student) and follow the PRS Research Training programme during their first year. This is a comprehensive training in a range of research methods relevant to the field of education (for details see Department website). We take into account prior training in research methods and all PRS undertake an audit of existing research methods and other generic skills. All research students will be expected to present and gain feedback on their research proposals and written work during this first year, and to prepare a portfolio of their work in preparation for the ‘transfer of status’ viva, usually held before the end of the 4th term.
In addition the Department offers more advanced and specialised courses and support for research students in the 2nd and 3rd year (for example Advanced Qualitative Data Analysis, Quantitative Specialist Interest Group) and students are encouraged to avail themselves of other opportunities for advanced course offered by other departments, as appropriate.
The Social Sciences Division organises a Professional Training for Social Scientists (PTSS) programme covering a range of relevant generic skills and which research students are encouraged to attend. Details of the programme are emailed to students via their departments (and are available on the website).
Information about training and other courses offered across the University is available through the University SkillsPortal at
http://www.skillsportal.ox.ac.uk
This site provides information about transferable skills development for research students and research staff at Oxford University, and includes a searchable database of skills training opportunities, links to articles on subjects such as project management, teaching and career planning, and message boards for asking questions and discussing issues with other researchers. An online Personal Development Plan system is being launched by the University at the end of autumn (Michaelmas) Term and will be made available through the SkillsPortal.
8. What opportunities will be available for developing and practising teaching skills (for second and third year graduates)?
As a postgraduate Department, opportunities for teaching undergraduates are limited. A pilot scheme to associate doctoral research students with PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) students working on their dissertations has been set up to give doctoral students teaching responsibilities, and a number of doctoral students have also taught visiting students at the Department of Continuing Education.
The University has established a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), which will support the development of research students who wish to follow an academic career, including training in teaching skills. This scheme is co-ordinated within the Social Sciences by Dr David Mills. Based in the Department, he mentors and supports graduates who teach, and is working to widen the teaching opportunities available to doctoral students. He also runs regular seminars and reading groups for graduate teachers. As a result, a number of Education students have developed teaching ‘portfolios’, which they can have nationally accredited by the Higher Education Academy.
9. What arrangements for accommodation, meals and social facilities, will be made, on a year round basis?
Department:
The Department has a newly refurbished common room for all students and staff, offering a place to meet and talk. All students are invited to a weekly Departmental coffee-morning, and many seminars are followed by refreshments, giving students a chance to meet visiting speakers. There are also other regular events and parties giving research students the opportunity to network and socialise.
College:
Many colleges will be able to provide you with at least one year’s accommodation. Generally speaking your college will provide meals throughout the year, but provision will vary from college to college, especially during vacations, and you will need to familiarise yourself with your college’s detailed arrangements. In addition there are usually self-catering facilities available in graduate accommodation. You will be a member of the Middle/Graduate Common Room (MCR or GCR), or equivalent, of your college, which is the main social centre for graduates. The MCR provides a common room and usually organises a programme of social events throughout the year. The college will also provide a bar, some computing facilities and a library, and may often have dedicated funds for research (conference and field grants). It also represents the interests of its members to the college through an elected Committee or through elected representatives to College Committees. Again, details will vary from college to college. Graduates are also welcome to participate in all other social and sporting activities of the college. Please see individual college websites for further details about all aspects of college provision.
Central:
Graduate Research Students may become members of the University Club in Mansfield Road, and participate in the range of sporting and cultural activities provided by the University.
10. What arrangements are in place for pastoral and welfare support?
Department:
Within the Department, your supervisor, Director of Graduate Studies and the Higher Degrees Administrator are all available to offer support or advise you on where to get appropriate support.
The course handbooks (Graduate Studies handbook, DPhil Handbook and MSc Educational Research Methodology Handbook (all available on the Department’s website) provide detailed information of how to get support and where to go for information and guidance.
College:
There is an extensive framework of support for graduates within each college. Your college will allocate to you a College Advisor from among its Senior Members, usually in a cognate subject, who will arrange to see you from time to time and whom you may contact for additional advice and support on academic and other matters. In college you may also approach the Tutor for Graduates and/or the Senior Tutor for advice. The Tutor for Graduates is a fellow of the college with particular responsibility for the interests and welfare of graduate students. In some colleges, the Senior Tutor will also have the role of Tutor for Graduates. Each college will also have other named individuals who can offer individual advice. The University also has a professionally staffed confidential Student Counselling Service which offers assistance with personal, emotional, social and academic problems.
Central:
The University provides a Student Counselling Service (http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/shw/counserv.shtml) and Careers Service (http://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/).
11. What arrangements are in place for gaining the views of research students?
Individual student feedback is sought regularly through such means as taught course evaluation forms. Students are represented on all relevant committees. The Staff/Student Committee in the Department provides a channel through which graduate students’ views and concerns can be brought to the attention of staff and to the Departmental Board. Graduate students are also represented on a number of committees including the Graduate Studies Committee and the Library Committee.
The views of research students are also sought by means of a centrally (department) administered questionnaire twice each year.