Probation assessmentRegine Hampel

Director for Postgraduate Studies

Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology

Purpose

• To confirm that you have made satisfactory progress and to make a recommendation as to the following:• Confirmation of registration for a PhD degree• Requirement to do specific further work before you

can be registered for a PhD• Termination of registration

PMR2

• Probation assessment is accompanied by PMR2• Sections A and B are completed by the student in

consultation with the supervisors• Section C is completed by the supervisors• (Sections A, B and C are completed prior to the mini

viva)• Section D is completed by the mini viva assessors• Section E is completed by the Associate Dean

Research or PGR Director

Probation assessment: Four elements

• A project report• A mini viva on your project report• Summary of your skills audit• Oral presentation of your research at a public or

semi-public event

Project report

• The report must contain the following:• A viable research question• A critical literature review which situates the

proposed research• A research proposal• A work plan

Elements of a research question

Definitely include:• The phenomenon you are seeking to explain (or the dependent variable)• The thing/s which you think explain/s variation in that phenomenon (or

the independent variable/s)• The relationship between them (‘how’, ‘why’, ‘to what extent’, not ‘what’)• The context of the research

Depending on your research/discipline, you may want to include:

• The unit of analysis (the thing you’re generating data about)• The level of analysis (individual, group, society)• The method

An example research question

How do the personal narratives and stories of career development processes amongst South African distance learners vary and to what extent are elements of previous disadvantage the source of that difference?

Dependent variable

How do the personal narratives and stories of career development processes amongst South African distance learners vary and to what extent are elements of previous disadvantage the source of that difference?

Independent variables

How do the personal narratives and stories of career development processes amongst South African distance learners vary and to what extent are elements of previous disadvantage the source of that difference?

The relationship between them

How do the personal narratives and stories of career development processes amongst South African distance learners vary and to what extent are elements of previous disadvantage the source of that difference?

Unit of analysis

How do the personal narratives and stories of career development processes amongst South African distance learners vary and to what extent are elements of previous disadvantage the source of that difference?

Level of analysis

How do the personal narratives and stories of career development processes amongst South African distance learners vary and to what extent are elements of previous disadvantage the source of that difference?

Method

How do the personal narratives and stories of career development processes amongst South African distance learners vary and to what extent are elements of previous disadvantage the source of that difference?

Context

How do the personal narratives and stories of career development processes amongst South African distance learners vary and to what extent are elements of previous disadvantage the source of that difference?

Example of a work plan

‘08 Sep ‘09 Jan

Apr Jun Sep ‘10 Jan

Apr Jun Sep ‘11 Jan

Apr Jun

Literature search

Questionnaire design

Surveyadministration

Arrange access

Data collection

Data analysis

Writing up

Variation by faculty: HSC

• 3,000–4,000 word report; a revised research proposal and timetable

• 7,000–10,000 piece which indicates critical and writing ability (literature, methodology or policy review)

• Skills audit (should include a presentation)• Submit documents 2 weeks prior to viva• Mini viva in June, remedial work in the summer if

necessary, all completed by end month 12

Arts

• One report: critical literature review; research question; proposed method; timetable

• Skills audit (including presentation)• Submit work 2 weeks before the viva• Please check with your PG Co-ordinator for the

timing of vivas• Remedial work over the summer, following

timetable and recommendations by PG Co-ordinator

• Final documents submitted by end month 12

Business and Law

• One report: critical literature review; research question; proposed method; timetable

• Skills audit (including presentation at PhD day)• Submit work 2 weeks before the viva• Vivas held in first two weeks of July• Remedial work over the summer following

feedback meeting with DRD• Final documents submitted by end month 12

CREET (FELS and IET)

• One report: literature review, research question, method and work plan

• Skills audit (with evidence of presentations given e.g in WiP seminars)

• Submit work 3–4 weeks before viva• Vivas held in June and early July• Viva includes a 10-minute presentation• Remedial work over the summer• Final documents ready by end month 12

KMI

•One report: literature review; research proposal including workplan; description of a piece of completed (pilot) work (e.g. software that has been developed or experiment that has been conducted)•The report is submitted at least 1 week before the viva•The viva is held in around month 9 or 10•Remedial work is conducted after the viva as necessary•The final documents are ready in month 12

MCT

• Probation arrangements according to University guidelines

• For discipline specific requirements please talk to your supervisory team and the Research Director / PG Tutor in your Department:• Joyce Fortune (Communication & Systems)• Chris Dobbyn (Computing) – more info see next slide• Claudia Eckert (DDEM) • Ben Mestel (Mathematics & Statistics)

MCT – Computing

• Focused research proposal, ~20 pages, plus appended material if necessary

• Additional requirement for some form of practical research to have been conducted and documented

• Skills audit agreed with supervisors separately• Submission/mini-viva timetable tailored to individual

circumstances (to be completed by end of month 11, FTE)• Mini-viva conducted by two experienced researchers not on

the supervisory team; oversight by PG Research Tutor• Any remedial work/final document to be completed by end of

probation period; final proposal must be submitted as a department technical report

Social Science

• One report• Skills audit (including presentation)• Submit work 2 weeks before the viva• Please check with your PG Co-ordinator for the

timing of vivas• Remedial work over the summer • Final documents submitted by end month 12

TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

1.2 Aims of the Probation Report

1.3 Clarification of Terms

1.4 Overview of this Probation Report

 SECTION 2 Literature Review on Intercultural Communication

2.1 Empirical Studies: Problems in Intercultural Communication

2.2 Methodologically-induced Pessimism?

2.3 Empirical Studies: Successful Intercultural Communication

 SECTION 3 Research Questions

3.1 Proposed Aims of the PhD (Post-probation)

3.2 Rationale for the Proposed PhD Study

 SECTION 4 Proposed Methodology

4.1 Theoretical and Epistemological Framework

4.2 Methodology as Active Sense-making

4.3 Proposed Methods of Data Collection/Analysis

SECTION 5 Scoping Study

5.1 Canada immigration: History, policies, practices

5.2 The Research Site

5.3 Proposed Areas for Further Investigation: ‘Working’ Hypothesis

5.4 Insights on my Role as Researcher: Reactivity and Reflexivity

5.5 Concluding Remarks

PhD WORK PLAN

DEVELOPMENT PLAN: JUNE TO DECEMBER 2009

BIBLIOGRAPHY

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Research Table

Appendix 2 Request to Undertake a Scoping Study

Appendix 3 Consent Form

Appendix 4 Information Sheet for Participants

Appendix 5 Excerpt from MRes Dissertation

SECTION 6 Summary of Skills

SECTION 7 Research Flyer 

Skills development

1. Skills audit: Identifying and documenting the skills that students have.

2. Needs analysis: Identifying the skills that students need to acquire or develop. Targeting specific development needs in the context of a given time period and research programme.

3. Development/Portfolio planning: Specifying how and when the skills will be developed and how the outcomes will be documented.

4. Evidence Building: Collecting evidence in the Progress File as competence is gained.

5. Assessment: Assessing skills development as a component of progress.

Skills audit

Skills audit

Skills audit

• Skills development: on-going; included in all 6-monthly Progress reports (Section A5)

• Skills audit: see http://phdskills.open.ac.uk/skills_audit_menu.php

• Activity: In pairs or groups of 3 discuss the skills that you have already developed, using the Skills list.

The mini-viva

• Centres on the probation report• 2 independent internal assessors; supervisor as

observer• The mini-viva is designed to assess the following:• Your understanding of what you are doing• The relationship of what you are doing to other work in

the area• Whether the project design is robust• Whether your project is achievable within the time• Whether you are capable of achieving it

Typical mini-viva questions

• What attracted you to this project?• What do you think the main contribution of this work will be?• Who do you think will want to read about your research?• What is new about it?• Can you summarise the field of … as it stands?• What are the key concepts?• What are the gaps in the literature?• How did you decide what to include and what not to include in your

literature review?• What are the benefits and pitfalls of the methodological approach you

intend to adopt?• How did you decide to adopt this particular methodological approach?• What is your central research question and how did you derive it?• What are the priorities in your research plan?

Outcomes

• Confirm registration for PhD• Require you do specific further work before you

can register for a Phd• Terminate registration

Many thanks!

•Questions and comments?