The document provides information about the probation assessment process for PhD students at the Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology. It discusses the four main elements of probation assessment: 1) a project report, 2) a mini viva, 3) a summary of skills audit, and 4) an oral presentation. It also provides details about the content required for the project report, potential questions in the mini viva, and the three possible outcomes of the probation assessment: confirmation of PhD registration, requirement of further work, or termination of registration.

1. Probation
assessment
Regine Hampel
Director for Postgraduate Studies
Centre for Research in Education and Educational
Technology

2. • 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
Purpose

3. • 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
PMR2

4. • 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
Probation assessment:
Four elements

5. • 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
Project report

6. 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
Elements of a research
question

7. 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?
An example research
question

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Example of a work plan
‘08 Sep ‘09 Apr Jun Sep ‘10 Apr Jun Sep ‘11 Apr Jun
Jan Jan Jan
Literature search
Questionnaire
design
Survey
administration
Arrange access
Data collection
Data analysis
Writing up

16. • 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
Variation by faculty: HSC

17. • 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
Arts

18. • 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
Business and Law

19. • 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
CREET (FELS and IET)

20. •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
KMI

21. • 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

22. • 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
MCT – Computing

23. • 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
Social Science

24. 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

25. 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

26. • Skills audit: Identifying and documenting the skills that students
have.
• 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.
• Development/Portfolio planning: Specifying how and when the
skills will be developed and how the outcomes will be
documented.
• Evidence Building: Collecting evidence in the Progress File as
competence is gained.
• Assessment: Assessing skills development as a component of
progress.
Skills development

27. Skills audit

28. Skills audit

29. • 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.
Skills audit

30. • 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
The mini-viva

31. • 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?
Typical mini-viva questions

32. • Confirm registration for PhD
• Require you do specific further work before you
can register for a Phd
• Terminate registration
Outcomes

33. • Questions and comments?
Many thanks!