Writing a transfer report - two part online course
Monday, 14 December 2020 to Friday, 01 August 2025, 9am - 9am
This interactive online MSD Skills training course complements 'Transfer of status' and is most suitable for first-year DPhil students in their second or third term who are preparing to write their transfer report. First term DPhil students may find many of the exercises are not yet helpful. Part 1 has to be completed in Canvas before booking links for the optional live sessions are made available.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, you will:
- Have found your transfer story – while meeting transfer aims
- Have developed an initial outline of your transfer report for discussion with your supervisor
- Feel ready to write each section of your report
- Be confident in revising your own writing for clarity, simplicity, and completeness and in applying feedback
ENROLMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Self-enrol now to start Part 1 using this link
Please note that enrolling on Canvas does not automatically book you onto a live session. Live session booking links are made available in Canvas once you have completed the Part 1 materials, by following the instructions in the videos.
Part 2 date for Trinity term 2025: 7 May, 14:00 - 15:30 (booking through the Part 1 Canvas space).
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This two-part course consists of a self-study Canvas course, supported by live sessions for exercises, discussion, and questions.
PART 1:
Part 1 is delivered online using Canvas. We’ll cover how to plan, write, and revise your transfer report. The course consists of short pre-recorded videos (2-12 min) supported by examples and suggested exercises, drawing on your research thus far and your plans for the rest of your DPhil.
Please allow around 3 hours to watch the videos and at least another 3 hours to complete the exercises. Depending on how far along you are in your DPhil journey, you may wish to dedicate much more time than this, to use the prompts and exercises to fully develop your report.
Module 1: How to write the transfer report
- Defining the aim of the report
- Figuring out your overall message
- Deciding a structure and outline that supports your message
- Communicating with your supervisor about how and when to request feedback
- Strategies for writing and overcoming pain points
Module 2: What to write in the transfer report
- Tips for each section: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and proposal
Module 3: How to review the transfer report
- Editing your work from rough draft to simple, clear, and complete final report
- Strategies for requesting, coping with, and incorporating feedback
PART 2:
Once you have completed the self-study in Part 1, you can choose to attend a Part 2 live session. These are optional!
The live session will not repeat the information in Part 1. Instead, we will use this time for discussion, guided exercises, and to answer your submitted questions. You can choose whether to join using audio and visual, just audio, or text chat.
Live sessions will not be recorded.
Please make sure you read all of the sections below relating to how the course will work, the surveys and attendance certificates.
PARTICIPANT NUMBERS
Part 1: Unlimited via self-enrolment
Part 2: 40 per live session date
ATTENDANCE CERTIFICATE ON SURVEY COMPLETION
It is now a requirement that you complete the three short questions in the survey you receive after attending the course. Once you have submitted the survey, you will be sent an email with a link to your attendance certificate. This is to ensure we receive the feedback we need to evaluate and improve our courses. Survey results are downloaded and stored anonymously.