Writing a thesis ONLINE
Communication Skills Research Skills
Wednesday, 07 October 2020, 3.30pm to 5pm
***This course is now fully booked*** This interactive online MSD Skills training course is most suitable for those in the final or second-last year of their DPhil who are preparing to write their thesis. It complements the 'Viva preparation' course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is made up of both pre-recorded material and a live session (1 hour). You will need to have viewed the pre-recorded materials and worked through the suggested exercises before the live session.
Most of the course content described below will be presented only in the pre-recorded material, with the live session used for exercises, discussion, and clarification. You will be emailed access to the pre-recorded content held in a separate platform called Canvas once your booking is confirmed (please refer to the section 'This course has pre-work' below).
Please allow at least 3 hours to view the pre-recorded material and complete suggested 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 thesis outline and writing plan.
Please make sure you read all of the sections below relating to how the course will work, the pre-work and the survey and attendance certificate.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Develop a first chapter-outline of your thesis for discussion with your supervisor
Feel ready to set and stick to a writing timetable
Be confident in editing and applying feedback
1. Planning the thesis
Defining the aim of thesis, versus other things you have written before
Figuring out your overall message
Possible thesis structures
Plotting your chapters to support your message
Gathering the information you need before you start writing
Communicating with your supervisor about how and when to request feedback
2. Writing the thesis
Creating a writing timetable
Strategies for writing and overcoming pain points
Tips for specific chapters and their sections
Suggested IT training to help with writing a thesis
3. Polishing the thesis
Editing your work from rough draft to simple, clear, and complete final thesis
Strategies for requesting, coping with, and incorporating feedback
As this course asks participants to start planning their own thesis, early DPhil students are unlikely to benefit as much as those in the final or second-last year of their degree.
PARTICIPANT NUMBERS
Maximum 30
COURSE FORMAT
This online course will consist of pre-recorded talks and exercises, followed by an interactive 1-hour live session. The pre-recorded materials are broken into short videos, to make it easier for you to fit this course around other commitments (see 'This course has pre-work' below). For the live session, you can choose whether to join using audio and visual, just audio, or text chat.
HOW IT WILL WORK
For the interactive session, you will be sent the link in the automated communication along with joining instructions. To join the session, you can click on the link 15 minutes before the session. Once the tutor has started the session they will tell you what to do. Please also refer to the pre-work section below.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
A good internet connection, uninterrupted time, camera and microphone enabled on PC.
THIS COURSE HAS PRE-WORK
Once you have booked on the course, you will be sent an enrolment invitation email from Canvas. Accepting this link gives you access to the pre-work (pre-recorded lectures, exercises and other materials) you will need to work through to participate in the live session. As Canvas is a separate platform from the booking system, you may need to check your junk folder if you haven't received the enrolment email.
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.
PLEASE NOTE
Where no cost is indicated in the shopping trolley, no deposit is required to book onto this course. However, more than two consecutive non-attendances or late cancellations without good reason will be logged and may mean you cannot attend any further MSD training that term. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for further information.