Welcome to students embarking on a graduate research degree in Social Sciences and Humanities Ingrid Lunt, Dept of Education Ariel Liu, DPhil student Education

Outline 1.Oxford system and academic calendar 2.What is expected of you / support system 3.Structure of your DPhil and GSS reporting 4.Academic Integrity 5.Some more terminology 6.Supervision and Exams 7.Work/Life Balance

Oxford University 38 colleges, of these 8 are graduate colleges – Every student is a member of a college 4 academic Divisions (Humanities, Medical Sciences, MPLS, Social Sciences) – Administrative and increasingly supportive functions Each Division has a number of (around 14) Departments/Faculties – For graduate students, department is your main academic ‘home’: use it and get involved!

Oxford University academic year Three academic terms, 8 weeks each – Michaelmas (autumn), Hilary (spring), Trinity (summer) The 8 weeks of term are frequently referred to as Week 1, Week 2 etc. College and Department/Faculty Induction in “week 0” (week of October 3) Postgraduate students normally in Oxford most of the year, including vacations

Social Sciences Induction: date for your diary! Thursday October 20, 2011, 4.00 to 6.15 p.m. – Here in Examination Schools – Meet students from other Social Science departments – Lunch of the Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) – Welcome from Head of Division of Social Sciences – Poster conference with DPhil students from Years 2 and 3 and social event for networking – Learn about other support such as computing, library etc.

As a research student, you….. Are learning to be a critical thinker Are learning to become an independent researcher (and how to do research) Are a member of a scholarly and academic community Are gaining confidence and competence in a range of academic and professional skills Will gain a ‘license to practise research’

Who will support you? Your supervisor (department) Your colleagues/peers on the programme (other students and researchers) Other staff in your department – Individual interactions, seminars, lectures Your college adviser (NB a very different role from your supervisor) The wider academic community – Conferences, symposia, colloquia – Published and unpublished literature

The DPhil ‘what may reasonably be expected of a capable and diligent student after three or at most four years of full-time study’ (Regs. p. 833) Overview of your research, your thesis and your 3-4 years – Training Needs Analysis (be proactive!) Stages and milestones: – Start as PRS (Probationer Research Student) – Transfer of Status – Confirmation of Status – Thesis viva voce examination

Termly GSS reporting The Graduate Supervision System (GSS) is used by Supervisors each term to review, monitor and comment on their student's academic progress and performance and to assess skills and training needs. Students are strongly recommended to contribute to their termly supervision reports by reviewing and commenting on their own academic progress.

Embarking on your DPhil Managing time Start writing early (and seek feedback on your writing as frequently as you are able) Reading Referencing (EndNote, RefWorks systems) Avoidance of plagiarism – Plagiarism is the copying or paraphrasing of other people’s work or ideas without appropriate acknowledgement’ Obtaining feedback on your work – Formative, summative, informal, formal

Feedback Feedback is one of the most important ways in which we all learn and develop Feedback from: – Your supervisor – Your peers and colleagues – Audiences at conferences, reviewers of papers – Your assessors and examiners – And anyone whose opinion you value and would find useful Formative feedback – To help you learn and develop, to help shape your work (thinking and writing), “assessment for learning” Summative feedback – To evaluate your progress, and finally to examine the DPhil (assessment of learning)l

Academic integrity or how to avoid plagiarism Learn good habits right from the start Referencing conventions (acknowledgement of all sources) – Direct quotation, paraphrase, use of ideas Be careful: the penalties are harsh Take the on-line course on weblearn (the university’s VLE): Good practice in Citation and the avoidance of plagiarism

Some suggestions Meet your supervisor early on and regularly (be proactive) Develop a plan for your 3-4 years (and revisit this regularly), gradually adding more detail and linking it to your overall thesis Keep track of your own progress, and discuss this with your supervisor and others: are you happy with your progress? If not, what can you do about this? Get involved and use the resources of Oxford, share ideas, discuss with colleagues, present your work, seek feedback Don’t be afraid to ask

Some more terminology: What do we mean by Colleges & Departments Lectures & Classes Collections & Exams

Taking Exams in Oxford For those of you who have to take exams... work hard, work with your friends be critical, think on your own feet develop your own views and defend them with literature look at material that hasn't been covered in lectures

Supervision Oxford university aims to create an independent research environment Some advice be pro-active talk to people, approach them "manage your supervisor"

Work/Life Balance Make sure to take time off Take advantage of being in an environment of very interesting and bright people Meet students from other departments Department, Sports Clubs, College, Societies University Club Bops

Some Random (but possibly useful) Information For social sciences most library needs catered for by Social Science Library but Bodleian has everything Get all books delivered to the Social Science Library Phone signal in the Social Science Building Living out of college/fieldwork: VPN set up, google scholar to access journals from outside

Thank you