Welcome to Kent! Postgraduate Research at Kent 24 th September 2015 Suzie Morris Graduate School Administration Manager Kent Graduate School The Graduate School

Students on Research Programmes – MPhil/PhD Enrol....get IT account… pay fees! See your supervisor..ways of working..teams Check if there are any taught courses you need to attend Check your access to office space/IT support Find out when the School holds research seminars and make sure you attend Find out who is the Director of Graduate Studies for your School Have a look at the Researcher Development website and enrol for a Researcher Development workshop.

The Graduate School Mission: to lead and champion the strategic development of provision for graduate education and research at the University of Kent.

Senate Vice-Chancellor Graduate School Board Dean of the Graduate School Faculty Boards Deans Faculty Graduate Studies Committee Associate Deans (Graduate Studies) School Graduate Studies Committee School Directors of Graduate Studies Staff/Student Liaison CommitteesCourse Directors and supervisors Programme Approval Sub-Committee Structure Diagram for Postgraduate Programmes

Student Involvement Get involved…make your voice heard.. Postgraduate Student Representatives – School, Faculty, University Staff Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs) Postgraduate Student Surveys e.g. PRES Kent Graduate Student Association The Graduate School

The GradPost The GradPost Editorial Team A newsletter created by Postgraduates for the Postgraduate community. Contact: Information on Gradpost opportunities that will look great on your CV and enhance your postgraduate experience at Kent can be found on our website:

Postgraduate Experience Awards Do you have a great idea for a Postgraduate event at Kent? Apply for funding through the postgraduate experience awards and your idea could become a reality. Applications for up to £1,500 are invited for the Graduate School postgraduate experience awards Applications will be considered for funding to run events or projects with an interdisciplinary and/or external focus which will enhance the postgraduate experience at Kent. Examples of projects funded in 2014  “Take the Floor!” - an innovative workshop on improving presentation skills led by PhD students from the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies.  “Home|Less” – an interdisciplinary conference organised by four PhD students on the meaning and implications of the concept of home Deadline for applications is 27 th November 2015 Application forms and more details at

Postgraduate Research Festival Annual Postgraduate Research Festival takes place in May Open to all postgraduate students Students can present their work to a wider academic audience Opportunity to network with academic staff and peers The Graduate School is running ‘Producing an Effective Research Poster’ workshops (16 th February, 2nd March and 21 st March 2016). For more information please contact

Postgraduate Research Handbook Everything you need to know about being a postgraduate researcher at Kent including information on: Student Services Local community information Regulatory information

The Researcher Development Programme

The Researcher Development Framework A. Knowledge and intellectual abilities, B. Personal effectiveness C. Research governance and organisation D. Engagement, Influence and Impact Following Sir Gareth Roberts’ review of higher education, the UK research councils (RCUK) issued a joint skills statement to all universities, identifying seven areas in which UK postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers should develop further skills while pursuing their research. Following wide consultation this statement has recently been updated and has evolved to become the Researcher Development Framework (RDF). All of our training falls under the four headings of the RDF:

Researcher Development Programme at Medway

The Researcher Development Programme is open to all postgraduate research students. In addition to the workshops running in Medway you can also attend workshops taking place in Canterbury, which you can travel to using the free campus shuttle bus. Workshops taking place in Canterbury will include: Writing skills workshops (one-to-one tutorials and writing retreats) Writing for journals and getting published Rapid reading Research Methods (including: SPSS, LaTeX, MATLAB and Qualitative methods) Nvivo Negotiation skills Library skills Leadership Time / Stress Management Research Ethics

Once Logged In When you have logged in this is the first page that you will see. To view all forthcoming workshops click here

Kickstart your PhD: Guidance, Skills and the Researcher Development Assessment Workshop Compulsory for all PhD students Medway workshop – Weds 28 th October (12:30 – 15:30pm) Workshop coverage: key resources for the PhD journey, responsibilities of a PG researcher and the supervisory relationship and researcher development opportunities. The workshop also helps you to reflect on and assess your current skills and introduces the Researcher Development Assessment (RDA) Once you have attended this workshop you will be prompted by the system to complete your RDA online. Work with your supervisor to complete the RDA and use this as a basis for planning your development First-year PhD students must attend this workshop AND complete an online assessment as part of the probation review

How to complete my online RDA Login to online booking system Click on ‘My RDA’ or ‘view my RDA’

You will be taken through to the following screen. Click on ‘New Assessment’ Once you have completed your RDA you will see this and will be able to view, or save it.

Online training The key advantage in using our online training is that you can access high quality training where ever you are and where you need it. Thousands of individuals regularly miss training because they cannot attend workshops either because they are part-time, distance-based, or because workshops do not deliver training when it is really needed. Using our online workshops, you can access training 24 hours a day/365 days a year wherever you are - at home, at your desk, in the halls of residence, at the library or in the laboratory. 1.Epigeum online courses 2.The Good Viva Guide 3.Viva Guidance 4.The Alternative Guide to Funding 5.Blueberry Training – training podcasts on a variety of business skills

Epigeum courses Topics include: Ethics Research Methods Literature Review Intellectual Property Project Management Getting Published Selecting a Conference Presenting and Networking Career Planning Avoiding Plagiarism Entrepreneurial Resources Research Integrity For access details contact:

: -Over 5,100 students -130 business and organisations -567 rewards E: W: The Employability Points Scheme Get Involved! Get Rewarded! 1. Take part in extra-curricular activities 2. Claim Employability Points 3. Get rewarded! Activities can include: volunteering, attending workshops, joining societies, working part- time, etc. Rewards range from internships, project placements, work experience, training sessions, assessment centres and vouchers! Gain both ‘real life’ skills and work experience through the EP Scheme to stand out to prospective employers.

Progression through your research degree Key Contacts for Research Students: Your Main Supervisor Your Supervisory Team Your School Director of Graduate Studies (with responsibility for research programmes) Your Postgraduate Student Representative Postgraduate Administrator

Key Information for Research Students School Postgraduate Student Handbook University Regulations for Research Programmes of Study Code of Practice for the Quality Assurance for Research Programmes of Study in particular:  Annex H (Supervision)  Annex K (Progression and Examination)

Initial Meeting with your Main Supervisor Ensure that you have a meeting set up with your Main Supervisor within the first two weeks of registration to discuss:  How your supervisory team-student relationship will work ( e.g. preferred means of contact, feedback mechanisms and turnaround times )  Your meeting schedule  Your work plan  Any initial concerns  Skills training requirements  What you will be required to prepare for your induction review (six weeks after registration)  How progression monitoring will be handled within your academic school (i.e. any school specific requirements)  Facilities/resources

Research Students’ Responsibilities Annex H (Supervision) of the Code of Practice outlines the responsibilities of research students (see Section 5). Responsibilities include:  Ensuring that you are familiar with University Regulations.  Preparing adequately for supervisory and progress review meetings.  Agreeing a clear programme of work with your supervisor.  Making records of supervisory meetings.  Contributing to the research environment of your academic school and the wider University community.  Seeking advice from your supervisors in an active manner and taking the initiative in raising problems or difficulties.  Attending a Researcher Development Workshop, completing a Researcher Development Assessment and discussing this with your Supervisor (PhD only).

Supervisory Interaction You should have a meeting with your main supervisor at a minimum of once every four weeks for full-time students (and every eight weeks for part-time students) The “meeting” may be face to face or it may on occasion take the form of an exchange or telephone conversation Following the “meeting”, you should complete a supervisory record form on the Student Data System (SDS) and once this has been completed it will be sent to your supervisor for agreement. The supervisory record template covers:  Progress made since the last “meeting”  Areas discussed at the “meeting”  Work agreed Only one supervisory record is required for the vacation period of July/August. The SDS will remind you when a supervisory record is due for completion. See pp.6-7 of Postgraduate Research Student Handbook for details on completing supervision reports

Supervision 88% of Kent students are happy with their supervision (PRES 2015, top quartile nationally) Supervisors and students are expected to treat one another with courtesy Discuss any problems at the earliest opportunity so any issues to be resolved quickly and effectively Should there be a more serious breakdown in the main supervisor/student relationship, the matter should be brought to the attention of the School Director of Graduate Studies who will review the situation Concerns about supervision should be raised at the earliest opportunity

Progression Monitoring Review StagesTiming Induction review Within 6 weeks of registration (for both PT and FT research students) Probation review At 10 months for FT research students and 12 months for PT research students End of year reviews At the end of each year Mid-year reviews (if necessary) Mid-year reviews may be scheduled in cases where concerns are raised at an end of year review Submission review 3 months prior to the minimum period of registration (e.g. 3 years for FT PhD and 5 years for PT PhD students) Annex K (Progression and Examination) of the Code of Practice provides detailed information about the review stages and links to the review forms:

Progression Monitoring on SDS Your review documentation will be recorded on the Student Data System (SDS). See p.7 of Postgraduate Research Student Handbook. The SDS will provide dates by which the different reviews are due. It will be the responsibility of the Review Panel to complete the documentation on-line but once it is completed you will be able to view this on-line. Annex K (Progression and Examination) of the Code of Practice for Research Programmes of Study provides details of what needs to be prepared in advance of a review. Page 28

All Students – things you must do.. Visit Rochester Castle.. historic dockyard…Bluewater … Pop down to Canterbury and see the sights as well as the ‘other’ Campus Buy a railcard and go to London – some of the world’s best museums and galleries are on your doorstep and they are free! Book well in advance and travel to Brussels and Paris on the Eurostar

Working During Your Studies There are various opportunities to undertake paid and unpaid work during your studies. Benefits include: Earning extra income Networking and making new contacts Gaining experience and learning new skills Tier 4 Visa Students  All Tier 4 postgraduate students may work up to 20 hours per week until the end of their course.  PGR students may have the opportunity to undertake work placements which are integral to your PhD research. These opportunities should be discussed with your supervisor and School.

Contact Details Professor Diane Houston, Dean of the Graduate School Cornwallis East 3 rd floor, room 323 Graduate School Staff Suzie Morris, Graduate School Administration Manager ext: 3182 Ros Beeching, Graduate School Coordinator ext: 7838 Dr Jo Collins, Postgraduate Development Advisor ext: Carla Doolan, Postgraduate Development Coordinator ext: 4896 Joanna Addison, PA to the Dean and Graduate School Assistant ext: 4785 Deborah Molloy, Graduate School Assistant ext: 4089