Category / Doctoral College

Postgraduate Researchers and Supervisors | Monthly Update for Researcher Development

Postgraduate researchers and supervisors, hopefully you have seen your monthly update for researcher development e-newsletter sent earlier this week. If you have missed it, please check your junk email or you can view it within the Researcher Development Programme on Brightspace.

The start of the month is a great time to reflect on your upcoming postgraduate researcher development needs and explore what is being delivered this month as part of the Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme and what is available via your Faculty or Department. Remember some sessions only run once per year, so don’t miss out.

Please also subscribe to your Brightspace announcement notifications for updates when they are posted.

If you have any questions about the Researcher Development Programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Natalie (Research Skills & Development Officer)
pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk 

Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) now open


Have your say

The Advance HE Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) is now open


Share your feedback with us by taking part in the Advance HE Postgraduate Research Experience Survey. We are keen to make sure our PGRs have the best possible experience while studying at Bournemouth University. To do this, we need to know what you think works well and what as a University we could do better.

Upon completing the survey, PGRs will be entered into a free prize draw where you can win one of four prizes of a £50 Love2shop gift voucherTerms and conditions apply.

In addition and as a thank you for taking part, we will be making a £1 donation for every survey completed to the student mental health wellbeing charity, Student Minds.

How do I take part?

PGRs will receive an email from the University on Monday 4 April 2022 containing a unique link which will allow you to access and complete the survey. If you can’t find this email, contact PRES@bournemouth.ac.uk and we’ll help you to get access.

What will I be asked?

The survey will take around 15 minutes to complete. Your response is confidential and any reporting will be entirely anonymous. The survey is your chance to tell us about your experience as a PGR at BU. It will ask you to share your views on supervision, resources, the research community, progress and assessment, skills and professional development, and wellbeing.

Why should I take part?

Your feedback is important. The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey is the only national survey of PGRs and so is the only way for us to compare how we are doing with other institutions and to make changes that will improve your experience in the future.

More information

If you would like to know more about the survey, please visit: PRES 2022

We hope you take the opportunity to get involved this year and help us make improvements to your experience.

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

Recruiting a PhD Studentship

The Doctoral College receive many queries from BU academics asking how to recruit a PhD studentship. They may have been successful in a bid that included costing for a PhD student, or believe they have a strong research project which would be suitable for a PhD student to undertake. They may even have been working with an external organisation who is excited to work with us and have offered the funding for a PhD student to undertake some research.

To assist academic colleagues in navigating the next steps for a studentship, we’ve created this helpful flow chart to show you the next steps. This flow chart will ask a few questions such as if you already have funding agreed (and where it is coming from), and even provides recommendations of what to do if you don’t have the full funding confirmed.

Your first point of contact will always be the PGR Admissions team or RDS Research Facilitator, who can provide further detail and assistance for you. We can advise on the studentship schemes BU runs internally, how to submit a proposal to the fees board if your project does not have full funding, and the additional steps such as the research contract that will need completing alongside colleagues in RDS and Legal Services.

If you have any further questions about PhD studentships at BU, please email us on PGRadmissions@bournemouth.ac.uk

PGR Supervisory Lunchbites | Recruiting PGRs

Hosted by the Doctoral College, these one hour online lunch bite sessions supplement the regular New and Established Supervisory Development Sessions and are aimed at all academic staff who are new to, or experienced at, supervising research degree students and are interested in expanding their knowledge of a specific aspect or process in research degree supervision.

Each session will be led by a senior academic who will introduce the topic, and staff will benefit from discussions aimed at sharing best practice from across BU. Bookings are arranged by Organisational Development.

This session is focused on identifying best practice in recruiting PGRs and exploring ways of ensuring you recruit the best candidates. This discussion will be led by Dr Sally Reynolds, FST.

Staff attending will: 

  • have gained additional knowledge of the best practice and challenges of recruiting PGRs
  • have gained additional knowledge of the relevant recruitment processes

Further details on the session as well as information on future lunchbite sessions can also be found on the staff intranet.

Date: Thursday 7 April 2022

Time: 13:00 – 14:00, Teams

To book a place on this session please complete the booking form.

Further details and future sessions can also be found on the Supervisory Development Lunchbite Sessions staff intranet page.

Research Skills Toolkit – On demand online modules

There have been some updates to our Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit modules. Firstly, all modules as part of the Research Skills Toolkit are now available to all staff using your @bournemouth.ac.uk email address.

The toolkit covers topics such as Becoming a Researcher (available from 1 April), Entrepreneurship in the Research Context, Ethical Research, Research Methods, and Transferable Skills.

You will need to follow these steps to set up an account:

  1. Go to: https://courses.epigeum.com/register.
    Use token 678a512f when completing the form.
  2. An activation link will be sent to your e-mail. Please also check your JUNK mail.
  3. Once registration is complete, log in with this different link: https://courses.epigeum.com/login.

Adding the Research Ethics Modules:

  1. Once you have set up your account and logged in, click the person icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
  2. Select ‘Enter Token’.
    Use token 02d34ae8. 

If you already have an account:

If you already have an account set up, you will then need to follow these steps.

  1. Log into your account: https://courses.epigeum.com/login.
  2. Click the person icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
  3. Depending on what you are missing either add token 678a512f (for the wider Research Skills Toolkit modules) or 02d34ae8 (for the Research Ethics Modules).

Viewing your modules:

To start viewing and working through your chosen modules, click back on the person icon, and select my courses.


From 1 April the following courses will be added under a new collection named ‘Becoming a Researcher’.

  • Becoming a Researcher: Effective Management of Doctoral and Master’s Research (replacing Transferable Skills: Managing your research project).
  • Becoming a Researcher: Working with your supervisor (replacing Transferable Skills: Working with your supervisor).
  • Becoming a Researcher: Intellectual property in the research context (replacing Transferable Skills: Intellectual property in the research context).

Come along to a short demonstration on how to optimise the toolkit hosted by Epigeum’s Senior Learning Consultant Nick Broom. Register: Wednesday 4 May, 13:00 – 13:45, MS Teams.


If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch:

Natalie Stewart (PGRs &  PGR Supervisors) – nstewart@bournemouth.ac.uk. 

Sarah Bell (ECRs and other BU staff) – sarah.bell@bournemouth.ac.uk. 

Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) 2022


Have your say

PRES will launch on Monday 4 April 2022 for postgraduate research (PGR) students to complete.

Look out for an email from the University containing your unique link to the survey.


We are keen to make sure our PGRs have the best possible experience while studying with us. To do this, we need to know what you think works well and what as a University we could do better. This is your chance to tell us about your experience as a PGR at Bournemouth University. We also kindly ask that all supervisors encourage their PGRs to participate in the survey.

Thank you to all PGRs who completed the 2021 PRES survey – we listened to you and your feedback has helped us to enhance your PGR experience in a range of areas.

This year the survey will open on Monday 4 April 2022 and close on Monday 16 May 2022. Upon completing the survey, PGRs will be entered into a free prize draw where you can win one of four prizes of a £50 Love2shop gift voucherTerms and conditions apply.

In addition and as thank you for taking part, we will be making a £1 donation for every survey completed to the student mental health wellbeing charity, Student Minds.

How do I take part?

PGRs will receive an email from the University on Monday 4 April 2022 containing a unique link which will allow you to access and complete the survey. If you can’t find this email, contact PRES@bournemouth.ac.uk and we’ll help you to get access.

What will I be asked?

The survey will take around 15 minutes to complete. Your response is confidential and any reporting will be entirely anonymous. The survey is your chance to tell us about your experience as a PGR at BU. It will ask you to share your views on supervision, resources, the research community, progress and assessment, skills and professional development, and wellbeing.

Why should I take part?

Your feedback is important. The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey is the only national survey of PGRs and so is the only way for us to compare how we are doing with other institutions and to make changes that will improve your experience in the future.

More information

If you would like to know more about the survey, please visit: PRES 2022

We hope you take the opportunity to get involved this year and help us make improvements to your experience.

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

For any PRES related queries, please email: PRES@bournemouth.ac.uk

Postgraduate Researchers and Supervisors | Monthly Update for Researcher Development

Postgraduate researchers and supervisors, hopefully you have seen your monthly update for researcher development e-newsletter sent earlier this week. If you have missed it, please check your junk email or you can view it within the Researcher Development Programme on Brightspace.

The start of the month is a great time to reflect on your upcoming postgraduate researcher development needs and explore what is being delivered this month as part of the Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme and what is available via your Faculty or Department. Remember some sessions only run once per year, so don’t miss out.

Please also subscribe to your Brightspace announcement notifications for updates when they are posted.

If you have any questions about the Researcher Development Programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Natalie (Research Skills & Development Officer)
pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk 

‘How we can contribute to a collaborative society that embraces diversity’ 11:00 8th March 2022 is on the way! #BreakTheBias #International Women’s Day

We will have an online event in hourner of the Internaitonal Women’s Day on the 8th March 2022.

This event is open to all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

11:00-11:10 Opening remarks & Agenda of today  Dr Hiroko Oe & Dr Khurshid Djalilov

11:10-11:30 Keynote Dr Angela Turner-Wilson ‘Respect for cultural values and differences’, Faculty of Health & Social  Sciences

<<Round tables>>

11:35-12:00 PGR forum: Nanret Dawuk; Sitsada Sartamorn; Gideon Adu-Gyamf

12:00-12:15 Next generation: Rajshree Talukdar and Tarun Chandrashekar

12:15-12:30 Collaborative testimonials from MBA students; Kayoko Hainsworth, Chrissie Hillyer, and Sharon Kajotoni

12:30-12:40 Comments Associate Professor, Dr Marta Głowacka (Uniwersytet Wrocławski, Poland) Panel leader

12:40-12:50 Supporting messages

– Ms Nicola Bennet, a policy maker (Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and  ommunications, Australia)

– Ms Suzuko Ohki, a former director of Ministry of Education, ex Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan

12:50-12:55 Future plan proposal from Dr Hiroko Oe

12:55-13:00 Closing remark and messages to the ECRs and PGRs (Helen O’Sullivan, DHOD, MS&I, the Business School

*****

it is online by ZOOM. Please contact for details: hoe@bournemouth.ac.uk

UKCGE Route to Recognition for Supervisory Practice: Deadline for Submission March 2022

 

 

 

 

 

Are you an established research degree supervisor?

Would you like your supervisory practice acknowledged at national level? Join a growing number of BU staff who have gained recognition.

The UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) has developed the Good Supervisory Practice Framework and the Research Supervision Recognition Programme to allow established supervisors to gain recognition for this challenging, but rewarding, role.

  • Acknowledging the Complexity of Your Role: The Good Supervisory Practice Framework helps you navigate the wide-ranging, highly complex and demanding set of roles that modern research supervisors must undertake to perform the role effectively. Informed by academic research and approved by the sector, the 10 criteria of the GSPF acknowledges this complexity and sets a benchmark of good practice for all supervisors.
  • Identify your professional development needs: Reflecting on your own practice, compared to a benchmark of good practice, often reveals new perspectives on the challenges inherent in supervision. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses enables you to build upon the former and address the latter with targeted professional development.
  • Recognition of your expertise by a national body: Becoming a UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor, you can demonstrate to your university, peers and candidates that your supervisory practice has been recognised by a national body.

Details of how to apply can be found here.

  • Individuals to complete application form, including 2 supporting statements from a co-supervisor and a PGR.
  • Individuals to submit application to the Doctoral College by 22 March 2022, including email support from your Deputy Dean for Research & Professional Practice
  • Doctoral College to submit applications to UKCGE by 25 March 2022
  • UKCGE to review application and feedback to individuals.

In line with the UKCGE guidance, individuals should send their completed application to the Doctoral College (fknight@bournemouth.ac.uk) before the BU Window Closing date below:

The key dates for the next application windows and review outcome dates are:

BU Window Closes UKCGE Window Closes Expected Outcome
22 March 2022 25 March 2022 July 2022
25 October 2022 28 October 2022 February 2023

A session providing an introduction to the scheme will be run as part of the Supervisory Development Lunchbite Sessions will be held on Monday 16 May 2022.

PGR Supervisory Lunchbites | ALS Inclusivity / Disability Awareness Week

The Doctoral College and Additional Learning Support, Student Services, are pleased to present this ALS Inclusivity / Disability Awareness Week specifically for those supporting postgraduate research students. There are three sessions, each of which will be focused on providing individuals with an understanding of different disabilities, and to develop an insight into how to best support PGRs with disabilities. The sessions will also address what reasonable adjustments can be made and what is the role of the supervisor.

The following sessions will be run:

  • Tuesday 8 March: ADD/ADHD/Dyspraxia led by Ildiko Balogh, Student Services
  • Wednesday 9 March: SpLD/Dyslexia led by Regina Karousou, Student Services
  • Thursday 10 March: Autism Spectrum Disorder led by Steevie Watson, Student Services

Staff attending will: 

  • have gained additional knowledge of specific disabilities
  • have gained additional knowledge of additional support available to PGRs with specific disabilities
  • have gained additional knowledge of how supervisor can support PGRs with specific disabilities
  • be aware of the relevant sections of the Code of Practice for Research Degrees
Lunchbite Session Date Time Location
Supporting PGRs with ADD/ADHD/ Dyspraxia Tuesday 8 March 2022 12:00 – 13:00 Online
Supporting PGRs with SpLD/Dyslexia Wednesday 9 March 2022 12:00 – 13:00 Online
Supporting PGRs with Autism Spectrum Disorder Thursday 10 March 2022 12:00 – 13:00 Online

To book a place onto a session please complete the booking form.

Further details and future sessions can also be found on the Supervisory Development Lunchbite Sessions staff intranet page.

Doctoral College – Postgraduate Researcher Opportunities with the British Federation of Women Graduates

BFWG Academic Awards 2022 (closing date Friday 4 March) & Research Presentations Day

  • Academic Awards are made to women doctoral students who will be in, or going into, their third year (or part time equivalent) of work for a research PhD/DPhil etc. in the autumn of 2022.  Awards are, in effect, one off prizes varying in value from £1,000 to £6,000 and are given for outstanding academic excellence coupled with written and verbal communication skills. For further details please go to BFWG – The British Federation of Women Graduates look up under ‘Awards/Scholarships’ where more information, including criteria for eligibility, can be found. Closing date: Friday 4th March at 5pm.
  • Research Presentations Day Saturday 14th May 2022. Are you a postgraduate woman student? Do you have research you would like to present to a discerning audience – and have the chance of winning a small prize of £120 for the best presentation to a general audience? Or would you like to join with us, just to meet and listen to other postgraduate women students presenting their research? Our Research Presentations Day (RPD) offers these opportunities. Past attendees, both presenters and audience, have found the Day thoroughly enjoyable and helpful in developing presentation skills.  If you think you would like to submit an abstract please look at BFWG webpages BFWG – The British Federation of Women Graduates or contact rpd@bfwg.org.uk for further details. Closing date for applications is March 31st 2022.  All – students, academics, anyone else interested (male or female) – are welcome to attend as audience. Lunch is included and there is a door charge of £10 but no charge for bona fide students whether attending as presenters or as audience.

FHSS PhD Student on BBC’s ‘The One Show’

FHSS postgraduate research student, Shel Silva, will be featured on BBC’s ‘The One Show’ from 19:00 on Thursday 24 February 2022 as part of the ‘One Big Thank-You’ piece.  

Shel has nominated Dr Ian Mew from DocBike for the ‘One Big Thank-You’ for his service to DocBike and the motorcycling community. This piece will shine a spotlight on the research project Shel Silva is completing at BU with match-funder DocBike exploring motorcycle collisions and injury prevention.

 

PGR Supervisory Lunchbites | ALS Inclusivity / Disability Awareness Week

The Doctoral College and Additional Learning Support, Student Services, are pleased to present this ALS Inclusivity / Disability Awareness Week specifically for those supporting postgraduate research students. There are three sessions, each of which will be focused on providing individuals with an understanding of different disabilities, and to develop an insight into how to best support PGRs with disabilities. The sessions will also address what reasonable adjustments can be made and what is the role of the supervisor.

The following sessions will be run:

  • Tuesday 8 March: ADD/ADHD/Dyspraxia led by Ildiko Balogh, Student Services
  • Wednesday 9 March: SpLD/Dyslexia led by Regina Karousou, Student Services
  • Thursday 10 March: Autism Spectrum Disorder led by Steevie Watson, Student Services

Staff attending will: 

  • have gained additional knowledge of specific disabilities
  • have gained additional knowledge of additional support available to PGRs with specific disabilities
  • have gained additional knowledge of how supervisor can support PGRs with specific disabilities
  • be aware of the relevant sections of the Code of Practice for Research Degrees
Lunchbite Session Date Time Location
Supporting PGRs with ADD/ADHD/ Dyspraxia Tuesday 8 March 2022 12:00 – 13:00 Online
Supporting PGRs with SpLD/Dyslexia Wednesday 9 March 2022 12:00 – 13:00 Online
Supporting PGRs with Autism Spectrum Disorder Thursday 10 March 2022 12:00 – 13:00 Online

To book a place onto a session please complete the booking form.

Further details and future sessions can also be found on the Supervisory Development Lunchbite Sessions staff intranet page.

Congratulations to Recipients of the ‘Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award’!

The Doctoral College team have been delighted with the nominations that have come in over the last month for the ‘Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Awards’. We wish to extend our congratulations to all recipients who have recently received their award certificate.

Here are some of the heartfelt nominations we have received:

“She is one of the most lovely people I have met since joining BU. She is always ready to help and inspire students with her kindness, wisdom and knowledge.”

“She is an outstanding supervisor, superb at challenging me, supporting the development of my research/critical thinking skills.”

“He is incredibly knowledgeable and has provided me with outstanding levels of support and stellar guidance during my PhD journey so far.”

“She has established an inclusive culture in the department where we always feel included and have the opportunities to develop as researchers.”

“She is a PGR representative and is always there whenever a fellow PGR needs any help, academic and personal. She helped me in academic writing and to understand several research methods.”

 


Why not make someone’s day and take five minutes and nominate a PGR, academic or professional staff member for a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award to say thanks and give recognition for their hard work?

These awards recognise the outstanding contributions to postgraduate research degrees at BU by any PGR, academic or professional staff member. They can be nominated throughout the year by any member of the postgraduate research community to anyone that they feel is exceptional, has exceeded expectations, and has had a positive impact on the postgraduate research culture at BU.

Eligibility

You can nominate anyone involved in postgraduate research at Bournemouth University to receive an award certificate. There are no award criteria, as long as the submission falls within the guidelines, whoever you’ve selected will receive a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award!

How to nominate

We’ve made it really easy for you to nominate someone for a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award – it’s just a short online nomination form!

Postgraduate Researchers and Supervisors | Monthly Update for Researcher Development

Postgraduate researchers and supervisors, hopefully you have seen your monthly update for researcher development e-newsletter sent earlier this week. If you have missed it, please check your junk email or you can view it within the Researcher Development Programme on Brightspace.

The start of the month is a great time to reflect on your upcoming postgraduate researcher development needs and explore what is being delivered this month as part of the Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme and what is available via your Faculty or Department. Remember some sessions only run once per year, so don’t miss out.

Please also subscribe to your Brightspace announcement notifications for updates when they are posted.

If you have any questions about the Researcher Development Programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Natalie (Research Skills & Development Officer)
pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk 

Visiting Postgraduate Researchers – Confirmation of Study Letters

Visiting Postgraduate Researchers (VPGR) are students who are enrolled on PhD programmes at other universities (typically overseas), who visit BU to complete a period of research under the supervision of a specific BU academic.

More information on the Visiting PGR scheme can be found on the staff intranet.

From today, Visiting PGRs who complete a period of study with us will be provided with a confirmation of study letter, allowing them to provide proof to their host universities that they visited BU to support their research projects.

These letters will provide increased legitimacy and visibility to our Visiting PGR scheme, helping to solidify links between BU and our academics and other university research teams.

PGR Supervisory Lunchbites | Supporting dissemination of PGR research

Hosted by the Doctoral College, these one hour online lunch bite sessions supplement the regular New and Established Supervisory Development Sessions and are aimed at all academic staff who are new to, or experienced at, supervising research degree students and are interested in expanding their knowledge of a specific aspect or process in research degree supervision.

Each session will be led by a senior academic who will introduce the topic, and staff will benefit from discussions aimed at sharing best practice from across BU. Bookings are arranged by Organisational Development.

This session is focused on exploring ways to help PGRs disseminate their research work. This discussion will be led by Professor Matthew Bennett, FST.

Staff attending will: 

  • have gained additional knowledge of ways to disseminate PGR work to maximise academic and societal impact

Further details on the session as well as information on future lunchbite sessions can also be found on the staff intranet.

Date: Monday 7 February 2022

Time: 12:00 – 13:00, Teams

To book a place on this session please complete the booking form.

Further details and future sessions can also be found on the Supervisory Development Lunchbite Sessions staff intranet page.