1. Probation assessment is a formal review process that typically occurs 9-12 months into a PhD program for full-time students or 16-22 months for part-time students. It involves submitting a probation report, presenting one's research orally, and participating in a mini-viva. 2. The goals of probation assessment are to review student progress outside of supervision, provide documentation of progress, allow students to communicate their research to others in their field, and provide additional evaluation to support student progress. 3. Key components of a successful probation include developing a clear research question, conducting a critical literature review to identify gaps and situate one's work, proposing a feasible and rigorous research methodology, and

1. Probation assessment
(in MCT)
Marian Petre
with slides from Ben Mestel

2. Research Degrees Handbook
• http://www3.open.ac.uk/res-handbook/

3. RD Skills
rdskills.open.ac.uk

4. The three stages for a PhD
1. Orientation
(culminating in probation)
2. Intense research
(maybe some papers)
3. Entering the discourse
(culminating in submission
and examination)

5. True or false?
• A probation report is like a mini-dissertation.
• My literature review must be complete and
comprehensive for the probation report.
• Probation assessment is ‘a walk’.
• Probation assessment is a distraction from my real work.
• My probation report has no use after the assessment.

6. Purpose of probation assessment
• reviews student progress outside the supervisory
relationship
• provides documentation of student progress
• Students communicate their research (orally and in
writing) to members of the research community who are
not their supervisors
• safeguards and reassures students by providing an
additional, ‘external’ check on progress
• supports supervisory advice within a supervisory
community

7. Probation
• Essential to move from MPhil to PhD
• 9-12 months for FT, 16-22 months for PT (≈ 2 X PT)
• Research proposal
• Seminar
• Mini-viva
• Report for Research School
(form)

8. Probation assessment benchmarks
• probation report
• skills development summary
• oral presentation
• mini-viva

9. Probation assessment benchmarks
• probation report – assessed by examiners
• skills development summary – assessed by supervisors,
checked by examiners
• oral presentation – confirmed by supervisors
• mini-viva – conducted and assessed by examiners
• participation in the research community (CRC extra)

10. Timetable
Activity Full-time students Part-time students
Research Degrees office 9 months 16 months
sends a prompt
Research proposal to 10 months 20 months
Faculty
Completion of mini-viva, 11 months 22 months
first assessment
Form/feedback to Research 11 months 22 months
School
Completion of any remedial 12 months 24 months
work
Final form to Research 12 months 24 months
School

11. Research proposal
Varies in size (4 pages + appendices … 30 pages)
Required ingredients:
1. research question
2. context in discourse – critical literature review
3. research proposal, including justification and outline of
proposed method(s)
4. workplan
5. empirical work (CRC, not other MCT depts)

12. What makes a good report?
• sets out:
– what
– why
– how
– when
• is critical
• provides evidence of necessary skills
• is concise

13. What makes a good question?
• well-stated
• focussed, concise
• feasible
• original
• at PhD level:
rigorous, publishable, sufficiently independent
• of appropriate scope

14. What makes a good literature
review?
• focussed, concise
• supports the well-stated question
• identifies a gap
• reports and critiques current state of discourse
• critical
• adds value

15. What makes a good research
approach?
• feasible
• appropriate: likely to deliver the evidence
needed to answer the question
• rigorous
• likely to deliver valid, reliable, (generaliseable?) results
• ethical
• justified

16. What makes a good workplan?
• realistic
• clearly stated milestones
• dependencies explicit
• contingency planning
• timeline – dates
• resources
• skills
• pretty presentation

17. Skills audit and training
• Concise summary of audit, training and
development undertaken
(e.g. this conference)
• Best done systematically over time
• Increasingly important for career
• What do you think of this part of PhD
training?

18. Giving an oral presentation
• Usually 30 mins –
1hour
• Normally to the
Department
• Questions from
the audience
• Can be „Beamer‟!

19. The mini viva

20. The mini-viva
• think of it as a discussion, rather than an inquisition
• aims to give you a „taste‟ of viva voce examination – but
is also formative
• be prepared to discuss with an open mind
• assume that the assessors are acting in good faith
• focus is on demonstration of skills and knowledge
• differences between departments

21. Possible outcomes
• registration for PhD
• registration for MPhil
• remedial action/revisions
• de-registration
• following remedial action:
– registration for PhD
– registration for MPhil
– de-registration

22. Form for the Research School
1. Your bits:
• Elements of probation
(activities/events, supervision,
skills audit, oral presentation,
mini-viva)
• Objectives for the coming
period
2. Assessors‟ report
3. Recommendation (ADR)
http://www.open.ac.uk/research/main/research-careers/research-
students/forms-and-guidance-notes

23. Don‟t panic!

24. “Rise above oneself and grasp the world”

25. Get it right, and, in due
course…graduation !