Thesis in Progress

Date: 
Monday, 5 March, 2012 - 14:00
Event Type: 

The overall aim of these five interactive workshops is to develop some skills and strategies to help you complete a quality thesis on time.

Teaching Approach

Depending on the workshop, we will draw on research, cases and accounts of good practice to explore solution strategies to common problems that research students face. There will also be opportunities for trying out, reflecting, and getting feedback.

Program Schedule

The five workshops are all stand-alone workshops.  RPGs at any stage are welcome to attend, while ‘Presenting your research in a winning way’ is most suitable for RPGs who already have a thesis topic.

All workshops will be held in the room 3037 (lift 1, next to the Hang Seng Bank)

DATE & TIME

WORKSHOP

5 March,
Monday
2-5pm
Making the most of Supervision

Interactions between students and supervisors play an important role in the successful and timely completion of a quality thesis. 
In this workshop, we will explore the respective roles and responsibilities of research students and their supervisors, as well as the special nature of the supervision relationship.
Particularly, we will look at:
  • Strategies to build a productive working relation with your supervisor
  • What you might do if things begin to go wrong
     
Session 1:
12 March
Monday
2-5pm
 
Session 2:
19 March
Monday
10-1pm
OR
2-5pm,
 
Presenting your research in a winning way

Will you be presenting your research soon in your department, at a conference, or for your oral examination? 
In the first session (3 hours), we will look at what is demanded to make a winning presentation.  How to:
  • Engage your audience!
  • Be understood!
  • Be heard!
  • Handle those difficult questions with confidence!
In the second session, you will get to practice what it takes to present a short compelling presentation on your thesis topic. You will also get feedback and coaching that will improve your skills for when it really counts.

Remark: It’s most suitable for RPGs who already have a thesis topic.

 
26 March
Monday
9.00-11am
 
Finishing your thesis on time

For financial and career reasons, it is important that you finish your thesis on time. But some students don’t!   In this workshop we will look at three interrelated topics:
  • Planning ahead
  • Managing yourself and your time
  • Dealing with “flagging”
26 March
Monday
11.30-1pm
 
Getting and responding to feedback

It is important you know what your supervisor thinks about your progress and your work.  In this workshop we will look at what you can do to find out, and how you might respond when they tell you either good or bad news!
 
26 March
Monday
2.30-4pm
 
Making meetings work

Your supervisor’s time is precious, like your own, so it is important that you are always prepared for meetings. In this short workshop, we will look at what you might do to prepare, and how you manage yourself in meetings so that every minute counts!
 

 

About the facilitator, Adele Graham

Adele Graham is an experienced educational developer working in the tertiary sector.  From 1998 to 2007, Adele worked in Hong Kong where she established and headed the Teaching and Learning Centre for the Vocational Training Council.  Later she moved to the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as a Senior Educational Development Adviser. Prior to Hong Kong, she was employed as a Senior Lecturer with the Centre for Professional Development at The University of Auckland.   Now Adele Graham works as an educational consultant, primarily in Hong Kong and New Zealand and her work has also taken her to Saudi Arabia, China, and Sri Lanka.