Monday, 27 June, 2011

The Postgraduate Research office hosted an information workshop for current and prospective doctoral students on 22 June. The purpose of the workshop was to assist students in gearing up to the doctoral mindset and acquaint them with policies and procedures relevant to their programs of study. The interactive workshop also gave students the opportunity to provide feedback, raise concerns and get engaged with the presented topics. Professor Rob Whelan, President UOWD and Professor Mohamed Khalifa, Vice President Academic opened the workshop with 30-minute presentations sharing their experiences on supervision and discussing a number of expected challenges in the supervision process. Next, Dr. Abdelmoneim, Postgraduate Research Director facilitated a 40-minute discussion on shifting the mental model of students from bachelor study to master study level. He stressed that the Doctoral degree requires a radical shift from the two models in terms of responsibilities and expectations. Dr. Abdelmoneim also highlighted some of the common mistakes doctoral students make, which may affect the flow and quality of their study journey. The presentations were followed by a student experience survey conducted by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.