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University staff common room

This board is for university-based professionals. Find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further education forum.

Nice new corner! Come and chat!

740 replies

NeverEverAnythingEver · 05/09/2015 09:06

We have our new board! Calling all cademics/aspiring academics/fed-up academics - come and chat!

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Impostersyndrome · 12/09/2015 16:58

RB have a look on www.findaphd.com/ for info on funded PhDs.u

Having said that, it's a long slog to a lectureship. You have to bear in mind that you're competing sometimes with dozens of people equally qualified as yourself. I'd certainly not down the route as a mature student without funding (which of course is competitive in itself).

RB68 · 12/09/2015 17:33

Thanks Ladies

I am looking at one uni in particular as its up the road (Warwick) and it would be a business related area. They have sent me stuff about PhDs and they have said there are funded posts available but you have to approach team members individually. I did my Masters 15 yrs ago now so feel very out of the loop but I now have the time for a couple of years I reckon, but I do need it to be funded. I am quiet flexible about the research area - I know what I would prefer but generally it covers quite a wide area from strategy to entrepreneurs to some of the softer stuff around motivator and personality types. And when I say entrepreneurs I don't mind if its big business ones or micro ones so am unfixed on a research area or topic but only because I want what I do to be useful and contribute.

Is it seen as usual to just give some of them a call and have a conversation (I am a very much pick up the phone and speeak to people type of person if I am honest)?

Impostersyndrome · 12/09/2015 17:40

I wouldn't phone. Besides anything else, academics are rarely at their desks. Send a carefully worded email (get the title right), in which you have -a) identified how their expertise fits your interests and experience and b) a brief outline of what you'd like to research, mentioning methods and data that are relevant.

Do your homework in general: find out what they've published as well as what the group is known for. After all, you want to prove you know how to research Grin.

BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 12/09/2015 17:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MedSchoolRat · 12/09/2015 17:51

Ooooooooh.

I have 300+ articles to do validity assessment on.

What fun things are you guys doing in the next 3 months?

My institution is struggling to recruit PhD students (sigh).

Lagoonablue · 12/09/2015 19:00

Thanks for the tips! I have delivered teaching, training and workshop stuff to groups up to 30 but am scared of a big lecture. Imposter syndrome for sure for me at the moment!

Impostersyndrome · 12/09/2015 19:43

Hi MedSchoolrat - what's validity assessment? Something to do with medical qualifications? You're not the only one with a dearth of PhD students. Between DTPs creaming off UK funding and visa restrictions putting off international students, we're really not getting the number of applications we used to.

Plans for next three months? More of the same: teaching, research, article writing and ducking committee obligations, wondering where the summer 'break' disappeared to.

Oh and trying to knuckle down to some research grant application writing along with a proposal for a workshop at a conference at that university in the fens I'd love to go to.

MedSchoolRat · 12/09/2015 20:11

Validity asst is part of systematic reviews, we do a lot of them in medicine.
It's checking the quality of evidence in each report. Can be tedious.

I'm not faculty, I can't multi-task Grin. PhD students are the fuel for research, I don't understand why we can't manage to recruit. :( Not just our dept, at least 3 depts at my Uni are struggling.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 12/09/2015 20:20

Next three months - lecturing.

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bigkidsdidit · 12/09/2015 20:21

My next three months - analysing a massive data set and writing mrc fellowship applications

JeanneDeMontbaston · 13/09/2015 10:02

lagoon - honestly, it's not scary. Though I was bloody terrified too. Grin

So, you need to work out your words-per-minute. For me, a fifty-minute lecture (ie., an hour on the timetable) is about 6000 words.

Then you write down everything you're going to say, down to colloquialisms and so on, exactly as you'd say it. (Speak aloud and then type). Include the bits where you tell them to look at the handout/click through on the powerpoint.

Print it out in double-spaced.

Then you have the text in front of you and you just need to take a breath, go slow, and remember to pause and look at them enough.

It does feel terrifying, but there is a limit to how wrong you can go. You can worry about incorporating fancy bits later.

If you read it over beforehand with someone, you should know if you have the right amount of material, but you can always prepare back-up by asking for questions in the last five minutes then jumping off onto ad-lib in response to that, or by having bullet points at the end that you can raise as questions/ad-lib from.

RB68 · 13/09/2015 10:20

I had a sneaky feeling phoning wasn't good - lol

OK so done the researching people bit and read all their profiles and looked at the direction of their papers etc so have a short list. I would like the PhD to be from a Red Brick - ie not sure Cov is going to cut the mustard here, but I will also expand my circle of Uni's as we have easy access to Birmingham which might also have some options.

I think my next steps are to do some more reading around as to what current thinking is around entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, strategy, and some of the softer factors around leadership and personality types that lead to successful own businesses. I also have a particular bee around how government is spending funds meant to assist entrepreneurs, I don't think it works currently and I think they don't think it works either but other than pay coaches to provide free coaching to reluctant entrepreneurs they can't think what to do with the millions.

R

RB68 · 13/09/2015 10:22

Also any good recommends on research methods books, again - long time since I was looking at those too!

JeanneDeMontbaston · 13/09/2015 10:38

I would like the PhD to be from a Red Brick

Why?

I don't know anything about Coventry's reputation for PhDs in your area, but usually, it doesn't matter as much what the university's reputation is, and it does matter about the supervisor and the specific area for the PhD. In my area, the big hitters aren't all red bricks/Oxbridge.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 13/09/2015 10:40

Agree with Jeanne about writing everything down. I do that. It gives you a nice warm safety net feeling. Grin

RB Agree also emails better than phone calls!

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Lagoonablue · 13/09/2015 12:44

Great suggestion. Thanks Jeanne.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 16/09/2015 14:07

Still marking projects. :( Nearly done though, if I don't top myself first...

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purplepandas · 16/09/2015 14:16

Hope they are not that bad Never. Marking is relentless!

Just checking some marking and off to collect DD from school and then another DD from preschool.

Really trying to get on top of research this year having had a few years out for family reasons. Just starting back as a lecturer in my old role. Looking forward to it but I know the teaching will take hold!

bigkidsdidit · 16/09/2015 14:16

I've started my fellowship writing. A whole day and I've written almost nothing. But I have STARTED!

Also mopped the whole flat, changed all the beds and made an elaborate tea for the dc Blush

NeverEverAnythingEver · 16/09/2015 15:58

Grin at bigkids. Displacement activities? But a start's a start. Not to be sniffed at.

purple Good luck! I took 2 maternity leaves and came back part-time. And I think I'm doing quite well. And I am happy. :)

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bigkidsdidit · 16/09/2015 17:42

I may have wasted a lot most of the day but I'm pleased with myself. The blank page has been staring at me for months. I started!

Lagoonablue · 16/09/2015 18:53

Fan I ask some stupid questions as am new to this.

Saw my timetable today. They have given me lectures on areas I am not that up to speed with........I only need to be one step ahead of the students right?

Also....in a lecture which might be a lot of students, is it still ok to make things a bit interactive? Obviously I can't do group work type tasks but thought of using video clips, individual exercises, asking them to discuss point in pairs and then taking a bit of feedback........is this ok?

purplepandas · 16/09/2015 19:11

Thanks Never, you give me hope! I am looking forward to it.

Well done on starting the application bigkids. I am struggling with one that I am trying to get sorted with a colleague. Can't pin the exact idea down and we are going round in circles.

Lagoon, yes on both counts. ONe step ahead is how I work when things are new (as they are for me this year in a new teaching post. Don't start until 28th Sept officially!) Yes also to interactivity. It helps to break the material up and should be encouraged I think. Pair exercises etc can work even in v big lectures.

Lagoonablue · 16/09/2015 19:14

Thanks so much! It is so helpful to check this stuff out! No doubt I will have more questions ...........

NeverEverAnythingEver · 17/09/2015 14:50

I have marked all my projects and submitted a manuscript to a journal.

I am exhausted. And it's not even term time yet. :(

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