APG status, examination and success Hugh Busher School of Education

1. APG status, examination and successHugh Busher School of Education www.le.ac.uk www.le.ac.uk

2. What this presentation covers • What do is meant by the APG? • What do you need to do to pass from APG status to PhD? • Developing the APG report • How it is examined? APG guidance to Doctoral students

3. What is meant by APG? • Every Postgraduate research student begins at the university as an Advanced Postgraduate Student • This is a preparation stage for becoming a PhD student. • [It is equivalent to the taught programme of the EdD students] • It is not automatically passed • To find out more go to: http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/current/handbook/administration/apg?searchterm=APG APG guidance to Doctoral students

4. Why examine APG student progress • Transfer from APG to a named research degree is an important milestone for a student • Your tutors (and the University) need to be convinced that you can implement your study successfully and ethically • there must be an honest assessment of a student’s performance and potential that is fairly and rigorously reached • It is vital for both the student’s individual guidance and the maintenance of good completion rates across the Graduate School APG guidance to Doctoral students

5. What is expected of APG students? • Pass your APG transfer • within 9-12 months of starting your studies if you are a full-time student, or 21-24 months if a part-time student • submit your thesis within the normal period of registration • For PhD students, this is 3 years full‐time and 6 years for part‐time. • Requests for Extending the APG Period • If the department is concerned that a student is not making satisfactory progress a recommendation can be made to extend the APG period. • This should only be considered in exceptional circumstances and the extension should not usually exceed for full-time students and six months for part-time students. APG guidance to Doctoral students

6. Being a responsible trainee researcher! • Student responsibilities are set for all Research Students at http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/current/handbook • Attendance is an essential requirement. Full‐time students must reside in Leicester or within easy commuting distance of the city for the duration of each term, and all students are normally required to attend specified lectures, seminars, and other formal classes • Full‐time student are required to attend the research methods training classes and your supervision sessions with your main supervisor. • Blackboard offers a provision for part-time students • Full‐time students/ Term‐time employment: Full‐time students are expected to undertake a full week’s work of at least 40 hours on their studies or whatever is needed to complete their studies in 3 years. • Paid employment during term‐time should not exceed 15 hours per week. APG guidance to Doctoral students

7. What do you need to do to pass from APG status to PhD? • Registration • It is important that you register every year as a student with the Graduate Office, the Library, and the Computer Centre as early as possible. • Only once you have completed this will you have access to the computer and library facilities that you will need for your studies. There is some guidance registration at http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/ • NOTE: students have to re-register each academic year if they wish to remain on the programme APG guidance to Doctoral students

8. The supervisory system • University’s current policies Departments have a ‘Thesis Committee’ for all APG/PhD students, • This meets with the student twice a year, for full-time students, and includes the first and second supervisor and the PG(PhD) tutor or his/her nominee • Main supervisor carries primary responsibility for supervision http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/current/handbook/supervision • Second supervisor helps the main supervisor and may occasionally give academic advice to the student when requested by the main supervisor • PG Tutor (or nominee) is involved in monitoring progress but is independent of the supervisory team APG guidance to Doctoral students

9. What you supervisor might first want to Know: Discuss with your colleagues • What are the purposes and intended outcomes of your thesis? • Why are you carrying out this study? • What is the context of this study? APG guidance to Doctoral students

10. Your main supervisor’s functions: • Full time students can expect to have around 12 one hour tutorials per year (roughly one every 3 weeks) face‐to‐face as well as email/ telephone contact with their supervisor • This is to advise a student on planning, reading and general progress of their research. • Supervisors also provide written feedback on partial drafts of preparatory papers for the APG Report and on draft chapters of your thesis • Part‐time students receive pro rata support, assuming that part-time is equivalent to half‐time. They may expect to have contact with their first supervisors at least nine times a year by email, telephone, as well as face‐to‐face APG guidance to Doctoral students

11. Taking control of the APG process • http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/current/handbook/supervision/supervisory-meetings • Discuss with your supervisor any issues you have, even if they seem trivial, the type of guidance and comments you find especially helpful. • Keep notes of all your discussions in your research diary • Agree a mutually convenient schedule of meetings with your supervisor and attend your supervision sessions punctually. • Keep in regular contact with your supervisor and/ or the PhD office. • Maintain and sustain the progress of work in accordance with the stages agreed with your supervisor, in particular the prompt presentation of draft material written in good, clear English. • Expect to do a full week’s work of at least 40 hours on your studies or whatever it takes to complete your Doctoral studies in three years. APG guidance to Doctoral students

12. What you will need to develop: Discuss with your colleagues • What are the main concepts behind your study? • How are these concepts understood in the literature? • What are your main research questions and how do these relate to your main concepts? APG guidance to Doctoral students

13. Identify your research training needs • Analyse what research training you need in the light of the focus of your proposed thesis – discuss this with your supervisor • Attend appropriate research methods training courses and programmes provided for you • To pass your APG examination you will need to show: • your student’s training needs analysis (training passport etc.) as agreed by the thesis committee (or equivalent) upon the commencement of studies. • that your training has now been completed successfully, as agreed. • [On the EdD students have to pass the thesis proposal at at least Grade B to progress to the thesis APG guidance to Doctoral students

14. How will you carry out your study: Discuss with your colleagues • Explain and justify your choice of research design, including your sampling, • Justify your methods of data collection in the light of your main research question. • How will you analyse your data? And why have you made this choice? • How will you make sure your research is carried out ethically? APG guidance to Doctoral students

15. Developing your APG report (1) • Be clear what length of APG report is expected of you in your department and what is expected to be the content of your APG report • Write a series of draft papers to construct the different sections of your APG report • Get feedback from your supervisor on each of these in turn and listen carefully to the views of your supervisor as an expert in your field • 0‐3 months: • Complete your research methods training form to help you plan your research methods training and share it with your supervisor. • Write a brief paper stating why you have chosen your thesis topic, why it is important and what you hope it will achieve (max 3000 words). • Write a literature search for your topic that explains clearly how you have searched a recent and relevant range of bibliographic sources, and what you have found (discussion of max 1500 words plus appropriate reading list). APG guidance to Doctoral students

16. Developing your APG report (2) • 3‐6 months: • Write a literature review that begins to construct the main conceptual framework of their thesis and clarify the main research questions of the thesis. Use the objectives of the thesis to structure this (max 5000 words). • 6‐9 months: • An outline discussion of the proposed methodology of the thesis, that reflects a student’s choice of ontology and epistemology to meet the purposes of the study and guide the selection of appropriate methods of data collection and analysis (max 5000 words). • 9‐12 months: • write the APG report (6000‐8000 words long if in the School of Education), as a distillation of what you have constructed of your thesis already. APG guidance to Doctoral students

17. Structuring your APG report three main sections: • Introduction • Literature Review • Research Methods followed by: • Feasibility • Timetable • References APG guidance to Doctoral students

18. Any questions? APG guidance to Doctoral students

19. the APG transfer process • The Graduate Office will contact your department about your transfer from APG status 9 months after a Fulltime student begins her/ his studies or 21 months after a part‐time student begins her / his. • Your department will require you to produce a progress report which is examined by at least two members of the academic staff including your supervisor. • You will also attend an oral examination or present a departmental seminar on your report. • The assessment of your report will form the basis of the formal recommendation to the Board of Graduate Studies on your transfer to a named research degree (MPhil or PhD). • This must be made before a full‐time student begins her / his second year of studies, or the third year for part‐time students. • Once the Board of Graduate Studies has approved the recommendation you will receive confirmation from the Graduate Office.” APG guidance to Doctoral students

20. oral examination: • you will be examined by interview with your supervisor and at least two other members of the academic staff • Usually you will be asked to make a presentation to the examiners about the main aspects of your thesis shown in your APG report • The questions asked will relate mainly to the written progress report previously submitted and read by your examiners. • The examination will not normally exceed 45‐60 minutes. • You will be judged on the quality of your answers to the questions in terms of clarity, relevance, subject/topic knowledge and critical insight. • BECOME A DOCTORAL STUDENT APG guidance to Doctoral students

21. Introduction • Background information • What is the context of the study? • What is your role in/ knowledge of the context? • What is it that has prompted you to choose the topic? • Why are you setting the study in this specific context? • Topic of your research • Purpose • Why do you wish to conduct the research? • What do you hope to achieve? • Importance of the research • Objectives or provisional Research Questions • What, exactly, are you trying to find answers to? • Outline of the rest of the report APG guidance to Doctoral students

22. Literature Review Concepts and terms explained/defined • What are the key constructs in your study? • What precisely do you mean by them, and how does that relate to what • other researchers mean? Conceptual Framework • What other research is there on your topic or related topics? • Are there differences or controversies in the field? • Are there trends (e.g. towards a constructivist approach…)? • What is your own position? • How do research questions and findings of previous research relate to • your own study (e.g. are you filling a gap, conducting parallel research, • expanding or improving on prior research…)? Main themes emerging on which the thesis will focus APG guidance to Doctoral students

23. Research Methods • Main Research Questions • Paradigm • Research Design • Methodology • Ethical considerations For more detail: School of Education PhD Student handbook Appendix 2 APG guidance to Doctoral students