DNP 801 Topic 8 Discussion Question Two
DNP 801 Topic 8 Discussion Question Two
Reflect on the material and assessment given in the course and what you have learned in this course, what aspects of the doctoral pursuit do you find the most challenging? Most rewarding?
Strong time management is one of the most important aspects of PhD study. You should view your Doctorate the same as a full-time job, while also appreciating that a complete lack of leisure time can be damaging to your health and chances of success.
Following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020, universities have had to change and adapt. Therefore, how you use your
time as a PhD student is even more crucial. While university campuses, libraries and research laboratories have generally remained open to Doctoral students, there may still be times when you’ll need to carry out your research from home – and this requires discipline and plenty of planning. Read our 5 tips for studying at home.
To ensure the quality of your work doesn’t suffer, it’s necessary to plan your time on campus carefully to get the most out of the opportunity – for instance, you may need to book study spaces in advance and follow university guidelines when accessing the library and other research facilities.
In terms of the qualification itself, time management is particularly important when writing your thesis. ‘One needs to be disciplined enough to get work out to supervisors, giving them enough time for critiquing,’ warns Siddartha Khastgir, research lead for Verification & Validation (V&V) of Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) technologies at the University of Warwick.
‘Sending large chunks of work to supervisors is a common pitfall. Short and regular submissions are much more productive,’ he adds.
Similarly, it’s important to recognise when additional duties such as teaching undergraduates or becoming a student representative are taking up too much of your time; if the quality of your PhD is suffering, it’s okay to reject the opportunity to do new things.
‘It’s necessary to manage, as tactfully as possible, the breadth of activities,’ says Maz Ahmad, senior research engineer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and former University of Warwick PhD student.
A positive student-supervisor relationship is paramount to your PhD’s success. However, it’s not uncommon for problems to develop. These include:
- Absence – Your supervisor may be frequently unavailable, perhaps due to other research commitments. If your second supervisor doesn’t increase their level of support, you’ll need to demand more regular contact – either online or in person.
- Conflict – If your research is interdisciplinary and you’ve been allocated two leading supervisors, they may give you conflicting advice – or even dislike each other. If so, you could meet with them separately – but whatever you do, don’t take sides.
- Intimidation – Your supervisor may actually be playing a more active role in your research than necessary, something that is particularly likely if they’re attempting to compensate for their inexperience. Don’t be afraid of asking them to take a step back.
- Leave – In some rare cases, supervisors may retire, change university or go on sabbatical with little notice. You’ll need to discuss what happens next with your department.
If your situation doesn’t improve after you’ve talked through any problems together, you should consider changing your supervisor.