PhD Student Induction Course

PhD Student Induction Course

This course is designed for students who are planning to do PhD or have just started a PhD or Masters by Research Program.

In this course the first section is about some of the scholarship opportunities available in various countries. The rest of the course sections are geared for new PhD students who have just started their PhD degrees.

This course contains videos. Each video covers one specific topic related to PhD research.  In most universities, there is no induction program for PhD students. Most of the PhD students do not understand how to get started, what are some of the things to do on their earliest after starting a research, how to deal with their PhD supervisors/advisors. Many do not realize until very late that they are stuck and there is no way back. Students are at the mercy of their PhD advisors which are already busy or show that they are extremely busy and do not have time for their students. Some are incompetent, some got jobs simply because they knew someone, some are so strict rather cruel with their students. Students have no place to go for guidance. This course is an effort to guide those PhD students who have just started their research career. These videos will help PhD students in their studies, in their research, in their capability in dealing with incompetent supervisors. Also there are videos explaining plagiarism and how to avoid, how to get organized and be more productive during PhD etc. Also how to read and analyze research paper.

Two of the initial challenges for PhD students are how to do a literature review (also called literature survey), how to write a research proposal. There are videos dedicated on these topics which will help students understand these two most important task they face in their first year.

I hope PhD students will find this course helpful.