“We’ve started a process...”

Johnny Laursen, Head of Graduate School, Arts:

How are you following-up?

"We’ve embarked on a number of meetings with all of the departments and PhD degree programmes. We also want to involve the PhD students and supervisors in the analysis of the result. We don’t have a fixed deadline for initiating actions and new activities. But I would expect us to have initiated actions before the international assessment of the graduate schools. That takes place early in 2015."

What specific initiatives are in the pipeline?

“We’ve held one and scheduled a further three supervisor workshops that aim to include know-how and experience from experienced supervisors. Based on this, we are starting-up courses for new supervisors in collaboration with the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media.

Of course there are differences between the programmes, but in general the PhD students at AR often have - due to the tradition for more individual projects - a weaker affiliation to both the research environment and to the supervisors compared to ST and HE. On the other hand, the study shows that our PhD students are to a great extent able to work on a research project very independently and to take ownership. We are aware that this strength also comes at a cost. Because the PhD students at Arts are thus more exposed to the risk of stress and loneliness, so we must be better to prevent stress and loneliness.

When it comes to affiliation, our special challenge at Arts is that many of the PhD students write their thesis in collaboration with external institutions like museums. We try to bring them closer to the research environment by giving them good conditions for affiliation with the department, like sharing an office with other researchers and taking part in the research programmes.”

Jes Madsen, Head of Graduate School and Vice-Dean for Talent Development, Science and Technology

How are you following-up?

“We have discussed the results in the relevant fora. That is with the13 programme chairmen, the PhD committee and the PhD students in the PhD Committee, in the PhD association PHAUST and in the departments. This will result in an action plan and a timetable which should be ready before the summer holiday.”

What specific initiatives do you have in the pipeline?

“One thing that jumps out at you is that there really isn’t a reconciliation of expectations between the supervisor and the PhD students. That must be systematised - for example by introducing a joint meeting at the beginning of the PhD programme for the programme chairmen and the PhD students so that all parties know what they are getting into.

We also need to be able to talk about the personal expectations we have of one another. When is the supervisor satisfied with the PhD student and when is the PhD student satisfied with the supervisor?

We already have courses for supervisors, but by no means all have taken them. So that is an important element to look at.

When it comes to stress and loneliness, we need to collectively be better to notice reactions in our colleagues and PhD students. The supervisor has an important role and most supervisors will tell someone if they are worried. But we also need to be better to tell the students that everything is going well and to give positive feedback."

Lise Wogensen Bach, Head of Graduate School and Vice-Dean for Talent Development, Health:

How are you following-up?

“The management have known about the results for a few months, though it is only during the last month or so that the report has been published and distributed in the relevant fora. So we have not yet completed the task of involving the PhD committee, the PhD association and the PhD programmes.”

What specific initiatives do you have in the pipeline?

“What struck me was that 10-15 per cent of the PhD students at Health would not directly recommend their supervisor to others. So we must make sure that we have good supervisor courses. There is also a balance in the supervision: the supervisor must be able to provide supervision, but also let the PhD students make decisions for themselves. We can learn a lot from one another across the main academic areas. Health has a strong focus on the product and hands-on supervision is exercised. But we must also focus on having students that develop into independent researchers. In the other main academic areas we see an absence of supervision but, on the other hand, the students work very independently and there is a greater degree of hands-off supervision.

It is also a problem that many feel stressed and under pressure. Taking a PhD is difficult. There are a lot of demands that must be met. They have to take part in courses, disseminate, write a thesis and all within three years - and we also want them to study abroad. And more and more of our PhD students have families and therefore need to balance their home life with a PhD programme. We must make sure that the PhD students are better prepared for the task facing them from the start. We must get a firm grip on who we take in and make sure that they can handle it.” 

Per Baltzer Overgaard, Head of Graduate School and Vice-Dean for Talent Development, Business and Social Sciences:

How are you following-up?

“The report has gone out to our seven departments and our PhD degree programmes for internal discussion. The Dean’s Office will shortly receive feedback and input for general and specific initiatives which we will then decide upon. We have also sent the report out to the PhD committee and the PhD students as we also really want input from the people in the field. We will become more specific in the next few months, but it’s not necessarily going to be this side of the summer holidays.

What specific initiatives do you have in the pipeline?

“It’s not a good idea to just react off the cuff. A major initiative regarding the whole supervision effort must be properly thought through. We need to have a qualified interpretation of the report. There are large internal differences in the main academic areas so we can’t just come up with a quick fix like some general regulations.

But what I can say is that supervision is something we will be looking at. We must train our supervisors so they are prepared. Supervision is not just having a chat at the beginning of the course and, if that’s a widespread phenomenon, then we will have to do something about it.

I must say that I have been horribly surprised with a couple of our programmes where it appears that the HR-task there is in relation to our younger researches has not been taken to heart. That is certainly disappointing and something I will bring up with the relevant departments and programmes."