1 How do I know, my Ph.D. process is getting into trouble? by Attila Ondi April 16, 2002

1

How do I know, my Ph.D. process is

getting into trouble?by Attila Ondi

April 16, 2002

2

Typical Ph.D. process (1/2)

Deciding to get a Ph.D. Getting into school Choosing courses Making your “Plan” Finding your Advisor Choosing a Topic

3

Typical Ph.D. process (2/2)

Picking a Committee Taking the Breadth Exam Taking the Depth Exam Writing your Proposal Working on your Dissertation Topic Defending your Dissertation

4

Useful Tips (1/2)

Stress Management Time Management Avoid Perfectionism Avoid Procrastination Study Techniques

5

Useful Tips (2/2)

Research Organization aids, tools Bonus: Publishing Bonus: Network of helpful people

6

Typical Ph.D. processDeciding to get a Ph.D.Getting into school

We have already passed these

7

Typical Ph.D. processChoosing courses

Two directions: The more related to your dissertation topic, the

better As broad as possible

Pay attention to the breadth exam as well Talk to students/faculty to find the “best” ones Seek out good professors Find courses that interest you

8

Typical Ph.D. processProblems around courses

What can go wrong? Choosing a course which is not what you wanted Selecting all demanding courses in one semester “Spread yourself too thin”

Too many commitments in addition to courses Course vs. work

Getting bad marks

9

Typical Ph.D. processMaking your “Plan”

Plan your progress well before You can prepare yourself But don’t stick yourself very rigidly to it

Courses can “disappear” New, interesting courses Your point of view can change

An example

10

Typical Ph.D. processFinding your Advisor (1/3)

Look for an Advisor with whom you have a common interest of

dissertation topic with whom you can agree about your “Plan” you like you would like to work with who has time to help you

[S]he will help with your research

11


You can change your Advisor as many times as you want

but you have to persuade your new Advisor and remember: you have at most 7 years to

finish your Ph.D. studies

12


Most Ph.D. students switch Advisors at least once

possible causes: somebody else is doing the same topic they find the topic too broad/narrow a problem that cannot be solved Advisor doesn’t want (or incapable) to continue

13

Typical Ph.D. processProblems around your

AdvisorWhat can go wrong? You can’t get along with your Advisor Your Advisor

doesn’t have enough time for you changes his/her research interests requests too much work form you

You rely too much on your Advisor to do the work that is your responsibility

Your Advisor is not available for some period of time – regularly

14

Typical Ph.D. processChoosing a Topic

Find a topic that interests you

Talk with others to pick up ideas Explore topics – ideas can came to others

is not yet developedmay require some research

nobody is working on it at the University broad enough for a Ph.D. Dissertation but not too broad

ask others and your Advisor

15

Typical Ph.D. processProblems around your Topic

(1/2) What can go wrong? You don’t know the research area to identify the

research problems Choosing a Topic that is beyond your ability to

resolveMay be the result of improper knowledge in that area

Your Topic is too narrow/broad Discuss it with your Advisor Read specific journals, magazines – they are narrow

enough

16

Typical Ph.D. processProblems around your Topic

(2/2) What can go wrong? (cont.) Your Advisor doesn’t give enough/good guidance

for the directions You talk to the same people all the time – always

similar kind of ideas Depending on you and your Advisor – you may

need some pressure for results …

17

Typical Ph.D. processPick a Committee (1/2)

What is the committee for? Helps you in your research Examiners of your Depth exam Decide if you pass or fail in the main points

proposal breadth/depth exam defending your Dissertation

18

Typical Ph.D. processPick a Committee (2/2)

How is the committee composed of? Your Advisor (most likely, or someone from the

department who is familiar with your topic) 2 other professors from the department, who are

somewhat related to your topic One independent (outsider to the CS department)

– again: related to your topic

19

Typical Ph.D. processProblems around the

CommitteeWhat can go wrong? A committee member

leaves the University goes for sabbatical

Personality conflicts A committee member is too concerned about

insignificant details

20

Typical Ph.D. processTaking the Breadth Exam

Same as Master’s, but: 8 topic (4 subject area, pick 2 from each) each at least 85%

If you don’t pass - second time: your last chance on that test

At most 4 “sitting” Each test lasts 1.5 hours You’re not required to take the corresponding

courses, but that’s no excuse

21

Typical Ph.D. processTaking the Depth Exam

It’s about to show that you understand the materials in your area what is related to your research know the current ideas to be able to come up with

new (or better) ideasyou need to be able to identify the weaknesses/flaws in the current work of your field

22

Typical Ph.D. processWriting your Proposal (1/2)

The Proposal allows others to Evaluate the worth of the study Make suggestions for improvement

It contains (these parts must be consistent) Purpose (and justification) of the study Step-by-step plan for the study Research questions, hypotheses Definitions

23

Typical Ph.D. processWriting your Proposal (2/2)

It contains (cont.) Sample Instrumentation Procedural details Internal validity Data analysis (Budget of expected costs)

24

Typical Ph.D. processProblems around your

ProposalWhat can go wrong? You promise more than you can deliver It’s not detailed enough Your interests shifts to another direction (but still

in the same topic)

25

Typical Ph.D. processWork on your Dissertation

Topic Be creative! Work closely with people of similar interests Writing your Dissertation

How to write a PhD Thesis Writing or presenting your Thesis or Dissertation

26

Typical Ph.D. processDefending your Dissertation

It’s about to show that you are able to: write detailed technical paper about a certain topic

of your interest defend your ideas against others talk about your chosen topic

27

Typical Ph.D. processProblems around the

DefenseWhat can go wrong? The scientific level of your Dissertation is not high

enough Discuss with others

You are not familiar enough with the topic of your paper How can it be? It’s your topic of research…

Your language skills are not on the top Practice talking as much as possible Practice holding presentations whenever you can

28

Useful TipsPossible Trouble #1

You are pushed down by great stress

Solution: Stress Management

29

Useful TipsStress Management (1/8)

Causes of stress excessive workload uncomfortable physical environment not enough sleep ill health prolonged physical activity financial difficulties bad self image (“I’m too fat/dumb/ugly/…”)

30


Causes of stress (cont.) a change in your living/working patterns

new flatmates moving house new job living/working/studying in an environment that is not of

your culture living/working/studying using a second language

31


Causes of stress (cont.) Hostile or uncomfortable emotional environments

(e.g.: restructuring, redundancy) break-up of a relationship death or loss of a relative, friend or relation

32


Signs of stress difficulties with sleep loss of appetite anxiety irritability, hostility feeling of helplessness stomach aches exhaustion

33


Signs of stress (cont.) loss of concentration chest pains poor job/academic performance headaches withdrawal from others sadness/depression

34


What to do about it? Reduce stress in your life

Make sure you get enough exercise, sleep and nutrition Take time out each day for rest and recreation for your

social activities Establish supportive relationships/friends

35


What to do about it? (cont.) If you find yourself starting to get stressed out

Take control by conscious relaxing – through physical exercise, breathing exercises or activities you enjoy

Be creative in your approach to tasks Use some friends and take a team approach to problem

solving Talk with others about your anxieties and concerns Don’t be afraid of asking for help Accept your failures and move on

no mistake, no progress

36


What to do about it? (cont.) If you find yourself starting to get stressed out

Be encouraging and supportive of yourself. Try to keep things in perspective

If a situation is getting on top of you, step back, adjust your goals and take action: “I may not have time to research all I need but I’ll do what I can and get this task finished on time, and without penalty.”

Try looking at your situation as if it were someone else’sThink about the advice you would give them, and follow it yourself.

37


You find yourself far behind schedule

Solution: Time Management

38

Useful TipsTime Management (1/8)

Why people manage time poorly? Poor time management is often due to underlying

attitudes or beliefs “I like leaving things till the last minute because I work

best under pressure.” “I only work best when I’m inspired.”

Good work need time for preparation and research, and the time at completion to assess and improve it

39


Why people manage time poorly? (cont.) But don’t be a perfectionist

good work requires good ‘down’ time as well, when you can replenish your resources

Trying to do everything for everybody often means you badly short-change yourself

Often it’s simply a case of saying ‘No’. If you hate rigid timetables – make them more

flexible to allow things taking longer and for unexpected interruptions

40


Effective time management It often requires a change in the way you think

about and approach things Writing a bunch of lists and timetables won’t help

if you don’t implement them So

STOP and assess your situation be clear about what you want from it then take definite steps to achieve those goals

41


Effective time management (cont.) The key is planning

plan your whole year (or Term 1) make sure to take all your needs into account break your goals into small and achievable steps create a list from these steps that you can tick off prioritize these steps (e.g.: high, medium, low) concentrate on the high priorities review your priorities regularly only adjust the flexible things, not the fixed (like lectures,

work-time)

42


Possible time wasters Internal

Procrastination Unclear objectives Failure to set up priorities Crisis management Failure to plan Lack of self-discipline Over committing

43


Possible time wasters (cont.) Externals

Telephone interruptions Visitors Socializing Lack of information Communication breakdown

44


Helpful hints Use pockets of time

Ten minutes is great to review some notes or brainstorm ideas

Effective time is more important than quantity of time

Early morning is often a good time to work: you are refreshed and no-one is about to distract you

When planning, be aware of your strengths and weaknesses

45


Helpful hints (cont.) Find ways around the things that distracts you

If you’re distracted by the phone get an answering-machine ask someone to take a message go where there are no phones, such as the library

If people distracts you define non-interruption times close your door and put a sign on it be firm about interruptions

say: ‘No’ or ‘Can we meet in an hour?’ Keep your workspace uncluttered and work-

oriented

46


Perfectionism

Solution: Change your behavior

47

Useful TipsAvoid Perfectionism (1/4)

The warning signs All-or-nothing attitudes

“I have to be top of the class, otherwise what’s the point” “Anything less than A is embarrassing.”

A sense of powerlessness“I spend far too many hours on a project and even hand it in late… because it just has to be perfect.”

A sense of failure“I have to work so hard that I don’t enjoy what I do and feel constantly guilty if I relax.”

48


The warning signs (cont.) A lack of growth

“If someone takes issue with what I say in a meeting or tutorial, I won’t say anything after that.”

The need for approval Being overcritical

“If (s)he doesn’t turn up on time, (s)he doesn’t respect me enough.”

49


What to do about it? Recognize your perfectionist behavior Acknowledge it Challenge it

Set realistic goals Value the process as much as the result Keep things in perspective

Learn to distinguish which tasks are important and give the greatest return. Put effort into those tasks and be prepared to cut corners with the others

50


What to do about it? (cont.) Acknowledge and learn form your mistakes

Remember: no mistakes, no progress. Value people’s comments and criticism and learn from

them Be a self-supporter

“I’ll do this the best I can in these circumstances.” “I know this isn’t the perfect answer to this exam

question but I can at least say something which will get me marks.”

51


Procrastination

Solution: Change your behavior

52

Useful TipsAvoid Procrastination (1/5)

What is procrastination? Procrastination is avoiding doing things which

need doing The more we procrastinate, the bigger the task

ahead becomes, and the harder it is to take action Failure to act can produce many undesirable

feelings guilt: “If only I had done such-and-such” inadequacy: “I can’t do it” stress and anxiety: “There’s never enough time…”

53


Why we procrastinate? setting up excessively high standards

when you face with unrealistic goals, you put off doing your work

not seeing the relevance of the work sometimes it’s unclear what is required fear of the new and unknown feeling that we don’t have the skills

54


What to look out for? Trouble ‘getting past go’

“I start on the bits I like, for example, reading for an essay topic, but never get started on the parts I don’t – like the actual writing.”

Choices“In an exam I can’t decide which questions to answer, and the process of deciding is so paralyzing I don’t have enough time to do a good essay.”

55


What to look out for? (cont.) Substituting work

“I mean well, but instead of studying I’ll go off and do other things – anything! – to avoid getting on with it.”

“I’ll just do this a little bit, then I’ll do my stats assignment.”

Dramatics “I take home bunch of work to do at the weekend but

never actually touch them.” “I have a friend who always goes on about how much

(s)he has to do, how little time there is left. (S)he should talking about it and get started!”

56


What to do about it? Plan your time effectively Do short, effective study periods and balance your

study/work with recreation activities Reward yourself after you have completed a task. Assess your progress

Regularly refer back to your initial planning Move on to a contingency plan if you strike problems

57


Having hard time with studying

Solution: Learn how to Study

58

Useful TipsStudy Techniques (1/10)

Pay attention Do not divide your attention between several

tasks Continuous attention is limited in time Spend some (planned) time to your “distracting”

thoughts once in a while (break)

59


Interpretation and Elaboration Interpretation is “deep”

If you don’t understand, you won’t learn or remember If you only ‘kinda’ understand, you’ll only ‘kinda’ learn or

remember If you thoroughly understand, you are able to elaborate

Elaboration is “broad” Relate the parts to each other, to the whole or to other

information Provides variety

60


Variation Vary the way you think about the material It leads to elaboration…

Spacing and Repetition It’s better to study something, study something

else and then return to the previous material Spacing your study in this way is an easy way to

increase variability This creates repetition as well

61


Organization and Structure A little demo

List the months of year Now list them in alphabetical order

Pay attention to the structure before you begin to study

After reading, think about the structure that works best for you

Review the main pointsPay attention how they fit together

62


Visualization and Mental Reinstatement The mnemonic technique

Visualize the study material in a ‘funny’ way During the remembering (e.g.: a test) mentally

place yourself to the context you were in, while studying physical context mental context

63


Generate and Retrieve Generate the information

before you begin to learn you’ve already learned

Even if you generate wrong, I’ll be easier to remember next time after you corrected yourself

Throw away your highlighter! Generate the information and correct yourself instead If you feel bad without notes, record them on the

margins

64


Generate and Retrieve (cont.) It will take much longer

But you’ll notice, you already know the information you are about to learn

You spend your time much more effectively Try to answer the questions asked during courses

Even if your answer is wrong… Review your notes soon after the course

You have a high chance to remember something you’ve left out

65


Generate and Retrieve (cont.) Retrieval practice provides very effective feedback

You’ll know if you know the material, or you need to study some more

Use your coursebook, notes to correct yourself Just reading over the notes is not enough Write your answers down

It takes much more time, but it’s much better to remember after (because you see it

again, while you write), and you are simulating exam circumstances

66


Some general tips Prepare yourself to like the material Set apart time for study regularly during the

semester Do extra exercises (it’s generation…) Keep up-to-date with the lectures Try to study with others

They can point out information you would miss But you need to study alone as well

67


Note taking tips Listen for the main points Write down key words and phrases Make sure your figures/diagrams are clear Develop your abbreviation system that you can

understand easily Separate your personal comments from the

‘official’ information

68


Problems with managing your research

Solution: Project ManagementI’ll talk about it next time…

69

Useful TipsResearch (1/4)

Research skills Task Definition Information Seeking Strategies Use of Information Synthesis Evaluation

70


Life cycle of creative endeavors Routine Desire for change A raw idea is refined into a goal Further refined into a concrete objective Implementation problems identified Plan is made The work is carried out (The result is exploited)

71


Creativity: the ability to produce something new/better through imaginative skills Divergent thinking

Develop an interest in a variety of different things Be open to new ideas

Convergent thinking Concentrate on the problem to be solved Motivation

72


Obstacles to creativity Stress Routines Beliefs + Ego Tiredness Getting too involved with the problem Having conflicting goals and objectives Demands for quick production of results Strong emotions

73

Useful TipsBonus: Publishing

Kwan Choi:

How to publish in top journals

74

Useful TipsBonus: Networking

Phil Agre:

Networking on the Network: A Guide to Professional Skills for PhD Students

75

Any Questions?

76

References (2/3)

A few words about Stress Management A few words about Time Management A few words about Perfectionism A few words about Procrastination

Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand The Science of Studying Effectively

Patricia deWinstanley The Life Cycle of Creative Endeavors

Richard K. Moore How to Design & Evaluate Research in Education

Jack R. Fraenkel, Norman E. Wallen Q Manual

Morgan, C.T. and Deese, J.

77

References (3/3)

Study Skills Manage your time

Florida Institute of technology How to write a PhD Thesis

Joe Wolfe Writing or presenting your thesis or dissertation

S. Joseph Levine Information Problem Solving

Jonathan Lew Creativity Basics

Charles Cave

Documents

1 How do I know, my Ph.D. process is getting into trouble? by Attila Ondi April 16, 2002