This moderated online course is run by the Researcher Academy 

The Researcher Academy courses are very popular and the majority are run in both semesters to give you the opportunity to attend at a time of the year that suits you. 

Target Audience: This session is for postgraduate researchers in the mid to late-stages of their doctorate.

This course involves a number of activities around structuring your doctoral thesis. Therefore those enrolling on the course should be at a stage in their research where they are writing or beginning to plan writing their thesis. To note, the course focusses on the structure of a standard thesis and not thesis by publication format.

Masters by Research students may attend the course too as the materials and exercises are still relevant for structuring an MRes thesis.

Course Description:

This online course will prepare you to think about the ways in which it is possible to structure a thesis, and facilitates you in working on your own thesis structure. The materials draw on the Nottingham etheses respository.

So if you feel a bit limited about what is possible, join the group and explore the range of structures that exists within and across disciplines.

Aims/ Objectives:

By the end of this session you will have

• Taken stock of the research materials you have gathered so far
• Considered a range of structures for a thesis
• Completed a draft outline of your own thesis structure

Course ground rules for participation in this course

During this course you will be asked to consider the central claims of your thesis and the content you have or will collate to substantiate your conclusions. Although this course is a closed forum, available to only the participants and tutors of this course, please remember that you may consequently be posting details from your own unpublished thesis.

By booking on this course, all participants must agree to treat any of the other participant's thesis materials as confidential. This must be strictly adhered to in order to protect your thesis and the thesis of others.

It is advised that you speak with your supervisory team if this may be a concern before booking a place.

Process and time commitment:

This is an online moderated Moodle course. It includes resources, group forums and individual tasks for students to work through.

The course is open for five days (Monday-Friday). Students are encouraged to log in each day at a time of their choosing and complete the content and tasks allocated each day. Please log in and introduce yourself to the group on day one if possible.

It should take between 4-5 hours to complete the course and it is recommended to set aside 60 minutes per day in your diary. The actual completion time may vary between students according to reading speeds and the time you choose to spend completing each of the tasks and engaging with forum discussions.

How to join the course and assessment of completion

UK researchers: to book onto this course please see the available dates at the bottom of this page and click on the “Book” link. More information on how to join the course in Moodle will be sent to you shortly before the start of the course.

China and Malaysia researchers: to book on this course please make sure that dates are available at the bottom of this page and use this email address: ra-training@nottingham.ac.uk to request a place. Please make sure you add the start date of the course to the email.

You will receive an email with a link to the course in Moodle a few days before the course starts and you must use this link the first time you log in.

There is an optional assessment at the end of the course if students would like to gain training points. The assessment must be submitted within 2 working days of the end of the course.

Certificate

Upon successful course completion you will be awarded a certificate.

If you are based at our UK campus, you can view your certificate and course completion details on Central Short Courses (log in and click on 'My Course Bookings'). If you are based at one of our overseas campuses, please contact The Researcher Academy at your local campus for training point information.

Allow 15 working days from the time you have finished the assessment for your record to be updated.


Course Accessibility

The following table shows a summary of what is needed to participate in the course. 

If you feel you will experience any difficulties participating, please let us know via the ‘special requirements’ tab, providing as much information as possible. The special requirements tab can be completed when you book your place. Alternatively, you can contact us directly at ra-training@nottingham.ac.uk.

Access the course 60 minutes each day over the 5 days
Access Moodle
Participate in forum discussions on Moodle
Engage with online materials
Undertake and submit an assessment (to be marked as attended)

 
Booking Conditions

Our webinars/ online courses are very popular, especially in the current period and we are experiencing large volumes of people on our waiting lists.  

Please do let us know if you would like to cancel your place on this course so we can offer your place to another delegate. 

Please note, attendances for webinars/ online courses will still be recorded.

Pre-Requisites This session may be recorded. If a recording is kept of the session, then please note, that it may be made available to the wider University of Nottingham researcher community.