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The Viva Preparation – Getting Ready for the Viva!

Duration: 8 Weeks

Location: Online

Fee: 1950.00€

Editions

Overview

The Viva preparation course will prepare doctoral students for their final Viva. The course will allow you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your work, and to prepare to discuss both.

The Viva Preparation course is designed to help you prepare to engage in critical reflection and familiarize yourself on how to interpret and respond to critics within an academic discourse in readiness for your Viva. The course will allow you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your work, and prepare to discuss both. To provide a truly authentic Viva experience each Task includes a 45-minute oral presentation and discussion exercise.

The Viva is an oral examination that consists of a highly critical and stimulating discourse across two examiners and the doctoral candidate. The Viva Preparation course works through the various areas you, as a doctoral student, can expect to be covered in the Viva. Areas such as scene setting and introduction of the research, literature review, methodology, data collection and findings, analysis and evaluation, presentation of the results, along with the actionability of the research and why it mattered. The course closes with a final elevator pitch style full presentation of the research project to demonstrate and apply the learnings from the previous tasks.

The Viva Preparation course fosters both reflections-in-action and on-action. Reflections-in-action will be promoted through the oral presentation and discussion. To further nurture reflections-on-action each video-call is recorded, and participants are asked to transcribe the recording to once again look at the questions, their answers, and the feedback and tips received. Based on these transcripts, participants are then asked to write up possible ways to act on the feedback and tips received, and subsequently commented by the course tutor.

The Viva Preparation course is rich in double-loop feedback and therefore ideal in your preparation for your final acid test, the Viva itself.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course you will:

Have gained practice on how to present and defend your thesis;
Understand how to interpret and react to critical and probing question;
Have learnt about the do’s and don’ts on critical engagement and research presentation;
Get the ‘make or break’ experience within a safe environment.

Authors

Study segments

This course is of relevance to the following study segments.

Research methods and tools covered or trained in the course:
- Qualitative Research
- Quantitative Research
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Data collection techniques covered or trained in the course:
- Artefact mining
- Content Analysis
- Conversations
- Document Analysis
- Mind Mapping
- Observations
- Organisational Records
- Questionnaire
- Reports
- Rich Pictures
- Secondary Data Review
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Course is suitable for the following doctoral journey steps:
- Viva Preparation
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Program

This course is made of the following tasks:

Task 1: Thesis introduction

Task 1 will consist of a general introduction to the thesis.

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Task 2: Literature Review

Task 2 will focus on the literature review of your thesis.

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Task 3: Methodology

Task 3 will focus on the methodology of your thesis.

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Task 4: Data and Findings

Task 4 will focus on the data and findings of your thesis.

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Task 5: Analysis and Evaluation

Task 5 will focus on the analysis and evaluation of your thesis.

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Task 6: Conclusions, Recommendations, and Future Research

Task 6 will focus on the conclusions, recommendations, and future research of your thesis.

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Task 7: Impact, Actionability, and Personal Development

Task 7 will focus on the impact, actionability, and personal development of your thesis.

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Task 8: Mini Mock Viva – Speed Navigation through the Thesis

Task 8 will provide you with a Mock Viva experience at which you are expected to cover all the areas you worked on during the past 7 Tasks within a single oral presentation and discussion of no more than 45 minutes.

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Authors

Study segments

This course is of relevance to the following study segments.

Research methods and tools covered or trained in the course:
- Qualitative Research
- Quantitative Research
Read more Close
Data collection techniques covered or trained in the course:
- Artefact mining
- Content Analysis
- Conversations
- Document Analysis
- Mind Mapping
- Observations
- Organisational Records
- Questionnaire
- Reports
- Rich Pictures
- Secondary Data Review
Read more Close
Course is suitable for the following doctoral journey steps:
- Viva Preparation
Read more Close

Editions

Authors

Study segments

This course is of relevance to the following study segments.

Research methods and tools covered or trained in the course:
- Qualitative Research
- Quantitative Research
Read more Close
Data collection techniques covered or trained in the course:
- Artefact mining
- Content Analysis
- Conversations
- Document Analysis
- Mind Mapping
- Observations
- Organisational Records
- Questionnaire
- Reports
- Rich Pictures
- Secondary Data Review
Read more Close
Course is suitable for the following doctoral journey steps:
- Viva Preparation
Read more Close

Select course edition

Use Brain Coins for on-demand support

Our Advanced Courses come in three formats: as a free self-study with peer support, as a fully coach supported edition or with flexible on-demand feedback whenever you need it. You can select the option that suits your learning needs best.

Brain Coins (BCs) are a currency used at the DoctorateHub to pay for on-demand services in a flexible way. You can purchase BCs at a discount and use them across the system in the combination it suits you best. BCs are valid for 12 months after the first BC has been spent.

Self-paced

Self-study with peer support. We provide the structure, you focus on your thesis research.

Ideal for those who prefer to advance on their own schedule or who are on a budget.

- Community peer supported.
- Tested Curriculum
- Dedicated Course spaces to connect around common interests, objectives or challenges.
- No time pressure.

Duration: “As long as it takes you“

Learning at your own pace, in your own time.

No tuition fee

Enrol

Dedicated coach

Fully supported by a DoctorateHub coach dedicated to the course topic.

Ideal for those who prefer tight guidance to progress through their research and thesis development.

- Dedicated coach(es).
- Formative written discussions, video-orientation calls and summative feedback on your work.
- Work over clearly defined chunks to control progress.

Start “Whenever you want“

Courses are 8 or 12 weeks long.

Detailed information is available in the course detail view.

Tuition fee
1,950.00€

Select Edition

Club Support

Join one of our Clubs to get started.

Ideal for those who have unpredictable agendas, or that just need some orientation.

- Discuss your work with peers.
- Regular group sessions to discuss your work.
- Optional Pro and Pro light subscriptions for regular written expert feedback and access to dedicated Club Pro group sessions.

Duration: “As long as it takes you“

Learn at your own pace in a peer environment, with optional Pro and Pro light support subscriptions.

Explore the Clubs

Go to club

Schedule video-orientation call

Good for: One video-orientation call to discuss a task or assignment and to understand how to take your research further.

1 BC

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Get written orientation feedback

Good for: One-time written feedback on a course task assignment of around 2.500 words in length.

1 BC

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Go back

Need Brain Coins? Get them here.

Get one Research Mentoring month

Good for: One Research Mentoring month with written feedback and video-orientation calls.

12 BC

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