Organisational and Professional Development, 12 February 2018

OPD Training Opportunities Available to PGRs - February/March

The following Organisational and Professional Development (OPD) workshops, taking place February/March, for Postgraduate Researchers have places available. For further information, please follow the links provided after the workshop descriptors below, and make a booking by signing into your OPD account.

Workshops for which there is information below include:

• Making the Transition: PhD to Postdoctoral Research
• Planning Your Professional Research Career: An Introduction to the Researcher Development Framework
• Creative teaching using the University Archives [NEW]
• Introduction to Academic Writing Skills for International Students
• Advanced Excel - Functions, Tricks and Short-cuts
• Mind Mapping Using MindView6 Business
• Research Data Management at the University of Dundee
• Presentation Skills for International PGRs
• Thesis Writing for International PGRs  - Methodology
• CVs, Covering Letters and Applications
• Practical Presentation Skills for Researchers
• Influencing and Persuasion Skills
• Mind Mapping
• How to Write Research When There's No Time
• Mastering Academic Style
• Advanced Excel - Functions, Tricks and Short-cuts
• Getting to Grips with Referencing - How to Cite Right and Avoid Plagiarism
• Effective in Communicating Your Research (Workshop) [NEW]
• Finding Humour and Dealing with Stress in the Graduate Experience (Lecture) [NEW]
• Enhancing Your Resilience – Understanding and Coping With Stress

Sessions are provided free of change. If you have any issues, please contact OPD@dundee.ac.uk.

Please note: We require sufficient notice of cancellation and non-attendance to allow others the opportunity to attend these workshops, or to allow the workshops to be cancelled if insufficient places are filled. Our Terms and Conditions are available to read on our website.

Making the Transition: PhD to Postdoctoral Research

23/02/2018 13:30 - 15:00

This workshop is intended for PhD candidates nearing the end of their doctorate who are considering a future career in research. The workshop will be presented by an experienced Life Sciences post-doctoral researcher who has supported the career development of postgraduate researchers and postdocs throughout her career. It will involve a number of short presentations, discussions and other activities.

For more information and to book.

Planning Your Professional Research Career: An Introduction to the Researcher Development Framework

26/02/2018 9:30 - 11:00

An interactive workshop looking to explore core strengths and weaknesses, and how these in turn, can shape future careers.

The workshop will begin by identifying core skills common to all researchers. From this base we will explore the unique skill sets of participants. Which skills are strengths and which ones need to be developed? How could weaknesses hold us back?

We will then transfer our knowledge to the Research Development Framework and identify core skills to explore and how they develop with time and experience. We will map how personal and professional skills could develop in the future and identify resources and people that could help you achieve your goals.

For more information and to book.

Creative teaching using the University Archives

27/02/2018 11:30 - 12:30

This short workshop will introduce you to the range of unique archive collections held by the University and examine different ways these can be used in teaching across a wide variety of subject areas. We will aim to show the practical and research skills your students can learn by making first-hand use of original sources. The Archives holds documents, photographs, rare books, maps and plans and other material that relate to many of the teaching disciplines in the University. Using these is a unique way for your students to engage creatively with your subject area and to develop research and other transferable skills. You will also find out how you can use the collections to promote your courses and aid student recruitment.

This workshop will include case-study presentations and hands-on activities to allow you to become familiar with the potential of the collections.

For more information and to book.

Introduction to Academic Writing Skills for International Students

28/02/2018 14:00 - 16:00

Please note: this workshop is aimed at PGRs whose native language is not English.

Writing in academic English has certain features and follows certain conventions. This workshop will aim to give participants a general overview of writing academic English. We will cover areas such as style and grammar, using appropriate vocabulary, organisation and structure of information in a text, using sources, and avoiding plagiarism.

For more information and to book.

Advanced Excel - Functions, Tricks and Short-cuts

01/03/2018 9:30 12:30

This is an intermediate course aiming to expand your knowledge of MS Excel 2013to help gain confidence in using Excel as a tool, either for data gathering, or data analysis, or simply getting to know more useful functions.

For more information and to book.

Mind Mapping Using MindView6 Business

05/03/2018 14:00 16:30

How do you record details? Do you have different tools for different tasks? This workshop will examine how your note-making and planning could become more efficient, more creative and so more memorable and useful. Mind-Mapping can help you to make notes quickly and in a way that your mind will process and recall more readily. The main focus of the workshop will be using MindView 6.0 (available on the Managed Desktop) to help you plan and manage your tasks more effectively, as well as organising information using the mind map concept. This professional mind mapping software allows you to visually brainstorm, organize and present ideas. Known for its award winning MS Office integration this mind mapping software lets you be more productive, turning ideas into action faster than ever before! The session will look at the interchangeable views, unique project management features and powerful collaboration options available in MindView.

For more information and to book.

Research Data Management at the University of Dundee

07/03/2018 9:30 12:30

The workshop will explain the terminology around data management and the importance of adopting good practice at the start of a project. In practice this will make it easier for you and others to work with and build upon your data. It will also help bring your data to a wider audience and potentially increase citations. Good practice is straightforward and easy to put in place and will save you and others time and work. Various research funders have specific mandated requirements of grant holders and their institutions with regard to the data they create to ensure that it is managed correctly and, where possible, shared. Some academic journals require that authors provide access to the datasets underpinning conclusions drawn in their published findings. The University has systems and support in place to help researchers fulfil these criteria.

For more information and to book.

Thesis Writing for International PGRs - Methodology

09/03/2018 10:00 12:00

This workshop will look at issues to consider in writing the methodology chapter that are of particular relevance to second-language speakers. This will include discussing the role of this chapter, typical problems that could arise and how to avoid these. We will pay particular attention to the organizational and language features of a methodology chapter in a thesis.
Participants are encouraged to bring any of their own written work which they think will be relevant to this workshop.

For more information and to book.

CVs, Covering Letters and Applications

09/03/2018 13:30 16:00

This workshop has been designed for both postgraduate researchers who have little or no experience of CVs, Covering Letters and Applications to those who are looking for a refresher.

The session will cover the rationale behind using these selection tools and why it is vital your application stands out for all the right reasons.

The workshop is interactive, includes a range of practical examples and encourages participants to look at CVs, Cover letters from an employer’s perspective.

For more information and to book.

Practical Presentation Skills for Researchers

12/03/2018 9:30 16:30

This workshop is aimed at those required to give presentations on their work and current research. Participants are given the opportunity to practice delivering a short presentation and responding to questions with feedback provided by the trainer.

During the workshop, time is spent analysing the nature of a request for a presentation, using a checklist which can assess this and the presenter’s responsibilities. Examples are provided of different ways of structuring a presentation and the use of a script or cue cards.

For more information and to book.

Influencing and Persuasion Skills

13/03/2018 13:30 16:30

Our work, and lives in a wider environment, involves us influencing people and situations through our verbal and written communication (independently and together) on a daily basis.

This workshop allows reflection, practice and planning. It is a chance to focus on the subject for 3 hours and then create an action plan.

The workshop aims to reinforce the things we already do well in this area and look for further strategies and plans to continue to build a range of styles to work with others.

For more information and to book.

Mind Mapping

14/03/2018 13:30 16:30

This half-day workshop is practical right from the start encouraging participants to consider how the process and outputs of mind-mapping can be useful within a research environment. Central to the workshop are the principles of mind mapping originator Tony Buzan. The workshop will focus on how mind maps can be constructed to be ‘useful’ rather than ‘perfect’ and to prompt and develop creativity and ideas and form the basis for project plans and management. There will be time in the workshop to use mind-mapping to develop individual and group mind maps.

For more information and to book.

How to Write Research When There's No Time

19/03/2018 9:30 12:30

In this half-day workshop postgraduates will explore what effects productivity in writing a thesis. The workshop will discuss the various factors effecting the process of writing and how writing fits into the overall research process. Also, covered are how best to approach planning, drafting, redrafting and editing. The workshop will show how to develop focus during writing sessions and how to be more productive and effective over the long term. Practical and actionable advice is given during this interactive and reflective workshop.

For more information and to book.

Mastering Academic Style

19/03/2018 13:30 16:30

A half-day workshop for PGRs, exploring the characteristics of academic style, including developing an objective tone, and the use of references in a critical way, are explored and presented within the context of a research writing process. Participants are provided with a set of analytical tools aimed at analysing their own discipline’s standards and writing tasks suitable to all fields of study.

For more information and to book.

Advanced Excel - Functions, Tricks and Short-cuts

20/03/2018 9:30 12:30

This is an intermediate course aiming to expand your knowledge of MS Excel 2013to help gain confidence in using Excel as a tool, either for data gathering, or data analysis, or simply getting to know more useful functions.

For more information and to book.

Getting to Grips with Referencing - How to Cite Right and Avoid Plagiarism

20/03/2018 14:00 16:00

Accurate citation and referencing are crucial elements of PhD research, yet many candidates find it a confusing and stressful process. This workshop aims to provide reassurance and to equip participants with the skills to go about this task with confidence. We will demystify the process by exploring the general mechanics of referencing, and applying these mechanics to the specific referencing systems employed in the candidates’ disciplines. Where anxieties over referencing exist, they are often linked to fears about plagiarism. We will thus also consider exactly what is meant by plagiarism, and examine ways in which good referencing can ensure we do not fall into such a trap. Similarly, we will also explore and practice techniques for effective quotation and paraphrasing, and look at the ways in which all of these factors – good referencing & citation, avoiding plagiarism, effective quotation & paraphrasing – are interlinked and integral to successful completion of the PhD thesis.

For more information and to book.

Effective in Communicating Your Research (Workshop)

21/03/2018 10:30 12:30

Now, more than ever, it is important that scientists and academics speak passionately and accessibly to the public about how and why they do research. For faculty and staff, it is a critical part of justifying their funding. For graduate students and postdocs, it is a key transferable skill that will prepare them for future careers.

In this 2-hour workshop, Jorge Cham (creator of PHD Comics) relays his experiences creating successful science communication projects (videos and comics that have been viewed by millions of people and a book release from Penguin Random House) and helps participants discover the skills they need to communicate clearly with a broader audience.

For more information and to book.

Finding Humour and Dealing with Stress in the Graduate Experience (Lecture)

21/03/2018 14:00 15:00

In his lectures, Jorge Cham recounts his experiences bringing humor into the lives of millions of stressed out academics and tells stories from his travels to over 300 universities and research centers in the US and across the world. Thought-provoking yet humorous, Jorge Cham's talks examine the source of academics' anxieties, explore the myth of procrastination, and help academics figure out how to convey what they've learned to the outside world.

For more information and to book.

Enhancing Your Resilience – Understanding and Coping With Stress

22/03/2018 14:00 16:00

Our overall resilience and wellbeing is impacted by our ability to manage our stress levels in our increasingly busy lives. A certain level of stress is necessary to motivate us. Some people cope whilst others find it all too much. Why is this? To some extent it is not the stress that is important, but what we do with it.

The workshop will help you to identify the main physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms of stress. It will enable you to develop better coping strategies and practice some simple methods that will make you feel calmer and more in control.
Looking at a variety of coping methods, it will help to start the process of changing how you react to and cope with stress. It will help you to plan towards what you need for a better balance, to be more resilient, happier, healthier and more productive.

For more information and to book.

OPD Academic and Researcher Steering Group

Are you interested in providing input into the future direction of researcher development training on the OPD programme? Would you like to contribute to activities that support the career development of researchers?  If so, we’d like to hear from you, please contact opd-secretary@dundee.ac.uk for more details.

Research Leader’s Impact Toolkit

This Toolkit designed to help higher education institutions, research leaders and individual researchers to maximise the impact of their research.