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Tag: examiner expectations

Nathan

Right and Wrong Examiners

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Some academics are definitely wrong as examiners for your viva: they don’t know your subject, your discipline or don’t have the requisite experience. They would never be asked.

Some academics are definitely capable to be your examiners: they are subject experts, experienced and have a good combination of knowledge and ability that means they could do the job.

Some academics might feel wrong to you as examiners: you’ve heard rumours or you’ve got a sense from interacting with them that you’d prefer not to engage with them in your viva.

Some academics might feel more right to you as examiner choices: they have a specific research interest you think connects with your work.

And some academics might be selected as your examiners regardless of whether you approve or not: ultimately, your supervisors decide.

What you can do, in advance of your viva, is think, consider and suggest names. You can express preferences and your supervisors can listen and decide what they need to decide.

Whoever your examiners are, they will be experienced, supported and capable. You will know who they are and know what they do. You can help yourself to be ready for meeting them.

Nathan

A Special Day

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Vivas are special days.

Like most special days it’s not the setting or the build-up that makes it really special. There are lots of expectations about what special days need – cost, preparation, traditions and so on – but like any other day what makes your viva special are the people involved.

While your examiners are special and particular to your viva you could also have your viva without them; they could have been busy and someone else would have said yes. Your examiners are like the DJ at a party or a celebrant at a wedding: they’re good but there are other people who could fill that special role.

So let’s be clear: you’re the reason why your viva is a special day. You and your work are what make it matter. Prepare and get ready but remember who the viva is for and how you got there.

Nathan

Zombies & Examiners

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Allow me a slightly silly post for Halloween…!

I’ve been thinking about zombies and examiners.

One group can feel quite scary. They just keep coming. They don’t stop until they’re satisfied. If you’re careful, when you encounter them, you can pause to think about how you’ll respond to their approach.

Thankfully they don’t move so fast that you can’t stay ahead of them and they’re very manageable in small numbers. They’re not really something to worry about if you keep your wits about you.

Anyway, that’s how I think about examiners – zombies are pretty scary too!

Nathan

Tried & Failed

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There was a two-month period in my maths PhD where I tried and tried to make something work. Here’s my layperson’s description of the problem:

  • Imagine you’re looking at two knotted balls of wool;
  • Your task is to compare them and try to figure out if they’re knotted the same way or differently.
  • Now imagine that while you’re comparing them they start to grow.
  • And they also have lengthening algebraic expressions pinned to them.
  • And every time you stop to take stock you realise your notes have increased dramatically…

I tried a lot of different things. I found some results in the process but I didn’t reach an answer.

I tried and I failed.

 

I thought for a split-second-that-felt-like-forever at my viva that this was going to be a problem.

In Chapter 7 you detail your failure at a problem. That’s interesting.

I can still remember the way my internal examiner said it seventeen years later!

It was an odd way to express a point. It knocked me for a few seconds but really he just wanted to explore the situation:

  • What had I tried and why had it not worked?
  • What did I try next and how far did I get?
  • Why did I stop and what did it all really mean?

These were all good questions. I had a lot to say because there was a lot to talk about.

If any of this seems resonant – although hopefully not the knotted balls of wool! – then prepare for your viva with your problems in mind. If you tried and failed at something then be sure you know why. Be sure you can explain why.

And be sure you realise that while it might have been a problem while you were doing your research it doesn’t have to be a problem at your viva.

Nathan

The Default

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Two examiners and a candidate in a fairly anonymous university room. A facilitated discussion that takes place over two or three hours with one or two breaks. It begins with a big opening question and concludes with a short intermission while examiners check they’ve covered everything.

The above is one way to describe the default viva experience and yet every week I’d bet there is a viva taking place somewhere in the UK where:

  • The candidate needs to have three examiners;
  • The viva is finished in an hour;
  • Examiners ask in advance for a presentation to kick things off;
  • The candidate needs to bring resources with them like a screen, a prototype or something to demonstrate;
  • The viva happens over Zoom.

Of course, video vivas are much more common now than six years ago, but they aren’t thought of as part of the default option.

The default might give a sense of what your viva will be like – or what vivas are supposed to be like – but your viva will be unique.

Your research is unique. Your thesis is unique. You and your circumstances are unique.

There are regulations and expectations and a sense of what your viva will be like. There’s an idea of a default viva, but the reality of your viva. Any differences you perceive or need for your viva do not make for a situation to automatically worry about.

Nathan

Your Expectations

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What do you expect of yourself at your viva?

Viva expectations are often discussed in terms of length and first questions, format and examiner tone – but what do you expect from yourself? What should others expect of you?

  • A good thesis?
  • A capable candidate?
  • Lots of knowledge?
  • A little nervousness?
  • An understanding of the process?
  • At least a little confidence?

Together, you and your examiners can all reasonably expect that you’ll succeed at your viva.

Nathan

Making Vs Having

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I feel that many PhD candidates expect they will have to argue a lot in the viva.

Arguing can feel like a loaded term. There are lots of negative associations with the word argument so we need to be clear for viva expectations.

The viva is supposed to be a discussion. Maybe you need to make an argument – presenting ideas and evidence and reasoning – but there should never be a situation where you have an argument.

The idea of having an argument is persistent. Some candidates expect that they will be countering points and questions that their examiners put forward. They feel they will defend their thesis by protecting what they have done and what they have written.

At times you might need to make an argument in the viva: make a case, lay out your thoughts and reasons. Put your view across and listen for your examiners’ thoughts.

Don’t expect that you’ll have to have an argument to be heard.

Nathan

Unscripted

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Your examiners have a plan for your viva.

They’ve prepared well. They have questions and prompts to help them ask good questions and get what they need from the process – but they don’t have a script. They don’t have a set list of twenty questions they’ll be working through. They don’t have a rigid plan that they will follow exactly. Their plan guides but allows them space to respond to what you say and how the discussion develops.

 

You will prepare well for your viva.

You’ll invest time in reading your thesis, making notes, creating summaries and hopefully finding ways to rehearse. You don’t need a script for your viva either. Your examiners are happy for you to refer to your thesis but they don’t want you to read from a script. Your responsibility is to respond in the moment, taking part in the discussion and making sure your examiners get what they need.

 

Everyone should be well-prepared for your viva but no-one should be reading from a script.

Nathan

Ready At The Viva

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Everyone at the viva is ready.

Your examiners have prepared. They were selected for good reasons and have taken the time to study your thesis and do the work required. Your examiners are ready.

Your independent chairperson, if you have one, is there to support the viva. They are experienced, know the regulations and know how best to support the exam. Your independent chair is ready.

Your supervisor, if they’re observing, is ready to watch. They can’t respond to questions and won’t ask any, but can be a friendly face or make notes for later. Your supervisor is ready, if they’re there.

Above all you are ready. Years of work and weeks of prep, all for a few hours when you can show what you’ve done. You are ready.

Nathan

Who Is It For?

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Who does your significant original contribution matter the most to? Does your explanation of your research change depending on your audience?

Reflect on who your work is for and what it might mean to different groups of people. This could help a lot when it comes to unpacking and explaining your research to your examiners.

 

PS: Need more ideas for reflecting on your research? Check out the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select, my curated viva help zine that digs into the Viva Survivors archive!

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