The PhD Academy will support the professional growth of PhD students

What is the PhD Academy and who is it for?

The PhD Academy of VSB-TUO provides a comprehensive system of education primarily for doctoral students at our University. It will function as a support facility with the aim of being a “helping hand” for PhD students as they grow, particularly in the areas of research, publishing, and presentation skills. We believe that a comprehensive range of courses focused on acquiring or improving key skills related to presenting the results of scientific work in English, producing quality publications, preparing project proposals, undertaking projects and many others will help our PhD students to develop their future scientific career and successfully complete their PhD studies.

You have mentioned some of the goals. What else should the PhD Academy bring?

The primary objective of the PhD Academy is to stimulate the development of PhD students in the areas of research and publication through a comprehensive range of courses and the creation of a system of support services at the University. It aims to actively contribute to the fulfilment of the requirements concerning the mandatory international mobility of PhD students and also to provide support for PhD students in the preparation of project proposals. We also want to strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations between PhD students at the University and promote their integration into life in academia and the research teams.

How did this idea come about? What was the motivation?

As part of the Publish and Flourish: Supporting the Publishing Activities of Doctoral Students and Supervisors project, which was implemented at the University between 2018 and 2021, the Academic Writing Centre was established. It provided courses for PhD students and staff on various aspects of publishing in order develop the skills and knowledge needed to produce quality publications, to successfully publish, and to attain the appropriate scientific impact. The implementation of this very successful activity triggered the need for a systemic change at the University and thus the idea of introducing the hitherto non-existent university-wide support of doctoral students' publishing activities was born.

As part of the preparation of the PhD Academy, we discussed its concept and objectives, and on the basis of a very extensive discussion with the University Management, representatives of individual faculties, research centres and, last but not least, study programme guarantors and supervisors, the current concept of the PhD Academy was developed based on two basic pillars - a wide range of courses which are complemented by an extensive system of support services. The chosen concept of the PhD Academy respects the principle of education according to the "RESEARCH CYCLE".

Can a similar PhD Academy be found at other domestic universities?

We have not encountered this form of the PhD Academy, as it is conceived at VSB-TUO, at other Czech universities. We dare say that this is a unique concept of a comprehensive education system for doctoral students, focused on a wide-range of courses complemented by a functional system of support services at the University in "one" place.

How varied is the range of courses?

A pilot run of the PhD Academy is being implemented in the 2021/2022 academic year, but we already provide a wide and varied range of courses from multiple providers at a university-wide level. For the summer semester of this academic year we are already counting on the gradual expansion of the courses offered to include specialised lectures from individual faculties; "tailor-made" courses according to the field of study. The courses we now offer mainly cover the areas of scientometrics and publishing practice, the basics of scientific work, project management and soft skills.

Who will lecture the PhD students?

The courses will be led by lecturers from VSB-TUO, experts from selected research institutes in the Czech Republic and also international lecturers. We are very pleased and appreciate the fact that we have been able to reach and involve prominent lecturers and experts in the activities of the PhD Academy. I believe that international lecturers and their sessions and courses could be a "great attraction" for our PhD students. They will enable them to communicate with experts who have been dealing with the issue of academic writing, which is an integral part of the cycle of scientific communication, for a long time and at a very high professional level.

Will it be just lectures or, for example, workshops and seminars? Can students choose any number of courses? Will they get any credits for it?

Within the implementation of the PhD Academy, we place great emphasis on specialised courses, some of which are semester-long and some short-term (1-2 days). The courses will be held in Czech or English and a certificate will be awarded upon successful completion. There is also the possibility of obtaining dissertation seminar credits. Courses are voluntary and can be selected to fit with the area of expertise and the schedule of the PhD students. We will also organise INFO DAYS in the form of informal meetings to discuss goals, plans and expectations in connection with the implementation of the PhD Academy at the University.

Are you planning some other activities?

We also plan to organise student competitions that would act as a fun competitive highlight of the PhD Academy over a set period of time. These will be social events with the participation of teachers, students, University representatives, cooperating companies with awards for the best competitors. A motivational element will be attractive prizes, e.g. courses supporting personal development of PhD students.

This academic year is the pilot run of the PhD Academy and not its final form. The PhD Academy will not consist of a "static" list of courses and activities, but in relation to the results analysed by the University management, the interest of students, supervisors and study programme guarantors, the courses on offer, lectures, other activities and support services will be expanded further.

Is it possible to say which of the supported areas caused the students the most difficulties or was neglected?

The quality of publication outputs with the affiliation of VSB-TUO has been significantly below the median of the given fields in recent years, which represents an important area for further development. Therefore, the key task of the University is to support the production of quality publications and the outputs of applied research not only of academics and researchers, but also of doctoral students. This will not only be achieved through the use of motivational tools, but also through the provision and implementation of specialised courses focused on the issue of academic writing.

In Academic Writing courses, students will gain an overview of the genre of the research paper and effective writing strategies to practice as they write each section of their paper. They will receive feedback from instructors as they write and discuss their research and texts with other course participants. In general, academic writing is an integral part of the scholarly communication cycle, and adherence to the principles of academic writing affects the successful acceptance of a paper for publication. It can also help in gaining appropriate scientific impact.

Publishing activities, including the publication of high-quality scientific papers, is one of the most important outcomes of the scientific research activities of doctoral students. High-quality publications, in addition to international teams of author, will become a natural part of the way the results of research and development carried out at VSB-TUO are presented.

The interview was conducted by Martina Šaradínová, PR specialist for R&D