Dialogue tool for PhD students and their PhD supervisors
The dialogue tool for PhD students and their PhD supervisors is used as a basis for discussing the PhD plan and half-year assessments.
DTU offers a dialogue tool to support communication and collaboration between the PhD student and supervisors.
We encourage both the supervisor and PhD student to look through the dialogue tool and to use it as a basis of discussion when you meet to discuss and complete the PhD plan and half-year assessments.
Why? Aligning expectations early in the process and making clear agreements on core aspects of the project can create good energy and motivation throughout the PhD study. If it is not done, ambiguity of expectation can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and disappointments on both sides.
This tool will help you navigate all aspects of the PhD study process, make implicit expectations explicit and to organize the work and collaboration for the benefit of both parties.
Who? The tool is developed to encourage dialogue between the PhD student and the principal supervisor and ensure that you cover aspects relevant for completing the PhD plan and each of the half-year assessments, respectively.
If one of the co-supervisors is planned to carry out a substantial part of the day-to-day supervision it is vital that this person also takes part in the dialogue. A separate tool for aligning expectations among the principal supervisor and co-supervisors is accessible and DTU encourages the supervisors to make use of the supervisor alignment tool.
How? The dialogue tool is related to the PhD plan and each of the half-year assessments, respectively. Each part includes matters relevant to discuss before completing the PhD plan or each of the half-year reports.
Set up a meeting and allot 1-2 hours to talk through all of the questions. The supervisor(s) should be conscious of the importance of listening to the PhD students’ input before stating the ‘common practices’. Where relevant, note down decisions in bullet point form. It may also be relevant to consider some issues covered in this tool at the first-year interview or at your employee development dialogue.