Half way there- thoughts from a midway assessment

 

The PhD candidate in the EST project, Åse, marked being half way in her PhD this fall. In this blogpost she shares her thoughts from her midway assessment:

The midway assessment in a PhD is a milestone for a PhD candidate, although it is carried out differently across universities and departments. At the Faculty of Educational Sciences here at the University of Oslo, the mid way evaluation is a 90 minutes seminar, often held as part of a research seminars the PhDs candidates partake in. Participants are the candidate, opponent (a senior researcher within the research field), supervisor, coordinator of the organized research seminar and other PhD students.

I had my midway assessment in the end of September with professor Scott Yaruss as the opponent. The seminar begun with a presentation of my work. I talked about the three studies that will be included in my thesis, about the progress I have made, and about how I plan to work the next two years in order to finish the project on time. I also accounted for the courses I have taken and plan to take. Preparing for the seminar really felt like taking a step back and looking at my work from a distance. So much of working with the PhD feels like being on a high-speed rail, and it felt good to pause for a minute and get an overview of the road I have already traveled: The first study, a systematic review and meta- analyses, has been submitted, and the second study of my PhD is currently being drafted. I have finished all courses and the teaching proportion of the job. When did this even happen? It feels like I just started!

Also, preparing the presentation forced me to think ahead. Although I do have a progress plan and a time frame it is nice with a reason to reassess the plans, check in with deadlines and make changes accordingly. Two years is still a long way to go, but at least now, I know more about where I am going.  

The presentation was followed by a discussion about the work, between professor Yaruss and I. We discussed questions such as: what are the mechanisms leading to improvement in children`s stuttering? What are implications of the individuality of programs for treating stuttering in children? Discussing treatment for stuttering in preschool aged children, and the studies included in the EST project and my thesis especially, was very motivating. The discussion illuminated some parts of the projects that wasn’t clear for me, and presented me with many new insights. Thanks for the discussion, Scott!

-Åse