Message to PGRs – 27 September 2021 

October represents a key period in the research student year, with many new students joining our community at the start of the month, and continuing students re-enrolling. This message will therefore cover arrangements for new starters and continuing students in relation to enrolment and induction, as well as an update of the university’s current guidance for safe working in the Covid situation.

Enrolment

Enrolment/re-enrolment information for PGR students has been published.

Enrolment Information for new Home/EU PGR students and continuing PGR students:  https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/getreadyforlincoln/enrolment/

Welcome and Enrolment information for new International PGR students:  https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/getreadyforlincoln/enrolment/newinternational/

Induction for New Starters

For new students, each School or College will be arranging School or College PGR inductions, which will cover local processes, including monitoring and support of your research, as well as local safe working practices. You should be invited to attend by your local PGR administration. If you do not receive an invite and are due to start in October, please inform your supervisor. In addition, the Doctoral School will be hosting an online University Induction for PGR students on 12^th October, which will compliment local information. This induction will be mandatory for new starters as it covers key elements of the university processes relevant to your research, including ethical and safe working considerations; as well as guidance on the general support available through the Student Union, Doctoral School and support services, such as the Student Wellbeing, library and learning resources, and careers service.

Staying safe on campus 

The site below contains advice regarding protecting yourself and others from Covid related risks and will be updated as the situation evolves. We would therefore suggest you consult this information regularly as you plan your current and future research activities.

University of Lincoln general coronavirus FAQs: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/coronavirus/ 

Please note:
Face-to-face research is now permitted across the University – previous guidance and restrictions have now been removed. In line with the University’s Research Ethics Policy all research activity is subject to the usual health and safety risk assessment and Research Ethics requirements. Where necessary an amendment should be submitted to the ethics committee if there are any changes to research procedures of previously agreed ethics applications.

Face-to-face research activity may be undertaken in line with Government advice. Where close interaction is required, research participants should undertake two lateral flow tests 3 – 4 days apart before attending (as should staff) to ensure our commitment to the safety of our community.

Further information on the ethics system, processes and guidance may be found on the Research Ethics portal page: https://lncn.ac/ethics

Risk assessments cover existing practices to minimise risk for yourself and others and these will be updated as the covid situation evolves. Floor plans cover entry and exit points for buildings as well as the flow through buildings to reduce mixing. Where you are using specialist research facilities within buildings, risk assessments and safe working practises will have been updated in line with current Covid requirements, and you should consult your supervisors regarding safe working in these environments. Where research activity has not been risk assessed at university or facility level, (for example where there are unique risks associated with your planned research) then a risk assessment will need to be completed and approved before the work can be undertaken. Normally completion of a risk assessment will be led by your supervisor(s) who can ensure forms are submitted to the appropriate bodies and discuss the key safe working practices with yourself.

Best wishes for the new academic year

Dr Ian Packer

Director of the Doctoral School

University of Lincoln

Message to PGRs – 04 February 2021

University support for PGR students during the COVID-19 situation 

You will find advice and information on the support available to PGR students during the current COVID-19 situation below. This update clarifies the procedure around one aspect of this support – the possibility of applying for a no-fees extension to PGR students’ period of registration, if their research has been impacted by the COVID situation. This process is only open to PhD students when they reach the end of their maximum period of registration for their degree: four years for full-time students; or six years for part-time students. If they have not been able to submit their thesis within this timeframe because of the COVID situation, they can apply for an extension of up to 6 months to their period of registration. If, at the same time, they apply for and are granted Extenuating Circumstances, under the University’s standard procedures, they will not be charged any fees for this extended period of registration. The COVID Impact Statement available on this website provides students with a means of recording the effect of the COVID situation on their research and should be used to support any application for Extenuating Circumstances. Please note that the COVID Impact Statement is not an alternative to the Extenuating Circumstances procedure; it is designed to strengthen students’ case that they should be granted Extenuating Circumstances.

Guidance on Viva Voce Examination for Research Degrees during the COVID-19 Outbreak (April 2nd 2020)

The University recognises that viva voce examinations will be disrupted during this time of altered working and reduced ability to travel due to COVID 19. For viva voce examinations that are imminent, the University is supportive of short-term postponements in order to give time for appropriate alternative arrangements to be made in line with this guidance.

For viva voce examinations, the School should contact all parties to discuss the potential arrangements to conduct viva using video/online technologies. Microsoft Teams is the University’s preferred system, however, other system can be considered so long as all participants agree and have good access to relevant hardware and software.

All parties should be involved in and agree whether the viva should run at original time because suitable arrangements can be put in place in the time available; or postponed to a later date to enable organisational and logistical adjustments.

1. As part of the arrangements for conducting a viva using alternative video/online arrangements:
   1. All parties (candidate, external examiner, internal examiner, viva chair) must confirm that they agree to the viva/oral examination being conducted remotely using video/online methods and that those who are to participate in this manner have suitable equipment (with both audio and video) and a private location available, which can be free of distractions.
   2. The candidate must be aware that if they agree to proceed with the being viva being conducted using video/online methods, the method/format cannot be used as grounds for a later appeal.
   3. No recordings of the examination must take place by any party; no evidence based on recordings of the viva will be permissible in any appeal process.
   4. An Independent Chair must be appointed. This person will chair the viva but not take a role in the decision making. The responsibilities of the Independent Chair for a viva being conducted by video/online are detailed below (see item 7).
   5. If the University is still open and it is feasible to do so, the candidate should be co-located with either the internal examiner or Independent Chair so long as doing so does not put any party at increased risk of Coronavirus and this does not put pressure on any party to disclose issues that increase their risk.
   6. If the candidate is located remotely they can nominate and have a supporter/observer present with them either for the entire viva, or for the communication of the decision. This individual is not allowed to contribute in any way to the conduct of the viva, and must be introduced at the start.
   7. The viva should be scheduled at a time that is reasonable to the time zone in which the candidate is located.

2. Technological considerations
   1. It is recommended that the viva be conducted using Microsoft Teams, however consideration can be given to other applications especially if the participants are more familiar with these. If there is no agreement on a common platform/application that can be used, the viva should be postponed.
   2. The technology must support video and audio connections and as part of agreeing to conduct the viva remotely the parties must confirm that they have relevant equipment and that it is plugged in to maintain battery life.
   3. The video must commence using both video and audio, however video does not need to be maintained by all parties throughout. For example the Chair may not require video throughout and it should be noted that maintaining active video engagement may be difficult, if there is also a need simultaneously consult an online version of the thesis.
   4. If there is a failure in the connection/technology, attempts should be made to re-connect. In the event of a serious or protracted breakdown in the connection or quality of the connection of more than 20 minutes the viva should be halted. However, if it is clear before 20 minutes are up that re-connection cannot be made or is unlikely the viva should be halted.
   5. The decision as to whether to halt a viva should be made by the Independent Chair. How to make the decision as to whether the viva is postponed, re-convened or concluded is covered in section 4.

3. Before the viva
   
   1. The external and internal examiners’ separate pre-viva reports must have been submitted in advance of the viva and shared with the Chair.
   2. Any presentation that the candidate is expected to make as part of the viva must be sent in advance to the Independent Chair who is responsible for sharing it with the examiners. The purpose of this is to facilitate all parties having the presentation ready to view during the viva, rather than to assess it in advance.

4. During the viva
   
   1. The purpose of the viva and its conduct should remain as per the standard guidance. Specifically:

      The viva will normally include questions designed to ascertain that the thesis embodies the candidate’s own research. It will test the candidate’s general comprehension of the field of study within which the subject of the thesis falls. It will test the candidate’s acquaintance with the general literature of the subject, knowledge of the relation of the work to the wider field of which it is a part, and the respects in which the work advances, modifies, or otherwise affects this wider field of scholarship.

       

   2. If the viva has to be halted due to a breakdown in the connection or quality of the connection, the Independent Chair should consult with the examiners via an alternative method (e.g. telephone). The examiners should decide whether there is a need to reconvene at another date or whether sufficient discussion had taken place by the point of the communication loss that further examination would not change their decision. In arriving at such a decision, the examiners should take into account the requirements and outcomes of the PGR qualification and not the extent to which they had covered the contents of the thesis. If it is agreed that the viva needs to be re-scheduled this should be at a mutually agreed time for all parties. The Independent Chair should communicate the outcome of this decision to the candidate as soon as possible.

5. External and Internal examiner discussion

1. 1. In order that the examiners can discuss the candidate’s performance, the candidate must leave the video/conference call and the Independent Chair must confirm that this has happened. The candidate should be advised how they will be contacted to invite them back into the video/online meeting and given an approximate time when this will happen.
   2. It is recommended that the examiners and Independent Chair consider whether a separate video/conference call meeting would be preferable to continuing in the one in which the viva has taken place.
   3. The Independent Chair must be party to the post viva discussion to ensure that any decisions are based solely on the candidate’s performance and do not reflect issues related to the format of the viva.

6. Communication of the decision
   1. The candidate should be contacted and invited to re-join the video/online meeting. They may be accompanied by a supporter/observer.
   2. Candidates should be informed of the outcome of their examination as soon as possible. The possible outcomes and procedures to be followed are the same as for a standard viva.
   3. The communication of outcomes should be sensitive to the fact that the doctoral examination is the most significant culmination of the candidate’s work and that the normal support and activities surrounding this rite of passage are likely to be disrupted when the candidate is in a different location to the examiners.

7. The responsibilities of the Independent Chair are to:

• Preside over the viva proceedings in order to ensure consistency between different vivas and particularly to ensure consistency in the conduct of vivas conducted using video/online format as compared to those conducted under normal circumstances.
• Ensure that any post viva decisions and comments are based solely on the candidate’s performance and do not reflect issues related to the video/online format of the viva.
• Provide an additional viewpoint if the conduct of the viva should become the subject of a student appeal.
• Confirm that all parties are comfortable with the arrangements and that the candidates and the examiners can see and hear each other clearly.
• Make clear the expectations indicating the likely duration, the ability of the candidate and examiners to request brief breaks if necessary, and ensuring that all parties have everything to hand that they require.
• Actively monitor the quality of the connection, and in the case of occasional breakdowns/pauses in either the video or the audio link ensure that any discussion is repeated and that no misunderstanding has occurred.
• Make the decision about whether the viva continues in the event of a serious or protracted breakdown in the connection of more than 20 minutes. However, if it is clear before 20 minutes are up that re-connection cannot be made the viva should be postponed.
• Make notes of what was covered during the viva and if the candidate experienced difficulties in responding whether this was due to their understanding or due to the technology/format being used.

In addition, the Chair should:

• Verify the candidate’s identity, if this cannot be done by the Internal Examiner.
• Circulate any presentation that the candidate is required to present to the examiners ahead of the viva commencing.
• Offer a test call with all parties separately ahead of the viva.
• Collect and hold telephone numbers of all parties for effective communication in case the viva has to be halted due to technical difficulties.
• Confirm that all parties are in a suitable location and won’t be disturbed
• Put all parties at ease, particularly in light of the nature of the situation and the format of the viva.
• Ensure that the duration of the viva is not excessive, especially in light of the format
• Ensure that the candidate has appropriate follow up after the viva.