I taught weekly tutorials last semester. I found after the first couple of weeks hardly anyone had done the reading, so I planned the session with that in mind. I'd divide them into small groups and give each group a small part of the reading (maybe 2 pages) to look at and then summarise or answer questions on for the rest of the group. This did mean there was sometimes 15 or so minutes when they were all reading, and were frighteningly quiet! I'd either read the papers myself, wandered round the groups to check they understood, or a couple weeks brought my laptop and sat there on facebook :$ When I planned the session I wanted them to work together, to discuss in small groups what they had read themselves or remembered from the lecture. One of my groups was really good at that and seemed very engagaed, whereas my other classes did not seem to 'get' group work and tended to sit and read in silence and then make individual notes!

I'd try and include some whole class discussion of the topic either at the start or end (or both). Though you do find with that there are always some students who just will not join in. Again it's anazing how different groups dynamics can be, two of my three groups we'd get a good discussion going, sometimes going off the point a bit, but generally working well. My third group were like getting blood from a stone!

I also used start the session with some kind of warm up exersize to try and get students used to talking to the whole class. First session I got them to introduce themself then tell the class what they had for dinner last night/ favouritve TV show or something like that. I'm sure some of the students thought it a bit lame, but it broke the ice telling them my favourite TV show was Hollyoaks!

My friend stated working for herself as a personal trainer around the same time I started my PhD. My back up plan was to go and join her company if I could.

Having worked in restaurants I think being a chef would be blooming awful. Roasting hot kitchen, stress, hating the customers, hating the waiting staff, unsociable hours etc.

My introduction, methods and general discussion were all around 6-7000 each. The other chapters were all around 10000, these each had some intro, methods, results, discussion in them. I had 8 chapters in total, which meant overall the thesis was 70000.

New job is in London so I've currently got a 2 hour commute. Not great but my plan is to try and use the time productively (currently I read the metro and have a doze!). Might move to London in the summer, but I really want to try to work with my current supervisor again in two years time.

How's your new job going? I'm finding it strange being in a completely different environment. I always felt like post docs knew everything, so almost feel like a fraud! Sure I'll get used to it soon, esp with the PhD result.

I think I missed a trick with the thread title. It should have been " the name's bond, dr bond!"

Thanks for all the messages. Had a good weekend of celebration and ignoring the pile of marking I somehow have to do thus week.

Keenbean, yes I started a new job a couple of weeks ago. So far going well. Everything finally seems to be falling into place thankfully.

After deading my viva, pretty much since I started my PhD, I'm pleased to annouce I passsed subject to minor typological corrections! :-) Still slightly in shock really as it definitely hasn't sunk in. Six months ago this day really didn't seem possible as I still had a LOAD to write and had to submit by the end of my fourth year.

Anyway the viva was no where near as bad as I thought it was going to be. My examiners were really possitive, and I didn't feel they were really grilling me. They asked why I'd done things and seemed to accept my answers. The time went very quickly, I looked at my watch and couldn't belive we'd been talking for an hour and a half! The whole thing lasted a bit over two hours and then both examiners said they'd reached the end of their questions and I was sent out the room. I suddenly realised how drained I was! After about 10 mins they called me back in, and were both smiling and saying congratulations! I was still thinking at this point, ok but what's the outcome!

Defintely nursing a hangover today!

Not used Nvivo so can't help with that.

Whether the writing can be done depends on where you're up to. As I got into the writing things got quicker and quicker. My first chapter look a couple of months, whereas my introduction was written in a week and my general discussion in about 3 days!

Good luck with the writing. I was in that phase last summer and it is amazing how quickly you can get through things as the deadline approaches.

Thanks Delta too. Cross post.

I'm hoping to not lie awake worrying tonight. Might even have a beer tonight (for medicinal purposes :p). Started new job and the early mornings are getting to me - main symptom seriously puffy left eye lid! Made me look like I'd been hit in the face! . I'm off today and the extra sleep has made me feel much better.

Thanks Pinapple. I verge from feeling confident to feeling rubbish. I'm hoping it'll be fairly brief - who wants to do a long viva on a Friday afternoon?!
I re read my general discussion today and feel it was actually pretty ok. But some other bits of my thesis have had me cringing at the language/use of grammer/ and lack of really concluding properly in places.

Still my internal told my supervisor that my external has made mainly possitive comments. But I don't want to get my hopes up and then get seriously grilled.

I've been wondering about this, and thought I remembered a thread from before.

I've found 94 errors is 238 pages :$ Majority are fairly minor and about 10 are where ENDNOTE has been a pain rather than things I've messed up (though careful proofreading would have revealed them), but a couple actually change the meaning to the opposite of what is intended (double :$) It could be worse - my early chapters are worse that later ones and I was beginning to wonder whether I'd be finding hundreds of errors.

Anyway in 24 hours I'll be walking into the room .......................... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

Sorry that doesn't actually answer of help your thread Delta. But I have no idea.

AAagh this is something I didn't even think much about.

I'm in a bit of a predicament. Got a post doc job, all fine til HR found out I don't actually have a PhD yet and bumped my down to RA salary. They say I NEED to have PhD within 3 months of the post starting. This will be 4th April and unless I get the minorest of minor corrections I can't see that happening, especially if internals sit on the corrections for weeks.

Congratulation Ady. 8-)

Getting nervous now. Off to read your details of how it went.

To an extent I agree with you about thesis by publication, however not every thesis suits that format. Mine was one overarching project that would have been quite difficult to break down into publications for the thesis (though I guess I am going to have to do that to publish stuff.....). I didn't want to do a thesis by publication, though in reality I didn't have a choice as my institution does not allow it.

Anyway my viva is in 11 days and I only really started prep this weekend. SO far I'm dreading it. Whilst I think my thesis is quite good (apart from all the typos :$ ) But I just don't think the project was all that original and I'm scared I'll panic and blurt out "yeah my PhD is a pile of poo!" when challenged about something! Met with my sups today who did make me feel better to a degree but I just can't wait til it's over really.

Mine is in January and I'm dreading it. I also start a new job this week so will find it harder to fit the prep in. I just really hope it goes well - not quite sure what will happen for my post doc job if I fail :$