Description of the evaluation process

The evaluation of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year of the PhD involves the monitoring of the research plan and the fulfilment of the training activities. The evaluation is conducted by the Academic Commission of the programme at the end of each academic year.

The annual assessment can be positive, conditional positive, or negative. In the case of a conditional evaluation, the doctoral student has a period of 3 months to address the defects that were detected. In the case of a negative evaluation, the doctoral student has 6 months to be revaluated. In the case of a second negative evaluation, the doctoral student has to leave the doctoral programme.

1. Evaluation

The yearly evaluation of PhD students (after their 1st year) is going to be based on the following aspects:

  1. Follow-up and progress in the research plan.
    The main activity of PhD students is to carry out their doctoral research. The assessment will therefore consider the student's progress in their PhD research and its feasibility (in the foreseen deadlines).
  2. Other activities.
    The doctoral education also takes into account abilities and competencies related to the dissemination of research, the participation in cooperative research and the interaction with other researchers and research centers. These aspects, which are duly registered in the on-line activities document, will also be taken into account in the yearly assessment.

2. Required documentation

The committee (Comissió Acadèmica) will assess the student's work based on the following documents:

  1. Document "Research Plan: follow-up and update", written by the student and validated by the supervisor(s)
    This document contains an update of the section "Work plan" of the research plan and explicitly details the modifications that may have occurred, their justification and the precise situation of the development of the research plan.
    If the modifications of the PhD research plan affect other aspects of the research plan (methodology, objectives, hypothesis or theoretical framework), this document will include the new aspects in a specific section. 
    The student will upload the document in the computer application Follow-up of doctoral thesis module before the end of the academic year.
  2. List of educational activities carried out during the academic year
    List of educational activities included in the module by the student and validated by the supervisor(s): attended courses, attended conferences and workshops, research stays, etc.
  3. Report and  assessment by the thesis supervisor(s)
    This report will be sent directly to the student's tutor. It will contain three information items: the explicit mention that the supervisor(s) are aware of the information available in the Follow-up of doctoral thesis module on the educational activities carried out by the student during the academic year, a generic assessment of the academic activity of the student during the academic year, and an explanation of the generic assessment, which is obligatory in case the original research plan has been modified.

3. Evaluation criteria

The evaluation will be based on the progress on the doctoral research and the other research-related activities by the student.

With respect to the progress on the doctoral research, the committee will take into account the feasibility of the research as it has been defined and in the foreseen deadlines, the degree of fulfillment of the planned work plan and the justification of the modifications that have occurred.

With respect to the rest of activities the committee will consider the following indicators:

  •   dissemination of the research (publications, seminars...)
  •   active participation in cooperative research activities (participation in research projects, in seminars and conferences...)
  •   research stays in other research centres

The degree of internationalisation of the activities and of relations of the students will be particularly taken into account when considering these aspects.

4. Evaluation

The outcome of the committee will be Apte / No apte (Pass/Fail).

In case of a negative evaluation (i.e., with No apte), the committee will provide a written justification of its evaluation and will propose the means to remedy the situation in the 6 months period that allows the student to reverse the negative evaluation.

In case of a positive evaluation, the committee can provide the students with recommendations to help them deliver a better outcome of their doctoral research and obtain in general a better research education.
 

List of training activities

The training activities are compulsory during the doctoral thesis  process. The student is responsible for fulfilling them and recording them in the PhD monitoring application. The list of available training activities is updated regularly. The training activities are validated by the thesis supervisor(s).

 

Updating and monitoring of the research plan

The updating and monitoring of the research plan includes: