Two online editions:

- 1st year Engineering Dept: May 29th, June 5th, 12th, 19th 9:30h - 12:00h.

- Any PhD student at UPF after 2n year: May 29th, June 5th, 12th, 19th 12:30h - 15:00h (organised by the UPF School of doctorate)

Worldwide, approximately half of the students who start a doctoral program drop out, or
never complete the doctoral process. Also, recent studies indicate that doctoral students
tend to experience symptoms of anxiety, stress and/or depression more frequently than the
general population. How do we stay positive and productive during this often difficult phase
of our learning and professional development?
This hybrid face-to-face/online course, participatory in nature and based on recent research
in doctoral education and behavioral science, will highlight issues and challenges that, while
common, are rarely discussed openly (such as anxiety, or "imposter syndrome").
Cross-cutting research productivity practices will also be discussed. Doctoral students will
also be invited to reflect on and diagnose their particular situation, and to collaborate in the
active construction of solutions, practices and routines to be implemented in order to
improve their doctoral performance.
The central theme of the course is that of progress in the PhD. Although various personal
reasons and external factors can influence mental health or the eventual abandonment of
the PhD, recent research has found that having a sense of progress, of advancement, is one
of the indicators that distinguishes students who complete the doctoral dissertation. Similarly,
having a sense of daily progress has been shown to be a crucial factor in studies of other
technical and creative professions. The course will review behaviors and practices that can
support this sense of progress, and encourage doctoral students to assess their own
situation, and to collaborate to find a "map" that serves to understand and cultivate one's
sense of progress, both in daily work and medium- to long-term goals.
OBJECTIVES
After the course, participants will...
● Will be aware of the dropout and mental health issues that frequently arise in doctoral
studies.
● Will have become familiar with a range of productivity, mental health and progress
tools, which they can use during their doctoral studies
● Will have a "PhD map" of their discipline, as well as the main obstacles and
roadblocks on the way to completing their dissertation
They will have met and shared experiences with other doctoral students in the same and
other disciplines who have common goals (and challenges).
METHODOLOGY
The course is based on participatory and collaborative activities, mainly face-to-face, but
also online and asynchronous (individual work, readings and exercises), avoiding long
"lectures". In general, a flipped classroom structure will be followed, in which participants first
do some individual work asynchronously (i.e., each one when they can), in preparation for
synchronous sessions in which the ideas seen individually are developed and discussed in
groups and with the facilitators.

The course also has an important component of day-to-day practice. During the weeks of the
workshop, doctoral students will be encouraged to apply some of the practices mentioned in
the course in their daily lives and record their results, in order to experientially understand
their impact on their daily work.
They will have met and shared experiences with other doctoral students in their discipline
and in other disciplines who have common goals (and challenges).