RDP Training 2014-15

All bookings for this event are registered through the GRADschool website please do not use the "Register my Interest" link via this website. For more details please see How To Apply below.

GRADschool is a three-day residential course for research students who are either in the middle or coming to the end of their PhDs and wondering, ‘What next?’ The course gives you a rare chance to put to one side work and other daily distractions, in order to focus on your personal learning and development. This is achieved through a balance of case studies led by our expert Tutor Team, work in small groups, and the opportunity for individual reflection. Our focus is your skills, motivations, and priorities – things like self-awareness, leadership, working with others, professional impact, employability, and career management.

Our objectives for you at GRADschool are that you will:

• Build awareness of your skills, motivations, and priorities.
• Explore teamwork by understanding differences in how we work with, and impact upon, others.
• Enhance your professional impact and employability.

For detailed information about course, please visit the GRADschool website

By completing an application you are committing to attend the full three day residential GRADschool if your appliction is accepted

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS FRIDAY 1 AUGUST 2014

NO CANCELLATIONS OF PLACES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER FRIDAY 15 AUGUST 2014

All bookings for this event are registered through the GRADschool website please do not use the "Register my Interest" link via this website. For more details please see How To Apply below.

GRADschool is a three-day residential course for research students who are either in the middle or coming to the end of their PhDs and wondering, ‘What next?’ The course gives you a rare chance to put to one side work and other daily distractions, in order to focus on your personal learning and development. This is achieved through a balance of case studies led by our expert Tutor Team, work in small groups, and the opportunity for individual reflection. Our focus is your skills, motivations, and priorities – things like self-awareness, leadership, working with others, professional impact, employability, and career management.

Our objectives for you at GRADschool are that you will:

• Build awareness of your skills, motivations, and priorities.
• Explore teamwork by understanding differences in how we work with, and impact upon, others.
• Enhance your professional impact and employability.

For detailed information about course, please visit the GRADschool website

By completing an application you are committing to attend the full three day residential GRADschool if your appliction is accepted

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS FRIDAY 1 AUGUST 2014

NO CANCELLATIONS OF PLACES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER FRIDAY 15 AUGUST 2014

Why this course might make a difference:

This course complements the supervising training and information your Department will provide. It is a course that consists of: online material introducing the basics of undergraduate teaching in Cambridge; a face-to-face workshop, that is based on discussions and group activities; and follow-up online material that consolidates what you have learned so far.

By the end of this course you will know:

• the purpose of supervisions at Cambridge
• how to deal with common supervision scenarios
• how to provide effective feedback
• the practicalities of starting to supervise

Topics covered:

Stage 1 – Online

• Introduction to supervising (including what supervisions are, format, preparing for them)
• Background information for those who need it (British education system, Cambridge undergraduate system)

Stage 2 - Face-to-face workshop

• Role of a supervisor
• Dealing with different supervision scenarios
• Departmental information

Stage 3 – Online

• Summary of what you have learnt
• Practical tips and advice
• Resources for ongoing support and information

Managing a project, such as your research project, is a key skill in being an effective researcher. Yet project management is often poorly understood, which in turn can lead to projects running out of time and money, and overworking people.

The overall aim of this blended online and face-to-face course is to give you the foundational project management knowledge you need to complete your research project and the opportunity to embed the learning. Through online topics and goals, by the end of the course, participants will know how to:

• Plan a project
• Implement a project
• Define a project
• Manage yourself effectively
• Run effective project meetings
• Identify and manage risks to your project
• Work well with others
• Cope when things go wrong
• Close a project

This course complements the supervising training and information your Department will provide. It is a course that consists of: online material introducing the basics of undergraduate teaching in Cambridge; a face-to-face workshop, that is based on discussions and group activities; and follow-up online material that consolidates what you have learned so far.

By the end of this course you will know:

• the purpose of supervisions at Cambridge
• how to deal with common supervision scenarios
• how to provide effective feedback
• the practicalities of starting to supervise

Topics covered:

Stage 1 – Online

• Introduction to supervising (including what supervisions are, format, preparing for them)
• Background information for those who need it (British education system, Cambridge undergraduate system)

Stage 2 - Face-to-face workshop

• Role of a supervisor
• Dealing with different supervision scenarios
• Departmental information

Stage 3 – Online

• Summary of what you have learnt
• Practical tips and advice
• Resources for ongoing support and information

Building and maintaining a professional reputation is an essential skill for researchers at any stage of their careers. This course will help researchers to develop assertive communication strategies to enhance their professionalism through everyday interactions with others.

By the end of the course, you will:

• Understand the benefits of being assertive
• Know what assertiveness looks and sounds like
• Enhance your skills in communicating assertively

Topics covered:

• how to develop an assertive mind-set
• the difference between assertive, aggressive, indirectly aggressive and passive thinking and behaviour
• guidance on how to use assertive language in day-to-day conversation
• identifying your rights and responsibilities

This course complements the supervising training and information your Department will provide. It is a course that consists of: online material introducing the basics of undergraduate teaching in Cambridge; a face-to-face workshop, that is based on discussions and group activities; and follow-up online material that consolidates what you have learned so far.

By the end of this course you will know:

• the purpose of supervisions at Cambridge
• how to deal with common supervision scenarios
• how to provide effective feedback
• the practicalities of starting to supervise

Topics covered:

Stage 1 - Online

• Introduction to supervising (including what supervisions are, format, preparing for them)
• Background information for those who need it (British education system, Cambridge undergraduate system)

Stage 2 - Face-to-face workshop

• Role of a supervisor
• Dealing with different supervision scenarios
• Departmental information

Stage 3 - Online

• Summary of what you have learnt
• Practical tips and advice
• Resources for ongoing support and information

Why this course might make a difference: Beginning a PhD can be a daunting experience for many people. It is the transition from being taught to having responsibility for your workload and deadlines.

How do you make a start? Are there specific requirements? What can you expect from your supervisor? These and many other questions will be addressed during the course.

By the end of this course, you will:

• make a draft of your research proposal
• plan a year ahead
• have an action plan (next three months) on what will you do and strategies for carrying it out

Topics covered:

• Defining your research project
• PhD timeline
• You and your supervisor
• Planning and managing your PhD
• PhD skills

This introductory workshop will examine the processes of preparing and giving lectures. It will encourage you to consider what makes a good lecture and what lecturing is for. The workshop is interactive: it is a chance to exchange experiences and ideas with peers and to think of feedback and evaluation.

*Please note that this course is not aimed at PhD students*

This course complements the supervising training and information your Department will provide. It is a course that consists of: online material introducing the basics of undergraduate teaching in Cambridge; a face-to-face workshop, that is based on discussions and group activities; and follow-up online material that consolidates what you have learned so far.

By the end of this course you will know:

• the purpose of supervisions at Cambridge
• how to deal with common supervision scenarios
• how to provide effective feedback
• the practicalities of starting to supervise

Topics covered:

Stage 1 - Online

• Introduction to supervising (including what supervisions are, format, preparing for them)
• Background information for those who need it (British education system, Cambridge undergraduate system)

Stage 2 - Face-to-face workshop

• Role of a supervisor
• Dealing with different supervision scenarios
• Departmental information

Stage 3 - Online

• Summary of what you have learnt
• Practical tips and advice
• Resources for ongoing support and information

This course is aimed at those who would like guidance on how to demonstrate effectively in practical sessions run in Life Sciences. It is available to those who are new to demonstrating or just want to brush up their skills. How are practicals run? What makes a good demonstrator? How do you get the most out of the students during their practical? What is the purpose of a practical? Find out the answer to these questions and more.

This introductory workshop examines the processes of preparing and giving lectures. It will encourage you to consider what makes a good lecture and what lecturing is for. The workshop is interactive: it is divided into two parts and begins with a presentation by an experienced lecturer after which you will have the opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas with peers.

*Please note that this course is not aimed at PhD students*

This course complements the supervising training and information your Department will provide. It is a course that consists of: online material introducing the basics of undergraduate teaching in Cambridge; a face-to-face workshop, that is based on discussions and group activities; and follow-up online material that consolidates what you have learned so far.

By the end of this course you will know:

• the purpose of supervisions at Cambridge
• how to deal with common supervision scenarios
• how to provide effective feedback
• the practicalities of starting to supervise

Topics covered:

Stage 1 – Online

• Introduction to supervising (including what supervisions are, format, preparing for them)
• Background information for those who need it (British education system, Cambridge undergraduate system)

Stage 2 - Face-to-face workshop

• Role of a supervisor
• Dealing with different supervision scenarios
• Departmental information

Stage 3 – Online

• Summary of what you have learnt
• Practical tips and advice
• Resources for ongoing support and information

This workshop will examine how you can make the most of conferences as an environment to strategically network and build research connections. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is an old cliché, but it’s particularly true in research where over (reportedly) 90% of jobs go to a candidate who is already known to the employer prior to the recruitment process.

What are transferable skills, why are they important and how do you know which ones to develop? This course gives you the chance to find out the answer to all these questions and more. It is also your chance to have input into the types of training you would like to spend your time on and speak to the people who could help develop them.

What are transferable skills, why are they important and how do you know which ones to develop? This course gives you the chance to find out the answer to all these questions and more. It is also your chance to have input into the types of training you would like to spend your time on and speak to the people who could help develop them.

What are transferable skills, why are they important and how do you know which ones to develop? This course gives you the chance to find out the answer to all these questions and more. It is also your chance to have input into the types of training you would like to spend your time on and speak to the people who could help develop them.

What are transferable skills, why are they important and how do you know which ones to develop? This course gives you the chance to find out the answer to all these questions and more. It is also your chance to have input into the types of training you would like to spend your time on and speak to the people who could help develop them.

What are transferable skills, why are they important and how do you know which ones to develop? This course gives you the chance to find out the answer to all these questions and more. It is also your chance to have input into the types of training you would like to spend your time on and speak to the people who could help develop them.

What are transferable skills, why are they important and how do you know which ones to develop? This course gives you the chance to find out the answer to all these questions and more. It is also your chance to have input into the types of training you would like to spend your time on and speak to the people who could help develop them.

What are transferable skills, why are they important and how do you know which ones to develop? This course gives you the chance to find out the answer to all these questions and more. It is also your chance to have input into the types of training you would like to spend your time on and speak to the people who could help develop them.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used personality instrument worldwide, based on over 50 years’ research and development.

It presents a framework for understanding how you operate, how others operate, and how you can use that understanding to get more from yourself and the relationships you have with others.

This workshop is led by a qualified MBTI practitioner and will involve taking the MBTI questionnaire, and self-assessment with group exercises so that participants:

• Understand the concept and theories behind the MBTI types and the process to obtain a personal profile
• Use the self-assessed and reported types to determine their best fit MBTI type (or as close as possible)
• Can use their MBTI knowledge in activities relating to real world applications such as communication and understanding differences

Topics:

• MBTI questionnaire
• MBTI history, background, and theory of type
• Self-assessment through the exploration of the four areas of MBTI
• Questionnaire scoring
• Finding best fit and exploring own type
• Ethics of MBTI
• Applications of MBTI
• MBTI dynamics
• Exploration of mental functions
• Q & A

The overall aim of these one-to-one sessions is to help you identify the skills you would like to develop to be more effective both during and after your PhD. Topics covered include: evaluating your current skill levels; identifying the areas you wish to focus on to create a tailored development plan.

The overall aim of these one-to-one sessions is to help you identify the skills you would like to develop to be more effective both during and after your PhD. Topics covered include: evaluating your current skill levels; identifying the areas you wish to focus on to create a tailored development plan.

The overall aim of these one-to-one sessions is to help you identify the skills you would like to develop to be more effective both during and after your PhD. Topics covered include: evaluating your current skill levels; identifying the areas you wish to focus on to create a tailored development plan.

The overall aim of these one-to-one sessions is to help you identify the skills you would like to develop to be more effective both during and after your PhD. Topics covered include: evaluating your current skill levels; identifying the areas you wish to focus on to create a tailored development plan.