School of Education
APG status, examination and success
Hugh Busher
www.le.ac.uk
www.le.ac.uk
What this presentation covers
• What do we mean by the APG?
• What do you need to do to pass from APG
status to PhD?
• Writing the APG report
• How it is examined?
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What do we mean APG?
• Every Postgraduate research student begins at the
university as an Advanced Postgraduate Student
• This is a preparation stage for becoming a PhD
student.
• [It is equivalent to the taught programme of six
modules for EdD students]
• It is not automatically passed
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Why examine APG student progress
• Transfer from APG to a named research degree is an
important milestone for a student
• Your tutors (and the University) need to be convinced that you
can implement your study successfully and ethically
• there must be an honest assessment of a student’s
performance and potential that is fairly and rigorously
reached
• It is vital for both the student’s individual guidance and the
maintenance of good completion rates across the Graduate
School
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What is expected of APG students?
• Pass your APG transfer
– within 9-12 months of starting your studies if you are a full-time
student, or 21-24 months if a part-time student
• submit your thesis within the normal period of registration
– For PhD students, this is 3 years full‐time and 6 years for part‐time.
• Requests for Extending the APG Period
• If the department is concerned that a student is not making satisfactory
progress a recommendation can be made to extend the APG period.
• This should only be considered in exceptional circumstances and the
extension should not usually exceed three months for full-time students
and six months for part-time students.
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Being a responsible trainee researcher!
• Student responsibilities are set for all Research Students at
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/current/handbook
• Attendance is an essential requirement. Full‐time students must reside in
Leicester or within easy commuting distance of the city for the duration of
each term, and all students are normally required to attend specified
lectures, seminars, and other formal classes
• Full‐time student are required to attend the research methods training
classes and your supervision sessions with your main supervisor.
• Blackboard offers a provision for part-time students
• Full‐time students/ Term‐time employment: Full‐time students are
expected to undertake a full week’s work of at least 40 hours on their
studies or whatever is needed to complete their studies in 3 years.
• Paid employment during term‐time should not exceed 15 hours per week.
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The supervisory system
• In line with the University’s current policies, the School of
Education has a ‘Thesis Committee’ for all APG/PhD students,
• This meets with the student twice a year, for full-time
students, and includes the first and second supervisor and the
PG(PhD) tutor or his/her nominee
• Main supervisor carries primary responsibility for supervision
• Second supervisor helps the main supervisor and may
occasionally give academic advice to the student when
requested by the main supervisor
– [On the EdD second supervisors are also the first markers of students’
assignments on the taught part of the programme]
• PG Tutor (or nominee) is involved in monitoring progress but
is independent of the supervisory team
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Your main supervisor’s functions:
• Full time Doctoral students normally have around 15 one hour
tutorials per year (one every 2 to 3 weeks) face‐to‐face as well
as email/ telephone contact with a student,
• This is to advise a student on planning, reading and general
progress of their research.
• Supervisors also provide written feedback on partial drafts of
preparatory papers for the APG Report and on draft chapters
of your thesis
• Part‐time students receive pro rata support, assuming that
part-time is equivalent to half‐time. They may expect to have
contact with their first supervisors at least nine times a year
by email, telephone, as well as face‐to‐face
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What do you need to do to pass
from APG status to PhD?
• To begin at the beginning:
Registration
• It is important that you register as a student with the
Graduate Office, the Library, and the Computer Centre as
early as possible.
• Only once you have completed this will you have access to the
computer and library facilities that you will need for your
studies. There is some guidance registration at
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/forms.
• NOTE: students have to re-register each academic year if they
wish to remain on the programme
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Taking control of the APG process
• Familiarise yourself with guidance relevant to your studies, e.g. the
University’s Handbook and Regulations for Research Students.
http://www.le.ac.uk/gradschool/support.htm
• Discuss with your supervisor any issues you have, even if they seem trivial,
the type of guidance and comments you find especially helpful.
• Keep notes of all your discussions in your research diary
• Agree a mutually convenient schedule of meetings with your supervisor
and attend your supervision sessions punctually.
• Keep in regular contact with your supervisor and/ or the PhD office.
• Maintain and sustain the progress of work in accordance with the stages
agreed with your supervisor, in particular the prompt presentation of draft
material written in good, clear English.
• Expect to do a full week’s work of at least 40 hours on your studies or
whatever it takes to complete your Doctoral studies in three years.
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Identify your research training needs
• Analyse what research training you need in the light of the
focus of your proposed thesis – discuss this with your
supervisor
• Attend appropriate research methods training courses and
programmes provided for you
• To pass your APG examination you will need to show:
a)
your student’s training needs analysis (training passport etc.) as
agreed by the thesis committee (or equivalent) upon the
commencement of studies.
b) that your training has now been completed successfully, as agreed.
•
[On the EdD students have to pass the thesis proposal at at least Grade B to
progress to the thesis
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Construct an APG report
This is a written report that, in the School of Education, is 6000 – 8000 words
long. It should include a discussion of:
• The purposes of your proposed research and its importance
• the relevant literature (properly referenced) to construct a conceptual
framework
• the Key Research Questions
• the research design and methodology (properly referenced) including any
ethical issues
And also:
• A Reference Section
• The feasibility of your proposed research
– access to necessary sites; time /resources needed for the study
• a realistic timetable for completing the study in the normal period of
registration
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Developing your APG report (1)
• Write a series of draft papers to construct the different sections of your
APG report
• Show each of these in turn to your supervisor and get feedback on them
• Listen carefully to the views of your supervisor. He/she has been
appointed to supervise you as an expert in your field
• 0‐3 months:
• Complete your research methods audit form to help you plan your
research methods training and share it with your supervisor.
• Write a brief paper stating why you have chosen the thesis topic you
have, why it is important and what they hope to achieve by it (its
purposes/ objectives) (max 3000 words).
• Write a literature search that explains clearly how they have searched a
recent and relevant range of bibliographic sources, and what they have
found. (discussion of max 1500 words plus appropriate reading list)
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Developing your APG report (2)
• 3‐6 months:
• Write a literature review that begins to construct the main conceptual
framework of their thesis and clarify the main research questions of the
thesis. Use the objectives of the thesis to structure this (max 5000 words).
• 6‐9 months:
• An outline discussion of the proposed methodology of the thesis, that
reflects a student’s choice of ontology and epistemology to meet the
purposes of the study and guide the selection of appropriate methods of
data collection and analysis (max 5000 words).
• 9‐12 months:
• write the APG report of 6000‐8000 words, as a distillation of what you
have constructed already.
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Structuring your APG report
three main sections:
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Research Method
followed by:
• Feasibility
• Timetable
• References
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Introduction
• Background information
–
–
–
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What is the context of the study?
What is your role in/ knowledge of the context?
What is it that has prompted you to choose the topic?
Why are you setting the study in this specific context?
• Topic of your research
• Purpose
– Why do you wish to conduct the research?
– What do you hope to achieve?
• Importance of the research
• Objectives or provisional Research Questions
– What, exactly, are you trying to find answers to?
• Outline of the rest of the report
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Literature Review
Concepts and terms explained/defined
– What are the key constructs in your study?
– What precisely do you mean by them, and how does that relate to what
– other researchers mean?
Conceptual Framework
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
What other research is there on your topic or related topics?
Are there differences or controversies in the field?
Are there trends (e.g. towards a constructivist approach…)?
What is your own position?
How do research questions and findings of previous research relate to
your own study (e.g. are you filling a gap, conducting parallel research,
expanding or improving on prior research…)?
Main themes emerging on which the thesis will focus
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Research Methods
•
•
•
•
•
Main Research Questions
Paradigm
Research Design
Methodology
Ethical considerations
For more detail: School of Education PhD Student handbook Appendix 2
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the APG transfer process
• The Graduate Office will contact your department about your transfer
from APG status 9 months after a Fulltime student begins her/ his studies
or 21 months after a part‐time student begins her / his.
• Your department will require you to produce a progress report which is
examined by at least two members of the academic staff including your
supervisor.
• You will also attend an oral examination or present a departmental
seminar on your report.
• The assessment of your report will form the basis of the formal
recommendation to the Board of Graduate Studies on your transfer to a
named research degree (MPhil or PhD).
• This must be made before a full‐time student begins her / his second year
of studies, or the third year for part‐time students.
• Once the Board of Graduate Studies has approved the recommendation
you will receive confirmation from the Graduate Office.”
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oral examination:
• you will be examined by interview with your supervisor and at
least one other member of the academic staff
• Usually you will be asked to make a presentation to the
examiners about the main aspects of your thesis shown in
your APG report
• The questions asked will relate mainly to the written progress
report previously submitted and read by both examiners.
• The examination will not normally exceed 45‐60 minutes.
• You will be judged on the quality of your answers to the
questions in terms of clarity, relevance, subject/topic
knowledge and critical insight.
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