Probation looms

By the end of June I must submit a project report that includes:

• a viable research question
• a critical literature review which situates the proposed research
• a research proposal including an outline of proposed method(s) and a critical justification for them
• a work plan for the project.

And then I get a viva.

• I'm beginning to get the research question, something about engaging with consultants in order to get an effective contribution to a project.
• I've read a fair deal around the topic: consultants, clients, public sector including government literature, projects, IT projects, New Public Management, institutionalism, accountability, value engineering and risk. And I've written up on what I've read so my supervisors have some idea of what I've read and absorbed.
• Now I have to put together the research proposal, which I guess is to take case studies from public sector organisations and interview clients. It would be great if I could shadow a senior responsible officer. The critical justification for the method is in the theoretical framework.
• The work plan is not going to get much time from me. I wonder what they mean by it.
  

Probation report

As part of the methods conference for post graduate researchers we had a workshop on probation assessment. This sounds quite rigorous. Our director of studies gave us four components to it:

1. objective
2. process
3. preparation
4. outcomes
   

The objective is to demonstrate that you have the required skills to progress on to the PhD proper, i.e. that you comprehend what a PhD involves, that you have a critical grasp of the literature and an appropriate style in which you can frame a research question, the programme and methods you intend to use and outline a future work plan.

The process is from now till around June, although we don't register onto the PhD until October. The OUBS does the assessment in June

• a) in order to allow for time to correct if necessary and
  
• b) because there aren't people around in July and August to do the assessment.

Apparently at a viva two independent people from within the OU have an hour's discussion with you, assess the skills audit and the probation report, and your supervisors' responses to your report. Their advice feeds back to supervisors and the director of studies.

The preparation includes:

• doing the skills audit
• maintaining a training portfolio
• a presentation
• writing a probation report, which is a literature review along with methods and a plan
  

The possible outcomes are

• allowed on straight off,
  
• get it sorted during the summer,
  
• get suspended while you get it sorted,
  
• get told to withdraw, or
  
• get deregistered i.e, chucked off.