The bespoke system has been designed to enable efficient and paperless processes for the PhD programme at Ulster.
The key users of the system will be the Supervisors, the PhD Researchers, Doctoral College staff and Unit of Assessment and Faculty administrative staff. Importantly, PhD Manager will replace all paper-based processes.
The Key Functions and Benefits of PhD Manager
Single point of information for all those involved in PhD administration. Each Supervisor and PhD Researcher, as well as administrative staff, has a Dashboard with all relevant information. It will also highlight forthcoming deadlines and tasks.
Online processes for the key milestones and interactions in the PhD journey:
- Supervisor Meetings (arrange and record outcomes of meetings)
- Initial Assessment
- Training and Development Records
- Annual Review
- Confirmation Assessment
- Final Assessment
- Thesis Submission
- Examinations
- Viva arrangements
- Change requests e.g. Study Away, Change of Mode of Study, Leave of Absence, Change of Title, Extensions etc.
Dedicated area for Training and Development for PhD Researchers and also viewable by Supervisors
- Calendar of Training Events
- Enhanced Booking System
- Online Training Needs Analysis
- Online Training Plan linked to Training Needs Analysis
- Online Training Log, recording all training booked and attended
- Downloadable Certificates of Attendance
Support in Using the System
The system contains a considerable amount of built-in help and guidance in the guise of step-by-step guides which aim to show how to undertake each of the main functions in the system.
This is backed up by short training videos which cover all the key functions.
Many users will find this help and guidance sufficient to allow them to successfully navigate the system however, short training and awareness sessions will be announced shortly across all campuses to help explain the key features and functions.
Timeline
The system is now live and in the coming weeks we look forward to working with you on ensuring the accuracy of the data.
We are asking our PhD Researchers, Supervisors and relevant administrative colleagues to review and update us with your feedback.
Any new system will require some tweaks and updates will be rectified as soon as possible.
Transition from Using RS Forms to PhD Manager
It is important for you to discuss the transition with your PhD Researcher who will also be receiving similar communication.
The previous paper based processes will no longer be supported from 31 January 2019 and all those involved in PhD related administration will be required to use PhD Manager.
Getting Started
- Log into PhD Manager at https://phdmanager.ulster.ac.uk
- Bookmark the site so that you can find it again easily
- Familiarise yourself with the home screen and your dashboard
- Review the training guides and training videos which can be accessed via the ‘Guides’ option on the PhD Manager Home screen
- The help guides are structured by function and role.
- Review your details, including your PhD Researcher information and use the Help option in PhD Manager to report any errors or omissions
- Discuss PhD Manager with your PhD Researchers/Supervisors and agree how it is going to be used for Supervision meetings (there are functions for requesting and recording meetings / actions)
- Both PhD Researchers and Supervisors will be able to see the Training and Development records for each PhD
- Researcher (Training Needs Analysis, Training Plans, workshops booked, workshops attended etc)
- Consider adding PhD Manger to your Outlook calendar
- Monitor PhD Manager for tasks and actions