Work Structure and Teaching Methods
Candidates will be exposed to a wide range of teaching forms, including lectures, group work, seminars and self-study. In the coursework component, teaching is largely based on a combination of lectures, seminars by visiting researchers and the candidates themselves, as well as discussions and practical work in smaller groups. Candidates will give oral presentations and write reports, essays and research papers in all courses offered by the programme. Furthermore, candidates will conduct reviews of papers, and provide assessments of oral presentations by fellow PhD candidates.

PhD candidates will be members of one of the research groups and are expected to participate actively in scientific discussions at meetings and seminars organized by their group. They will take part in research group meetings where the daily work of the research group is discussed and planned. In these meetings, PhD candidates typically contribute with short presentations of work in progress and receive feedback on rehearsals of workshop and conference presentations. The midterm evaluation of the candidates is also organized during research group meetings.

The PhD candidates participate in a weekly lunch seminar for all faculty members and PhD candidates, during which they present their research work to a broader audience. The seminars include presentations by faculty members and visiting researchers. PhD candidates also participate in the PhD forum, which is a learning arena with seminars on professional, practical and psychosocial matters and includes relevant updates from the programme candidates. The PhD forum meets every other month and is led by a PhD student or someone else from the programme board. Each semester’s programme is created in collaboration with PhD candidates and one of the main purposes of the PhD forum is to support the candidates through a holistic approach.

Candidates will also regularly attend national and international scientific workshops and conferences that will allow for collaboration and interaction with researchers from other institutions. Candidates typically attend one or more PhD summer/winter schools related to their research project topic. Additionally, the candidates will be trained in communication to the general public through media, by drawing upon the resource of the department of research communication. Typically, can novel research findings from preliminary results during studies, or a condensed presentation of the PhD thesis before the public defence be good candidates for public dissemination.

The candidate’s research project work will be based largely on self-study under individual supervision and address a broad spectrum of the programme’s learning outcomes. This will involve literature studies, as well as theoretical and practical work. Candidates are entitled to 210 hours of supervision in relation to their research project. These hours of supervision include preparation, discussion with the candidate and any follow-up tasks from the main and co-supervisor.

The focus of individual supervision is the following:

To ensure the academic development of the candidate in terms of skills and independence in research and writing, as well as timely scientific progress on their PhD project in accordance with the rules and regulations of the programme.
For the coursework component, the main supervisor provides advice on courses and PhD summer/winter schools to ensure that the candidate obtains the required background to carry out the PhD project.
Supervision includes guidance on the focus of the research project, on formulating hypotheses and delimiting the scope of the project, and on ensuring that the project is carried out with scientific integrity and in accordance with the established ethical norms of the research field. PhD candidates typically write several research papers over the course of their project in addition to the thesis itself. For the writing of research papers and thesis, the work form is typically iterative.
The supervisor(s) provide advice on structure and content and give feedback on draft versions of research papers. They advise on relevant literature and related work and give feedback and advice on oral presentations.

In many cases, the PhD candidate and the supervisor(s) (or other PhD candidates) also write joint research papers that further assist the candidate in obtaining the required skills in scientific writing. The supervision may also include risk management and the revision and change of original plans.

Supervision includes research field enculturation with advice given on workshops, conferences and journals for submission of papers and discussion on how to address feedback from reviewers’ reports in a professional and constructive manner. For workshops, conferences and journals, important factors are relevance in relation to the project and scientific quality. As part of enculturation, the supervisor(s) introduce PhD candidates to their international contact networks and thereby support them in planning international research visits and building their own network.
Another important component of supervision is increasing the candidate’s critical thinking ability and emancipation, which includes reflection and encouraging the candidate to set their own direction.
PhD supervision includes building up a professional and nurturing relationship with the candidate, as well as caring for psychosocial issues and coping with being a PhD candidate. If necessary, the supervisor may advise the candidate to seek a professional counselling service. PhD candidates are given admission to the students’ counselling services at Kristiania University College even if they are employed.

PhD candidates will be supervised by two representatives of academic staff at Kristiania University College, one of whom will be the main supervisor. In general, the main supervisor will have a full-time permanent position at Kristiania University College and will take primary academic responsibility for the candidate, including formal responsibility on matters related to their education and scientific. The candidate may apply to have one or more co-supervisors from other institutions when special competence in the PhD project is required. At least one co-supervisor from Kristiania University College must be assigned in the case of an external main supervisor. An important duty of the internal supervisor(s) is to ensure that the candidate shows good progress during their studies and becomes part of the research environment at Kristiania University College.

Assessment and Exams
The assessment and exams that form part of the coursework component are conducted in accordance with the regulations for studies and exams at Kristiania University College.
The assessment in the coursework component is a combination of seminar presentations and project reports. In many cases, the project reports will take the form of a research paper. Exams in courses that are part of the PhD programme are assessed by an internal and an external examiner. All courses in the programme are graded pass/no pass. For courses comprising multiple pass/fail components, a pass grade must be obtained on all components to receive a pass grade in the course.

Annual progress reports: the PhD candidate and the supervisor(s) must submit an annual report to the programme committee detailing progress on the coursework and the candidate’s research project, as well as a self-evaluation. The annual progress report will be followed up by a meeting that included the candidate and the supervisor(s) to assess progress and update the plan for studies.

Midterm evaluation: a midterm evaluation till take place approximately half-way through the PhD studies. For this evaluation, each candidate must provide a written midterm report documenting the progress made on coursework and the research project and give an oral presentation on the current state of the project and on plans and directions for the remaining parts. The purpose of the midterm report and presentation is to assess the scientific progress made in the coursework and the candidate’s research project. The midterm evaluation must be passed to be approved for continuing in the programme. The evaluation will be undertaken by a committee consisting of an internal and an external examiner. The examiners prepare an evaluation report based on the candidate’s written report and oral presentation and evaluate if the midterm is passed or not. If applicable, the report may specify any measures to be implemented to ensure satisfactory progress in the research project. The programme committee is responsible for monitoring that the recommendations from the midterm evaluation report are followed by the candidate.

The coursework component of the PhD work must be approved by the programme committee before the candidate can apply for assessment of their thesis. Assessment is carried out by an evaluation committee consisting of three members, and in accordance with the regulations for the PhD programme.

The PhD in Applied Information Technology is awarded based on:

a successful coursework component (pass of mandatory and elective parts);
an approved midterm evaluation;
an approved PhD thesis;
an approved trial lecture on a specified topic; and
an approved public defence of the thesis.

Assessment is carried out in accordance with the regulations of the PhD programme. The diploma will specify the thesis title and contain information about the coursework conducted.

Studieprogram PIT

Ph.d. i anvendt informasjonsteknologi