The evaluation group shall consist of at least two qualified individuals appointed by the programme committee.
The main supervisor should preferably suggest one of the two qualified readers. The suggestion can be sent to the following email address: phd-ds@hiof.no .
The mid-term evaluation is anchored in the college's PhD regulations:
§ 11-2. Mid-Term Evaluation
(1) A mid-term evaluation of the doctoral work should normally take place in the third or fourth semester. The faculty establishes guidelines for the content and form of the mid-term evaluation.
(2) The candidate shall present their work and be evaluated by a group of at least two persons appointed by the programme committee. The evaluation group shall assess the academic status and progress of the doctoral work and provide feedback to the candidate, supervisor, and programme committee.
(3) If the evaluation group reports significant weaknesses in the research work, measures shall be implemented to rectify the situation.
Conducting the Mid-Term Evaluation
The candidate prepares material for submission to the evaluation group at least three weeks before the evaluation takes place. The material should include the content of the dissertation thus far, such as:
- Completed sections/draft articles providing insight into the project
- Outlines for completion of remaining articles/chapters/sections
- A note with an overview of other relevant activities during the period or other essential information
- A proposed progress plan for the remainder of the fellowship period until the final result
The evaluation group reviews the submitted material before a partially open mid-term seminar is held. The seminar consists of an open part (for all attendees) and a closed part (for the candidate, supervisors, and evaluation group). Between two and three hours are allocated for the entire seminar.
During the open part of the seminar:
- The candidate briefly accounts for the project's status
- The evaluation group provides their comments
- An academic discussion is conducted where all participants in the evaluation can contribute
During the closed part of the seminar:
- Following the presentation and discussion, time is set aside for the candidate to discuss with the evaluation group without the supervisors present, and for the supervisors to discuss with the evaluation group without the candidate present
The seminar concludes with a review of the progress plan with all participants present.
The evaluation group writes a brief report in English, approximately half a page long, during the seminar. The report shall be sent to the PhD advisor, who forwards it to the candidate, supervisors, programme committee, and pro-dean for research, and archives it in the candidate's PhD education folder in P360 (archiving system).
If the evaluation group finds significant weaknesses in the research work, measures shall be implemented to rectify the situation. Measures are implemented by the supervisor in cooperation with the academic responsible for doctoral education and possibly the programme committee.