Principles of evaluation

Mid-term Evaluation of Doctoral School PhD Students

In the middle of the educational period at the Doctoral School, the implementation of the individual research plan is subject to mid-term evaluation.

Rules for Conducting the Mid-term Evaluation

Based on Articles 202–203 of the Act of July 20, 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science (consolidated text, Journal of Laws of 2023, item 742) and § 7 of Resolution No. 31/2023 of the Senate of the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce dated April 27, 2023, on the adoption of the Regulations of the Doctoral School of the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce:

A PhD student is removed from the list of doctoral students in the event of:
– a negative result of the mid-term evaluation;
– failure to submit the doctoral dissertation within the timeframe specified in the individual research plan;
– resignation from education;
– failure to commence education;
– violation of the prohibition referred to in Article 200(7) of the Act;
– disciplinary punishment of expulsion from the doctoral school.

In agreement with the supervisor or supervisors, the PhD student develops an individual research plan, which includes, in particular, a schedule for preparing the doctoral dissertation and presents it to the entity running the doctoral school within 12 months from the start of education. In the case of appointing an auxiliary supervisor, the plan is presented after being reviewed by that supervisor.

The mid-term evaluation is conducted by a committee approved by the School Council upon the director’s request. The supervisor, supervisors, and auxiliary supervisor cannot be members of the committee conducting the mid-term evaluation of the PhD student they supervise.

The committee consists of three persons:
1. A person with the degree of habilitated doctor or the title of professor in the discipline in which the PhD student is preparing the dissertation, employed at the University, as the chairperson;
2. A person with the degree of habilitated doctor or the title of professor in the discipline in which the PhD student is preparing the dissertation, employed at the University;
3. A person with the degree of habilitated doctor or the title of professor in the discipline in which the PhD student is preparing the dissertation, employed outside the University, considering the exceptions provided for in the Act (Article 190(5)).

A PhD student delegated by the University Doctoral Student Council may participate in the committee’s work as an observer, without the right to vote.

The PhD student submits a mid-term report on the implementation of the individual research plan to the director, covering the first and second years of education in the Doctoral School, in both paper and electronic forms, along with documents listed as attachments in the report template, such as:
– List of publications with full bibliographic details, including ISBN, ISSN, DOI numbers (documented in the form of photocopies/scans of scientific articles, monographs, chapters in monographs, or publisher confirmations of accepted publications).
– List of conferences, poster sessions (documented by information about the conference from the website, confirmation of active participation).
– Confirmation of internship completion.
– Confirmation of participation in the organization of a scientific conference.
– Confirmation of submission of a research funding application to an external institution or the agreement number for the grant or a portfolio containing the publication of artistic activities.
– Confirmation of receiving research funds from the University.
– Confirmation of participation in scientific or artistic projects.
– Description of research queries.
– Photocopies of documents confirming the acquisition of competencies, e.g., certificates, participation in training/courses.
– List of other activities.
– Multimedia presentation containing the plan of the doctoral dissertation, discussion of research issues, and research methods.

Documents in paper form (bound in a soft cover) and electronic form (in one PDF file) should be submitted in the following order:
1. Title page with PhD student data.
2. Mid-term report.
3. Printout of the multimedia presentation.
4. List of publications.
5. List of scientific activities:
– conferences,
– poster sessions,
– internships,
– conference organization,
– research projects (research funding applications to external institutions or portfolio containing the publication of artistic activities: research funds from the University),
– research queries,
– courses, training,
– others.
6. Description of artistic activities along with the list of activities.
7. Confirmations of organizational activities for the academic community and popularization of science.

The electronic documentation medium is returned to the PhD student, and its copies are permanently deleted after the PhD student receives a positive mid-term evaluation or the decision to remove them from the list of doctoral students becomes final in the case of a negative result of this evaluation.

The deadline for submitting the report referred to in section 10 is set by the Doctoral School director by regulation, no later than two months before the planned date of the mid-term evaluation.

The PhD Student Affairs Section informs the PhD student about the date and place of the committee meeting for the mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the individual research plan.

The committee conducts the mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the individual research plan based on:
1. The individual research plan;
2. The mid-term report on the implementation of the individual research plan;
3. An interview with the PhD student.

During the interview, the PhD student presents a multimedia presentation containing the plan of the doctoral dissertation, discussion of research issues, research methods, and answers questions from the committee.

The committee’s evaluation includes:
– Timeliness of plan implementation;
– The progress of work on the dissertation;
– Completed research or artistic tasks;
– The PhD student’s scientific or artistic and organizational activity.

The committee evaluates each of the criteria listed in section 15 individually, formulating the result of the criterion evaluation as positive or negative.

The mid-term evaluation – determined based on the evaluation of individual criteria mentioned in section 15 – ends with a positive or negative result. The evaluation requires the committee’s justification.

The committee documents the evaluation by preparing a mid-term evaluation protocol for the implementation of the individual research plan. The protocol template is attached as Annex No. 6 to these Regulations.

The committee’s evaluation is final.

The results of the evaluation are announced by the director of the Doctoral School.

The results of the mid-term evaluation, along with the justification, are public.

The amount of the doctoral scholarship (without the increase due to the possession of a disability degree) is:
– 37% of the professor’s salary – until the month in which the mid-term evaluation was conducted;
– 57% of the professor’s salary – after the month in which the mid-term evaluation was conducted.