Chair Professor Lixian Jin delivers third lecture on key elements in Ph.D. viva in postgraduate academic writing workshop series

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The Graduate School of City University of Macau recently organized the third lecture of the Postgraduate Academic Writing Workshop Series, titled “Key Elements in Ph.D. Viva: A Dialogue between You and Your Examiners,” as part of its commitment to providing quality postgraduate education. The lecture was held at the Cultural Centre on the Taipa campus and aimed to help postgraduate students improve their academic writing quality and ability to handle their oral defense well. The lecture was well-attended by over a hundred faculty and students.

Chair Professor Lixian Jin, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Acting Dean of the School of Education, delivered the lecture which focused on the Ph.D. viva, an oral defense that serves as a comprehensive demonstration of “educational cultivation” and students’ achievements during their course of studies. The lecture also highlighted the viva as a key platform for students to showcase their “research ability” and overall quality. During the lecture, Dean Jin explained how to initiate dialogue with the steering committee and fostered a lively exchange with them. She also highlighted six key elements by examining the definitions of “Doctorate,” “Ph.D. research,” and “Oral defense ability,” and pointed out eight key points that the steering committee may be concerned with. This information helped students better prepare for their upcoming oral defense.

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During the Q-and-A session, Dean Jin provided meticulous guidance to help students solve their puzzles and engage in lively discussion. Students praised the lecture for giving them better insights and inspiration into writing a thesis and handling the viva.