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Oh shoot, my first answer disappeared to cyberspace. Oh well, better luck this time.
I'm doing my PhD research at the Finnish Environmental Institute and currently I'm the only PhD student in my unit. Makes me feel a bit awkward at times because I feel people are expecting me to know more than I actually do although I only started my studies two months ago. Research planning and cost estimation are most interesting topic at the moment so any information about that would be most welcomed.

Breakfast and lunch meetings are obviously not possible for me but if online participation to writing clinic would be possible, I'd be the first one to join. I have always wanted to have a study group with my peers but so far no luck.

As a distant learner I'd appreciate if more online courses would be offered in environmental sciences and biology. Those courses could have online discussion tasks, making a feel of really belonging to a group. This worked very well in Turku open university in previous years. Also online meetings with peers would be a good idea.

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I am doing my PhD research at the Finnish Environmental Institute and currently I'm the only PhD student in my unit. It feels people are actually expecting me to know more than I do, forgetting I have only just started my studies less than two months ago. Makes me feel stupid and frustrated. Luckily I'm not afraid to open my mouth and say it. Planning research and estimating the costs is a topic most interesting to me now.

Lunch and breakfast meetings wouldn't work for me but I'd be very interested in participating writing clinics if online participation would be possible.

I suggest online meetings for PhD students, discussion groups, Yammer, Facebook. Luckily I'm very good at networking but support from peers would still be a valuable assess

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Topical issues in my PhD studies:
- Getting my doctoral studies and my research started, getting to know the relevant information regarding e.g. publishing processes, seminars, good scientific practice, acquiring funding. I'm worried about the working life relevance of my PhD studies, and the actual benefits received via doctoral degree in my field, compared to the effort given to the studies.

Lunch & breakfast meets/writing clinics:
-  I think this is a good idea, but I would include the opportunity for people to participate also from distance.

For distant learners:
- Group works though different kinds of platforms e.g. moodle and skype.
- Maybe held a meetings, where distant students can participate and discuss with the lecturers and with each other.

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Topical issues:

- Managing the studies and organizing different phases of the studies and research efficiently
- Information about the process of publication of articles

- What to do when / if encountering problems with getting on with the studies / research

- After graduation? Career options and what can I do already during my studies to facilitate them.

- The protocol of the PhD studies, dissertation and the defence: how does the system go.

Meetings and writing clinics:

- I think writing clinics would be beneficial. They could also be only web-based and thus more flexible with students' varying time tables.

- Breakfast / lunch meetings are a nice idea in theory but will they actually work on a bigger scale?

Interactivity for distant learners:

- Groups works and discussions, giving feedback to other students and receiving it in moodle-based courses.

- Well organized interesting meetings regularly so that distant learners are drawn to attend.

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Topical issues in the beginning of PhD studies:
-writing grant applications, how to estimate reasonable costs?
-writing article
-career planning
-sheduling the studying while working or not working

I would brefer distant learning clinics and video lessons with assignments, as my location is few hundred kilometers from Kuopio.

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Relevant and topical issues:

Getting further with my research and not getting stuck, no major problems so far. Writing an article will likely be next major thing to learn.

I have guaranteed funding for the near future, so I do not need to worry about it. Might be relevant at some point in the future though.

What happens after graduation is still pretty much unclear, but I will have several years to think about it.

Lunch and breakfast meets / Writing clinics:

They will probably work with people who like having contact meetings and peer support. I would likely not have much interest in them.

Scheduling may be a problem since finding times suitable for many people is difficult. Depends on how large the groups would be.

Developing interactivity for distant learners:

Web-based oral conversations similar to contact sessions of some other courses could work.

Maybe arrange meetings for distant studiers who study outside the university towns.

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Topical issues:
- Regulation of funding, salary, grants, taxes, Mela.
- Budgeting, tendering.
- How to write a peer review.
- Work options are after defending? Could current UEF professors/scientists/company representatives come to talk about their daily work?
- How to find interesting courses that are organized abroad and how to get there.
- Supervising students and master's thesis process.

Increasing interactivity:
- Nice common events. For example having overnight winter school at Tahko instead of couple of hours at Musiikkikeskus.
- I liked Research Ethics web course, since the tasks included commenting and giving feedback for two other students.
This gave valuable feedback and raised discussion.

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Funding is a good topic to talk about. I would also like to learn more about time management.

There are many good ideas about increasing interactivity in this site. I think that regular meetings are important.

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Topics I suggest to include in this course would be like: How to co-operative/interact with supervisors, view from PhD perspective. Networking with people, and what it really means. Doing research as PhD student, what are expectations and duties. More about research information channels. How to process own career during PhD studies and how to link it to life after PhD studies.                                          Topical issue as a doctoral student would be like writing process and publication process info. Different kind of writing courses and meetings are important. Example breakfast meeting would be really helpful. It would be also helpful to talk with PhD students from different doctoral programms.                       Interactivity and sense to belonging could be possible to increase with different kind of open meetings like breakfast meetings or afternoons coffee breaks. Opportunity to listen records afterwards also increase  sense of belonging.

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If there was a forum for PhD students to share their research work (similar
to research gate) that would be great. It'd be find to find collaborators.

Breakfast/Lunch meet up sounds good as well.

A central portal for Doctorate Conferences for each discipline would also be beneficial.

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Earlier ideas are good.
I´d like to work  more in net connection.
Breakfast and lunch meetings would be nice, but I´m sorry I can´t take part in those. I`m  a distant student.
Developing interactivity for distant students: I prefer meeting rooms in Moodle and also Skype conversations. We are quit a lot students who are still working at the same time and who have left work behind. So we are lifelong learners or students. Maybe we are not planning career more, but making life and study interesting.Anyway, I don´t mind to learn from younger students.
Paula Tuomikoski

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I think there are good courses for different parts in my studies in weboodi. I would like that all courses for autumn is ready in weboodi in august. It's hard to organize studies, work and family-life if new courses are coming every week.

Lunch and breakfast meets sounds good. I can't take part of those because I'm not in Joensuu, Kuopio or Savonlinna.

Interactivity would be better if all the seminars would be in LIFESIZE CLOUD CLIENT in the same time in web and campuses. It would be easier to teke part of discussions and have sense of belonging.

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Relevant and topical issues:
-Plan after PhD
-How to write an excellent research plan, application of funding.
Lunch and breakfast meet/ writing clinic:
I like this idea as we can share a talk of our experience and challenges that we are facing.

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- Earlie ideas are all good.
- For now I`m interested funding applications, future opportunities.
- Breakfast and lunch meetings sounds good, but for distance students like me it´s not working
- Developing interactivity for distance student: meeting room in Moodle sounds good. Skype -conversations in small groups could also work for some scheduled module and with an assignment there.

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Relevant and topical issues:
- Peer review process: how to write a good response, how to write good reviews
- Different kind of challenges that we encounter as PhD students (time management,  how to handle major workloads, exhaustion, problem solving)

Lunch and breakfast meets/writing clinics:
Not that keen to this idea of lunch or breakfast meets.

Developing interactivity:
As other mentioned already it would be nice to hear the discussions as I think that those are the moments when you mostly learn now things.

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- More flexible choices for distant studying
- using AC-rooms as counselling
- funding proposal? HELP.
- Lunch&breakfast meetings? = not for me
-welcoming event ok

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Relevant and topical issues:
-How to write good research plans, academic resumes, funding applications, etc. What to include and what to leave out?
-Information on grant and funding sources that are open and/or specifically target doctoral students.
-The peer review process. How to write reviews for scientific journals?

Lunch and breakfast meets/writing clinics:

-These are not for me.

Ideas to develop interactivity:

-Part of the exercises could be in the middle of the recordings. In this way, a distant learner can pause the tape and participate in a similar fashion as the other students.

-It would also be nice to hear part of the discussion that was held when the different answers/suggestions were introduced to the class.

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Topic ideas
- where to find funding and how to write good grant applications
- future opporturnities for example someone to tell about their career after dissertation.

Finding course information and making a schedule is a bit challenging since there are lot of web pages to look for (weboodi, moodle etc). Lukari was hard to find and not all the courses are in there.

A lot of interactivity and sense of belonning is based on ones own activity. Even though it's hard work to get to know all new people, one must be openminted and willing to do so. That's the only way to find people to connect with, ask help for and mentor you.

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1. Possible funding resources, and how to write an excellent research plan and funding proposal
2. Future opportunities after PhD  (I would like to hear useful tips for students especially in EPHB programme)
3. Possibilities to take courses in other Finnish universities
4. I would also like to hear about tenure track system, even though it is not a current topic for me right now.

Curriculum is OK, (I managed to find all the information needed from websites and WebOodi), but it would be a lot easier if you could find all the information in the same place. (I prefer paperbacks!)

For me, webinars work fine. I would be interested to join welcoming event and/or lunch meetings in Joensuu!

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- where to apply funding when doing post graduate studies alongside work (to make study leave possible)?
- how to write a good funding proposal?
- clear curriculum early enough, not a "drop by drop" during the academic year --> makes planning ones studies easier and ore goal-oriented
- supervision

Lunch & breakfast meetings: nice idea, however, not possible for those distant studying and learning

Interactivity for distant learners:
- e-leraning platform, that is used in every course, may it be moodle or other, it should include "ac-rooms", witch could be used as meeting room for those distant learning

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- funding
- How to handle stress and pressures

-How to work effectively under stress?
-future opportunities after PhD
-Evening meetings would be better for me (Mari Lahnalampi)

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-Funding and time management
grant appilications
-language courses for international students
-more courses on the doctoral studies as a whole
more clearer websites
-professor and supervisor should be more involved
-how to combine studies and work

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- future
- what to do after phd
- time management problems
- supervision
- like breakfast or lunch idea

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-more clear curriculum, which studies can be included into "general studies" and which courses into the studies on one's research field

-more clear list in the WebOodi on the courses that could be included in doctoral studies, and which are contact courses or which are suitable for distance learners

-Distance learners: webinars are fine, and group discussions

-information on the publishing process, writing and publishing articles

-general information on funding, how to apply for grants

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- Funding & how to write a good proposal
- Common activities welcome
- Work places outside academia - How to get there? Visits to research centers and other potential workplaces /internship
- Tenure track system
- Tutors / welcoming event for new students