BUP Master Thesis Training 2023
The Master Thesis Training (MTT) is an opportunity for master students to get supervision from an expert from a BUP participating university. Moreover, it provides an opportunity to get feedback from other students in the region, build connections with other students, and become better acquainted with other academic perspectives in an interdisciplinary and intercultural environment. This training offers an interdisciplinary learning experience, with sustainability as a shared concept.
Objectives of the training
The MTT aims towards giving master students from the BUP member countries the possibility to meet and discuss scientific problems with a focus on sustainability in an interdisciplinary, international, multicultural, and regional context. In this way, students will also get the opportunity to become acquainted with other universities and their scientific traditions. The training program will be based on an interdisciplinary approach.
This international training enriches the students’ perspectives on sustainability with experiences and perspectives from other disciplines and other countries. The training thus serves as a platform for a common understanding of regional challenges and possibilities and opens avenues for future cooperation on these issues.
Photo: Pontus Ambros
Evaluation of the event
Students evaluation
During the event we had 22 students that took part. We received 19 answers in the evaluation. The evaluation was sent to the students at the end of the MTT and reminders were also sent out.
The students enjoyed the presentations and getting to know students from different countries and academic backgrounds. The individual supervision with an expert was the part of the program that the majority of the students apprieciated the most, along with feedback from the other students.
As part of the BUP's commitment to continuous improvement, some ways to further develop the MTT are to share an overview of the program and the practical information earlier, and possibly host the event later during the semester. For next time there could be some changes in how the presentations are given, one suggestion is to have more groups for the presentations which would also lead to more time for feedback and discussions.
Supervisor evaluation
During the event we had 8 supervisors that took part. We received 7 answers in the evaluation. The evaluation was sent to the experts after the MTT and a reminder was also sent out.
The experts felt that the students were receptive to their feedback and input and that they were able to make a positive contribution to the students work. The most apprieciated parts of the MTT for the supervisors was the time they got to spend and work with the students and to see the amount of work the students put into their theses. The experts enjoyed working in an international team and they were impressed by the students acheivements and work ethics.
Something that can be developed for next years MTT is which students and experts get paired together, so that the themes are close to the experts areas of expertise. One suggestion for improving the MTT was to shorten the presentations or have more time for questions and discussions connected to the presentations. Something else that was brought up was to include more guidelines regarding what kind of feedback the supervision is supposed to include.
Participant evaluations
- The students gave the event a 9,2/10 overall rating
- The supervisors gave the event a 9,6/10 overall rating
- A majority of the students thought that the event was helpful in terms of improving their thesis
- All supervisors were interested in being invited to future BUP events
- The students gave the communication with the BUP staff during the event a 9,8/10 overall rating
- The supervisors gave the communication with the BUP staff during the event a 9,7/10 overall rating
Voices of participants
Wojciech Małolepszy - Participant from Warsaw School of Economics (SGH)
Before attending, I hoped that the event would be a great opportunity to refine my master's thesis and receive valuable guidance and insights from experts in the field. I also anticipated the opportunity to connect with individuals who share a passion for sustainability.
The Master Thesis Training offered a unique opportunity for knowledge acquisition, sparking inspiration, and promoting engaging discussions. It was great to be surrounded by a diverse group of like-minded people with different perspectives on sustainability. Both the seminars and the time we spent together afterward were really enjoyable.
I will bring home three things: newfound friendships, a wealth of insights on my research topic, and a stack of resources to continue my learning journey. I’m going back full of enthusiasm and inspiration, ready to implement the knowledge and ideas I’ve acquired in my academic endeavours.
Images from the MTT
Photo: Minerva Serrano Martinez
During the MTT each student had one on one time with their supervisors and received feedback on their thesis.
Photo: Minerva Serrano Martinez
The students were divided into groups where they all gave a presentation of their thesis.
Photo: Pontus Ambros
There was time for the students to revise and add information to their thesis during the event, for instance when another student was getting their supervision.