Peer Coaching Kick-off Session for New Participants

Target Group

Doctoral students who want to become a member of a Peer Coaching Group  (Onboarding Session)

Content:

Networking Lunch (12:30-13:30) 

The networking lunch brings together all existing and new members of the peer coaching program. We will do a quick networking game/exercise, followed by a free pizza lunch.

Onboarding session (13:30-15:00): 

• Presentation of Peer Coaching concept

• Tipps for Peer Coaching groups

• new members meet their peers and lay the groundwork for their group (establish meeting times, group norms, etc.), supported by Haifa.

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What is a Peer Coaching Group?

Whether you are at the start of your Ph.D. journey or in the final leg, your peer coaching group will keep you on track, give you momentum, and provide you with the support you need to complete your Ph.D. program successfully.

Studies show that students who regularly meet with a peer coaching group finish more quickly, produce better work, and are more likely to maintain balance and well-being during the dissertation writing process.   The overwhelmingly positive feedback from the participants of our peer coaching pilot program confirms these finding.

Comments from past participants:

"I really like that it helps me to stay on track with my bi-weekly smart goals. It has also been a nice space to share other things besides PhD stuff and to know the different challenges other colleagues have to go through."

"We do goal setting and discussing, which is great because it forces a focusing of the working process, which makes it easier to identify and talk about specific issues that are occurring. It's also great fun to see the others in their struggles and progress, and to sometimes being able to give them useful input myself."

"I found it useful to see that every PhD has more or less the same problems with a supervisor, writing, coauthors…"

"I certainly do benefit a lot, although the type of benefits changed considerably. At first, there was lots of skill-sharing and learning from each others' experiences and strengths. Having 'harvested' these resources, the benefit of our group for me now is rather connecting to other people in a similar situation and talking about how we feel etc."

How does it work?

If you decide to sign up, we will assign you to a group of 4-6 Ph.D. students. (You also have the option of forming your coaching group and applying to the program together).  

Your peer coaching group will meet every two weeks on the same day and at the same time throughout the semester.  You will decide as a group when and where you meet.

During these structured meetings, you will debrief on the last two weeks, set goals for the coming two weeks, ask questions, and share strategies that have helped you move forward.

In addition to the bi-monthly meetings, you will be required to attend three short (90 min) check-in sessions throughout the semester.

During these meet-up sessions, we will engage with a specific topic (e.g. time management strategies, managing collaborations, etc). You will have an opportunity to exchange with other peer coaching groups during these meet-ups.

 
Will we get support?

Dr. Haifa Debouk will support your group. You have 2 “credits” for sessions with Haifa. She can help you if you have trouble or give an input on a specific topic you’d like to learn more about.

Moreover, Haifa is available throughout the semester to answer any questions via email.

Please note: Peer Coaching Groups are only as strong as their members. Please only sign up for this offer if you can commit to attending every meeting for the entire semester.
 

Facilitators: Dr. Haifa Debouk and Esther Muschelknautz

Registration deadline: April 15, 2024

Registration: here

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