Peer Coaching Mid-way check in

Target Group

Participants of the peer coaching groups that started in April

We will check in and see how things are going. You will have a chance to compare notes and share best practices with the members of the other groups. Djahane will also provide short inputs based on your requests, such as time management, do's and don'ts of writing, setting smart goals, etc.

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Interested in Peer Coaching? The next groups will start in October.

What is a Peer Coaching Group?

Whether you are at the start of your Ph.D. journey or in the final leg, the 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 confirm these finding.

Comments from participants of the peer coching pilot program 2020 to the question about what they liked most about it:

"I really like that it helps me to stay in 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 occuring. 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."

"found it useful to see that every PhD has more or less the same problems with 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 (online for the time being) every two weeks on the same day and at the same time (TBD) throughout the semester. 

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) workshops throughout the semester.

 These sessions will bring all participants of the peer coaching program together.

Session 1 : Starting off. The focus of the first session is to get to know each other and learn how to structure/manage your group.

Session 2 : Mid-way check in. We will check in and see how things are going. You will have a chance to compare notes and share best practices with the members of the other groups. Djahane will also provide short inputs based on your requests, such as time management, do's and don'ts of writing, setting smart goals, etc. 

Session 3 : In the final workshop, we will take the time to review your past six months and make plans for the future.

Will we get support?

Dr. Djahane Banoo Salehabadi will support your group and make sure that your meetings are structured, effective, and efficient. She will also run the three workshops. Djahane is the managing director of the graduate school and a trained academic coach.  

Apart from these three workshops, your group will have 3 “credits” for sessions with Djahane. She can run an exercise for your group or give an input on a specific topic you’d like to learn more about.

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