NIG tutorials What is a tutorial? A tutorial (in Dutch: tutorschap) is a form of training that an individual Ph.D. student can arrange to satisfy his/her individual needs. It is part of the training programme, next to the courses we offer for groups of Ph.D. students. Each Ph.D. students has to take four tutorials. One tutorial should encompass about 120 hours of work per Ph.D. student (preparation, reading, meetings, writing, etcetera).
Most tutorials are taken by individual Ph.D.students and one tutor, but you can also take a tutorial with a couple of Ph.D. students at the same time and/or with more than one tutor. See below for some examples. What are possible topics for a tutorial? The choice of a topic strongly depends on your own interests and the research you are carrying out. For example, if you use a particular theory or research method you can consult the leading expert in The Netherlands in this field, by way of tutorial. You can agree to have a couple of meetings, discuss literature or texts you have written featuring the theory or method in question. You can also arrange to meet more than one expert, to get more views on the same topic.
An alternative format is to follow an existing course or summerschool to receive extra training in a particular field, theory or method. In that case, we will consider the course or summerschool to have equal value to a tutorial (‘waiver’).
Not all courses and summerschools will be up to NIG standards though, so please consult with the NIG office about the possibilities.
Some examples of tutorials are presented below, to give you some ideas for your own tutorials: - A Ph.D. student uses rational choice and game theory in his/her thesis. One of the NIG senior members is specialized in these theories. The Ph.D. student arranges three meetings to discuss these theories, how (s)he can best use them and then to discuss a draft of the theoretical chapter.
- A Ph.D. student is conducting research into the organizational culture of local governments and wants to know more about (1) the current literature on culture and (2) the current state of this field of research. (S)he contacts an expert in this field to discuss both topics. Based on the knowledge the Ph.D. student acquires during this tutorial, (s)he writes an overview of the field, to be submitted to an (international) journal.
- A Ph.D. student is using discourse analysis and would like to learn more about the techniques for this kind of analysis. A summerschool is offered. Taking the summerschool would count as one tutorial.
- A Ph.D. student wants to use interviews for his/her research, but is not certain which type of interviews (qualitative, semi-structured, Delphi) is most appropriate. The Ph.D. student contacts one or more tutors to have meetings about the specific characteristics of the proposed methods, their usefulness for his/her research and a discussion of some literature or an exercise with the different methods.
- A Ph.D student takes both the “Classics in Public Administration” and the “Political Science State of the Art” course from the NIG programme; one of these courses will be equal to one tutor (waiver).
- A Ph.D. student takes a full course in “Academic writing in English” offered at the university where (s)he works. Provided the study load is about 120 hours in total (preparation, sessions, follow-up), NIG will give a waiver for one tutorial.
How to organize a tutorial? First you have to list the topics you would like to know more about. Which question or problem do you want to find an answer to, or know more about? What kind of knowledge, skills and information could attribute to your own education and/or your thesis and research?
Next you need to find a tutor. You can check the list with NIG tutors (on the website) to see which senior member could be a tutor for your particular topic. On occasion it is possible to find a tutor who is not a NIG member; please consult with the NIG office to get permission. - Always contact the NIG office to check whether your proposed plan for a tutorial meets the requirements and fits with the objectives of the NIG training programme.
Upon our agreement, you can contact (or we will do so for you) the tutor and provided (s)he agrees, you can set up a first appointment to discuss a plan of action. Preferably, you will set a certain goal for your tutorial sessions, either personally or together with your tutor.
Afterwards you will need to evaluate whether the tutorial was effective in achieving that objective. NIG has a form to that end, which the tutor has to fill out (see the website). What role does the tutor play? It is important to be aware of the fact that a tutor is not an extra supervisor! The tutorial has to have additional value, next to regular supervision.
All NIG tutors and their tutor subjects are listed on the website. (Please check the information and inform the NIG office if changes have to be made).
A tutor is contacted by the NIG office or the Ph.D. student with a request to become a tutor. If the tutor has agreed with this request, a series of meetings has to be planned. Make sure that there is: - a clear plan,
- with planned meetings,
- a projected result
- and a deadline when the tutorial will be finished.
You can draw this plan up together, or ask the Ph.D. student to do so.
Afterwards, the tutor has to fill out an evaluation form. This form has to be sent to the NIG office for our administration; we will register that the Ph.D. student has taken a tutorial, and we will pay a fee to the tutor (840 euro).  To view the tutors and evaluation form: use Adobe Reader
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