EDIC Annual report

After passing the candidacy exam, doctoral students must meet their thesis director (and co director if applicable) once a year to fill out an annual report. This is a good opportunity for the students to receive official feedback from their advisors. The information is entered in an online form that must be filled out first by the student, then by his/her director (and co director if applicable). The online tool will generate and send the final report in a PDF document.

In EDIC, it is due by October 30, every year.

The annual reports are reviewed by the EDIC Program Committee to make sure that all doctoral students are making satisfactory academic progress. A mid-term evaluation is required six months later for those who failed to get a satisfactory grade in the annual evaluation (April 30, every year).

Doctoral students starting their second year and those who are within three months of defending their thesis are exempt from filling an annual report.

Good to know

The WF below highlights the many steps required, so we strongly encourage you to plan the meetings with your thesis director (co-director if applicable) and your mentor ahead of time, to insure that your annual report is finished by the requested deadline.

Please, carefully read the specific paragraphs below, and the other parties FYI.

Access to the online tool is  done via a link sent by your doctoral program and connection with your GASPAR account (or Guest account for co-directors outside EPFL).

Your doctoral program assistant will send you the link by email near the time your annual report is due for submission.

 

ANNUAL REPORT’S PROCESS

For the new online Annual Report tool, you are requested to fill in 3 sections with:

  • your basic information;
  • your research progress: you will complete this section and then discuss it with your thesis director (and co-director if applicable) during the annual report meeting;
  • and a self-assessment of your progress: this section is completed separately by you and your thesis director (and co-director if applicable), then discussed and approved by all parties during the annual report meeting

Please note that the content you fill in is not confidential and will be available to all parties at the time of the annual report meeting and once the process is completed.

You will then also discuss this report with your mentor in a confidential face-to-face meeting. You’re responsible to organize this meeting.

Finally, the report will be sent to the director of your doctoral program for verification, and everyone involved will receive a PDF version of the report by email.

Please note that the information is not stored in the online tool.

ANNUAL REPORT’S DEADLINES

In late August of each year, you will receive an email from your doctoral program to start the annual report process. The task requires several different steps, so please start to filling it as soon as possible. The annual report in EDIC is due by October 30 every year. We strongly encourage you to plan the meetings with your thesis director (co-director if applicable) and your mentor ahead of time, to insure that your annual report is finished by the requested deadline.
The process must be completed in approximately 8 weeks.

Should you have any questions:

Once your PhD student completed the annual report, you will be requested by email to connect to the online tool to review the information provided and complete your progress evaluation.
Please note that the content you fill in is not confidential and will be available to all parties at the time of the annual report meeting and once the process is completed.
You will then be asked by email to arrange a face-to-face meeting with your PhD student (and the co-director if applicable) to review the information, discuss goals achieved and planned, and evaluate overall progress.
During this collaborative review, you, as thesis director, will be able to access the content to be edited and completed.
Finally, the report will be sent to the director of the doctoral program for verification, and everyone involved will receive a PDF version of the report by email.
Please note that the information is not stored in the online tool.

ANNUAL REPORT’S DEADLINES

The annual report is due by October 30 of each year and the process must be completed in approximately 8 weeks.

Should you have any questions:

ANNUAL REPORT’S PROCESS

As part of the annual report, mentors meet with their mentees to discuss the evaluation confidentially.
The following themes could be discussed:

  • Advancing as a researcher (what has gone well, less well, how to improve,goal setting, which resources are needed, …)
  • Facets of career-building (contributions to the community, conferences, awards, networking opportunities, participating in possible soft skill courses on writing, communicating, managing, spin-off training, …)
  • Work-life balance
  • Communication (within the laboratory, with the thesis director and other lab members, matching expectations in terms of progress and future goals, …)
  • Life after the PhD (what kind of career options are there and how to explore them, …)

You will be notified by email in order to arrange a face-to-face meeting with your mentee. The PhD student is responsible to organize such meeting. You will have to confirm in the online tool that the meeting took place.
At the end of the process, you, as mentor, will receive a PDF version of the report by email.
Please note that the information is not stored in the online tool.

ANNUAL REPORT’S DEADLINES

The annual report is due by October 30 of each year

The process must be completed in approximately 8 weeks.

Should you have any questions:

ANNUAL REPORT’S PROCESS

You will be notified by email each time a doctoral student in your program submits an annual report.

In the online tool, you will have to confirm that you have checked the annual report and you may indicate any comments you have.

You will then receive a PDF copy of the report by email, as well as all the people involved in the annual report (PhD student, thesis director, co-director if applicable and mentor).

Please note that the information is not stored in the online tool.

Should you have any questions: