Ph.D. Academic Life at the Time of the Coronavirus

Abstract

Ph.D. students are an essential part of the academic world. They need to obtain new knowledge and skills while contributing to the advancement of their re-search field. This paper examines the way the academic life of Ph.D. students is affected by the pandemic COVID-19. Data for this study was collected through an online survey sent to the Ph.D. students of a department in a Scandinavian university. Data was then analyzed through a mixed (quantitative and qualitative) method. The questionnaire was distributed after one year of studying and working from the home office and far from an educational setup like physical classes, meetings, seminars, and conferences. The results show changes in how they meet their supervisors and other Ph.D. students and the type of tools they use for communications. The results also show that Ph.D. students face somechallenges related to the home office, project-related activities like data collection and experiment, and contact with others like socializing, communication, and collaboration. To reduce the impact of the Coronavirus, Ph.D. studentsalso suggested some solutions like having more online discussions with their supervisors and peer Ph.D. students, having a work-life balance, getting guidance and training from professionals, and being understood by the supervisors.