Courses FAQs

1. What happens if I have to cancel?
2. Can I attend if I am a taught postgraduate student?
3. Can I attend only one day of the Effective Researcher Course?
4. Are courses free?
5. Is lunch included and will there be options to suit me?
6. Can I just turn up on the day?
7. My supervisor won't let me take time out to attend courses...

1.  What happens if I have to cancel?
Our workshops are very expensive to run and often highly oversubscribed. If at any stage you find you cannot make it, let us know and we can allocate your place to another student.

If you fail to attend without letting us know we will contact you to ask for a reason why and may also inform your department. In cases such as the Glasgow Local Grad School, departments may be charged a fee if you don’t turn up. 

Researchers who consistently do not turn up will not be allocated places for future courses.

2.  Can I attend if I am a taught postgraduate student?
No, due to both funding restrictions and the fact that these courses have been designed with postgraduate researchers in mind.  However, there may be similar courses being run by your Graduate School that are more relevant for you. 

3.  Can I attend only one day of the Effective Researcher Course?
No.  The course runs over two days and you must be available to attend on both. If not, please cancel your place and we can sign you up for a future course.
 
4.  Are courses free?
Yes, to University of Glasgow Postdoctoral or Postgraduate Researchers.

5.  Is lunch included and will there be options to suit me?
Where lunch is included we will tell you in the course booking confirmation. 

We always have vegetarian options but if you have any other requirements please let us know when you book and we’ll do our best to cater for them. 

6.  Can I just turn up on the day?
Unfortunately not as a lot of effort goes into planning them in advanced, based on group numbers etc.  Some courses also involve advance preparation which you won't have had a chance to do.  If the course is oversubscribed we will keep a waiting list and try to fill in any last minute cancellations.

7.  My supervisor wont let me take time out to attend courses...
Both the University and the Research Councils expect that you will spend at least two weeks a year taking part in activities that help you to develop transferable skills so your supervisor has a responsibility to make sure you have the chance to take part in training.

However, it might be that they think this course isn't very relevant to you (or that you're already fantastic at this particular skill) so we would encourage you to discuss it with them.  As an added bonus, if the courses are making you more effective as a researcher your supervisor should be pleased!