phd research methodology syllabus

General Research Methodology: Data, Design and Analysis

Mandatory PhD course in methodology, 22,5 credits

The course syllabus below in PDF Pdf, 82 kB.

Course Syllabus

The course aims to give a general and advanced training for quantitative research that deals with research design and data analysis for behavioral data.

The course is divided into two seperate parts:

Research design and statistics (15 credits): Philosophy of Science, correlation design, experimental and quasi-experimental design, statistical analysis: Analysis of variance, regression analysis, factor analysis, time series, structural equation modeling.

Psychological measurements with measurement theory (7,5 credits): In principle and in respect of different types of data.

Teaching consists of lectures, seminars and exercises.

Examination

Written test and assignments. Grading: Pass and Fail.

Research Methodology

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Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout, books and references, instructor bio.

Prof. Soumitro Banerjee

Course certificate.

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PhD Course Descriptions

Mgmt9000 - sem strat mgmt (course syllabus).

This course examines some of the central questions in management with economic approaches as a starting point, but with an eye to links to behavioral perspectives on these same questions. Economics concerns itself with goal directed behavior of individuals interacting in a competitive context. We adopt that general orientation but recognize that goal directed action need not take the form of maximizing behavior, particularly for organizations comprised of individuals with possibly divergent interests and distinct sub-goals. Further, we treat competitive processes as playing out over meaningful periods of calendar time and, in general, not equilibrating instantaneously. A central property of firms, as with any organization, is the interdependent nature of activity within them. Thus, understanding firms as "systems" is quite important, a perspective which has important implications for understanding processes of organizational adaptation. Among the sorts of questions we explore are the following: What underlies a firm's capabilities? How does individual knowledge aggregate to form collective capabilities? What do these perspectives on firms say about the scope of a firm's activities, both horizontally (diversification) and vertically (buy-supply relationships)? As a "foundations" course, readings will cover key conceptual foundations, but also provide an arc to current work --- an "arc" that will be developed more fully in our in-class discussions.

MGMT9150 - Seminar in Org Learning (Course Syllabus)

This course examines processes of organizational learning. Learning, changing beliefs and efficacy in action, may be linked measures of progress and performance but presents a number of challenges. Performance is not always readily interpreted and the link between the actions an organization takes and proximate observable outcomes is often unclear and these measures may be loosely coupled to ultimate goals and interests. Organizations help facilitate coordinated actions among individuals and the outcomes that are realized by the organization are a function of those joint actions. However, these properties pose challenges for inferences around more or less desired action at both the individual and collective level, as well as divergent views as to what is in the individual and collective interest. Even if the organization does not face a conflict of interest among organizational members, it still faces a tension between the need to perform well in the near term, and exploit its current knowledge and bases of advantage, and to perform well over longer horizons, which may entail exploring other bases of action with which it is less familiar and perhaps less competent. However, performance itself can be a problematic construct --- different actors within the organization may have different views as to what goals or outcomes or more or less important, and even individual actors may face some degree of internal conflict over these issues. The contestation of goals and policy can take the form of organizational politics, where power, attention, and force of argument influence the playing out of this conflict. The last theme we consider is the challenge by which individual opinions and beliefs become aggregated to organizational level decisions and some of the learning challenges that this process of aggregation presents.

MGMT9180 - Personnel Economics A (Course Syllabus)

This is a half-semester PhD course in the Management Department that is also open to any current PhD students at Wharton. The canonical model in economics views an agent as a fully rational, atomistic individual making optimal choices under scarcity. This approach has been very powerful theoretically and empirically to explain and to predict behavior in the workplace. This model has also been enriched to accommodate other phenomena arguably affecting behavior in the workplace like the social context (e.g. peer effects, altruism, or social comparison), non-standard time preferences, loss aversion, and cognitive costs. Incorporating these ideas into the standard model can be accomplished in various ways but the real stress test for these theories is whether they predict behavior more generally (i.e. we don't just use theory to explain one choice but choices more generally) and to generate empirical predictions that can be tested using experiments. In this mini-course we start-off with a tour de force of the fundamental principal-agent model and the various behavioral extensions. The core of the course is, however, not theoretical but a practical course on how to design field experiments to test these ideas.

MGMT9190 - Personnel Economics B (Course Syllabus)

This is a half-semester PhD course in the Management Department that is also open to any current PhD students at Wharton. It is a continuation and builds on MGMT 918 - please see the course description for MGMT 918. As in MGMT 918 we expand on the canonical model in economics and introduce views from behavioral economics and introduce views from behavioral economics to derive novel theories with empirically testable implications on workplace behavior and individual performance in labor markets and health. In this mini-course the focus is on continuing our review of the literature but the primary aim is to work towards a project description and paper that can be developed into a PhD chapter or journal article.

MGMT9200 - Sem in Hum Res Research (Course Syllabus)

The class is organized around understanding labor and work. For management students trained in social science disciplines, there is a considerable gap between what we can learn about the workplace from economics, which relies on markets and incentives for its explanations, and psychology, which relies on dispositional attributes and social interactions. Managing people is arguably the biggest topic in the social sciences each with its own subgroups: labor economists in economics, I/O and personnel psychologists in psychology and organizational behavior researches use the work place as their central research context, work and occupations and career students in sociology. For the most part, these fields talk past each other and are largely unaware of what the others are doing. We try to bridge that gap a bit in this class, although by no means do we attempt to span the range of topics represented across these quite different fields. In most contexts, the employer has considerable discretion as to the arrangements that are chosen for influencing the behavior of workers and, in turn, their outcomes and subsequent attitudes. The management practices they choose are our main focus. They drive many of the most important outcomes in society - who gets access to the most important and powerful jobs, how much income will people have and how it is distributed, whether and to what extent we have control over our lives at work, and so forth. Most of the attention still goes to employment, but it is not the only arrangement for doing work, though. We consider others, especially various forms of contracting and the gig work organized around electronic platforms. To the extent that there is a common conceptual orientation across the class, it is analysis at the organization-level, typically used for independent variables although often for outcomes and dependent variables as well, and power as a mechanism. Many of the most important and exciting topics in public discourse are in our focus, from remote work to gig work to the influence of artificial intelligence. The range of new issues to explore is enormous. A caveat: the phrase "human resources" is a contemporary business term that began as a description of the set of management practices coming out of the "great corporations" and the lifetime employment model for managing non-union employees. Many of these are within the domain of I/O and personnel psychology, such as employee selection tests, succession planning exercises, and so forth. The use of these practices has declined dramatically and are now only one approach to addressing the practical problems that lie

MGMT9250 - Sem Corp Strategy (Course Syllabus)

This course explores current research on corporate strategy. Over the past two decades, research in the area of corporate strategy has evolved considerably. The fundamental focus of the field has been on sources of competitive advantage at the of the firm, and the process of building and maintaining competitive advantage. In this class, we explore current research articles that best represent the development of rent-generating resources at the level of the firm. Topics addressed include the concept of strategy, research on the evolution of firm capabilities, competitive interaction, top management teams and strategy formation, and changes in firm scope through acquisitions, divestitures and alliances.

MGMT9260 - Sem Strat & Org Des (Course Syllabus)

This half-semester course examines one of the foundational questions in strategy: the role of organizational structure in both supporting and shaping strategy. As Winston Churchill famously said: "We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us." This course examines this proposition from two traditions, the "institutional economics" and "information processing" schools of organizational design. We will examine foundational works from both schools, such as Coase, Williamson, Simon, March, and others, and then proceed to recent work in the area. Some of the questions that we will explore in the class are: why do firms exist? What determines their boundaries? What determines formal and informal structures within firms? How does the strategic context shape the answers to these questions? How might the nature of the firm and its boundaries relate to innovation, human capital, and knowledge creation? The aim of this class is to provide students with a grounding in the fundamental questions and contributions in this area, and to spark ideas for research in their own graduate work.

MGMT9270 - Tech & Innov Strategy (Course Syllabus)

This quarter-length doctoral seminar deals with major streams of management research in technology strategy and innovation. We will focus on both classical topics such as incumbents' management of technological change and industry evolution, and new emergent topics such as ecosystems and platforms. The emphasis will be on understanding the link between technologies and firms in terms of both strategy choices and performance outcomes.

MGMT9310 - Special Topics in Org Behavior (Course Syllabus)

This is a complement course to MGMT 9330, and it has the same purpose to examine and understand basics of theory and empirical research in the field of organizational behavior and to increase our understanding of people's behavior in organizations. The course takes both a top-down and bottom-up view of the forces that shape motivation, identity, relationships, power, and meaning in work and organizational life.

MGMT9320 - Prosem in Mgmt (Course Syllabus)

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the methodological approaches we commonly think of as qualitative, with special emphasis on ethnography, semi- structured interviews, case studies, content analysis, and mixed-methods research. The course will cover the basic techniques for collecting, interpreting, and analyzing qualitative (i.e. non-numerical) data. In the spring quarter, the course will operate on two interrelated dimensions, one focused on the theoretical approaches to various types of qualitative research, the other focused on the practical techniques of data collection, such as identifying key informants, selecting respondents, collecting field notes and conducting interviews. In the fall semester, the course will operate on two interrelated dimensions, one focused on the theoretical approaches on building arguments and theory from qualitative data, the other focused on the practical techniques of data collection, such as analyzing data, writing, and presenting findings. Note: This class is part of a two-part sequence which focuses on qualitative data collection and analysis. The first of this course, offered in the Spring, focuses on data collection and the second half of the course, offered the following Fall, will focus on qualitative data analysis. Each course is seven weeks long. Students may take either class independently or consecutively.

MGMT9330 - Psych Found MGMT (Course Syllabus)

This seminar-based course, with active discussion and analysis, is required of all first-year doctoral students in Management and open to other Penn students with instructor permission. The purpose of this course is to examine and understand basics in the theory and empirical research in the field of micro organizational behavior and to build an understanding of people's behavior in organizations and across organizations. The course covers a blend of classic and contemporary literature so that we can appreciate the prevailing theories and findings in various areas of organizational behavior. This course covers micro-organizational behavior, focused on topics such as influence/status, virtual teams, job design, organizational culture and socialization, identity in organizations and overall look on where the field of micro-organizational behavior is going.

MGMT9340 - Soci Foundations of MGMT (Course Syllabus)

This seminar-based course, with active discussion and analysis, is required of all first-year doctoral students in Management and open to other Penn students with instructor permission. The purpose of this course is to examine and understand basics in the theory and empirical research in the field of macro organizational behavior and to build an understanding of people's behavior in organizations and across organizations. The course covers a blend of classic and contemporary literature so that we can appreciate the prevailing theories and findings in various areas of organizational behavior. This course covers macro-organizational behavior, covering the topics of organizational ecology, institutional theory, organizational status and reputation, impression management, social networks and social movements.

MGMT9350 - Netwrk Theory & Applicat (Course Syllabus)

This course explores network models and their applications to organizational phenomena. By examining the structure of relations among actors, network approaches seek to explain variations in beliefs, behaviors, and outcomes. The beauty of network analysis is its underlying mathematical nature - network ideas and measures, in some cases, apply equally well at micro and macro levels of analysis. Therefore, we read and discuss articles both at the micro level (where the network actors are individuals within organizations) and at the macro level (where the network actors are organizations within larger communities) that utilize antecedents or consequences of network constructs such as small worlds, cohesion, structural equivalence, centrality, and autonomy. We begin by examining the classic problem of contagion of information and behaviors across networks, and follow by considering the various underlying models of network structure that might underlie contagion and other processes The next two sessions address a variety of mechanisms by which an actor's position in a network affects its behavior or performance. Then, the following two sessions address antecedents of network ties via the topics of network evolution and network activation. We close with a "grab bag" session of articles chosen to match class interests.

MGMT9370 - Entrep Research Seminar (Course Syllabus)

The seminar seeks to expose students to theoretical and empirical perspectives on entrepreneurship research. We will focus on the main questions that define the field and attempt to critically examine how, using a range of methodologies, researchers have approached these questions. As we review the literature, we will seek to identify promising research areas, which may be of interest to you in the context of your dissertation research. In addition to addressing the content of the received literature, we will examine the process of crafting research papers and getting them published in top tier journals. Towards that end we will characterize the key elements of high impact papers and review the development process of such studies. Students are expected to come fully prepared to discuss and critique the readings that are assigned to each class meeting (see details below). Each student will serve as the discussion leader for one or more of the class sessions. Discussion leaders are expected to critically review several articles, identify new insights in the research that is being reviewed and evaluate its contribution to the literature, position the articles within the literature on the subject matter, raise discussion question, and act as the discussion moderator for the class session. Each discussion leader is asked to prepare a one or two page summary of the assigned papers which includes a statement of the main research question(s), the methodology, data set if any, summary of findings, a commentary with your thoughts on the reading, and proposed discussion questions. Prior to each class, the discussion leader will meet the instructor to help plan the class meeting. Towards the end of each class meeting, each student will be asked to articulate a research question that emerged from the session and describe the research design used to investigate the issue.

MGMT9380 - Seminar in Social Entrep (Course Syllabus)

This half-semester course examines how social enterprise organizations emerge, attract resources, and affect society. The course will bridge micro and macro theoretical perspectives to provide insight into the unique challenges faced by social enterprises, while also showing how the study of such organizations can help to advance mainstream entrepreneurship research. Individual sessions will focus on defining social entrepreneurship, the tensions and tradeoffs that emerge in organizations that pursue social and financial goals, impact investing and other sources of finance, and the role of incubators/accelerators in supporting the development of these organizations. This is a seminar-based course with active discussion and analysis.

MGMT9390 - Ent Innov Research (Course Syllabus)

This quarter-length course explores key topics at the intersection of entrepreneurship and innovation. While the course primarily draws from established theory and empirics from management and economics, it will also include discussions of emerging phenomena in this rapidly evolving field. We will begin by reviewing the basic properties of ideas that uniquely shape the sources and dynamics of entrepreneurship and innovation. Subsequently, we will explore innovation-related challenges and opportunities for startups. Special focus will be placed on research application in which students design and present their own research proposal broadly in the area of entrepreneurship and innovation. Students are highly encouraged to take this course in sequence with MGMT 937.

MGMT9510 - Ob: Theories and Methods (Course Syllabus)

The purpose of this half-semester course is to examine and understand theory and empirical research in the field of micro-organizational behavior and to build an understanding of people's behavior in organizations. The course covers a blend of classic and contemporary literature to appreciate the prevailing theories and findings in various areas of micro-organizational behavior. We will cover topics such as identity, diversity/inclusion, work design/proactivity, extra-role behaviors, behavioral ethics/organizational justice, and an overall look at where the field of micro-organizational behavior is heading. This is a seminar-based course with active discussion and analysis.

MGMT9520 - Sem Macro Org Behav (Course Syllabus)

Organizations are ubiquitous, and so is organization. This half-semester course explores organization theory (OT) from the 1960s through the end of the 20th century. We will examine the proliferation of organizational theories during this time period (such as contingency theory, resource dependence theory, ecological theory, and institutional theory) and understand how each theory attempts to relate structure and action over varying levels of analysis. We will determine one or two additional schools to add once we discuss your exposure in other management classes to other potential topics such as behavioral decision theory, sense-making and cognition, organizational economics, corporate governance, social networks, and the like.

MGMT9530 - Sem Research Design (Course Syllabus)

This is an introductory doctoral seminar on research methods in management. The course is designed to help you define your research interests, to strengthen your grasp of research design choices and standards, and to move you further along on the path to becoming a skilled, accomplished, engaged, and independent research scholar. We will read about, discuss, and in some cases practice: framing of research questions, writing for publication, defining and meeting research standards, and conducting experimental, archival, survey-based, and qualitative research suitable for publication in top-tier management journals.

MGMT9550 - Foundations Mult Mgmt. (Course Syllabus)

The goal of the course is to provide you with a foundation in some of the major research areas that underpin the study of Multinational Management. International Business (and the study of MNCs) is an interdisciplinary field. As such, our survey of the seminal articles in the field will span a number of different theoretical and empirical approaches (i.e., economic, managerial, organizational and institutional). Much of our seminar discussions will focus on identifying and developing interesting research questions raised by this interdisciplinary literature, which offers many opportunities for systematic empirical study.

MGMT9570 - Applied Research Methods Org B (Course Syllabus)

This is a half semester course where we review and apply fundamental lessons related to empirical research (both methods and analyses) in organizational behavior. The course will focus primarily on quantitative research. We will begin by covering the link between theory and empirics as well as core concepts in methods and statistics, including causality, validity, reliability, and statistical power. We will then shift to research methods, including design, sampling, pre-registration, and data collection. A key focus will be on maximizing different forms of validity, with an emphasis on multi-method research designs. Finally, we will consider a variety of the most important analytical approaches in organizational behavior, including regression, structural equation modeling, and multi-level analyses. This is an applied methods course, which means that we will be applying the lessons directly by using statistical software to compile and analyze datasets. The course will introduce you to the broad array of methods and analyses that OB scholars are expected to master in order to consistently publish in the field’s top journals.

MGMT9600 - Non-Market Strategy (Course Syllabus)

This course builds on the foundational material presented in MGMT 955 with a deeper focus on current research examining institutional influences on multinational management. These include regulative supports (e.g., laws, regulations, contracts and their enforcement through litigation, arbitration of incentive compatible self-regulation) but also normative (e.g., socially shared expectations of appropriate behavior, and social exchange processes) and cognitive (e.g., creating shared identity to bridge differences in values, beliefs and framing) elements of the institutional environment. We will examine not only strategic responses in the market environment but also influence strategies of multinational and domestic firms that seek to alter the institutional environment in which they operate. We will draw not only upon the international business literature but also related literatures including political economy, sociology, law, finance, communications, institutional theory, strategic corporate social responsibility, social movements, network theory and the management of extractive industries.

MGMT9610 - Special Topics in Ob (Course Syllabus)

This is a complement course to MGMT 951, and it has the same purpose to examine and understand basics in the theory and empirical research in the field of micro-organizational behavior and to increase our understanding of people's behavior in organizations. To do so, we will cover a blend of classic and contemporary literature so that we can appreciate the prevailing theories and findings in various areas of micro-organizational behavior. In addition, for each topic we will then try to go beyond the existing literature. We will work to increase our understanding by re-framing the research variables, altering the perspective, bringing in new theory, and comparing levels of analysis. The purpose of this course is not meant to be exhaustive, rather it covers approximately half of the organizational behavior literature. For a more complete understanding of the basics of organizational behavior it is mandatory for organizational behavior students to have taken MGMT 951 which covers the remaining topics in basic organizational behavior. However, it is not mandatory to have taken MGMT 951 before MGMT 961 as they cover different sets of topics.

MGMT9620 - Mult Firms Glob Econ (A) (Course Syllabus)

This is a graduate course focusing on the empirical aspects of multinational firms and international trade. The goal of the course is to familiarize graduate students with empirical work on multinational firms in the global economy, by reviewing the recent as well as older literature on this topic. Econometrics and statistical techniques for doing empirical work in international trade will also be discussed. We will focus on a variety of issues that are related to the multinational firm, beginning with trends in multinational activity, then moving to both horizontal and vertical theories of the multinational firm. Topics over the course of the semester will include patterns in the expansion of multinational firms, horizontal and vertical multinationals; the linkages between openness to trade and investment and growth; trade orientation and firm performance; technology transfer and spillovers; innovation and productivity; immigration; labor markets and multinational firms; and global value chains. This course has a mandatory attendance policy.

MGMT9630 - Mult Firms Glob Econ (B) (Course Syllabus)

This is continuation of Multinational Firms in Global Economies (A). It is a graduate course focusing on the empirical aspects of multinational firms and international trade. The goal of the course is to familiarize graduate students with empirical work on multinational firms in the global economy, by reviewing the recent as well as older literature on this topic. Econometrics and statistical techniques for doing empirical work in international trade will also be discussed. We will focus on a variety of issues that are related to the multinational firm, beginning with trends in multinational activity, then moving to both horizontal and vertical theories of the multinational firm. Topics over the course of the semester will include patterns in the expansion of multinational firms, horizontal and vertical multinationals; the linkages between openness to trade and investment and growth; trade orientation and firm performance; technology transfer and spillovers; innovation and productivity; immigration; labor markets and multinational firms; and global value chains. This course has a mandatory attendance policy.

MGMT9700 - Research Methods in Mgmt (Course Syllabus)

Students taking the course will be introduced to the seminal readings on a given method, have a hands-on discussion regarding their application often using a paper and dataset of the faculty member leading the discussion. The goal of the course is to make participants more informed users and reviewers of a wide variety of methodological approaches to Management research including Ordinary Least Squares, Discrete Choice, Count Models, Panel Data, Dealing with Endogeneity, Survival/failure/event history and event studies, experiments, factor analysis and structural equation modeling, hierarchical linear modeling, networks, comparative qualitative methods, coding of non-quantitative data, unstructured text and big data simulations.

MGMT9701 - Quant Research Methods in MGMT (Course Syllabus)

This PhD course exposes students to a range of methodologies and techniques in applied econometrics as seen in latest research papers. The approach is to take a detailed look at 1-2 papers per week for a thorough understanding of each topic. Students are required to carefully read and prepare the readings for each week with an emphasis on “how it was done” rather than the results of the paper. A provisional list of topics are: Field Experiments with Firms; Replication with confidential and non-confidential data; Difference in Difference Estimation & Linear Panel Event Studies; Instrumental Variable Regressions; Synthetic Controls & Natural Experiments; Regression Discontinuity Design

MGMT9702 - Rsrch Mthds & Data Analysis OB (Course Syllabus)

This course will introduce you to the core methods and analytical approaches used in organizational behavior. The primary goal of the class is to introduce you to the portfolio of operational and statistical skills that will enable you to be a fully autonomous researcher who can routinely publish trustworthy research in top management outlets. We will pay special attention to the three dominant methodological approaches in our field (archival, field, and experimental) and the analytical approaches that tend to correspond with each of them.

MGMT9703 - Qualitative Methods (Course Syllabus)

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the methodological approaches we commonly think of as qualitative, with special emphasis on ethnography (in-person and digital), semi-structured interviews, case studies, content analysis, and mixed-methods research. The course will cover the basic techniques for collecting, interpreting, and analyzing qualitative (i.e. non-numerical) data. Students will expected to collect and analyze data about a topic of their choosing.

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Ph.D Syllabus and Subjects

PhD Course introduces students to concepts of Research Methodology, Research Ethics, and more. The subjects students study during the course depend on the aspirant's specialization, but there are some fundamental subjects that every student needs to study. PhD job scope is diverse and constantly evolving, making it an exciting and challenging career path.

Semester Wise PhD Syllabus

The subjects in the PhD course depend on the specialization that students decide to pursue, as, with every specialization, different subjects would be considered core subjects. PhD syllabus despite being different from each other, consists of certain modules that are common across subjects.

PhD First- Year Syllabus

The table below contains the subjects from the PhD first Year Syllabus:

Course Status :	Completed
Course Type :	Elective
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :
Credit Points :	3
Postgraduate
Start Date :	24 Jan 2022
End Date :	06 May 2022
Enrollment Ends :	07 Feb 2022
Exam Date :	23 Apr 2022 IST

SEMESTER I	SEMESTER II
Research Methodology	Recent Development in The Field
Philosophical and Sociological Basis of Educational Research	Supervisor Directed Course (Need-based) and Research Seminar
Communication Skills	Research Methodology-I
Independent Research with Seminars	Independent Research with Seminars

PhD Second -Year Syllabus

The table below contains the subjects from the PhD second-year syllabus:

SEMESTER III	SEMESTER IV
Philosophical and Sociological Basis of Educational Research	Final Research Proposal
Supervisor Directed Course (Need-based) and Research	Supervisor Directed Course (Need-based) and Research

PhD Third-Year Syllabus

The table below contains the subjects from the PhD third year syllabus:

SEMESTER V	SEMESTER VI
Independent Research with Seminars	Independent Research with Seminars

PhD Subjects

The PhD Course syllabus depends on the specialization that a student chooses to focus on. The subjects are divided into core and elective subjects. Below mentioned are a few core subjects included in PhD course:

Below mentioned are Core PhD Subjects:

• Research Methodology
• Ethics of Research
• Literature Review
• Ethics of Using Social Media in Research
• Research Tools
• Proposing a Research
• Formulation of Research Proposal

Specialisation-Wise PhD Syllabus

The general syllabus of PhD is that initially, students are exposed to the different means of conducting a research project and taught how to do proper research. Then according to their specialization from the third semester, the PhD subjects list starts to differ.

Listed below is the general syllabus from the third semester onwards for specializations.

PhD in Hindi Syllabus

PhD in Hindi course aims to help students specialize in the subject of Hindi. The subject split up is into 3 sectors. While paper 1 and paper 3 are mandatory research and thesis formation subjects, paper-2 consists of several optional professional courses from which the candidates can choose one stream.

Read More:   PhD Hindi Syllabus and Subjects

PhD in Physics Syllabus

The PhD in Physics syllabus includes a broad range of subjects, including thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and classical and quantum mechanics. Along with coursework, students must conduct their own studies and finish a dissertation with the help of a faculty advisor. 

Read More:   PhD Physics Syllabus and Subjects

PhD in Philosophy Syllabus

The PhD in Philosophy syllabus includes courses in epistemology, semantics, ethics, logic, and history of philosophy, among other subjects. The course also places a strong emphasis on developing analytical and critical reasoning abilities.

Read More:   PhD Philosophy Syllabus and Subjects

Other Important PhD Syllabus and Subjects:

• PhD English Syllabus and Subjects
• PhD Economics Syllabus and Subjects
• PhD Commerce Syllabus and Subjects
• PhD Computer Science Syllabus and Subjects
• PhD Human Resource Management Syllabus and Subjects
• PhD Psychology Syllabus and Subjects

PhD Syllabus For Entrance Exams

Below is a list of PhD entrance exam syllabus for certain subjects:

PhD Subjects	Entrance Exam Syllabus
Basic Engineering and Technology
Life Sciences
Mathematics
Computer Information Science
Economics
Political Science
Psychology

PhD Course Structure

The PhD course is structured in such a way that it helps students develop a detailed understanding of the course by including projects, seminars, fieldwork, etc. The following details are part of the Ph.D. course structure:

• VI Semesters
• Core Subjects
• Elective Subjects
• Dissertation Submission

PhD Teaching Methodology and Techniques

PhD encompasses different teaching methods. Apart from the basic traditional lecture-based training, the students are trained with group projects and other action-based learning methods. The research project motivates the students for deeper research, understanding others' perceptions, brainstorming, and teamwork.

Given below are a few teaching methodologies and techniques used in PhD course:

• Research Sessions
• Group Projects
• Case Methodology 
• Final Dissertation Submission

PhD Projects

PhD subjects and syllabus are centered around teaching students how to conduct a research project independently and write a dissertation at the end of their degree. Given below are a few of the PhD Dissertation topics:

• A comparison between a democratic and autocratic leadership style.
• Journalism and its relationship to public
• The relationship between politics and literature in the 19th century.
• An analysis and case study of artists and art during times of war.

Before starting any education, students must ensure that they have all the resources to pursue the course with ease. Below is a general list of PhD books that introduce students to research methods and will help them when they plan to make a dissertation structure:

Books	Authors
Research in Education	Best, John W. & James Kahn
Applying Educational Research: A Practical Guide For Teachers	Borg, Walter R.
Educational Research An introduction	Borg, Walter R. & Meridith, D. Gall
Methods of Educational Research	Engelhart, Max D.

Top PhD [Doctor of Philosophy] Colleges

Chennai,Tamil Nadu

IISc Bangalore

Bangalore,Karnataka

Mumbai,Maharashtra

Delhi,Delhi NCR

Kanpur,Uttar Pradesh

IIT Kharagpur

Kharagpur,West Bengal

IIT Roorkee

Roorkee,Uttarakhand

IIT Guwahati

Guwahati,Assam

PhD Fee Structure

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IGNOU Ph.D. - Syllabus

Indira Gandhi National Open University Ph.D.

Computer Based Test

IGNOU Ph.D. 2022 Revised Syllabus: New Syllabus, Research Methodology, Download PDF

Updated On - February 11 2022 by Vikash Jha

Discipline wise Specific IGNOU Ph.D. 2022 Revised Syllabus for Entrance Test

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU Ph.D.) 2022 is conducted by National Testing Agency. The revised syllabus is also released by NTA & IGNOU.

1. Ph.D. Anthropology:

2. ph.d. political science, 3. ph.d. chemistry.

• Objectives of research
• Research methods versus Research Methodology
• Types of research:  Descriptive versus Analytical;  Applied versus Fundamental;  Quantitative versus Qualitative;  Conceptual versus Empirical
• Literature Review: Methods and Importance
• Research design: Need, Types and Features of research design.
• Formulating Research Problem.
• Collection and analysis of Data: Importance and Methods of data collection,
• Data Analysis with Statistical Packages
• Ethical issues in Research: Copyright, Intellectual Property Rights; Plagiarism
• Chemical periodicity
• Structure and bonding in homo- and heteronuclear molecules, including shapes of molecules (VSEPR Theory).
• Concepts of acids and bases: Hard-Soft acid base concept, Non-aqueous solvents.
• Main group elements and their compounds: Allotropy, synthesis, structure and bonding, industrial importance of the compounds.
• Transition elements and coordination compounds: structure, bonding theories, spectral and magnetic properties, reaction mechanisms.
• Inner transition elements: spectral and magnetic properties, redox chemistry, analytical applications.
• Organometallic compounds: synthesis, bonding and structure, and reactivity. Organometallics in homogeneous catalysis.
• Cages and metal clusters.
• Analytical chemistry- separation, spectroscopic, electro- and thermoanalytical methods.
• Bioinorganic chemistry: photosystems, porphyrins, metalloenzymes, oxygen transport, electron- transferreactions; nitrogen fixation, metal complexes in medicine.
• Characterisation of inorganic compounds by IR, Raman, NMR, EPR, Mössbauer, UVVIS, NQR, MS,electron spectroscopy and microscopic techniques. 
• Nuclear chemistry: nuclear reactions, fission and fusion, radio-analytical techniques and activation analysis.
• Basic principles of quantum mechanics: Postulates; operator algebra; Model systems: particle-in-a-box, harmonic oscillator; Hydrogen atom, including shapes of atomic orbitals; orbital and spin angular momenta; tunneling.
• Approximate methods of quantum mechanics: Variation principle; perturbation theory up to second order in energy; applications.
• Atomic structure and spectroscopy: term symbols; many-electron systems and antisymmetry principle.
• Chemical bonding: Elementary aspects of MO and VB theories; Huckel theory for conjugated π-electron systems.
• Chemical applications of group theory: symmetry elements; point groups; character tables; selection rules.
• Molecular spectroscopy: Rotational and vibrational spectra of diatomic molecules; electronic spectra; IR and Raman activities – selection rules; basic principles of magnetic resonance.
• Chemical thermodynamics: Laws, state and path functions and their applications; thermodynamic description of various types of processes; Maxwell’s relations; spontaneity and equilibria; temperature and pressure dependence of thermodynamic quantities; Le Chatelier principle; elementary description of phase transitions; phase equilibria and phase rule; thermodynamics of ideal and non-ideal gases, and solutions.
• Statistical thermodynamics: Boltzmann distribution; kinetic theory of gases; partition functions and their relation to thermodynamic quantities – calculations for model systems.
• Electrochemistry: Nernst equation, redox systems, electrochemical cells; DebyeHuckel theory; electrolytic conductance – Kohlrausch’s law and its applications; ionic equilibria; conductometric and potentiometric titrations.
• Chemical kinetics: Empirical rate laws and temperature dependence; complex ; steady state approximation; determination of reaction mechanisms; collision and transition state theories of rate constants; unimolecular reactions; enzyme kinetics; salt effects; homogeneous catalysis; photochemical reactions.
• Colloids and surfaces: Stability and properties of colloids; isotherms and surface area; heterogeneous catalysis.
• Solid state: Crystal structures; Bragg’s law and applications; band structure of solids.
• Polymer chemistry: Molar masses; kinetics of polymerization.
• Data analysis: Mean and standard deviation; absolute and relative errors; linear regression; covariance and correlation coefficient.
• IUPAC nomenclature of organic molecules including regio- and stereoisomers.
• Principles of stereochemistry: Configurational and conformational isomerism in acyclic and cyclic compounds; stereogenicity, stereoselectivity, enantioselectivity, diastereoselectivity and asymmetric induction.
• Aromaticity: Benzenoid and non-benzenoid compounds – generation and reactions.
• Organic reactive intermediates: Generation, stability and reactivity of carbocations, carbanions, free radicals, carbenes, benzynes and nitrenes.
• Organic reaction mechanisms involving addition, elimination and substitution reactions with electrophilic, nucleophilic or radical species. Determination of reaction pathways.
• Common named reactions and rearrangements – applications in organic synthesis.
• Organic transformations and reagents: Functional group interconversion including oxidations and reductions; common catalysts and reagents (organic, inorganic, organometallic and enzymatic). Chemo, regioand stereoselective transformations.
• Concepts in organic synthesis: Retrosynthesis, disconnection, synthons, linear and convergent synthesis, umpolung of reactivity and protecting groups.
• Asymmetric synthesis: Chiral auxiliaries, methods of asymmetric induction – substrate, reagent and catalyst controlled reactions; determination of enantiomeric and diastereomeric excess; enantio-discrimination. Resolution – optical and kinetic.
• Pericyclic reactions: electrocyclisation, cycloaddition, sigmatropic rearrangements and other related concerted reactions. Principles and applications of photochemical reactions in organic chemistry.
• Synthesis and reactivity of common heterocyclic compounds containing one or two heteroatoms (O, N, S).
• Chemistry of natural products: Carbohydrates, proteins and peptides, fatty acids, nucleic acids, terpenes, steroids and alkaloids. Biogenesis of terpenoids and alkaloids.
• Structure determination of organic compounds by IR, UV-Vis, 1H &13C NMR and Mass spectroscopic techniques.

4. Ph.D. Geology

Geology Subject Research Mentodology

Section	Name of Section	S.No.	Course Title
A.	Research Methodology	1.	Research Methodology in Geology
B.	DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC COURSES	2.	Physical Geology and Geomorphology
		3.	Structural Geology and Tectonics
		4.	Stratigraphy and Palaeontology
		5.	Mineralogy
		6.	Petrology
		7.	Georesources and Economic Geology
		8.	Geochemistry
		9.	Applied Geology

SECTION A. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Detailed Syllabus here . Revised Syllabus Here

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PhD Syllabus 2024: Subjects, Entrance Exam Syllabus, List of PhD Courses

Waqar Niyazi

Content Curator

PhD full form is Doctor of Philosophy. It is a doctorate level course for students who have completed their master’s degree and want to pursue a research-based course in any field they are interested in.

The eligibility criteria for the PhD Course  is basically completion of a master’s degree with at least 50% marks from a recognized institute. PhD Admissions are done based on scores obtained in CSIR UGC NET and other PhD entrance examinations.  Know More :  PhD Admission

The syllabus for PhD entrance exams includes common topics from 10+2, graduation and postgraduation level i.e. technology, life sciences, mathematics, sciences, and general aptitude. The subjects and topics included in PhD Syllabus vary based on the  PhD Specialization  and sub-stream one chooses. The subjects included in PhD Syllabus focus on the research and practical aspects of the subject, with a little focus on theoretical knowledge.  Check :  PhD Scholarships

Table of Contents

• List of PhD Courses

Top PhD Courses Syllabus

• Top PhD Books

PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus

• IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus

PhD Syllabus: FAQs

List of top phd courses.

Given below are some doctorate level courses along with their sub-streams and specializations available:

Streams	PhD course
Science
Arts
Medical
Engineering
Management
Pharmacy
Commerce
Agriculture
Law
Mass communications
Architecture	PhD (architecture)
Education
Veterinary sciences
Paramedical
Dental
Design
Computer applications
Hotel management

Course Wise Syllabus

Syllabus of top PhD courses is mentioned below:

PhD in Science Syllabus

The Syllabus of Doctor of Philosophy in science is mentioned below. The course is for 3 years to 5 years. The given syllabus is semester wise. Each year contains 2 semesters.

Semester I	Semester II
Component Object Model (COM) & interfaces in COM	Vector and array processor
CORBA, JAVA, and object web	Multiprocessor architecture
Computer architecture	Pipeline architecture
Advanced computer algorithms	Computer system design
Distributed COM	Advanced software engineering
Dynamic programming	Testing
Semester III	Semester IV
Advanced database management systems	Telecommunications systems, satellite systems, broadcast systems
Parallel and distributed databases, web databases	Web engineering and software quality metrics
Backtracking, branch and bound	Frequencies for radio transmission
Data mining	Wireless network and communication
Data warehousing	Wireless LAN
Semester V	Semester VI
XML Primer, JSP, XLS, ASP	Distributed file system
Distributed objects and remote innovation	Transactions and concurrency control, replication
Advanced transaction processing	Distributed systems
Building web agreement	Medium access control

PhD in Management Studies Syllabus

The Syllabus of Doctor of Philosophy in management studies course is mentioned below. The course is for 3 years. The given syllabus is semester wise. Each year contains 2 semesters. There are 6 semesters.

Semester I	Semester II
General management	Elective I
-	Information technology management
-	Financial management
-	Human resource management
-	Operations management
Semester III	Semester IV
Quantitative analysis	Logistics
Research methodology	Retail merchandising
Computer applications	Marketing
Semester V	Semester VI
Project work	Dissertation
Review report	-
Seminar	-

PhD in Engineering and Technology Syllabus

The Syllabus of PhD in engineering and technology is given below. The course is for 5 years. The given syllabus is topic wise:

Foundations of computing

Parallel and distributed systems

Formal methods: Program correctness, Hoarier logic, Program semantics and model checking

Software systems

Final research

PhD in Legal Studies Syllabus

The Syllabus of PhD in legal studies is given below. The course is for 3 years. The given syllabus is course wise:

Course I	Course II
Research processes	Jurisprudence
Methods of investigations and tools for collection of data	Constitutional law
Research methodology	-
Course III	Course IV
Seminars and presentation	Seminars and presentation

PhD in Journalism And Mass Communication Syllabus

The Syllabus of PhD in journalism and mass communication is given below. The course is for 3 years. The given syllabus is subject wise which includes core subjects, elective subjects and other subjects:

Subject’s type	Subjects Name
Core subjects	Communication theory
	Research Methodology I
	Research Methodology II
Elective subjects	Specialized and analytical journalism
	Journalism studies
Other subjects	Seminars
	Theory and practices
	Fieldwork

PhD in Pharmaceutics Syllabus

The Syllabus of PhD in pharmaceutics is given below. The course is for 3 years. The given syllabus is year wise. Each year contains 2 semesters.

Year I	Year II	Year III
Biochemistry of Medicine	Phytopharmaceuticals and pharmacognosy	Project work
Physiology and Human Anatomy	Pharmaceutical microbiology	-
Pharmaceutics	Community pharmacy	-
Pharmaceutical organic chemistry	Pharmacotherapeutics - I	-
Biology / remedial mathematics	Pathophysiology	-
Pharmaceutics	Pharmacology - I	-

PhD in Veterinary Surgery & Radiology Syllabus

The Syllabus of PhD in Veterinary Surgery and Radiology is given below. The course is for 3 years. The given syllabus is year wise. Each year contains 2 semesters.

Year I	Year II	Year III
Anesthesia of wild and Laboratory Animal	Small animal soft tissue surgery (thoracic and cardiovascular)	PhD Thesis Research
Advances in diagnostic imaging techniques	Neurosurgery	Doctoral Seminar I
Advances in Anesthesiology	Body electrolyte and fluid therapy	Doctoral Seminar II
Clinical surgical practice - I	Clinical surgical practice - II	Clinical surgical practice - III

PhD in Economics Syllabus

The Syllabus of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics course is given below. The course is for 3 years. The given syllabus is paper wise. There are 4 papers with the elective exam.

Paper I (Research)	Paper-II (Development Economics)	Paper III (Financial Studies)	Paper IV (mandatory)
Introduction to research methodology	Rural development	Overview of financial markets	Thesis presentation
Data collection and organization	Poverty and inequality	Hedging strategies with financial markets	Comprehensive Viva-voce
Econometric methods	Labour and migration	Modelling the behavior of asset prices	-
Advanced econometric methods	Governance and the political economy of development	Trading strategies in financial markets	-
Topics in mathematical economics	International trade and development	Role of financial intermediaries	-
Advanced economic theory	Urbanization and development	Interest rate derivatives	-
Probability distribution and testing of hypothesis	Economics of the computer and information science	Macroeconomics consequences of financial imperfections	-
Advanced microeconomics theory	Health and education	-	-
Advanced macroeconomics theory	Environment and development	-	-
-	Industrial economics	-	-
-	The political economy of development	-	-
-	International macroeconomics	-	-

Advanced economic theory

Public finance

Development of economics

Theory of economic growth and technical progress

Agrarian development

Economics of education and development

Economics of energy

International trade and finance

Economics of planning

Welfare economics

PhD in Philosophy Syllabus

The Syllabus of Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy course is given below. The course is for 3 years to 6 years. The given syllabus is paper-wise. There are 4 papers including elective exams.

Paper I (Research)	Paper-II (optional)
Literature survey	Theory of knowledge
Data collection and organization	Advanced course in logic
Introduction to research methodology	Advanced course in formal methods
Principles of thesis preparation	Advanced course in philosophy of science
Research tools and studies	Philosophy of statistics
-	Philosophy of the computer and information science
-	Decision theory
-	Value theory
-	Philosophy of mathematics
-	Philosophical aesthetics
-	Philosophy of language
-	Art technology
-	Political philosophy
-	Environment philosophy
-	Philosophy of social sciences
-	Critical reading in philosophical texts
Paper III Elective (Indian Philosophical studies)	Paper IV Elective (western Philosophical studies)
Ishvara Krishna – Samkhya Karika	Plato
Nagarjuna – Mulamadhyamakakarika	A treatise of Human Nature Book
Carvaka – Lokayata	Logical Atomism
Early Buddhism	Kant- Critique of Pure Reason
Vaisesika Sutra	Wittgenstein – Philosophical investigations
Sankara’s Commentary on first four Sutra	Freedom and resentment and other essays
Jaina – Pancastikayasara	Some main problems of philosophy
The first and last freedom	How to do things with words
The Nyaya Theory of knowledge	Concept of minds
A new perspective in Indian Philosophy Chapters	Being and nothingness
Reason and tradition in Indian thought	Being and time
Paper V (Mandatory)
Thesis presentation
Comprehensive viva voce

PhD in Commerce And Management Syllabus

The Syllabus of Doctor of Philosophy in commerce and management is given below. The course is for 3 years. 

Creative thinking and design innovation

Fundamentals of management in business

Research methodology

Organizational behaviour

Human resource and business ethics

Principles of management

Marketing and operations management

Project work

Dissertation/ seminar

PhD in English Literature Syllabus

The Syllabus of Doctor of Philosophy in English literature course is given below. The course is for 3 years to 5 years. 

Medieval literature

Women’s literature

African – American literature

Colonial and post-colonial literature

English poetry

Prose fiction

Lesbians, Gay and bisexual literature

Renaissance literature

Literary criticism and theory

Literature in the 12th century

Dramatic literature

PhD Syllabus: Recommended Books

Books recommended for PhD, along with their authors are mentioned below:

Books	Author
Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approach	John W. Creswell
Good work if you can get it	Jason Brennan
The new PhD	Leonard Cassuto
The elements of confusion Hm….	YeoYs Exams
The dissertation is loading please wait	YeoYs Exams
I can’t come I am working on my dissertation	YeoYs Exams
What stars are made of the life of Cecilia Payne- Gaposchkin	Donovan Moore
The portable PhD	M. Patrick Gallagher PhD
PhD in progress	Jauhar PhD Journals
Miss Ms Mrs Doctor	Smitten Notebooks

The entrance exams for PhD course depend on the PhD specialization chosen by the students. Admission for engineering PhD courses are based on GATE exam.

PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Psychology

Subjects	Details
Emergence of Psychology
Research Methodology and Statistics
Psychological testing
Biological basis of behavior
Attention, Perception, Learning, Memory and Forgetting

PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Sociology

Subjects	Details
Sociological Theory
Research Methodology and Methods
Basic Concepts and Institutions
Rural and Urban Transformations
State, Politics and Development
Economy and Society
Environment and Society
Family, Marriage and Kinship
Science, Technology and Society
Culture and Symbolic Transformations

PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: History

Unit Number	Subjects
Unit-1
Unit-2
Unit-3
Unit-4
Unit-5
Unit-6
Unit-7
Unit-8
Unit-9
Unit-10

PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Anthropology

Unit Number	Subjects
Unit-1
Unit-2
Unit-3
Unit-4
Unit-5
Unit-6
Unit-7
Unit-8
Unit-9
Unit-10	Concepts and Theories:

PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Commerce

Subjects	Details
Business Environment and International Business
Accounting and Auditing
Accounting and Auditing
Business Finance
Business Statistics and Research Methods
Business Management and Human Resource Management
Banking and Financial Institutions
Marketing Management
Legal Aspects of Business
Income-tax and Corporate Tax Planning

IGNOU PhD Entrance Syllabus

The IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam determined the students who will get to do their PhD in IGNOU. The entrance exam syllabus depends on the specialization. 

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Anthropology

Subjects	Details
Anthropology and Methods of Research
Physical Anthropology
Social Anthropology
Archaeological Anthropology

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Political Science

Subjects	Details
Research Methodology
Political Theory & Thought
India: State and Society
Globalization and International Relations

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Chemistry

Subjects	Details
Research Methodology
Inorganic Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
Organic Chemistry

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D Geology

Subjects	Details
Research Methodology
Geology Courses

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Life Sciences

Subjects	Details
Research Methodology
Life Sciences

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Mathematics

Algebra
Real Analysis
Topology
Functional Analysis
Differential Equations
Partial Differential Equations
Research Aptitude

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Commerce

Research Methodology
Accounting & Taxation ACCOUNTING
Taxation
International Business
Banking and Finance
Marketing Management
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Education

Methodology of Educational Research
Subject Specific Areas

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Management 

Research Methodology	Foundations of Research
Research Process
Management (Financial Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing Management Operations Management and General Management)

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Women’s Studies

Concepts And Theries In Women’s Studies
Feminist Research Methodologies

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies 

Introduction to Interdisciplinary and Trans disciplinary Studies
Research Methods and Techniques

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Environmental Science

Research Methodology
Subject Areas

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Tourism Studies

Research Methodology
Subject Specific

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Computer Science

Research Methodology
Computer Science

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. in Law

Research Methodology
Law

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Translation Studies

Research Methodology
Translation Studies

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. Vocational Education and Training

Part-A: Research Methodology
Vocational Education and Training

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. English

British literature: issues and debates, trends and movements	Diaspora Studies
Subaltern Literary Perspectives	Folklore and Culture Studies
Contemporary World Literature	American Literature
Multiculturalism	Australian Literature
English Language Teaching	Research Methodology
New Literatures in English	Critical Theories
Indian Writing in English	Canadian Literature

IGNOU PhD Entrance Exam Syllabus: Ph.D. in Child Development

: Research Methodology
Subject specific: Child Development

Ques. when the application forms for a PhD or M. Phil available in 2024?

Ans. The application forms for the PhD or M. Phil course available in September 2024.

Ques. What are the requirements for PhD admission?

Ans. The documents required during the admission process of PhD are a bachelor’s degree with at least a second-class grade and a master’s degree with high academic grades. 

Ques. What is the highest placement package of a PhD course?

Ans. The highest placement package of PhD course is INR 15 lakhs to INR 20 lakhs per annum.

Ques. Which college or university has the highest placement package in India?

Ans. Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani is an institute that has the highest placement package in India.

Ques. Which university is known as the best university in India?

Ans. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay University is known for best university and No. 1 University in India.

Ques. What is the maximum and minimum fee structure in government colleges of PhD in management studies?

Ans. The maximum and minimum fee structure in government colleges of PhD in management studies is INR 22.70 K to INR 10 lakhs.

Ques. What is the maximum and minimum fee structure in private colleges of PhD in management studies?

Ans . The maximum and minimum fee structure in private colleges of PhD in management studies is INR 6.56 K to INR 5 lakhs.

Ques. When the GATE 2024 registration will start?

Ans. The GATE 2024 registration will start in August 2024 to September 2024.

Ques. Can a candidate pursue a PhD without giving an entrance exam?

Ans . Yes, candidates can pursue PhD courses without giving entrance exams during the admission process.

Ques. Name the entrance exams taken by colleges for PhD in commerce and management?

Ans . The entrance exams for PhD in commerce and management are NET and DET.

Ph.D. : 43 answered questions

Ques. are master's degrees from ignou acceptable for admission into ph.d courses in top universities.

● Top Answer By Anumita Mukharjee on 28 Apr 22

Ques. Is a Phd from IGNOU worth it/valuable?

● Top Answer By Srabani Guha on 24 Jul 23

Ques. How is the Direct PhD program of IIT Madras?

● Top Answer By Arati Sinha on 29 Mar 23

Ques. What is the value of a Ph.D. degree from IIT Bombay?

● Top Answer By Karuna Nair on 13 Mar 23

Ques. Why do some students in IIT Bombay leave high-paying jobs and join grad schools for PhD?

● Top Answer By Advait Joshi on 23 Mar 23

Ques. What is the placement scenario after PhD in IIT Bombay?

● Top Answer By Advait Joshi on 17 Mar 23

Ques. Is a PhD from IGNOU valid?

● Top Answer By Pankaj Kumar on 18 Oct 22

Ques. What is the placement record of MSc applied statistics students of IIT Bombay?

● Top Answer By Poornima Sahoo on 18 Mar 23

Ques. How difficult is it to get a PhD from IISc Bangalore?

● Top Answer By Bidita Ghose on 14 Jul 23

Ques. How good is doing a PhD in BITS Pilani compared to IITs?

● Top Answer By Advait Joshi on 27 Jun 23

Ph.D. (Chemistry)

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PhD Coursework : Latest UGC Guidelines , Syllabus

PhD Coursework gives students a thorough grasp of their subject topic and the ability to perform independent research. The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India has published new PhD coursework guidelines and syllabus to improve quality and relevance.

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• Study Protocol
• Open access
• Published: 26 August 2024

Learning effect of online versus onsite education in health and medical scholarship – protocol for a cluster randomized trial

• Rie Raffing 1 ,
• Lars Konge 2 &
• Hanne Tønnesen 1  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  927 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

123 Accesses

Metrics details

The disruption of health and medical education by the COVID-19 pandemic made educators question the effect of online setting on students’ learning, motivation, self-efficacy and preference. In light of the health care staff shortage online scalable education seemed relevant. Reviews on the effect of online medical education called for high quality RCTs, which are increasingly relevant with rapid technological development and widespread adaption of online learning in universities. The objective of this trial is to compare standardized and feasible outcomes of an online and an onsite setting of a research course regarding the efficacy for PhD students within health and medical sciences: Primarily on learning of research methodology and secondly on preference, motivation, self-efficacy on short term and academic achievements on long term. Based on the authors experience with conducting courses during the pandemic, the hypothesis is that student preferred onsite setting is different to online setting.

Cluster randomized trial with two parallel groups. Two PhD research training courses at the University of Copenhagen are randomized to online (Zoom) or onsite (The Parker Institute, Denmark) setting. Enrolled students are invited to participate in the study. Primary outcome is short term learning. Secondary outcomes are short term preference, motivation, self-efficacy, and long-term academic achievements. Standardized, reproducible and feasible outcomes will be measured by tailor made multiple choice questionnaires, evaluation survey, frequently used Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, Single Item Self-Efficacy Question, and Google Scholar publication data. Sample size is calculated to 20 clusters and courses are randomized by a computer random number generator. Statistical analyses will be performed blinded by an external statistical expert.

Primary outcome and secondary significant outcomes will be compared and contrasted with relevant literature. Limitations include geographical setting; bias include lack of blinding and strengths are robust assessment methods in a well-established conceptual framework. Generalizability to PhD education in other disciplines is high. Results of this study will both have implications for students and educators involved in research training courses in health and medical education and for the patients who ultimately benefits from this training.

Trial registration

Retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05736627. SPIRIT guidelines are followed.

Peer Review reports

Medical education was utterly disrupted for two years by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the midst of rearranging courses and adapting to online platforms we, with lecturers and course managers around the globe, wondered what the conversion to online setting did to students’ learning, motivation and self-efficacy [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. What the long-term consequences would be [ 4 ] and if scalable online medical education should play a greater role in the future [ 5 ] seemed relevant and appealing questions in a time when health care professionals are in demand. Our experience of performing research training during the pandemic was that although PhD students were grateful for courses being available, they found it difficult to concentrate related to the long screen hours. We sensed that most students preferred an onsite setting and perceived online courses a temporary and inferior necessity. The question is if this impacted their learning?

Since the common use of the internet in medical education, systematic reviews have sought to answer if there is a difference in learning effect when taught online compared to onsite. Although authors conclude that online learning may be equivalent to onsite in effect, they agree that studies are heterogeneous and small [ 6 , 7 ], with low quality of the evidence [ 8 , 9 ]. They therefore call for more robust and adequately powered high-quality RCTs to confirm their findings and suggest that students’ preferences in online learning should be investigated [ 7 , 8 , 9 ].

This uncovers two knowledge gaps: I) High-quality RCTs on online versus onsite learning in health and medical education and II) Studies on students’ preferences in online learning.

Recently solid RCTs have been performed on the topic of web-based theoretical learning of research methods among health professionals [ 10 , 11 ]. However, these studies are on asynchronous courses among medical or master students with short term outcomes.

This uncovers three additional knowledge gaps: III) Studies on synchronous online learning IV) among PhD students of health and medical education V) with long term measurement of outcomes.

The rapid technological development including artificial intelligence (AI) and widespread adaption as well as application of online learning forced by the pandemic, has made online learning well-established. It represents high resolution live synchronic settings which is available on a variety of platforms with integrated AI and options for interaction with and among students, chat and break out rooms, and exterior digital tools for teachers [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Thus, investigating online learning today may be quite different than before the pandemic. On one hand, it could seem plausible that this technological development would make a difference in favour of online learning which could not be found in previous reviews of the evidence. On the other hand, the personal face-to-face interaction during onsite learning may still be more beneficial for the learning process and combined with our experience of students finding it difficult to concentrate when online during the pandemic we hypothesize that outcomes of the onsite setting are different from the online setting.

To support a robust study, we design it as a cluster randomized trial. Moreover, we use the well-established and widely used Kirkpatrick’s conceptual framework for evaluating learning as a lens to assess our outcomes [ 15 ]. Thus, to fill the above-mentioned knowledge gaps, the objective of this trial is to compare a synchronous online and an in-person onsite setting of a research course regarding the efficacy for PhD students within the health and medical sciences:

Primarily on theoretical learning of research methodology and

Secondly on

◦ Preference, motivation, self-efficacy on short term

◦ Academic achievements on long term

Trial design

This study protocol covers synchronous online and in-person onsite setting of research courses testing the efficacy for PhD students. It is a two parallel arms cluster randomized trial (Fig.  1 ).

Consort flow diagram

The study measures baseline and post intervention. Baseline variables and knowledge scores are obtained at the first day of the course, post intervention measurement is obtained the last day of the course (short term) and monthly for 24 months (long term).

Randomization is stratified giving 1:1 allocation ratio of the courses. As the number of participants within each course might differ, the allocation ratio of participants in the study will not fully be equal and 1:1 balanced.

Study setting

The study site is The Parker Institute at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. From here the courses are organized and run online and onsite. The course programs and time schedules, the learning objective, the course management, the lecturers, and the delivery are identical in the two settings. The teachers use the same introductory presentations followed by training in break out groups, feed-back and discussions. For the online group, the setting is organized as meetings in the online collaboration tool Zoom® [ 16 ] using the basic available technicalities such as screen sharing, chat function for comments, and breakout rooms and other basics digital tools if preferred. The online version of the course is synchronous with live education and interaction. For the onsite group, the setting is the physical classroom at the learning facilities at the Parker Institute. Coffee and tea as well as simple sandwiches and bottles of water, which facilitate sociality, are available at the onsite setting. The participants in the online setting must get their food and drink by themselves, but online sociality is made possible by not closing down the online room during the breaks. The research methodology courses included in the study are “Practical Course in Systematic Review Technique in Clinical Research”, (see course programme in appendix 1) and “Getting started: Writing your first manuscript for publication” [ 17 ] (see course programme in appendix 2). The two courses both have 12 seats and last either three or three and a half days resulting in 2.2 and 2.6 ECTS credits, respectively. They are offered by the PhD School of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. Both courses are available and covered by the annual tuition fee for all PhD students enrolled at a Danish university.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria for participants: All PhD students enrolled on the PhD courses participate after informed consent: “Practical Course in Systematic Review Technique in Clinical Research” and “Getting started: Writing your first manuscript for publication” at the PhD School of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Exclusion criteria for participants: Declining to participate and withdrawal of informed consent.

Informed consent

The PhD students at the PhD School at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen participate after informed consent, taken by the daily project leader, allowing evaluation data from the course to be used after pseudo-anonymization in the project. They are informed in a welcome letter approximately three weeks prior to the course and again in the introduction the first course day. They register their consent on the first course day (Appendix 3). Declining to participate in the project does not influence their participation in the course.

Interventions

Online course settings will be compared to onsite course settings. We test if the onsite setting is different to online. Online learning is increasing but onsite learning is still the preferred educational setting in a medical context. In this case onsite learning represents “usual care”. The online course setting is meetings in Zoom using the technicalities available such as chat and breakout rooms. The onsite setting is the learning facilities, at the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, The Capital Region, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The course settings are not expected to harm the participants, but should a request be made to discontinue the course or change setting this will be met, and the participant taken out of the study. Course participants are allowed to take part in relevant concomitant courses or other interventions during the trial.

Strategies to improve adherence to interventions

Course participants are motivated to complete the course irrespectively of the setting because it bears ECTS-points for their PhD education and adds to the mandatory number of ECTS-points. Thus, we expect adherence to be the same in both groups. However, we monitor their presence in the course and allocate time during class for testing the short-term outcomes ( motivation, self-efficacy, preference and learning). We encourage and, if necessary, repeatedly remind them to register with Google Scholar for our testing of the long-term outcome (academic achievement).

Outcomes are related to the Kirkpatrick model for evaluating learning (Fig.  2 ) which divides outcomes into four different levels; Reaction which includes for example motivation, self-efficacy and preferences, Learning which includes knowledge acquisition, Behaviour for practical application of skills when back at the job (not included in our outcomes), and Results for impact for end-users which includes for example academic achievements in the form of scientific articles [ 18 , 19 , 20 ].

The Kirkpatrick model

Primary outcome

The primary outcome is short term learning (Kirkpatrick level 2).

Learning is assessed by a Multiple-Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) developed prior to the RCT specifically for this setting (Appendix 4). First the lecturers of the two courses were contacted and asked to provide five multiple choice questions presented as a stem with three answer options; one correct answer and two distractors. The questions should be related to core elements of their teaching under the heading of research training. The questions were set up to test the cognition of the students at the levels of "Knows" or "Knows how" according to Miller's Pyramid of Competence and not their behaviour [ 21 ]. Six of the course lecturers responded and out of this material all the questions which covered curriculum of both courses were selected. It was tested on 10 PhD students and within the lecturer group, revised after an item analysis and English language revised. The MCQ ended up containing 25 questions. The MCQ is filled in at baseline and repeated at the end of the course. The primary outcomes based on the MCQ is estimated as the score of learning calculated as number of correct answers out of 25 after the course. A decrease of points of the MCQ in the intervention groups denotes a deterioration of learning. In the MCQ the minimum score is 0 and 25 is maximum, where 19 indicates passing the course.

Furthermore, as secondary outcome, this outcome measurement will be categorized as binary outcome to determine passed/failed of the course defined by 75% (19/25) correct answers.

The learning score will be computed on group and individual level and compared regarding continued outcomes by the Mann–Whitney test comparing the learning score of the online and onsite groups. Regarding the binomial outcome of learning (passed/failed) data will be analysed by the Fisher’s exact test on an intention-to-treat basis between the online and onsite. The results will be presented as median and range and as mean and standard deviations, for possible future use in meta-analyses.

Secondary outcomes

Motivation assessment post course: Motivation level is measured by the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) Scale [ 22 ] (Appendix 5). The IMI items were randomized by random.org on the 4th of August 2022. It contains 12 items to be assessed by the students on a 7-point Likert scale where 1 is “Not at all true”, 4 is “Somewhat true” and 7 is “Very true”. The motivation score will be computed on group and individual level and will then be tested by the Mann–Whitney of the online and onsite group.

Self-efficacy assessment post course: Self-efficacy level is measured by a single-item measure developed and validated by Williams and Smith [ 23 ] (Appendix 6). It is assessed by the students on a scale from 1–10 where 1 is “Strongly disagree” and 10 is “Strongly agree”. The self-efficacy score will be computed on group and individual level and tested by a Mann–Whitney test to compare the self-efficacy score of the online and onsite group.

Preference assessment post course: Preference is measured as part of the general course satisfaction evaluation with the question “If you had the option to choose, which form would you prefer this course to have?” with the options “onsite form” and “online form”.

Academic achievement assessment is based on 24 monthly measurements post course of number of publications, number of citations, h-index, i10-index. This data is collected through the Google Scholar Profiles [ 24 ] of the students as this database covers most scientific journals. Associations between onsite/online and long-term academic will be examined with Kaplan Meyer and log rank test with a significance level of 0.05.

Participant timeline

Enrolment for the course at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, becomes available when it is published in the course catalogue. In the course description the course location is “To be announced”. Approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins, the participant list is finalized, and students receive a welcome letter containing course details, including their allocation to either the online or onsite setting. On the first day of the course, oral information is provided, and participants provide informed consent, baseline variables, and base line knowledge scores.

The last day of scheduled activities the following scores are collected, knowledge, motivation, self-efficacy, setting preference, and academic achievement. To track students' long term academic achievements, follow-ups are conducted monthly for a period of 24 months, with assessments occurring within one week of the last course day (Table  1 ).

Sample size

The power calculation is based on the main outcome, theoretical learning on short term. For the sample size determination, we considered 12 available seats for participants in each course. To achieve statistical power, we aimed for 8 clusters in both online and onsite arms (in total 16 clusters) to detect an increase in learning outcome of 20% (learning outcome increase of 5 points). We considered an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.02, a standard deviation of 10, a power of 80%, and a two-sided alpha level of 5%. The Allocation Ratio was set at 1, implying an equal number of subjects in both online and onsite group.

Considering a dropout up to 2 students per course, equivalent to 17%, we determined that a total of 112 participants would be needed. This calculation factored in 10 clusters of 12 participants per study arm, which we deemed sufficient to assess any changes in learning outcome.

The sample size was estimated using the function n4means from the R package CRTSize [ 25 ].

Recruitment

Participants are PhD students enrolled in 10 courses of “Practical Course in Systematic Review Technique in Clinical Research” and 10 courses of “Getting started: Writing your first manuscript for publication” at the PhD School of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Assignment of interventions: allocation

Randomization will be performed on course-level. The courses are randomized by a computer random number generator [ 26 ]. To get a balanced randomization per year, 2 sets with 2 unique random integers in each, taken from the 1–4 range is requested.

The setting is not included in the course catalogue of the PhD School and thus allocation to online or onsite is concealed until 3–4 weeks before course commencement when a welcome letter with course information including allocation to online or onsite setting is distributed to the students. The lecturers are also informed of the course setting at this time point. If students withdraw from the course after being informed of the setting, a letter is sent to them enquiring of the reason for withdrawal and reason is recorded (Appendix 7).

The allocation sequence is generated by a computer random number generator (random.org). The participants and the lecturers sign up for the course without knowing the course setting (online or onsite) until 3–4 weeks before the course.

Assignment of interventions: blinding

Due to the nature of the study, it is not possible to blind trial participants or lecturers. The outcomes are reported by the participants directly in an online form, thus being blinded for the outcome assessor, but not for the individual participant. The data collection for the long-term follow-up regarding academic achievements is conducted without blinding. However, the external researcher analysing the data will be blinded.

Data collection and management

Data will be collected by the project leader (Table  1 ). Baseline variables and post course knowledge, motivation, and self-efficacy are self-reported through questionnaires in SurveyXact® [ 27 ]. Academic achievements are collected through Google Scholar profiles of the participants.

Given that we are using participant assessments and evaluations for research purposes, all data collection – except for monthly follow-up of academic achievements after the course – takes place either in the immediate beginning or ending of the course and therefore we expect participant retention to be high.

Data will be downloaded from SurveyXact and stored in a locked and logged drive on a computer belonging to the Capital Region of Denmark. Only the project leader has access to the data.

This project conduct is following the Danish Data Protection Agency guidelines of the European GDPR throughout the trial. Following the end of the trial, data will be stored at the Danish National Data Archive which fulfil Danish and European guidelines for data protection and management.

Statistical methods

Data is anonymized and blinded before the analyses. Analyses are performed by a researcher not otherwise involved in the inclusion or randomization, data collection or handling. All statistical tests will be testing the null hypotheses assuming the two arms of the trial being equal based on corresponding estimates. Analysis of primary outcome on short-term learning will be started once all data has been collected for all individuals in the last included course. Analyses of long-term academic achievement will be started at end of follow-up.

Baseline characteristics including both course- and individual level information will be presented. Table 2 presents the available data on baseline.

We will use multivariate analysis for identification of the most important predictors (motivation, self-efficacy, sex, educational background, and knowledge) for best effect on short and long term. The results will be presented as risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The results will be considered significant if CI does not include the value one.

All data processing and analyses were conducted using R statistical software version 4.1.0, 2021–05-18 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria).

If possible, all analysis will be performed for “Practical Course in Systematic Review Technique in Clinical Research” and for “Getting started: Writing your first manuscript for publication” separately.

Primary analyses will be handled with the intention-to-treat approach. The analyses will include all individuals with valid data regardless of they did attend the complete course. Missing data will be handled with multiple imputation [ 28 ] .

Upon reasonable request, public assess will be granted to protocol, datasets analysed during the current study, and statistical code Table 3 .

Oversight, monitoring, and adverse events

This project is coordinated in collaboration between the WHO CC (DEN-62) at the Parker Institute, CAMES, and the PhD School at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The project leader runs the day-to-day support of the trial. The steering committee of the trial includes principal investigators from WHO CC (DEN-62) and CAMES and the project leader and meets approximately three times a year.

Data monitoring is done on a daily basis by the project leader and controlled by an external independent researcher.

An adverse event is “a harmful and negative outcome that happens when a patient has been provided with medical care” [ 29 ]. Since this trial does not involve patients in medical care, we do not expect adverse events. If participants decline taking part in the course after receiving the information of the course setting, information on reason for declining is sought obtained. If the reason is the setting this can be considered an unintended effect. Information of unintended effects of the online setting (the intervention) will be recorded. Participants are encouraged to contact the project leader with any response to the course in general both during and after the course.

The trial description has been sent to the Scientific Ethical Committee of the Capital Region of Denmark (VEK) (21041907), which assessed it as not necessary to notify and that it could proceed without permission from VEK according to the Danish law and regulation of scientific research. The trial is registered with the Danish Data Protection Agency (Privacy) (P-2022–158). Important protocol modification will be communicated to relevant parties as well as VEK, the Joint Regional Information Security and Clinicaltrials.gov within an as short timeframe as possible.

Dissemination plans

The results (positive, negative, or inconclusive) will be disseminated in educational, scientific, and clinical fora, in international scientific peer-reviewed journals, and clinicaltrials.gov will be updated upon completion of the trial. After scientific publication, the results will be disseminated to the public by the press, social media including the website of the hospital and other organizations – as well as internationally via WHO CC (DEN-62) at the Parker Institute and WHO Europe.

All authors will fulfil the ICMJE recommendations for authorship, and RR will be first author of the articles as a part of her PhD dissertation. Contributors who do not fulfil these recommendations will be offered acknowledgement in the article.

This cluster randomized trial investigates if an onsite setting of a research course for PhD students within the health and medical sciences is different from an online setting. The outcomes measured are learning of research methodology (primary), preference, motivation, and self-efficacy (secondary) on short term and academic achievements (secondary) on long term.

The results of this study will be discussed as follows:

Discussion of primary outcome

Primary outcome will be compared and contrasted with similar studies including recent RCTs and mixed-method studies on online and onsite research methodology courses within health and medical education [ 10 , 11 , 30 ] and for inspiration outside the field [ 31 , 32 ]: Tokalic finds similar outcomes for online and onsite, Martinic finds that the web-based educational intervention improves knowledge, Cheung concludes that the evidence is insufficient to say that the two modes have different learning outcomes, Kofoed finds online setting to have negative impact on learning and Rahimi-Ardabili presents positive self-reported student knowledge. These conflicting results will be discussed in the context of the result on the learning outcome of this study. The literature may change if more relevant studies are published.

Discussion of secondary outcomes

Secondary significant outcomes are compared and contrasted with similar studies.

Limitations, generalizability, bias and strengths

It is a limitation to this study, that an onsite curriculum for a full day is delivered identically online, as this may favour the onsite course due to screen fatigue [ 33 ]. At the same time, it is also a strength that the time schedules are similar in both settings. The offer of coffee, tea, water, and a plain sandwich in the onsite course may better facilitate the possibility for socializing. Another limitation is that the study is performed in Denmark within a specific educational culture, with institutional policies and resources which might affect the outcome and limit generalization to other geographical settings. However, international students are welcome in the class.

In educational interventions it is generally difficult to blind participants and this inherent limitation also applies to this trial [ 11 ]. Thus, the participants are not blinded to their assigned intervention, and neither are the lecturers in the courses. However, the external statistical expert will be blinded when doing the analyses.

We chose to compare in-person onsite setting with a synchronous online setting. Therefore, the online setting cannot be expected to generalize to asynchronous online setting. Asynchronous delivery has in some cases showed positive results and it might be because students could go back and forth through the modules in the interface without time limit [ 11 ].

We will report on all the outcomes defined prior to conducting the study to avoid selective reporting bias.

It is a strength of the study that it seeks to report outcomes within the 1, 2 and 4 levels of the Kirkpatrick conceptual framework, and not solely on level 1. It is also a strength that the study is cluster randomized which will reduce “infections” between the two settings and has an adequate power calculated sample size and looks for a relevant educational difference of 20% between the online and onsite setting.

Perspectives with implications for practice

The results of this study may have implications for the students for which educational setting they choose. Learning and preference results has implications for lecturers, course managers and curriculum developers which setting they should plan for the health and medical education. It may also be of inspiration for teaching and training in other disciplines. From a societal perspective it also has implications because we will know the effect and preferences of online learning in case of a future lock down.

Future research could investigate academic achievements in online and onsite research training on the long run (Kirkpatrick 4); the effect of blended learning versus online or onsite (Kirkpatrick 2); lecturers’ preferences for online and onsite setting within health and medical education (Kirkpatrick 1) and resource use in synchronous and asynchronous online learning (Kirkpatrick 5).

Trial status

This trial collected pilot data from August to September 2021 and opened for inclusion in January 2022. Completion of recruitment is expected in April 2024 and long-term follow-up in April 2026. Protocol version number 1 03.06.2022 with amendments 30.11.2023.

Availability of data and materials

The project leader will have access to the final trial dataset which will be available upon reasonable request. Exception to this is the qualitative raw data that might contain information leading to personal identification.

Abbreviations

Artificial Intelligence

Copenhagen academy for medical education and simulation

Confidence interval

Coronavirus disease

European credit transfer and accumulation system

International committee of medical journal editors

Intrinsic motivation inventory

Multiple choice questionnaire

Doctor of medicine

Masters of sciences

Randomized controlled trial

Scientific ethical committee of the Capital Region of Denmark

WHO Collaborating centre for evidence-based clinical health promotion

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Acknowledgements

We thank the students who make their evaluations available for this trial and MSc (Public Health) Mie Sylow Liljendahl for statistical support.

Open access funding provided by Copenhagen University The Parker Institute, which hosts the WHO CC (DEN-62), receives a core grant from the Oak Foundation (OCAY-18–774-OFIL). The Oak Foundation had no role in the design of the study or in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data or in writing the manuscript.

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Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES), Centre for HR and Education, The Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark

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Contributions

RR, LK and HT have made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work; RR to the acquisition of data, and RR, LK and HT to the interpretation of data; RR has drafted the work and RR, LK, and HT have substantively revised it AND approved the submitted version AND agreed to be personally accountable for their own contributions as well as ensuring that any questions which relates to the accuracy or integrity of the work are adequately investigated, resolved and documented.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rie Raffing .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

The Danish National Committee on Health Research Ethics has assessed the study Journal-nr.:21041907 (Date: 21–09-2021) without objections or comments. The study has been approved by The Danish Data Protection Agency Journal-nr.: P-2022–158 (Date: 04.05.2022).

All PhD students participate after informed consent. They can withdraw from the study at any time without explanations or consequences for their education. They will be offered information of the results at study completion. There are no risks for the course participants as the measurements in the course follow routine procedure and they are not affected by the follow up in Google Scholar. However, the 15 min of filling in the forms may be considered inconvenient.

The project will follow the GDPR and the Joint Regional Information Security Policy. Names and ID numbers are stored on a secure and logged server at the Capital Region Denmark to avoid risk of data leak. All outcomes are part of the routine evaluation at the courses, except the follow up for academic achievement by publications and related indexes. However, the publications are publicly available per se.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests

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Raffing, R., Konge, L. & Tønnesen, H. Learning effect of online versus onsite education in health and medical scholarship – protocol for a cluster randomized trial. BMC Med Educ 24 , 927 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05915-z

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Received : 25 March 2024

Accepted : 14 August 2024

Published : 26 August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05915-z

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