Supportive Academic Environment at DS-BMS, KU Leuven - Ombuds Services & Challenges
Explore how Ombuds Services at the Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven in Belgium foster a supportive academic environment, addressing social safety challenges. Learn about the diverse faculties, Ombuds mediators, supervision dynamics, and the importance of inclusivity and respect policies in promoting a positive academic culture for over 6500 PhD researchers. Discover the role of the Doctoral Ombuds in mediating and resolving issues, with insights into ombuds cases and supervisor appreciation rates.
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Presentation Transcript
Fostering a Supportive Academic Environment: Ombuds Services at the DS-BMS Eva Boff Policy advisor Doctoral School Biomedical Sciences KU Leuven, Belgium
Voorbeeld aandachtstrekker. Foto was beeldvullend maar toen hadden we nog 4:3 format
Social safety @ KU Leuven Ombuds services at Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences Challenges for now & future
KU Leuven: 3 groups and 6500 PhD researchers Biomedical Sciences Group Humanities and Social Sciences Group Science, Engineering and Technology Group #PhD researchers: 1800 1700 3000
The DS-BMS: 3 faculties, 1700 PhD researchers Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Pharmaceutical sciences Faculty of Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences (FABER) PhD in PhD in Movement Sciences PhD in PhD in Biomedical Sciences PhD in Biomedical Sciences PhD in Biomedical Sciences Pharmaceutical Sciences Rehabilitation Sciences
KU Leuven has a policy of inclusivity, respect and social safety Supervisor or person in charge Points of contact (Doctoral ombuds) Colleagues/fellow students Entities outside KU Leuven Unit of Confidence 6
The doctoral ombuds mediate in case of problems Five ombudspersons First contact point for PhD researchers & supervisors For PhD-related, general or personal issues Act neutral, respect confidentiality & work discreetly Mediate between parties Refer to KU Leuven s Unit of Confidence if needed
DS-BMS has ~30 ombuds cases/year with a dropout rate of PhDs reporting cases of ~30%
Supervisors are appreciated by most PhD researchers 85% 11% 4% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Grade given for supervisor Source: exit poll PhD researchers Biomedical Sciences 2023
iSupervise, the obligatory masterclass for new supervisors has helped prevent problems ~3-fold All aspects of the Doctoral School * Milestones, QC, different elements of the doctoral training,... * Effective use of the charters and IDP Aspects that are important for research * Research integrity, open science, data management, ethics,... Aspects that are important in leading and coaching a research team * recruitment and selection, leadership, building inclusive team environments,... * career development of PhDs/postdocs, stress & well-being,...
Repeat offenders are managed by a succession of actions Ombudsperson, alone or together with PhD(s) solve the issue Ombudsperson, together with the Research Coordinator and the Director of DS-BMS reprimand the supervisor Case reporter(s) give permission to act Ombudsperson, together with the Research Coordinator and the Director of DS-BMS determine remedial trajectory
Conclusions ~30 of 1700 PhD students go to an ombudsperson each year of which ~1/3 do not complete their PhD To increase the success of mediation we try to lower the threshold to look for help Supervisor training has proven successful in prevention of problems 12
