What is a mid-term evaluation?
The mid-term evaluation is an evaluation of the implementation of an individual research plan, which each PhD candidate of a doctoral school takes place in the middle of his / her education. The evaluation is carried out by a three-person commission composed of at least one person with the degree of a habilitated doctor or the title of professor in the discipline in which the doctoral dissertation is being prepared, employed outside the unit running the Doctoral School.
The supervisor and auxiliary supervisor cannot be members of the commission.
At the Doctoral School at the University of Silesia in Katowice, all commission members have at least a postdoctoral degree, and the commission is appointed earlier than required by the law – already in the first year of doctoral education.
It is referred to as an evaluation committee because it evaluates the PhD candidate’s work after each year of education. Thanks to this, the Commission fulfills the statutory obligation to conduct a mid-term evaluation and supports the development of the doctoral student by giving opinions on his research plan at the stage of its approval and following the development of the doctoral student over the following years of his education.
After the end of the first year, the commission gives an opinion on the PhD candidate’s individual research plan and evaluates the first annual report. The commission may then provide a pass, fail, or conditional assessment.
A mid-term evaluation takes place after the end of the second year.
After the end of the third year, the commission evaluates the further implementation of IPB, i.e., the progress and the degree of preparation of the doctoral dissertation.
Legal basis:
Ustawa z dnia 20 lipca 2018 r. – Prawo o szkolnictwie wyższym i nauce (Dz. U. 2018, poz. 1668) art. 202, art. 209 ust. 10.
Regulations of the Doctoral School – link to the document in Polish (for English translation of the Regulation: https://us.edu.pl/szkola-doktorska/en/szkola-doktorska-w-uniwersytecie-slaskim/)