A virtual viva: My experience and tips
Now that the virtual viva (thesis defence) has had time to settle in, I think they may stick around beyond the pandemic. Just think, there are also several other non-pandemic settings in which they are highly valuable. For example when there’s a perfect examiner based in another country and the travel can’t be justified or funded. Or when there’s a larger gap between PhD submission and the viva, the researcher may have started a new job in a different location, making a trip back to their PhD institution tricky.
In November 2020 I had my PhD viva online via Microsoft Teams. I was sat in my home office (i.e., a small room that had previously contained a spare bed and a heap of junk) and to be honest it was all a bit surreal. Throughout my PhD I occasionally had bad dreams about my viva, and I thought I’d envisaged every possible weird scenario that could happen. Yet I never considered that my viva would take place online and at home.
I wanted to share my experience and thoughts in the hope that it’ll be helpful to other PhD researchers who are approaching their viva.
- Accept that it is different to what you had planned for
Before the pandemic hit I had seen many friends defend their thesis. I knew they had a chat with their supervisor beforehand, often defended in the same room in our psychology department, popped out for a water break to the staff kitchen and had reassuring words of encouragement from other people who had been through the process, then waited surrounded by friends as their committee made their decision. I also knew that there would be big celebrations with everyone in the department afterwards, culminating in the signing of the cork from their bottle of fizz for display in the kitchen (a Bangor University School of Psychology tradition which I love!).
I had always expected my day to follow this pattern, so accepting that it would be different was difficult at first. I eventually realised that different didn’t need to mean bad, and that I could still find ways to make it an enjoyable day.
I even signed and saved the cork from my celebratory bottle of prosecco, and was delighted to be able to put it in place in the staff kitchen several months later.
2. Make the most of it being online
Since it’s online, you’ll likely be sat at your computer for the duration of the viva. Make the most of this set up! I have two monitors, so I had my main monitor set up for Microsoft Teams, and then used my secondary monitor to keep the PDF of my thesis open. I had an annotated paper copy of my thesis available too which I referred to, but it was nice to know I could Ctrl + F for specific sections of my work if needed.
If you are doing the viva at home, you also have control over the environment around you. When I was waiting to be invited to the call I sat with my dog — a perfect companion for reducing stress levels! I then sent her out of the room during the call itself, and invited her back when my panel were deliberating.
3. Choose your location wisely
I’m lucky to have a separate workspace at home, so I had a quiet space with proper computer set up. It’s also where I finished writing my thesis which I think helped put me in the work mindset on viva day. However I know that not everyone has this luxury. Work with the space you have and try to find somewhere that is quiet with little chance of interruptions, and has decent internet access.
If you live with other people, make sure they know the important of you having some peace on the day. But also remember that your examiners are human too. Over the last year we’ve all learnt the challenges of virtual meetings — sometimes your dog barks in the background, or someone’s kid knocks on their office door. It’s nice to have peace and quiet to get you into the mindset, but don’t beat yourself up about it if these things happen.
4. Expand your prep to include tech rehearsals
As well as your standard viva preparation, ensure you have checked out the software that you’ll be using during the call. If you’re part of a lab, rope some of them into helping with either a mock viva or just a general tech rehearsal. Make sure you know how to join the call, how to share your screen (if needed), and who to contact if you have any tech issues on the day. This last point is particularly important. Of course we all hope your virtual viva runs smoothly, but sometimes technology just doesn’t want to play nicely. Knowing what to do if thing go wrong can greatly reduce the stress if it does happen.
5. Be patient and don’t be afraid to ask for a question to be repeated
Okay, so this point is valid in any viva situation. If you didn’t hear a question or it wasn’t clear, ask for it to be repeated or rephrased. This is especially important when a dip in internet connection can make the audio stream a little jumpy. If it happens then take a breath and say that you’d appreciate the comment or question being repeated. Sometimes we don’t like to admit we didn’t hear or understand something in case the person gets annoyed at having to repeat themselves, but this is daft. Everyone understands that tech blips happen, and your examiners would prefer you to ask for a question to be clarified or repeated so that you can answer in the best way you can.
6. Plan something nice for afterwards
Defending your thesis is a big moment. I felt a bit weird finding out my result, saying thank you to the examiners and then just leaving the call, so I planned what I’d do after the viva. I had some time with my boyfriend and dog, phoned all of my family, and then jumped on a call with my lab to celebrate and debrief. I think it’s incredibly important to have people to celebrate with — whether that’s online or in person. It’s a massive day and a huge achievement, just because it may be done online or at home shouldn’t take away from that.
Do what’s right for you. For me it was to eat a big cake and drink prosecco. For someone else it may have been a soothing cup of tea and a celebratory run. In non-pandemic times it may be a big party with family and friends. Either way I’d recommend having a plan for the ‘after’ bit. Throughout a PhD we often have a good idea of what’s happening next, and so simply turning the computer off knowing that it’s over can feel a bit jarring as you’re suddenly like ‘what next?’. Look after yourself and enjoy the moment!
If you’ve got any top tips for a virtual viva, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch on twitter: @_ajohnstone