Mid-term evaluation of doctoral students of the International Environmental Doctoral School associated with the Centre for Polar Studies at the University of Silesia in Katowice (IEDS) is carried out in the middle of the period of education in accordance with Article 202 of the Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science, § 13 of the Resolution no 258 of the Academic Senate of the University of Silesia in Katowice passed on 26 April 2022 setting out the Rules of IEDS, and the principles of organizing and conducting the mid-term evaluation formulated by the Appendix no. 3 to the Rules of IEDS Council.

Mid-term evaluation committee

  • The Committee is appointed by IEDS Council so that it comprises three members with a post-doctoral degree (PhD with Habilitation) or the academic title of a Professor in the discipline of a given doctoral dissertation, out of whom at least one member is an employee of a unit other than the units forming IEDS.
  • In special cases, the Committee may include no more than one person holding at least a doctoral degree and documented outstanding achievements in the discipline in which the doctoral dissertation is prepared.
  • The Committee must not include the supervisor, the auxiliary supervisor or the leader of the research project which is the source of funding for the doctoral student’s academic scholarship or remuneration.
  • In justified cases, a doctoral student or a member of the Committee may apply for the exclusion of a Committee member from the work of the Committee.
  • IEDS Council may appoint experts of the Committee, to serve as advisors, from among persons employed in foreign academic and research units.
  • Upon the request of a doctoral student or the doctoral student government board, a representative of the doctoral student government may participate in the work of the Committee as an observer.

The course of mid-term evaluation

The mid-term evaluation is carried out on the basis of:

1) a written report on the implementation of the IRP  reviewed by the supervisor or supervisors or the supervisor and the auxiliary supervisor;

2) a speech/presentation at an open scientific seminar;

3) the Committee’s interview with the doctoral student and the supervisor or the doctoral student and supervisors.

The Committee evaluates the execution of the IRP based on the following criteria:

  • conformity of completed research tasks and obtained results with research assumptions given in the IRP;
  • ability to meet research deadlines set in the IRP;
  • effectiveness of publications and presentation of research results obtained at a given stage of the execution of the IRP;
  • significance of research projects carried out by the doctoral student and suitability of professional development undertaken by the doctoral student;
  • degree of completion of the doctoral dissertation and the likelihood of meeting the submission deadline and achieving research objectives specified in the IRP.

At the end of the mid-term evaluation, a doctoral student obtains a pass mark or a fail mark. Mid-term evaluation results are publically available.

Should a doctoral student receive a fail mark, he or she is expelled by way of an administrative decision made by the Dean of IEDS with the authorization of the Rector of the University of Silesia. It is possible to submit a request for reconsideration to the Rector of the University of Silesia not later than 14 days after being notified about the decision.

MID-TERM EVALUATION 2024

The report should be submitted via e-mail to polarknow@us.edu.pl.

MID-TERM EVALUATION 2023

MID-TERM EVALUATION 2022

MID-TERM EVALUATION 2021