Teaching and Learning Course

As part of our teaching experience PhD students have an opportunity to complete Teaching and Learning Course which helps us to develop our professional skills as teachers.

The course involved 8 sessions which took place weekly during which we discussed teaching process and shared own experience with each other. I was quite lucky that this course started at the same time as my first teaching experience at university therefore that enabled me to develop my own teaching style based on theory and practice.

At the end of this course we were required to complete a portfolio which helped us to reflect on our personal growth as teachers during this period of time as well as write some theoretical essays showing our understanding of teaching practice from theoretical point of view.

This course was extremely beneficial for me. The taught part of this course as well as independent work on portfolio have greatly supported and guided me to improve my teaching style.

Symphony Hall in Birmingham

Symphony Hall is one of the main attractions of the cultural life in Birmingham. It is located right in the city centre and hosts around 300 musical events every year, bringing world's famous musicians and performers and playing all types of music making it interesting for everyone!

The venue is impressive and it is an exciting experience to go to a concert there. Tickets are not very expensive and are usually available for purchase online and at the box office. Students have also an opportunity to buy tickets for only £5 just before the concert for some events!

It is definitely worth visiting it and enjoy an evening with friends!!!

Christmas Market 2012

Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market has become one of the most exciting events in the city life. This beautiful outdoor market makes the city look fabulous and creates an unforgettable atmosphere.

It has already been taking place for 11 years and all residents of Birmingham as well as tourists look forward to this event. Christmas Market provides us with unique shopping experience - traditional Christmas decorations, a wide range of handcrafts, souvenirs, candles, etc are offered to visitors. Apart from that, there are also various activities which can be enjoyed, such as taking a ride on the famous Carousel.

It is a great place to spend an evening at with your family or friends!!!

PhD Experience

I have been a PhD student at Aston for already two years and one more year to go...I should complete my thesis by September next year if everything goes as it is planned.

These two years have really been an interesting experience and I enjoyed my life as a PhD student a lot. The amount of workload is enormous and challenging but as you progress it gives you a great feeling of achieving something important and significant. It is an independent process therefore it is valuable to have a supportive supervisor who will guide you in the right direction.

This time spent at Aston also helped me deciding what I want to do in the future. Having attended conferences and presentation where we had a chance to present our work, meet a lot of interesting people made me realize that work in academia is extremely interesting.

I am looking forward to complete my thesis, but at the same time I really want to make the most out of my last year, gain as much knowledge and experiecne as possible in order to move on to the next step.

Teaching Experience

Most PhD students have an opportunity to get involved in teaching undergraduate students. This year I am conducting tutorials for second and third year students for Making Managerial Decisions module at Aston Business School.

I was teaching the same module last year and it was a new experience for me. Even though I was well prepared for that, I still found it a bit challenging. However, this year as I already know what is expected from me and what I can expect from students, I find it more enjoyable.

In my opinion teaching is an extremely valuable experience. I have students coming from different countries and backgrounds therefore it makes teaching process very interesting. Being an undergraduate student not that long time ago myself I try to be as supportive as possible. The best reward for such work of course is when students deliver good results which shows that your work as a teacher and their effort were really worth it.

Research Society

Aston University is very well known for its friendly environment. When I started my PhD programme two years ago I was impressed how welcoming other students were. It was obvious that everyone wanted to meet every single new student to make them feel comfortable and fully integrated at Aston University life.

As PhD programme is completely different from Undergraduate and Master’s degree, it is helpful to meet as many people as possible who are happy to share their experience with you and who can give you a valuable advice.

We are all part of Aston Postgraduate Research Society which was formed in order to bring all research students at Aston together and organize social and academic events during the year. Last week a “Welcome Back” party was held by society members where we could meet to catch up and also introduce new students to our research community.

Being a Student at Aston

I am currently in a final year of my PhD programme. I have been a student at Aston for three years. I came to Aston to complete my Master's Degree in Accounting and Finance which I enjoyed a lot. I was impressed with the level of teaching, staff support and friendly environment. That has influenced my decision to apply for PhD programme as I was always interested in working in academia. 

These two years of being a PhD student, research work and teaching have been an exciting experience. Support from my supervisor and fellow students have contributed a lot to my work process. I am really hoping to stay in academia after completion of my PhD thesis.

I was delighted to become an International Ambassador in my final year of study as it is a great opportunity for any international student and I really look forward to this year and work with an International Office at Aston.