Tips Menghadapi Ujian Thesis/Disertasi

Tulisan di bawah ini semoga bermanfaat bagi siapa saja yang hendak ujian thesis atau disertasi, berdasarkan pengalaman seorang dosen di Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM).

Two Minutes Viva Presentation

Why Do We Have VIVA Presentation?
The Purpose:
1. To see if (you) have written it.
2. To see if (you) understand what you have written.
3. To see if it is worth of PhD. Contribution
4. To officially welcome you on board. Sounds sweet yea……

Two Minutes Viva Presentation..Haaa?
Don’t get shocked, it is the most important part of viva presentation. You see, when your university sends your thesis to potential examiners, I beg your trust, not all examiners read your thesis, or read but don’t understands, or read just speedily. Beware, some really critically read word by word……Remember, 250-350 pages of thesis require time and energy to read. So let’s say they did read but confused. It means that the death sentence is already delivered in the forms provided to them. There are five outcomes from the examiners when they read your thesis:
1. Accepted as it is NO Corrections
2. Accepted with major Corrections
3. Accepted with minor Corrections
4. Accepted but Re-viva
5. Rejected…

Points to remember:
All five remarks above can be reversed when you present and prove or disprove your case. Even the above remarks let say No 1…can be reversed to major or even to rejection. That’s why they want to hear you first before the death sentence are approved by your university.

How Do You Quash that Death Sentence?
My advice is once you enter the viva room, just imagine, you are the most learned scholar and pretend that your examiners know nothing and you are there to teach them. Remember be humble. So you have a chance, you are the boss, you are the learned, and you have your 2 minutes defense presentation.
Most universities in this country (Malaysia) give you 15-20-30 minutes of viva presentation and the time for questioning is no limit.

How Do You Do your 2 Minutes Presentation?

First Slide…
Put your title on the screen. Just title yea…
Add your published Journals (on the bottom just citation)…Each chapter of your thesis can be an article or conference paper. When examiners see your publications, I am sure they will not play with you. Your publication is the proof that your work is already recognized and documented. Don’t look at your slides connect your eyes to theirs. Start explaining about the following: In Two Minutes. It is the same like news in brief on your TV.

Second Slide:
1. Your Problem
2. Your Objectives
3. Your methodology
4. Your Results
5. Conclusion and contributions…

Now in two minutes, your examiners already know what you are up to, if in case they missed your important points when they read your thesis. I beg your trust, you already passed by 50 present in 2 minutes.

Your Presentation in detail
a) Your Problem Statement
b) Your Objectives and Research Question
c) Your Literature Review
d) Your methodology
e) Your Results
f) Conclusion and contributions…

How Do You Do It?

The Golden Rule…
1. Before you start your real presentation, tell a few lovely words to the examiners to make them relaxed.
2. You Must know your thesis inside out by heart. You Must know which information is on which page, I am not kidding…..oh dear… scary…. No…you can do it….I did Hafal the whole thesis…
3. Make ready on your table and in your laptop a copy of your thesis same pagination with that of your examiners and your supervisor(s)
4. Don’t play fool. Your examiners are experts in your field. So don’t be naughty.
5. Don’t admit anything negative such as sorry I am not prepared…………
6. Don’t take it easy, VIVA can be as friendly as possible and the same time suddenly goes out of hands and becomes nasty. So be prepared…
7. At any point, if you are under stress you can look at your thesis…..Ask for the permission.
8. Concentrate on your Problem and emphasis that it is so grave that needs immediate attention. Cite published references.
9. Concentrate on your Contributions. Very important. What did you bridge?
10. Prove to them with published references that your methodology is sound and used by many other researchers.
11. Simplify your results with graphs and tables and connect it to your hypothesis.
12. Show your conclusion and explain to them that because of your research what researchers did not know before and now they know.

Remark: During your presentation…..
1) Put different colored markers in important places of your thesis so if need arises easy to spot them.
2) Don’t fight for your right. Your examiners are your customers you are selling yourself to them… Remember customers are always right. Never ever argue with them and instead get ready a pen and a paper and right down their suggestions and say thank you to the examiner. You never lose anything in fact you gain a lot.
3) Admit if you are wrong, be patient and must know that in a matter of hours you will be acknowledged as Mr. (Dr.) just like everyone else in the hall, hopefully. So be humble……
4) Last ..Don’t forget your mock viva…with your supervisors and friends before attending your viva.
Good Luck

Dr. Qais Faryadi 2016 (FST- USIM)