FAQ

Registration | Cancellation | Offer | Participation | Reimbursement
 

Registration

How do I register for a workshop?

Connect to the course registration platform from the links on the Graduate Campus Workshop pages, using your UNIL login to access the platform.

From the main Courses page, click on "Register" on the far right column for the workshop you want to attend. You will receive an immediate receipt by email to say that your request has been received. We will process your request as quickly as possible and email you to confirm your registration or to let you know you are on the waiting list.

I’m on the waiting list. How likely is it that I’ll get a place?

It depends on how many registered participants cancel, how long the waiting list is, and where you are on the list. You can check with us at any time to see where you are on the list (by email).

As soon as we receive a cancellation, and if you name is next on the list, we will contact you. We strongly encourage you to pencil the date in your calendar: if we do manage to offer you a place, it would be a pity to have to turn it down!

The workshop is marked as full. Can I still request registration?

Yes! Waiting lists are always in operation for every workshop. If you let us know you’d like to attend (by requesting registration), we’ll be able to contact you if we have a cancellation. The waiting lists are also a great way for us to know the hidden demand for a workshop. If we have sufficient budget and the trainer is available, we will try to organise an additional date.

 

Finally, even if we don't manage to organize an additional date, the length of the waiting list will allow us to better define our offer the following year.

 

Do the workshops give credits for my doctoral school / degree?

The Graduate Campus is unable to award ECTS credits directly. Nevertheless, your faculty can review your participation in a Graduate Campus activity and decide whether and how to award credits.

 

For all of the full-day Graduate Campus workshops, we provide certificates of attendance which indicate the number of contact hours. In addition, doctoral candidates and postdocs have access to a record of all activities on their account, along with the number of hours involved.

Can I register myself, or does someone else have to do it for me?

Only you can register for a workshop, through your UNIL account (username and password) to access the platform. A third party should not register on your behalf.

Can I participate in the workshop that I’m most interested in, or do all the activities that I register for have to be part of the same Graduate Campus module?

The modules are there mainly to organize the offer. For the modules "Thesis from A to Z" and "Strengthen your skills", you have free choice of whatever workshop you would like to attend.

For the module "Develop your career", you are strongly recommended to sign up for a Career Café first. It addresses the essentials, in whatever direction you intend to take - academic or not - covering the basics of career possibilities, identifying what you could do and what you’d be interested in doing. After that, you are free to choose the topic you'd like to focus on.

We do of course ask that you read carefully the description for each workshop - some require time outside the workshop hours, some previous knowledge, or may not be exactly what you might have expected from a quick read of the title. Participants have been frustrated, but only because they were expecting something else.

The workshop is indicated for postdocs, can I still register if I'm a PhD candidate?

The Graduate Campus organises some workshops in priority for postdocs, whether for topic, or because the CUSO transversal skills  program has a similar offer (to which PhD candidates have access). If you are a PhD candidate interested in a workshop that is marked as priority for postdocs, you can request registration and we will put you on the waiting list.

Is there a fee to pay for one of your workshops?

No. The Graduate Campus workshops are provided by UNIL for its doctoral candidates and postdocs.

In return, we ask that you play your part! Our activities are often over-subscribed, and for every participant who doesn’t show up as expected, someone else hasn’t had the opportunity to attend. Please make sure you block the day and time for the workshop, and if you see that you are no longer able to participate, let us know well in advance so we can cancel your registration and find someone else to take your place!

Cancellation

I can no longer attend a workshop. How do I cancel my registration?

Please send us an email, stating the name of the workshop and its date (or reply to the reminder email). We will confirm the cancellation with you.

I have to teach at the last minute! I’m sick! I can’t find a babysitter! Will I be penalized If I cancel in the last few days before a workshop?

We understand that doctoral candidates and postdocs are human beings, and don’t always have a choice in last-minute obligations. We however need you to tell us as soon as you realize you won’t be able to attend. This is in order to see if we can give the place for someone on the waiting list.

In most circumstances, you won’t be penalized. We do however reserve the right to bar anyone who frequently cancels at the last minute, and we will restrict registration for anyone who is absent from a workshop without letting us or the trainer know! Remember that the University of Lausanne has made these workshops available free of charge to you, as one of its doctoral candidates and postdocs, and significant resources in time, thought and funds go into organizing such small-group, intensive training. We ask in return that you do your utmost to keep the day free, act professionally, and attend as expected.

Offer

I have a great idea for a workshop. Are you interested ?

If it fits within our objectives, yes! Our Call for Projects was set up to let doctoral candidates and postdocs propose workshops according to their needs. Some workshops prove so popular that we then pick them up to organise on a regular basis. A longer description and a request form are available on these pages.

On the evaluation form for every workshop, there is a space for your suggestions. We are also very happy to receive your ideas by email. We can’t guarantee your suggestion will become reality: it depends on the overall demand, the feasibility (pedagogical content, trainer availability, etc.), our budget and criteria. Nevertheless, we will take your ideas seriously.

Why are many of the career workshops available in priority for postdocs, and restricted access for doctoral candidates?

Doctoral candidates have access free-of-charge to the wide range of workshops of the CUSO Transversal Programme, which UNIL participates in funding. UNIL doctoral candidates are encouraged to review this offer  first.

Participation

I won’t be able to attend for the full time of the workshop. Is this ok?

Please write to us immediately so that we can discuss the length of your absence with you and the trainer. In most cases, and for a full-day workshop, a short absence of half an hour or so will be accepted (although an absence at the very beginning of the workshop is very disruptive!). Given the very intensive - and often very interactive - nature of our workshops however, we normally ask that participants are there and fully present (not multitasking behind a laptop screen!) for the full period.

I'm a doctoral candidate/postdoc from a university outside UNIL/CHUV (e.g. EPFL). Can I still take part in one of your workshops? Even if I pay the costs?

No. Our workshops are made available by the University of Lausanne for the exclusive purpose of providing training in generic skills for our currently registered doctoral candidates and postdocs. We are unable to allow the participation of doctoral candidates from any other institution, under any circumstances.

Reimbursement

I attended a workshop from the Graduate Campus. Can i be reimbursed for food and travel costs?

No. As all workshops and activities are hosted on the University campus, travel costs from your home and the eventual lunch are considered ordinary costs of living, since they would be incurred whether or not you attended a workshop. Consequently, we are unable to reimburse you.

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