Guideline for your online BEP

The first thing that is important to know is that you will probably not meet your supervisor in person. I only saw my supervisor during our online meetings, which was very impersonal at the beginning. Luckily, over time this was not the case anymore, but it took some time. Therefore, to make sure you get the help you need, I advise you to take the time the get to know your supervisor. When you ‘bond’ with your supervisor, in my experience, they are more likely to make time for giving feedback or having an in-depth conversation about your topic. Don’t be shy to start telling about yourself or start asking questions, it is also fun for the teachers to get to know their student. And trust me, it will pay you back when you need help. 

Another thing that is going to switch from offline to online is collecting data. Normally as a PT student you can reserve a lab, but they will probably stay closed for bachelor students this academic year. Luckily, there are a lot of other research methods you can use such as an online survey or an interview via teams. Of course, it depends on what type of research you do, but all can be done online. Make sure however that your participants do not have to be in a controlled environment. Keep your hypothesis therefore as simple as possible and try to come up with concrete variables which can also be measured online. The online situation is already causing some trouble and limitations, so do not increase the difficulty of the study as well. 

The hardest thing about working on your BEP during the corona crisis is maybe staying motivated. The same environment over and over again did decrease my motivation for sure. To stay motivated I tried to talk about my BEP with other people as much as possible. I became enthusiastic when I could explain my topic and the other person understood and different types of questions, how silly as they sometimes were, are always good to change perspective. 

Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help you through your BEP. And if you want to practice the talking, you can always contact me at m.t.v.ardenne@student.tue.nl . Good luck finishing your BEP and hopefully it also becomes that precious word document for you!