Training – Frequently Asked Questions
If your query isn’t answered below, please email the LISS DTP Team at liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk.
Search FAQs
How do I register on LISS DTP training courses/programme?
You can register for LISS training courses via an online course booking system, SkillsForge.
All PhD students at King’s College London will be able to log into this system immediately, using your K number and password as for email.
LISS DTP funded students at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and at Imperial College London (ICL) will already have log in credentials (email address ending @kcl.ac.uk) and should use their King’s email to log into SkillsForge.
All non-LISS DTP funded PhD Students at QMUL or ICL should request to become a LISS Affiliate Student by registering on SkillsForge. We check requests regularly for approval. You will be able to view course listings once you have created an account, but you will only be able to book courses open to non-LISS students once your access is approved.
LISS DTP training bookings work on a termly basis; only courses in the immediately upcoming/current term will be available for booking, i.e., during our autumn term (October- December), only autumn term courses will be open for booking. Exact dates/times/locations and required preparation for each course are usually accessible via detailed Course Outlines on the Training Programme webpage.
Can I register for DTP training courses without being funded by LISS DTP?
The short answer is yes, you can!
All of our training courses are open to LISS DTP funded students.
However, we also open some of our training courses to PhD students who are not funded by LISS DTP from our parter institutions King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, or Imperial College London.
KCL PhD students can view and book courses on SkillsForge with their @kcl.ac.uk e-mail address. Interested QMUL or ICL students should consult the Affiliate Student guidance for details of applying for a SkillsForge account.
Occasionally, we also open our training courses to students from other ESRC funded DTPs. Students will be given instructions to register for the courses when they become available.
We ask that all students commit to attending the courses onto which they enrol, and providing feedback on their experience once the course is over.
I want to book onto a LISS DTP course, but I know I'm going to miss some sessions. Should I still book?
If the DTP course you want to attend has multiple sessions, please DO NOT book onto it unless you can attend at least 75% of the sessions- i.e., 3 out of 4 sessions on a 4–session course. Otherwise, you are potentially taking a space away from another student who could commit to attending a course in full.
Your attendance will be monitored via attendance sheets at each session. Please inform the course convenor directly if you are going to miss a session of a course.
How do I cancel my place on a LISS DTP course?
If you find you can no longer attend a DTP course you have a confirmed space on, it’s VERY important that you cancel as soon as possible to allow another student to have the space. You can cancel using the Skills Forge system that you booked on. You will need to log on as normal then visit the ‘my booking summary’ section. Scroll down to find the course you would like to cancel and click ‘Details’. Scroll down to the section marked ‘Booking status’. From here, you should follow the ‘Click here to cancel your place’ link. If you try to cancel less than 48 hours before the start of a course, Skills Forge will not allow you to complete your request. Instead, you will need to email us at liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk This will then be counted as a ‘late cancellation’ and may affect your ability to get a place on future DTP courses, so please make every effort to cancel well in advance.
How do waiting lists for DTP courses work on the SkillsForge booking system?
LISS DTP runs a ‘one off/one on’ standard waiting list procedure once a course is fully subscribed. We ask that you cancel your place via the SkillsForge system as quickly as possible if you find that you can no longer attend a course onto which you are booked. If you are on a waiting list for a course and receive an offer of a place, please be aware that these offers are time sensitive. You will need to click on a link in the email you receive in order to gain a space on the course or else your offer will expire, and the place will be offered to the next student on the waiting list.
I didn't get a place on the DTP course I wanted to join or I couldn't make the dates. Will the course run again?
We anticipate that much of our DTP programme will remain the same year-on-year, so if you cannot attend a course during one academic year, it will likely be repeated in the following year.
How and/or where can I review the lecture slides, lecture recordings, and readings lists?
All supporting documents for our courses are hosted on our KEATS site. LISS team will give students registered on a course access to the corresponding KEATS page before the course takes place.
Can you help me with other courses I can view on SkillsForge, such as ones with course codes starting 'PGR', 'LIB' etc.?
LISS-funded students and other King’s College London doctoral students will be able to access and book a variety of courses via SkillsForge, but LISS DTP is only responsible for courses with codes starting ‘LISS’.
For assistance with courses starting with ‘PGR’, email doctoraltraining@kcl.ac.uk. For courses starting with ‘LIB’ and ‘ISS’, you need to contact King’s Library Services.
What are LISS DTP Research Areas?
LISS DTP’s Research Areas are designed to help foster interdisciplinary and inter-institutional activities across the three DTP partner universities. They’re a useful way of getting to know other PhD students outside your department or school who are working on similar research topics.
Each Research Area also has a budget to help its members plan and run events and activities around their research interests and training needs. Your Research Area Leads will provide some support and direction, but much of the Research Area activity can be driven by its affiliated students.
How can I change the Research Area with which I'm affiliated?
You can change your LISS DTP Research Area at any time by contacting us at liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk. You will require support from your supervisor and the Research Area Lead of your new Research Area, so please get in touch with them to discuss the change.
I have an idea for a LISS DTP course, workshop, or reading group. Who do I talk to?
Please contact the LISS DTP Deputy Director for Training and Cohort Development, Prof Lasse Thomassen (lasse.thomassen@kcl.ac.uk) to provide any ideas you have regarding new DTP programming. We are very open to suggestions and have a budget to make new, innovative event ideas happen. There are also funds available through the Pathway and Research Area and Student Lead Activity funds.