Thesis Information

Protocol for MCDB graduate student thesis defense meeting on Zoom

Before the meeting:
  • The student schedules a two-hour meeting where all committee members, including the advisor, are able to attend
    • First hour: public defense
    • Second hour: time reserved for private meeting between student and committee
  • The chair of the committee (not the student’s advisor) establishes a Zoom meeting using his/her Yale-sponsored Zoom link to serve as the meeting host
  • This zoom link is shared with the student, committee and graduate registrar (mcdb.graduateregistrar@yale.edu) who publicizes the defense to the MCDB community
  • When scheduling the meeting, the Chair uses the Zoom application to set-up a meeting with a “Waiting Room”:
    • Go to: “Schedule”
    • Complete the appropriate fields for the date, time, etc.
    • Set the Video option “On”
    • Go to “Advanced Options”
      • Select the following option: “Enable Waiting Room”
  • The student or advisor uses his/her Yale Zoom account to establish a second Zoom link for a public celebration of the student’s defense. The student and advisor can invite all of the student’s friends and family to meet and toast the student after the defense has concluded. This Zoom link is sent to the graduate registrar (mcdb.graduateregistrar@yale.edu) to include in the public advertisement for the defense
  • The graduate registrar (mcdb.graduateregistrar@yale.edu) distributes an electronic communication (e-mail, MCDB website) advertising the thesis defense with two zoom links: 1. Two-hour defense (zoom link from committee chair) and 2. Celebration (zoom link from either student or advisor)
At the meeting:
  • The committee chair welcomes everyone and explains the meeting protocol.
  • The advisor introduces the student
  • The student presents the dissertation and fields questions
  • The chair places everyone but the committee and student in a waiting room
    • If you have not set up Waiting Rooms when scheduling the meeting, you can use create a “Breakout Room”. See detailed instructions below.
  • The committee questions the student.
  • The chair brings the student back to the meeting to convey the committee’s decision
  • The chair brings the audience back to the meeting
After the meeting:
  • The student or advisor uses his/her Yale Zoom account to establish a second Zoom link for a public celebration of the student’s defense. The student and advisor can invite all of the student’s friends and family to meet and toast the student after the defense has concluded
  • The chair of the committee e-mails the MCDB Graduate Registrar (mcdb.graduateregistrar@yale.edu) the result of the thesis defense
  • Creating a “Breakout Room”
    • If you have not set up Waiting Rooms when scheduling the meeting, navigate to the Breakout Room option on the Meeting tab and verify that the setting is enabled. On the bottom of the zoom window, click on Breakout Room and create one Breakout Room. Invite the student to join the Breakout Room, the student can choose “later” to join when appropriate.