How to make this using LaTeX?

Question

I have the following page from the book
Mastering your PhD - P. Gosling and B. Noordam (Springer 2006), page 42:

Now I wish to make this in LaTeX. I'm in particular interested in how we can make the frame as wide as the page (or maybe two of these on one A4, and the dotted line.

Answer 1

\documentclass[12pt,twoside]{report}
\usepackage[english]{babel}
\usepackage[charter]{mathdesign}
\usepackage{tikz,paralist}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes,positioning}
\usepackage[a4paper,bindingoffset=0in,left=0.1in,right=0.1in,top=0.0in,bottom=0.2in]{geometry}
%-----------------------------------------------------------------
\begin{document}
% ----------------------------------------------------------------
\begin{titlepage}
%==========================================================
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture,overlay]
    \fill[black] (current page.north east) rectangle (current page.south west);
    \fill[white, rounded corners=0.5cm] ([xshift=-1mm,yshift=-1mm]current page.north east) rectangle ([xshift=1mm,yshift=1mm]current page.south west);
    \draw[dashed,ultra thick]([yshift=10cm]current page.west)-- ([xshift=0cm,yshift=10cm]current page.east);
    \draw[dashed,very thick]([yshift=6cm]current page.west)-- ([xshift=0cm,yshift=6cm]current page.east);
    \draw[dashed,very thick]([yshift=2cm]current page.west)-- ([xshift=0cm,yshift=2cm]current page.east);
    \draw[dashed,very thick]([yshift=-2cm]current page.west)-- ([xshift=0cm,yshift=-2cm]current page.east);
    \draw[dashed,ultra thick]([yshift=-7cm]current page.west)-- ([xshift=0cm,yshift=-7cm]current page.east);
\end{tikzpicture}
%==========================================================
\setlength{\parindent}{0pt}
\phantom{0}\\
\noindent{\LARGE\bfseries Monthly Progress Monitor}\\[30pt]
{\Large Name  PhD student:} \hfil {\Large Name supervisor:} \\[30pt]
{\Large Date: \phantom{PhD student::}            }\hfil{\Large Previous meeting:}\\
%==========================================================
\begin{compactenum}[1.]
\Large
\item{Of the results I obtained last month, which are the most important?}\\[70pt]
\item{Did I deviate from last month's planning. If so, why?}\\[70pt]
\item{What are the most important goals for the upcoming month?}\\[70pt]
\item{What do I need to do to research these goals? What are the potential hurdles and how do I overcome them?}\\[84pt]
\end{compactenum}
%==========================================================
{\Large Suggested date for next month's meeting:}\\[40pt]
{\Large\itshape General agreements:}\\[4pt]
%==========================================================
\begin{compactenum}[a.]
\Large\itshape
\item{PhD student fills out form prior to meeting with supervisor}\\
\item{At the meeting the answers are completed}\\
\item{Supervisor gets a copy of the final form after the meeting}\\
\end{compactenum}
%==========================================================
\end{titlepage}
% ----------------------------------------------------------------
\end{document}

Answer 2

Here's a possible solution: the background package was used to produce the frame:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[margin=3cm]{geometry}
\usepackage{background}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\usetikzlibrary{decorations.pathmorphing}
\usepackage{enumitem}

% the dotted line
\newcommand*\dottedline{%
  \makebox[\textwidth]{%
    \parbox{\dimexpr\textwidth+4mm\relax}{\dotfill}}%
}

% the frame 
\SetBgScale{1}
\SetBgAngle{0}
\SetBgColor{black}
\SetBgContents{\begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture]
    \draw ($ (current page.north west) + (2.8cm,-2.8cm) $)
        rectangle
        ($ (current page.south east) + (-2.8cm,2.8cm) $);
\end{tikzpicture}}

\setenumerate{leftmargin=*}
\setlength\parindent{0pt}

\pagestyle{empty}

\begin{document}

\begin{tabular}{@{}p{.5\linewidth}@{}p{.5\linewidth}@{}}
  \bfseries Monthly Progress Monitor & \\[1ex]
  Name PhD Student: & Name Supervisor: \\[1ex]
  Date: & Previous Meeting:
\end{tabular}

\dottedline

\begin{enumerate}
  \item Of the results I obtained last month, which are the most important? text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text
\end{enumerate}\vfill\dottedline
\begin{enumerate}[resume]
  \item Of the results I obtained last month, which are the most important?
\end{enumerate}\vfill\dottedline
\begin{enumerate}[resume]
  \item Of the results I obtained last month, which are the most important?
\end{enumerate}\vfill\dottedline
\begin{enumerate}[resume]
  \item Of the results I obtained last month, which are the most important?
\end{enumerate}\vfill\dottedline

Suggested date for next month's meeting:\\[2ex]
{\itshape General agreements:

\begin{enumerate}[label=\alph*.]
\item PhD student fills out form prior to meeting with supervisor.
\item At the meeting answers are completed.
\item Supervisor gets a copy of the final form after the meeting.
\end{enumerate}
}
\end{document}