Support Graduate Students Research Articles

Supporting Graduate Students Through the Use of Graduate Student Organizations

Supporting Graduate Students Through the Use of Graduate Student Organizations

GRADUATE EDUCATION TOWNHALL: Strengthening Models for Mentoring and Advising Graduate Students at Mason (2 hours)

Graduate students are considered one of the most vulnerable populations in higher education. They face financial uncertainty, pressure to graduate within a given time frame and before funding runs out, and disruption in academic work. The beginning of this session will provide updates and highlight ongoing initiatives to help and support graduate students at Mason. The second part of the session will be used as a Q&A and conversation with the Mason graduate community to cultivate a culture of Graduate Education excellence at Mason. This is a collaborative effort between Office of Graduate Education, Office of Faculty Affairs and Development, and Office of Research.

Editorial: Reflections on Open Access

At the most basic level, open access refers to profit versus non-profit academic publishing processes and procedures. This means that in an open access system, there are no fees paid to the publishers to either publish or view a scholarly work. Today many universities value open access journals as much as they value subscription-based journal publications. Issues and Trends in Learning Technologies is particularly interested in supporting graduate students and young scholars who are new in the publishing process. Please keep those papers coming in.

Minority Student Preparation for STEM PhD Study: Impact of NSF Bridge to the Doctorate Programming

The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) project in 1991 as one of the six initial awardees. As part of these efforts and upon reaching eligibility, the TAMUS LSAMP applied for and received additional funding to support a Bridge to the Doctorate (BTD) program. BTD programming provides financial, educational, and social support to incoming STEM master’s degree and PhD students for the first two years of their graduate study. BTD cohorts consist of up to 12 fellows who participate in a program of academic and professional development seminars and workshops. In project evaluation, annual interviews were conducted with the TAMUS BTD participants, the vast majority of whom were underrepresented minorities (92%). During the interviews, the BTD students were asked to discuss ten topics some of which addressed concerns specific to the implementation of the BTD project. This report considers answers provided in the five topic areas which have broader applicability: 1) the learning achieved by participants through participation in BTD, 2) the personal impact of participation in BTD, 3) the influence of BTD on informants’ educational goals, 4) the influence of BTD on informants’ career goals, and 5) barriers the BTD participants perceived to pursuing a PhD. Eighty project participants responded to the questions between 2009 and 2018. They were from eight distinct cohorts of BTD students and represented 32 different areas of STEM specialization. Qualitative analysis of their responses confirmed that students perceived the elements of the TAMUS BTD project to be efficacious and that there was a set of nine seminars from which participants consistently reported benefit. Additional findings were eight key areas in which learning was reported by participants, four areas in which the programming had personal impact, five influences on educational goals, nine impacts on career goals, and a detailed list of barriers graduate students who are underrepresented minorities (URM) perceive to pursuing a doctoral degree. The proven and easily replicated pattern of support programming, the demonstrated results of this programming, and insight into barriers URMs perceive to pursuing a STEM doctorate are immediately applicable to URM graduate student support at many institutions of higher education.

Chang Fellowship in Green Chemistry names inaugural recipients

The American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute has named the inaugural winners of the Heh-Won Chang, PhD Fellowship in Green Chemistry, which provides $5,000 to support graduate students conducting innovative green chemistry research. Nakisha Mark is a doctoral candidate at the University of the West Indies who focuses on using greener catalysts to improve the conversion of biomass into renewable fuels. Heather LeClerc is a doctoral candidate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute who investigates the use of hydrothermal liquefaction to produce biocrude from municipal food waste. Mark and LeClerc will present their research during the virtual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, to be held virtually June 15–19.

Working the Project: Research Proposals and Everyday Practices for Emerging Feminist Researchers.

Seeking to support graduate students in engaging in feminist sociological research, we provide guidance on "working the project"-working collaboratively and creatively to foster compassion and solidarity as we bring diverse research projects to fruition. We offer reflections on our everyday experiences and struggles as emerging feminist researchers, including with writing research proposals. We also include four condensed research proposals - on the social organization of care work, sex work, criminal justice, and abortion care - to support fellow students in the process. Spurring collaborative, fun and inclusive ways of working, we speak to feminist scholar-activists who may require additional support in navigating the social relations of academe, while contributing to collective projects of investigating and remaking the social organization of everyday life.

Writing more, better, together: how writing retreats support graduate students through their journey

ABSTRACT The context of higher education in Canada suffers from alarming rates of dropout and prolongation of study programmes. The lack of academic writing ability and feeling of isolation are among aggravating factors impeding on the success of graduate students. Writing retreats are identified as a potential solution to support and improve academic writing output. This article presents an innovative concept designed by a non-profit organisation, Thèsez-vous, specializing in creating physical and human environments to facilitate academic writing. Over the past four years, the organisation implemented and formalized a writing retreat model for graduate students from various fields of study and universities across the Quebec province in Canada. A description of the writing retreats structure and functioning is presented, as well as an analysis of established objectives: 1) progress academic writing based on realistic individual goals; 2) identify optimal writing conditions; and 3) reduce isolation. Based on conclusive findings, the implemented model produces positive results in developing academic writing abilities through a community of practice forming during writing retreats and interacting afterwards. This expanding network of graduate students represents a new generation of researchers, sharing similar challenges with academic writing and collaborating in interdisciplinary settings to progress scientific efforts at large .

ACADEMIC READING EXPERIENCES OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS PURSUING AN MA-TESOL: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

The United States is a primary destination for international graduate students. For those whose first language is not English, academic reading is an obstacle that must be overcome to achieve academic success. This exploratory, sequential, mixed methods study investigates the academic reading experience of seven international MA-TESOL students in a southeastern U.S. university and identifies the most impactful factors within four consequential categories: reading challenges, reading adjustment, reading efficacy, and reading support. Findings suggest that with institutional, faculty, international and domestic peer support, and engagement with the reading process, students can overcome initial reading concerns and eventually acquire sufficient reading skills to complete their master’s program successfully. Implications suggest that academic reading support for international graduate students should nurture collaborative efforts, emphasize knowledge of reading strategies besides language proficiency, and promote parity or interconnectedness with academic writing.

Chair Agency, Chair Preparation, and Academic Supports in Educational Leadership Doctoral Programs in the United States

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to understand dissertation chair agency, chair preparation, and academic supports provided by experienced Educational Leadership Ed.D. dissertation chairs in the United States. Background: Previous research has identified attrition rates of 50-60 percent in education doctoral programs. This research helps identify the faculty profiles and academic supports provided by Educational Leadership faculty who have served on successful dissertation committees. Understanding these findings may help to improve retention and completion in other doctoral programs. Methodology: This was an exploratory qualitative case study. Ten doctoral faculty who have successfully chaired 419 Ed.D. Educational Leadership dissertations at accredited U.S. colleges and universities were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Contribution: The findings from this study contribute to the body of knowledge on doctoral retention and dissertation completion by providing information on promising practices from the perspective of dissertation chairs. Findings: While successful dissertation chairs exhibited expertise as researchers, seven of the ten participants reported that they had limited training for chairing dissertations. Academic supports included coursework that was organized coherently with a focus on opportunities for substantive feedback, writing support and research methodology. Recommendations for Practitioners: Dissertation chairs should utilize their agency to ensure that the program has the proper resources to support doctoral education. This includes adequate writing support for graduate students, courses taught by faculty who are engaged in research and understand the requirements for completing a dissertation, and protecting faculty time so that they are able to provide students substantive feedback within coursework and at the dissertation phase. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should continue to explore the causes of attrition in doctoral programs and identify specific actions that can be taken to improve program completion rates. Impact on Society: Increasingly U.S. institutions of higher learning are being called to validate their success and improve retention rates. Understanding the faculty profiles and academic supports utilized by successful doctoral faculty has the potential to improve retention and thereby increase completion rates and consequentially alleviate the stressors that ABD students experience. Future Research: Future research could focus on expanding the findings of this study by exploring the perspectives of faculty based on institution type and examining how socio-emotional factors such as student-student and faculty-student relationships are intentionally established in programs with high graduation rates.

Review: Re/Writing the Center: Approaches to Supporting Graduate Students in the Writing Center

Review: Re/Writing the Center: Approaches to Supporting Graduate Students in the Writing Center

Funding Strategies for Graduate Student Support in U.S. Public Research Universities

Funding Strategies for Graduate Student Support in U.S. Public Research Universities

Analysis of social media forums to elicit narratives of graduate engineering student attrition

AbstractBackgroundGraduate engineering student attrition is prevalent, but most literature that studies graduate attrition is accomplished in disciplines outside of STEM or engineering, yielding an incomplete understanding of either attrition or persistence.Purpose/HypothesisThe purpose of this article is to investigate the relationships between motivators of attrition for engineering graduate students.Design/MethodData were collected using an online Web‐scraping “bot” that mines data from the online forum Reddit. The anonymous textual forum threads collected were qualitatively analyzed through open‐coding methods.ResultsThe emergent themes reveal the interconnectedness between the roles of the advisor, student perception of cost, their support network, goals, their perceptions of how others perceive them, and quality of life and work. Our model is flexible in that it illuminates underlying combinations of factors that can influence student attrition.ConclusionThis study provides a framework by which various stakeholders can approach the support and education of graduate students, including mentoring students both toward or away from graduate school per the student's goals.

Exploring professors’ experiences supporting graduate student well-being in Ontario faculties of education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore Ontario education professors’ perceptions of well-being, document ways in which they support graduate students’ well-being and discuss perceived challenges in doing so.Design/methodology/approachA basic interpretative design was used, with participants consisting of seven (four females, three males) tenured professors from five faculties of education in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed one to two semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed for member checking and read holistically to identify emergent themes across participants.FindingsParticipants provided multifaceted representations of well-being and reported that supporting graduate students’ psycho-socio-emotional well-being was a critical aspect of their role. They discussed the intentional use of specific strategies including creating inclusive learning environments, nurturing caring relationships, providing academic accommodations and promoting relevant on-campus supports and services. Finally, participants identified factors that challenged their abilities to support graduate students’ wellness including institutional norms and expectations, shifting student demographics and uncertainties with respect to professional capacities.Practical implicationsGraduate student mentorship should be included in the faculty reward system. The provision of private, specialized services offered by trained personnel is also recommended. Future research is needed to explore faculty experiences supporting and mentoring diverse groups of graduate students.Originality/valueWhile limited in participant numbers and educational jurisdiction, this research extends current mentoring models by adding a mental health and well-being component, thus bridging gaps between well-being and graduate mentorship in higher education.

Development of specification of requirements and technical project of the system of calculation of student ratings

The article describes creation of the project of the information system intended for calculation of student’s ratings. Design of such system is a relevant task as in the higher education system of the Russian Federation there is a set of the scholarship and grant programs intended for identification and support of talented students and graduate students however not in all higher educational institutions, which students are involved in extracurricular activities, achievements within such activity are estimated accurately and objectively. Not only the design, which is the second stage of life cycle of the described system, but also process of collecting and the analysis of requirements to it, without which development of the project is impossible, is considered. On the basis of the project described within this article, the information system is planned to be developed and put into operation.

Meaningful Moments: How Mentors and Collaborators Helped Transform Career Challenges into Opportunities

As a Black, female, feminist, intersectional psychologist whose scholarship defies traditional categorization, I have faced several challenges within academia including identifying my scholarly niche, finding collaborators, and building networks. In this article, I identify how, by building and extending my network, I have been able to: (a) become an “authentic scholar,” who conducts scholarship consistent with my training, feminist values, and intersectional theoretical framework; (b) find support and coaching to deal with issues of stereotyping and unequal treatment within academia; (c) support graduate students and early-career faculty, especially those of color; and (d) take on leadership roles.

An Exploration of Career Decision-Making among Domestic and International Instructional Design Students

The factors that influence and impact graduate students in the context of their career decision-making within an instructional design graduate program remain unexplored. This mixed methods study captured actual career-related difficulties of graduate instructional design students through a conceptual framework based on Bandura (1986) and Lent et al. (Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122, 1994) social cognitive career theory, emphasizing the importance of interactions with key factors such as career readiness, access to career information and consistent and reliable career information. Participants recorded their levels of career decision-making difficulty through an online survey, the Career Decision Making Questionnaire (CDDQ) (Gati et al. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(4), 510–526, 1996). The CDDQ was used to measure: 1) lack of readiness, 2) lack of information and 3) inconsistent information. This study indicates that the current level of support for graduate students in instructional design may not be robust enough to support their needs. The results demonstrate that graduate students have specific career needs and experience career decision-making difficulty regardless of country of origin, primarily in the pre-decision making phase and in working through internal and external sources of conflict.

The 2019 MTT-S Graduate Student Fellowship Awards [Education News

The IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) Graduate Student Fellowship Awards are sponsored by the MTT-S for the purpose of encouraging and supporting graduate students from around the world interested in pursuing the field of microwave engineering. The graduate fellowship recipients receive an award of US$6,000 to support their research activities, which is presented at the annual IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS). Supplemental travel funding is offered to the recipients to support their travel to the IMS. Ten graduate fellowships were awarded in 2013 in the general category and three in the medical applications category. In 2013, 25 applications from 12 countries were received in the general category, and eight applications from four countries were received in the medical applications category. The applications were excellent and represented some of the best research being conducted around the world. Even with the additional medical applications award, the success rate was only about 40% due to the large number of submissions. The 13 awardees and their projects are described.

Providing Access, Serving Programs, and Inclusiveness; a Tripartite Model for Graduate Schools

The objective of this paper is to address critical questions and issues related to academic support and inclusivity for graduate students in the context of graduate education. Graduate school leadership, underrepresented student participation, and affirmative action are examined to ascertain connectivity to support the benefits of diversity. A comprehensive, tripartite model is provided to guide institutions specifically by assisting graduate school administrators who are charged to improve inclusiveness regarding academic programs and departments. This model can help provide services and award funding with a level of precision that avoids inarticulate support by delineating the different needs that programs have.

Smoothing the Pipeline: A Strategy to Match Graduate Training With the Professional Demands of Professorship

Faculty recruitment and PhD student placement have become increasingly competitive over the past decade. The emphasis of graduate student training—research above all else—often means a difficult transition into the professoriate, where expectations for faculty are broadened to include teaching and service. In response, we offer a model of an organizational structure for research in which (1) graduate students gain opportunities to collaborate on research with faculty, (2) teach in their areas of expertise, and (3) begin their mentoring careers. We argue that these structures will help “smooth the pipeline” between graduate school and academic jobs and will be particularly helpful in supporting graduate students from historically underrepresented groups.

Master’s Students’ Perceptions and Expectations of Good Tutors and Advisors in Distance Education

The purpose of this study was to explore non-thesis Master’s students’ perceptions and expectations of good tutors and advisors in distance education programmes. It also examined whether these perceptions and expectations are related to student characteristics including age, gender, university, programme, semester, and previous online learning experience. The current study was conducted within the framework of Transactional Distance Theory. Using a mixed methods approach, a questionnaire was administered to 143 students in four programmes in two universities in Turkey and interviews were conducted with 11 of these students. Results showed that good tutors and advisors in distance education provide a stimulating student-centred learning environment, have a caring and individualised interaction and communication with students, and have subject expertise and basic technology skills. The results of this study will improve distance education tutors and advisors’ practices in supporting graduate students’ education and research.