Doctoral student funding portfolios across and within engineering, life sciences and physical sciences

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Knight ◽  
Timothy Kinoshita ◽  
Nathan Choe ◽  
Maura Borrego
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Field Variation ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Fields ◽  
Student Funding

Purpose This paper aims to determine the extent to which graduate student funding portfolios vary across and within engineering, life sciences and physical sciences academic fields for degree recipients. “Graduate student funding portfolios” refers to the percentages of students funded by fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, personal means and other sources within an organizational unit. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates data set, the authors analyze doctoral students’ self-reported primary mechanisms of funding across and within academic fields varying along the Biglan taxonomy. The authors used cluster analyses and logistic regression to investigate within-field variation in funding portfolios. Findings The authors show significant differences in doctoral student funding portfolios across dimensions of the Biglan taxonomy characterizing academic fields. Within those fields, the authors demonstrate considerable variation in funding; institutions cluster into different “modes” of funding portfolios that do not necessarily map onto institutional type or control variables. Originality/value Despite tremendous investment in graduate students, there has been little research that can help characterize at the program-level how graduate students are funded, either by internal or external mechanisms. As programs continue to feel the pressures of more limited resources coupled with increasing graduate enrollment demands, investigating graduate student funding at a macro level is becoming increasingly important so programs may better understand constraints and predict shifts in resource availability.

Cooperation and Competition

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Peach
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Particle Physics ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Experimental Science ◽  
Multidisciplinary Research ◽  
Common Goal ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Research Sector

This chapter discusses the need for cooperation (or collaboration) to be balanced with competition, including between research groups, within a university or laboratory and between the academic research sector and industry. Healthy competition is a great motivator but unhealthy competition can be disastrous. While it is still possible for an individual scientist working alone or with a couple of graduate students or postdocs to make ground-breaking discoveries, today much experimental science requires large teams working collaboratively on a common goal or set of goals. While this trend is most evident in particle physics and astronomy, it is also present in the other physical sciences and the life sciences. Collaboration brings together more resources–physical, financial and intellectual–to address major challenges that would otherwise be beyond the scope of any individual or group. Multidisciplinary research and interdisciplinary research are examples of cooperation between different disciplines.

The role of shared study space in shaping graduate students’ social networks

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaoyi Zhou ◽  
Ying Hua
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Spatial Proximity ◽  
Quadratic Assignment ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Class Project ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Reported Data

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study whether the use of a shared study space played a role in shaping graduate students’ social networks by exploring how the copresence in space was related to the structure of friendship and advice networks. The authors first proposed two concepts of spatial copresence: measured spatial-temporal copresence and perceived copresence. The authors then examined the role of copresence through a case study of a shared study space occupied by 27 graduate students in the same department. Design/methodology/approach Copresence relations were first constructed through a six-month room access history data set and self-reported data to examine whether measured spatial-temporal copresence was consistent with perceived copresence. Friendship and advice network relations were then analyzed with copresence, social media connections, class project collaboration relations and social homophily (nationality, gender, cohort) through quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) and MQAP analysis. Findings The authors found that students who used the shared study space more often reported more friendship and advice ties. The perceived copresence and the measured spatial-temporal copresence were highly correlated. Copresence relations, as measured by survey and room access history, were both significantly correlated with advice relation, which was associated with perceived social support. Originality/value This study contributes to the debate about whether “space” continues to play significant roles in graduate students’ social networks in the context of flexible learning environments. The results also reveal new directions for research methods in studying spatial proximity in flexible settings.

Building Creative and Collaborative Toolkits for Graduate Student Funding Pursuits in CSD

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. 25-32
Author(s):  
Javad Anjum ◽  
Naveen Nagaraj
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Funding Opportunities ◽  
Student Funding ◽  
Faculty Mentors

The main theme of this brief tutorial is to assist Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate students and faculty mentors in their independent and collective pursuits of funding opportunities. Readers can make use of the proposed strategies to build creative and collaborative funding toolkits and adopt them to suit their goals of identifying and applying to a wide range of graduate student funding opportunities. Special emphasis will be placed on ways of effectively utilizing the array of cloud-sharing and fund-searching tools to facilitate the fund-seeking process. A primer on drafting successful funding applications and ways of evaluating the integrity of resources will be discussed as well.

Faculty–student coauthorship as a means to enhance STEM graduate students’ research skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Feldon ◽  
Kathan D. Shukla ◽  
Michelle Anne Maher
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Graduate Training ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Faculty Mentors ◽  
Academic Year

Purpose This study aims to examine the contribution of faculty–student coauthorship to the development of graduate students’ research skills in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by quantitatively assessing rubric-measured research skill gains over the course of an academic year compared to students who did not report participating in coauthorship with faculty mentors. Design/methodology/approach A quasi-experimental mixed methods approach was used to test the hypothesis that the influence of STEM graduate students’ mentored writing mentorship experiences would be associated with differential improvement in the development of their research skills over the course of an academic year. Findings The results indicate that students who co-authored with faculty mentors were likely to develop significantly higher levels of research skills than students who did not. In addition, less than half of the participants reported having such experiences, suggesting that increased emphasis on this practice amongst faculty could enhance graduate student learning outcomes. Originality/value Qualitative studies of graduate student writing experiences have alluded to outcomes that transcend writing quality per se and speak directly to the research skills acquired by the students as part of their graduate training. However, no study to date has captured the discrete effects of writing experiences on these skills in a quantifiable way.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-411
Author(s):  
Vera Woloshyn ◽  
Michael J. Savage ◽  
Snezana Ratkovic ◽  
Catherine Hands ◽  
Dragana Martinovic
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inclusive Learning ◽  
Ontario Education ◽  
Faculties Of Education ◽  
Diverse Groups

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.

An exploration of employer perceptions of graduate student employability

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nita Chhinzer ◽  
Anna Maria Russo
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employer Perceptions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore employer perceptions of graduate student employability. This study is novel since existing research focused on employability is largely theoretic, remains focused on defining employability of undergraduates and largely fails to determine employer perceptions of factors that increase or decrease employability of graduate students. Design/methodology/approach Using a two-phased approach, the authors analyzed 122 employer assessments of graduate students at a Canadian university who completed a work-term with the employer in either 2014 or 2015. The authors also collected individual data (e.g. academic achievement, work experience) from student files at the university. Phase 1 involved an exploratory factor analysis to derive factors influencing employer perceptions of employability. Phase 2 expand on factors identified in phase 1 through assessment of 153 written comments using a critical incident technique. Findings Phase 1 results demonstrate that professional maturity, soft skills + problem solving, continuous learning and academic achievement secure a positive relationship with employer perceptions of graduate employability. Phase 2 results indicate that employers consider generic skills (time management, working in a team, attention to detail), general mental ability, subject-specific knowledge, willingness to work, attitudes and behaviors, and responsiveness to feedback when assessing employability of graduate students. Research limitations/implications Collectively, the results of phase 1 and 2 provide a comprehensive awareness of the factors that employers consider when assessing employability of graduate students. Researcher, educational institution, and employer implications are presented. Originality/value The authors provide a holistic and empirically grounded understanding of employer perceptions of graduate student employability through reviewing quantitative and qualitative indicators of employability from the employer perspective.

Factiva and Canadian Newsstand Major Dailies

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Michelle Driedger ◽  
Jade Weimer
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Print News ◽  
Academic Fields ◽  
Scholarly Publications ◽  
Single User ◽  
Systemic Problems

Purpose – Scholars rely on electronic databases to conduct searches and locate relevant citations. The purpose of this paper is to compare the retrieval results on the same topic (multiple sclerosis and liberation therapy) of two commonly used databases for searching print news media: ProQuest’s Canadian Newsstand Major Dailies and Dow Jones’ Factiva. Design/methodology/approach – A case study comparing two electronic searchable databases using the same keywords, date range, and newspaper-specific search parameters across three Canadian university institutions. Findings – Considerable differences were found between institutional searches using Factiva. Factiva allows all individual users the capacity to establish systems-wide “administrator” privileges, thereby controlling the output for subsequent users if these preferences are not changed. The capacity for individual users to tailor searches within Canadian Newsstand Major Dailies was more in line with standard protocols for institutions paying for single user accounts with access to multiple sessions within that same institution: any user-specific searching/retrieval preferences are individually contained within a search and do not influence the searches of a different user. Research limitations/implications – What began as a comparative analysis of two commonly used databases for searching print news media turned into an examination of larger systemic problems. The findings call into question several factors: the integrity of a researcher-generated data set; the quality of results published in peer-reviewed journals based on researcher-generated data sets derived from established e-resource databases; the reliability of the same e-resource database across multiple institutions; and the quality of e-resource databases for scholarly research when developed to serve primarily non-academic clients. Originality/value – No comparison of this kind for these particular e-resource databases has been documented in the literature. In fact, the scholarly publications that address questions of functionality and reliability of either Factiva or Proquest have not brought this issue into the discussion. Therefore, this study furthers academic discourse on the nature and reliability of database use at any academic institution and illustrates that researchers, in a variety of academic fields, cannot depend on the reliability of their search results without thoroughly consulting the various settings of their database.

My wellness is

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88
Author(s):  
Robert Jason Lynch ◽  
Bettie Perry ◽  
Cheleah Googe ◽  
Jessica Krachenfels ◽  
Kristina McCloud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type

Purpose As online education proliferates, little attention has been given to understanding non-cognitive success factors, such as wellness, in online graduate student success. To begin to address this gap in understanding, this paper aims to explore the experiences of doctoral student wellness within the context of online distance education. Doctoral students, and their instructor, in an advanced qualitative research course sought to use collective autoethnography to address the following questions: How do the authors perceive the wellness as doctoral students engaged in distance education, and how do the authors understand the influence of the doctoral program cultures on the perceptions of the own wellness? Design/methodology/approach This paper emerged from a 12 week advanced qualitative research course where students opted to engage in a poetic arts-based collective autoethnography to reflect on and analyze their experience of wellness as doctoral students taking online courses. Data collection included the use of reflective journaling, creation of “My Wellness Is” poetry, and weekly group debriefing. Journals and poems were analyzed individually, then collectively. First and second cycle coding techniques were used, with the first cycle including process and descriptive coding and second round coding involving pattern coding. Findings Through first and second round coding, three primary themes emerged: positionality as an element of wellness, the role of community in maintaining wellness and awareness and action regarding wellness. Research limitations/implications Due to the inherent nature of qualitative research, and specifically autoethnographic methods, the findings of this study may be difficult to generalize to the broader online graduate student population. Future research on this topic may use the experiences explored in this study as a basis for the development of future quantitative studies to measure the extent of these findings in the broader population. Practical implications This paper includes implications for the development of interventions that may support wellness in graduate students in online environments including support interventions from faculty advisors, leveraging academic curriculum to promote wellness, and suggestions for building community among online graduate students. Social implications As technology advances, online education is quickly becoming a leading mechanism for obtaining a graduate education. Scholarship in this discipline has primarily focused on academic outcomes of online students and has largely focused on undergraduate populations. This paper broadens the conversation about online education by illustrating a non-cognitive dimension of the student experience, i.e. wellness, through the perspective of graduate students. Originality/value This paper addresses a gap in the current understanding of online graduate student experiences and outcomes using methods that provide vivid illustrations of the nuanced experience of online doctoral students.

“I felt like I was not just a student:” examining graduate student learning at academic and professional conferences

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Campbell ◽  
David Wick ◽  
Amy Marcus ◽  
JoAnn Doll ◽  
Aleena Yunuba Hammack
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Master's Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Common Notion ◽  
Virtual Conference

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore what new knowledge is gained at academic and professional conferences by describing how this knowledge complements or contradicts campus-based learning and previous experiences of graduate students. Through gaining insights into conference-based learning, researchers and policymakers can create more complex and dynamic graduate student learning experiences and design conferences that welcome and encourage graduate student perspectives and voices. Design/methodology/approach Rooted in transformative learning theory, this qualitative study explores what and how master’s level graduate students learn at professional and academic conferences. Findings Findings point to four categories of learning through conferences: students acquired empirical knowledge, gained insights into professional and scholarly trends and values, explored diversity of the conference body and their own belonging and benchmarked their knowledge in relationship to scholars and professionals. Interviewees gained this knowledge by linking conference-based learning to their graduate school curriculum and previous knowledge and experiences. Practical implications Findings suggest considerations for educators, policymakers and administrators to enhance learning in graduate programs through in-person and virtual conference attendance. Originality/value This study adds to minimal existing research on graduate student learning beyond the campus that contributes to holistic learning at the master’s level. The findings on conference-based learning for graduate students go beyond the common notion of conferences as places of socialization for graduate students. These findings are increasingly relevant as academic and professional conferences are being reconsidered in the shift to the virtual space.

An exploration of graduate student peer mentorship, social connectedness and well-being across four disciplines of study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Oddone Paolucci ◽  
Michele Jacobsen ◽  
Lorelli Nowell ◽  
Georgina Freeman ◽  
Liza Lorenzetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Peer Mentoring ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peer Mentorship ◽  
Mental Well Being

Purpose Student mental well-being is a matter of increasing concern on university campuses around the world. Social, psychological, academic and career aspects of graduate learning are enriched through peer mentorship. Peer-mentoring experiences and the impacts of these relationships on the mental well-being of graduate students remain underexplored in the scholarship of teaching and learning. The purpose of this study was to explore how engagement in formal and informal peer mentorship, as described by students across four academic disciplines, impacts the social connectedness and well-being of graduate students. Design/methodology/approach A convergent mixed methods research design was used, with quantitative and qualitative data gathered in parallel to gain a comprehensive, corroborated and integrated understanding of graduate students’ perspectives and experiences with peer mentorship. Online survey and interview data were collected from graduate thesis-based master’s EdD and PhD students in education, medicine, nursing and social work. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings The authors found a commonality of graduate student experiences across disciplines with respect to the diverse psychosocial impacts of graduate peer mentorship. Peer-mentoring relationships offered mentees emotional support, motivation and a sense of community and offered mentors opportunities for self-development and gratification. Originality/value This research is unique in its in-depth exploration of the interdisciplinary perspectives and experiences of graduate students from Education, Nursing, Medicine and Social Work. While further research is needed to explore the implementation of structural approaches to support the development of peer-mentoring relationships in graduate education, the multidisciplinary focus and depth and breadth of this inquiry suggest the potential transferability of the study findings to other disciplines and academic settings. The findings from this study further highlight the need for strategic activation of existing program resources to foster greater connectedness and well-being among graduate students.

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