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Phase I 2005-2007
Strategy 1: Quantitative and Qualitative Longitudinal Study of Ph.D. Student Attitudes and Outcomes
Methods:
. Queries of university admissions and academic records
. Web-based survey administered to incoming Ph.D. students –of which a “cohort” of 149 Ph.D. students was selected for study participation
. Telephone interviews and personal interviews with Ph.D. students and graduate program directors
Result:
. A core of data was collected and continues to be built upon, maintained, and used in the assessment activities of strategies 2-6.
Strategy 2: Evaluate Impact of Graduate Recruitment Weekend (GRW)
Method:
. Cross-referenced names of prior year’s GRW attendance with current year’s registration records
Result:
. This will be repeated in subsequent years to build a valid longitudinal study to ascertain the GRW’s effectiveness
Strategy 3: Explore the Effects of Better Informed and Motivated Graduate Program Directors
Method:
. Meeting held with doctoral program directors to examine the role they play in their doctoral students’ professional development
Result:
. Development of other program director tools such as expansion of CET&L training opportunities and Graduate School management workshops
Strategy 4: Assess Impact of Early Research and Scholarship Activity on the Attitudes and Persistence of Graduate Students
Method:
. This segment of the project will be activated when there is more longitudinal data available
Strategy 5: Investigate the Benefits of the Biomedical Flex Program
Method:
. Compared collected data on the progress and attitudes of Flex Program students with students admitted directly into the Ph.D. program
Result:
. Designed intervention strategies to improve both the Flex and more traditional programs
Strategy 6: Assess Value of an Enhanced Teaching Opportunities Initiative for Ph.D. Students in Biomedical Science and Engineering Programs
Method:
. Assessed experience of 13 doctoral Graduate Teaching Fellows (in biomedical sciences) through exit survey and culminating group discussion
Result:
.Experiences were predominately positive and students strongly recommended continuing the program
Changes Informed by Phase I Research To-Date
New Student Orientation was replaced by orientations held at program or college levels, due to student requests for more discipline-specific orientation info. The Graduate School now developes and distributes comprehensive packets of material and student resource information to be distributed at the orientations.
Family Leave Policy was broadened to include maternity leave and other family-related responsibilities.
Graduate School Web Site was completely redesigned with navigation and content greatly improved. In addition to the site’s offering of all the graduate-related information available in the online handbook, the home page provides important deadlines, an event calendar, links directly to time-sensitive requirements (i.e. graduation applications and thesis/dissertation submission), and highlights graduate-related items on the university calendar and newsletter.
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