The T Assessment Tool: A Simple Metric for Assessing Multidisciplinary Graduate Education

August, Peter V.; Swift, Juliette; Kellogg, D. Q.; Page, Glenn G.; Nelson, Peter S.; Opaluch, James J.; Cobb, J. Stanley; Foster, Charles R.; Gold, Arthur J.

doi:10.4195/jnrlse.2009.0004

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Students at one university formed their own program, modeled after IGERT, for graduate students who combined social and ecological research. Although all such programs are not the same, this finding echoes previous research that rigorously evaluated the IGERT program , August et al 2010 and suggests that NSF ought to reconsider the continuation of IGERT awards or that universities and/or networks, like the LTER Network, might model social-ecological initiatives after relevant IGERT programs.…”

Section: Networkingmentioning

confidence: 39%

Graduate students navigating social-ecological research: insights from the Long-Term Ecological Research Network

Record¹,

Ferguson²,

Benveniste³

et al. 2016

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Interdisciplinary, collaborative research capable of capturing the feedbacks between biophysical and social systems can improve the capacity for sustainable environmental decision making. Networks of researchers provide unique opportunities to foster social-ecological inquiry. Although insights into interdisciplinary research have been discussed elsewhere, they rarely address the role of networks and often come from the perspectives of more senior scientists. We have provided graduate student perspectives on interdisciplinary degree paths from within the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network. Focusing on data from a survey of graduate students in the LTER Network and four self-identified successful graduate student research experiences, we examined the importance of funding, pedagogy, research design and development, communication, networking, and culture and attitude to students pursuing social-ecological research. Through sharing insights from successful graduate student approaches to social-ecological research within the LTER Network, we hope to facilitate dialogue between students, faculty, and networks to improve training for interdisciplinary scientists.

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Section: Networkingmentioning

confidence: 39%

Graduate students navigating social-ecological research: insights from the Long-Term Ecological Research Network

Record¹,

Ferguson²,

Benveniste³

et al. 2016

E&S

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“…Today's multidisciplinary work and doctoral education research requires skills considered absent in traditional single discipline-based pedagogy (August et al, 2010). T-Shaped Competency uses the letter 'T', where the horizontal bar indicates an individual's interdisciplinary breadth while their disciplinary range is depicted down the 'T's vertical bar (August et al, 2010;Reis, 2001;Uhlenbrook and Jong, 2012). The University of Rhode Island's Coastal Institute created a tool to assess student's multidisciplinary training based on the T-Shaped Competency (August et al, 2010).…”

Section: Russell Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various threshold concepts have been identified in doctoral education, including "analysis, theory, knowledge creation, research paradigm, framework, argument/thesis, creativity, writing, and doctorateness" (Kiley, 2017, p. 296). In addition to those researcher development concepts, skills such as critical awareness and reflection, project management, and communication are also integral in overall learner development (August et al, 2010;Bray and Boon, 2011;Kniola et al, 2012;Milos, 2018). Student immersion experiences, another higher educational trend, create learner development by linking academia with industry (Bao et al, 2018;Perry, 2016;Russell Group, 2014).…”

Section: External Driversmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intellectual Community. An intellectual community encourages student participation, socializing the student in professional discourse and the norms of scholarly exchange, as well as keeps students and faculty current with the latest research (August et al, 2010;Golde, 2007). TDEM proposes going beyond the traditional graduate seminar by adopting an educational environment where everyone is researching, asking, learning, and creating anew.…”

Section: Element Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transforming doctoral education: preparing multidimensional and adaptive scholars

Patterson

Chang

Lavadia

et al. 2019

SGPE

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Purpose Concerning trends in graduate education, such as high attrition and underdeveloped skills, drive toward a new doctoral education approach. This paper aims to describe and propose a transformative doctoral education model (TDEM), incorporating elements that potentially address these challenges and expand the current practice. The model envisions discipline-specific knowledge coupled with a broader interdisciplinary perspective and addresses the transferable skills necessary to successfully navigate an ever-changing workforce and global landscape. The overarching goal of TDEM is to transform the doctoral student into a multi-dimensional and adaptive scholar, so the students of today can effectively and meaningfully solve the problems of tomorrow. Design/methodology/approach The foundation of TDEM is transformative learning theory, supporting the notion learner transformation occurs throughout the doctoral educational experience. Findings Current global doctoral education models and literature were reviewed. These findings informed the new TDEM. Practical implications Designed as a customizable framework for learner-centered doctoral education, TDEM promotes a mentor network on and off-campus, interdisciplinarity and agile career scope preparedness. Social implications Within the TDEM framework, doctoral students develop valuable knowledge and transferable skills. These developments increase doctoral student career adaptability and preparedness, as well as enables graduates to appropriately respond to global and societal complex problems. Originality/value This proposed doctoral education framework was formulated through a review of the literature and experiences with curricular design and pedagogical practices at a research-intensive university’s teaching and learning center. TDEM answers the call to develop frameworks that address issues in doctoral education and present a flexible and more personalized training. TDEM encourages doctoral student transformation into adaptive, forward-thinking scholars and thriving in an ever-changing workforce.

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“…Scholarship and research on assessment and program evaluation of career preparation programs predominantly studies undergraduate populations (August et al 2010 ; Grier-Reed and Chahla 2015 ; Hansen and Pedersen 2012 ), though there is a growing body of scholarship that focuses on assessments of and for graduate students (Helm et al 2012 ; Holaday et al 2007 ; Ortega and Kent 2018 ). This shift is likely explained in part by shifting career landscapes (McAlpine and Austin 2018 ) and aspirations (Jones et al 2012 ; Solem et al 2013 ; Wilson et al 2018 ; Woodside 2018 ) among students pursuing advanced degrees.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using data to make the case for program resources and sustainability: the BEST action inventory case study

et al. 2021

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Career development programs are a valuable part of any student’s experience, and increasingly is an expected part of graduate school training. While such programs are commonly available to undergraduates, there is a growing need for career support to be offered to graduate students. Making the case for resources can be a challenge in this domain, however. Research on the impact of career services for graduate students and post-doctoral scholars is a growing scholarly concern. However, there remains a need to better understand what level of intervention is most appropriate: What kind of activities, how much time, and what resources would best serve the professional development needs of graduate students and post-doctoral scholars? And to answer these questions, a more foundational one: what activities are drawing the attention of graduate students and post doctoral trainees, and in what activities are they spending their time? In this manuscript, we describe how Our University approached this research question by developing an online data tracking system to capture graduate and post-doctoral trainee participation in one co-curricular professional development program. We demonstrate how this data tracking system can be used to advocate for institutional resources in career development programming, for research, and for practical purposes such as advocating for institutional support and for program design and assessment.

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The T Assessment Tool: A Simple Metric for Assessing Multidisciplinary Graduate Education

Cited by 11 publications

References 14 publications

Graduate students navigating social-ecological research: insights from the Long-Term Ecological Research Network

Graduate students navigating social-ecological research: insights from the Long-Term Ecological Research Network

Transforming doctoral education: preparing multidimensional and adaptive scholars

Using data to make the case for program resources and sustainability: the BEST action inventory case study

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