Attributes of Success for Engineering Ph.D.s: Perspectives from Academia and Industry

Abstract

Teaching interests relate to the professional development of graduate engineering students and to leadership, policy, and change in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Primary research projects explore the preparation of engineering doctoral students for careers in academia and industry and the development of engineering education assessment tools. She is a NSF Faculty Early Career (CAREER) award winner and is a recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

The Purpose of a PhD in Engineering: Where Does Teaching Fit In?

“…These programs, however, are not utilized by all engineering doctoral students; only about half of doctoral students in engineering participate in teaching development programs of any kind (Crede et al, 2010). One explanation for why engineering students have not been heavily involved in PFF programs is the fact that over 73% of engineering PhD graduates pursue post-graduate work in industry (Cox et al, 2011) and teaching skills may not be viewed as necessary for positions in industry. Nevertheless, this downplaying of the need for teaching skills is affecting those who do end up pursuing positions that require teaching, with graduate students describing a misalignment between their current roles as graduate students and their future roles as faculty members (Svyantek et al, 2015).…”

Providing Sustainable Scientific Writing Support for Graduate Engineering Students by Creating a Local Scientific Learning Community

“…Good writing skills are important for graduate students who must communicate with and adapt to different audiences [2]. PhD students themselves recognize good communication skills as a top attribute contributing toward a successful PhD [3]. The expectations on graduate writing skills are quite high but in reality these skills might be subpar [4], [5].…”

Academic Writing at the Doctoral and Professional Level in Engineering: The Current State of the Field and Pathways Forward

“…This important shift of emphasis towards improving the written proficiency of engineering students has led to an increasing amount of research that has investigated how to support students in successfully engaging in the written genres common in both academia and industry. Yet, much of the efforts of both researchers and practitioners on how to support student writing have been centered around those at the undergraduate level, with very few studies focusing on how engineering programs may support writing skills within doctoral education (Berdanier, 2019;Cox, 2011;Gassman et al, 2013). This finding suggests a movement of engineering departments-and higher education institutions in general-to expect students to be fully apprenticed into academic and professional writing of their field upon beginning their doctoral studies, even though the written genres that these students encounter in doctoral programs may differ greatly from those required in earlier degrees.…”

“…The few studies that have examined writing at the doctoral level suggest that engineering students enter doctoral programs with varying degrees of ability to express themselves through written communication (e.g., Collwell et al, 2013). Research also shows that both doctoral students and graduate faculty in engineering alike do recognize the importance of written skills as essential to student success (Cox, 2011;Lala et al, 2018). There is little consensus, however, on whose responsibility it is to support the written skills of doctoral students, which faculty are best 'fit' to support the writing skills of doctoral students, along with which instructional practices best support students as they enter into the world of academic and professional writing.…”