Nancy, I concur with Ted on pedagogy-- more emphasis on teaching. All the rest of graduate school is about being a researcher, teaching gets short shrift. On a related note I would observe that most of your students, even from Berkeley, will end up at small to medium sized institutions where both the benefits and stresses can be a bit different from those at the large research institutions like Berkeley where most of us are trained. So if you want to offer something of benefit to the majority, as opposed to just your superstars, additional topics that don't (usually) get talked about (enough) with graduate students who want to go on to careers in academia include balancing teaching, research and service, especially in an age of diminishing returns and increasingly scarce resources in academia (e.g. over-identifying with your undergraduates and taking on lots of teaching and advising challenges won't help you earn tenure, but concentrating on research at the expense of your undergraduates' education and an additional burden on colleagues who have to pick up the slack will not earn you friends, loyal colleagues, or scholarships named after you in 30 years); dealing not just with colleagues who are bullies, but with administrators who may be bullies or maybe just don't speak the same language as academics; and, related to both, and to the sentiment sometimes attributed to that s.o.b. Henry Kissinger that "academic politics are particularly vicious because the stakes are so low," developing a thick skin. Sounds bleak, perhaps, but reflects a reality that I have found junior colleagues are often unprepared for. Christopher J. Richter Associate Professor Communication Studies Hollins University PO Box 9652 Roanoke, VA 24020 540-362-6358 ________________________________________ From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Ted Coopman [ted.coopman@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 4:49 PM To: Nancy Van House Cc: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-L] query: topics that don't get talked about (enough) in academia? Nancy, Considering a vast majority of Ph.D.s will wind up in teaching vs. research positions (as much as everyone pretends otherwise) , I would go with the mechanics of instructional design. • how to create/meet learning objectives • using ICTs to manage workload • how to create assessment (assignments, quizzes, etc). • grading • basic pedagogy - what the research says about what works and what does not. • time management • creating systems and policies to manage students and deal with typical conflicts and complaints. [<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeSdC7lbAlA&feature=share> - I think you all will appreciate this] I have watched many new Ph.D.s walk into a 4/4 teaching load (with no TA help) get crushed and the main reason is mistaken idea (SOP in most grad programs) is if you have taken a course in a particular subject or area you can teach it. Knowing it and teaching it effectively are not the same thing. -TED On Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 7:57 AM, Nancy Van House <vanhouse@ischool.berkeley.edu> wrote:
Spring semester I'm teaching our on-going seminar for doctoral students that addresses various topics related to being a researcher and, to a lesser degree, teaching.
My spring theme: topics that don't get talked about, or not enough, or not frankly enough.
SUGGESTIONS WANTED!
Some examples: -conflicts over co-authorship -- who's included, how names are ordered -conflicts among collaborators/co-authors -dealing with colleagues who are bullies -reviewing, and responding to reviewers -various problems with students, in class and out. The ordinary ones; and the extraordinary (e.g., stalking)
**What were YOU not sufficiently prepared to face when you first finished your PhD?** Or, as a PhD student, what would you want such a seminar to cover?
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-- *********************************************************************************** Nancy Van House Professor, School of Information 102 South Hall #4600 University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-4600 voice 510.642.0855 fax 510.642.5814 http://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/~vanhouse --------------------------------------------------------------- Office: 307A South Hall *********************************************************************************** _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
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-- Ted M. Coopman Ph.D. Lecturer Department of Communication Studies Radio, Television, and Film Program San Jose State University http://www.sjsu.edu/people/ted.coopman/ _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/