Implementing a Seminar Series to Build Collaboration and Community among STEM Education Ph.D. Students

Abstract The open-ended nature of graduate school can be overwhelming and challenging for its students. Undergraduate programs tend to have well-defined curricula and support structures. However, at many schools, graduate students rely on word-of-mouth to learn and navigate the graduate school system. At Louisiana Tech University, graduate students are required to attend a seminar class to familiarize themselves with the research process and graduate resources. With a large number of graduate students conducting research in different engineering fields, this type of seminar can quickly become difficult to manage while maintaining a significant impact on each individual student. This is particularly true for students in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, a growing program that currently has fewer students than other Ph.D. engineering programs. Many of the research presentations that are required as part of the seminar course are arguably not as meaningful to the STEM education students. This seminar course is a missed opportunity to help these students build a foundation for STEM education research and navigate the nuances of the Ph.D. process while also helping them develop a community with peers in the same field. Two faculty members, who are active STEM education researchers, have instituted a new seminar series specifically for these students that is designed to realign the course with engineering education topics, continuously improve the Ph.D. curriculum, and assist students on their Ph.D. paths. The group of faculty and students began meeting every other week to discuss topics specifically related to STEM education and the needs of graduate school in lieu of attending the general engineering seminars. This new seminar series covers multiple topics applicable to students in STEM education, including developing a plan of study, writing and presenting a proposal for a dissertation, and on-campus graduate resources. In addition to fulfilling the course requirements for the STEM education Ph.D. curriculum, this series of meetings helps build community among the students and faculty members. It provides an opportunity to share insights and experiences while having faculty members present to help guide processes and discussions. A goal is to create a strong foundation of collaboration that will transcend the course and continue beyond its requirements. As students progress in their respective research, this course can provide a venue to continually give back to the program. This paper will provide a reflection on the experience of three STEM education Ph.D. students who participated in the redesigned seminar course. STEM education students who participated in the original version of the course are surveyed to gain insights on the topics they perceive would be beneficial in the redesigned course which will contribute to the ongoing improvements to the new course. This paper will also provide details on the course structure and topics along with lessons learned from the initial implementation.