Faculty Perspectives on Their Role in the Training of STEM Doctoral Students

Zilong Pan; Anand Jagota; Volkmar Dierolf; Himanshu Jain

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Graduate Studies Division (GSD) Technical Session 3: Advising in Graduate Education
Tagged Division: Graduate Studies Division (GSD)
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/47458

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Paper Authors

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Zilong Pan Lehigh University

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Zilong Pan is an assistant professor of teaching, learning and technology, his research focuses on emerging educational technologies and innovative methodological approaches in educational practices and studies in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) disciplines.

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Anand Jagota Lehigh University

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Anand Jagota is Vice Provost for Research and the Robert W. Wieseman Professor of Bioengineering and of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh University. His training is in Mechanical Engineering, from IIT Delhi for undergraduate studies and Cornell University for graduate work. He worked for nearly 15 years as a materials scientist at the DuPont company and moved in 2004 to Lehigh University. His research interests are in interfacial mechanical properties.

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Volkmar Dierolf Lehigh University

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Volkmar Dierolf is a Professor of Physics a Distinguished University Professor of Physics and Materials Science & Engineering at Lehigh University, where he has been a faculty member since 2000. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Utah in 1992 and a Habilitation in Experimental Physics from University of Paderborn, Germany in 2000. Dr. Dierolf's research focuses on the study of novel electronic and optical materials, with a particular emphasis on rare earth dopants in semiconductors and laser produced single crystals in glass. He has authored or co-authored over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has been awarded several patents for his work.

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Himanshu Jain Lehigh University orcid.org/0000-0003-4382-9460

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Himanshu Jain is the T.L. Diamond Distinguished Chair Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Director of Institute for Functional Materials and Devices at Lehigh University. He helped establish and served as the director of NSF’s International Materials Institute for New Functionality in Glass, which pioneered globalization of glass research and education, and led to multiple international glass research centers in different countries. Over the past three decades he has focused on introducing new functionality and novel processing of glass, and making glass education available worldwide freely. For the last several years, he has been advocating for use-inspired research, and led the development of a new STEM doctoral workforce training model: Pasteur Partners PhD (P3) based on Industry-University partnerships. He is an author/editor of 12 patents, 10 books and over 400 research publications on glass science, technology and education.

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Abstract

Traditional PhD training in STEM fields places a strong emphasis on developing doctoral students' academic skills, encompassing research, academic writing, as well as sharing of knowledge through publications and conference presentations, etc. However, with the ever evolving expectations of graduate training, particularly in applied fields, the demand for PhD has transcended the confines of academia. For instance, nearly 90% of engineering PhDs will not enter academia, which underscores the discrepancy between the current PhD training programs and the preparation of students for future careers. To better support doctoral students especially for those who intend to pursue positions in industry including corporate R&D labs, national labs, defense organizations, healthcare institutes, etc., Lehigh University launched an innovative program called Pasteur Partners PhD (P3) specifically for the training of such doctoral students. It is a student-centered doctoral training program based on use-inspired research in partnership with industry.

A preliminary evaluation of the P3 program, which was developed with support from NSF’s IGE program, revealed that students benefited significantly from gaining practical skills through industry involvement such as co-advising, resulting in a clearer understanding of how the industry operates, which, in turn, enhanced their employability in the industry [1]. The University administration also provided significant support for the program. However, a broader implementation of P3 encountered challenges and hesitancy from faculty members. Mostly the senior faculty who already had preexisting connections with industry and junior faculty from certain departments were more receptive to joining the P3 program than others. Could this be a result of the prevailing emphasis of the graduate education system on research output (publications) rather than the training of students for their subsequent careers? What other reasons could there be for the faculty’s lack of enthusiasm for the training of their PhD students following P3 track?

To answer above questions and examine the challenges and obstacles that the faculty members feel for student centered doctoral training from an institutional and system perspective, we are conducting a survey specifically targeting faculty members in STEM fields. It seeks to comprehensively understand faculty members’ perspective on the primary objectives of doctoral training within different STEM fields. By exploring these objectives, the survey aims to uncover how they vary across disciplines and what faculty members perceive as the most significant goals in their areas of expertise. Moreover, the survey is designed to shed light on the challenges and hurdles faced by faculty members in their pursuit of these training objectives. Faculty participants are encouraged to identify and articulate the specific obstacles they encounter, whether they pertain to institutional constraints, resource limitations, demands of perceived professional success or other factors that impede the realization of these goals. In addition, the survey takes a close look at the resources that faculty members believe would be beneficial in addressing these challenges and improving the effectiveness of doctoral training. This insight is essential for designing support systems that can empower faculty to contribute to the training of doctoral workforce for the benefit of society at large. The survey seeks to gain valuable perspectives on the qualities and skills considered essential for the success of PhD students. These insights will inform curriculum development and help prepare students better for a wider range of career paths. The results of the survey, currently underway, will be presented.

Citation
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Pan, Z., & Jagota, A., & Dierolf, V., & Jain, H. (2024, June), Faculty Perspectives on Their Role in the Training of STEM Doctoral Students Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://strategy.asee.org/47458

TY - CPAPER
AB - Traditional PhD training in STEM fields places a strong emphasis on developing doctoral students&#39; academic skills, encompassing research, academic writing, as well as sharing of knowledge through publications and conference presentations, etc. However, with the ever evolving expectations of graduate training, particularly in applied fields, the demand for PhD has transcended the confines of academia. For instance, nearly 90% of engineering PhDs will not enter academia, which underscores the discrepancy between the current PhD training programs and the preparation of students for future careers. To better support doctoral students especially for those who intend to pursue positions in industry including corporate R&amp;amp;D labs, national labs, defense organizations, healthcare institutes, etc., Lehigh University launched an innovative program called Pasteur Partners PhD (P3) specifically for the training of such doctoral students. It is a student-centered doctoral training program based on use-inspired research in partnership with industry.

A preliminary evaluation of the P3 program, which was developed with support from NSF’s IGE program, revealed that students benefited significantly from gaining practical skills through industry involvement such as co-advising, resulting in a clearer understanding of how the industry operates, which, in turn, enhanced their employability in the industry [1]. The University administration also provided significant support for the program. However, a broader implementation of P3 encountered challenges and hesitancy from faculty members. Mostly the senior faculty who already had preexisting connections with industry and junior faculty from certain departments were more receptive to joining the P3 program than others. Could this be a result of the prevailing emphasis of the graduate education system on research output (publications) rather than the training of students for their subsequent careers? What other reasons could there be for the faculty’s lack of enthusiasm for the training of their PhD students following P3 track?

To answer above questions and examine the challenges and obstacles that the faculty members feel for student centered doctoral training from an institutional and system perspective, we are conducting a survey specifically targeting faculty members in STEM fields. It seeks to comprehensively understand faculty members’ perspective on the primary objectives of doctoral training within different STEM fields. By exploring these objectives, the survey aims to uncover how they vary across disciplines and what faculty members perceive as the most significant goals in their areas of expertise. Moreover, the survey is designed to shed light on the challenges and hurdles faced by faculty members in their pursuit of these training objectives. Faculty participants are encouraged to identify and articulate the specific obstacles they encounter, whether they pertain to institutional constraints, resource limitations, demands of perceived professional success or other factors that impede the realization of these goals. In addition, the survey takes a close look at the resources that faculty members believe would be beneficial in addressing these challenges and improving the effectiveness of doctoral training. This insight is essential for designing support systems that can empower faculty to contribute to the training of doctoral workforce for the benefit of society at large. The survey seeks to gain valuable perspectives on the qualities and skills considered essential for the success of PhD students. These insights will inform curriculum development and help prepare students better for a wider range of career paths. The results of the survey, currently underway, will be presented.

AU - Zilong Pan
AU - Anand Jagota
AU - Volkmar Dierolf
AU - Himanshu Jain
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Faculty Perspectives on Their Role in the Training of STEM Doctoral Students
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/47458
ER -