SES has developed "Grad School 101" (EarthSci 6101), a skills and cohort building course designed for first year graduate students, alternatively taught by Profs. Ann Cook and Melisa Diaz. Recent research has shown that cohort building fosters a sense of belonging for students and is positively correlated with their happiness and success (Coneyworth et al., 2019). Especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an even greater need to wholistically support our graduate students. Grad101 has three main goals: to teach graduate students fundamental research skills, to develop their professional skills, and to build community. 

The curriculum includes modules to achieve the course goals. For example, the students learn how to read and write a scientific abstract, how to craft an elevator pitch for different audiences, how to navigate processional relationships, equity and justice in the geosciences, and even financial literacy from an OSU financial counselor. Each week the students also participate in team building exercises, designed around camaraderie and mutual respect. So far, the course has had a positive response amongst the students. Following individual “career chats” with the alumni committee in October, one student wrote, “I’ve come out of the career chat with renewed confidence. Hearing from people in the field that there are jobs out there for people and that a network has a good chance of connecting you with the job you want, has been very encouraging to hear.”

Profs. Cook and Diaz will continue to offer Grad101 each Fall for all incoming graduate students. 

Coneyworth, L., Jessop, R., Maden, P., & White, G. (2019). The overlooked cohort? – Improving the taught postgraduate student experience in higher education. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 57(3), 262–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2019.1617184