The objective of the Research Development and Methods course is to prepare graduate students to conduct high-quality scientific research. Students develop skills to define, plan, fund, conduct, and evaluate research. All students prepare a detailed research study plan for their thesis or dissertation research that is improved by iterative peer review and revision. The objective of the Proseminar course is to improve student skills in the preparation and presentation of scientific talks and posters. Students are introduced to different approaches and technologies for preparing and delivering poster and oral presentations.
All students make a poster presentation and an oral presentation based on their graduate research.
Student peer reviews and evaluations by faculty are used to improve these presentations. The objective of the Teaching Practicum course is to provide students with opportunities to explore and practice traditional and alternative models of classroom teaching. The course was developed specifically for our Ph.D. students because they are more likely than our M.S. students to have future teaching responsibilities. The students in the course visit classes on campus where cooperative learning and constructivist techniques are being used, and these techniques are compared with more traditional teaching techniques. Assessment techniques are also discussed in class.