Grad students in the sciences are more motivated to complete their programs and move forward into professional careers when they build industry connections and participate in collaborations, CGS dean-in-residence Richard Linton tells Nature magazine.

CGS President Debra Stewart discusses trends from the latest CGS/GRE Graduate Enrollment and Degrees survey, calling for a renewed commitment to graduate education.

Inside Higher Ed explores the findings of the CGS/GRE Graduate Enrollment and Degrees survey. The article notes, in almost every field, there were either fewer Americans enrolling or the rate of increase was notably less than had been the case through the previous decade. And the opposite is true for international students.

Financial stress on students, states, and schools is making it more difficult to pursue advanced degrees, according to CGS President Debra Stewart.

Competition for international graduate students is heating up, according to the latest study by the Council of Graduate Schools.

CGS President Debra Stewart tells Graduateguide.com that the U.S. must continue its efforts to attract international students as global competition for talent increases.

Contact:
Julia Kent
jkent@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791

Washington, D.C. -- The Council of Graduate Schools has released a new report highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach to graduate education in research integrity. The report, Research and Scholarly Integrity in Graduate Education, provides recommendations for U.S. universities based on best practice research as well as data collected through a multi-year CGS initiative, The Project for Scholarly Integrity (PSI), supported by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity.

Through the project, CGS worked collaboratively with six institutions that received funding for pilot projects: Columbia University, Emory University, Michigan State University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Arizona. In each, the graduate school led the development of model programs by coordinating campus activities, assessing current policies and practices, and engaging the community in enhancing programs and resources for graduate students. An additional 13 institutions participated in the project as affiliates.

Data and Findings

A unique feature of The Project for Scholarly Integrity was the common assessment of two aspects of graduate students’ educational and research environments. Graduate schools surveyed programs to learn how students accessed instruction in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) prior to participation in the project, and used this information to inform project activities. Through a version of a national organizational climate survey, they also surveyed students and faculty about their perceptions concerning fairness, the adequacy of policies and resources, and their degree of confidence in handling situations involving ethical misconduct or misbehavior. Data from these surveys are accessible through a companion online, interactive tool: the PSI Data Dashboard.

One of the key findings of the project is that graduate students currently depend to a large degree on the instruction they receive—or do not receive—from their research supervisors or mentors. On average, between 74% and 80% of faculty respondents from graduate programs reported that students received information about a full range of RCR topics from their advisors or mentors. However, students were much less likely to have access to information about RCR through courses or classroom instruction, workshops, print materials, or web-based instruction (see Dashboard and p. 70 of report).

Although the best RCR programs draw on experts and a variety of activities to inform students about a full range of RCR issues, survey responses suggest that many students did not participate in activities that might supplement the information they receive from their advisors.

These data suggest the need for a heightened focus on the quality of education in the mentoring and advising relationship, and for broader adoption of a comprehensive approach to graduate education in research integrity that gives students multiple avenues and opportunities for exposure to RCR.

Best Practice Models

The survey data informed each institution’s strategies for developing more comprehensive programs to educate graduate students in research and scholarly integrity. Practices that proved effective across all projects are highlighted, for example, in the areas of leadership and communication strategy, cultivating faculty participation, and assessing student needs. The report also notes where the effectiveness of strategies may have differed depending on the size and type of institution.

CGS President Debra W. Stewart commented, “Since 2003, CGS has worked with U.S. graduate schools to provide high quality research integrity education during the formative stages of graduate students’ professional development. I believe the strategies and practices described in this publication will help graduate deans and others looking for practical models for initiating new or improving existing RCR programs.”

The PSI Data Dashboard allows institutions to compare their own survey data with the aggregated data of institutions that participated in the project. President Stewart added, “This report and the companion online tool should catalyze enriched campus discussions around the needs and professional development of graduate students, as well as those of faculty and staff, which are especially needed in the area of mentoring and advising.”

From Admission to Completion

This program recognizes promising efforts in initiating or scaling up innovations in graduate education that occur from admission through successful completion of a degree program. It is designed to link innovative admissions practices with other institutional practices including, but not limited to, mentoring, support programs, intellectual enrichment, and social support, that will improve student success once students are enrolled in their graduate programs.

This award program particularly encourages innovations that promise to improve the success of a diverse and inclusive student population. The deadline for proposals is September 9th for the 2022 ETS/CGS Award.  

2022 Request for Proposal

Synopses of Winning Proposals

Webinar:  Winning Strategies for Diversity and Inclusion

FAQs

For a list of past awardees, please visit the ETS website.

Contact:

Anna M. Naranjo

Award support provided by:

Citing the CGS International 2 Survey, Inside Higher Ed noted several interesting variations in the geographic regions and fields of study represented by students offered admissions to U.S. graduate schools.

The latest CGS data show that U.S. admissions offers to international grad students continued to rise from 2011 to 2012. The Chronicle analyzed the phase 2 report of the 2012 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, describing how strong gains from China and the Middle East led to an overall increase of 9 percent.