INTERSECTIONS ACROSS THEMESParticipant comments showed how these four factors are deeply interrelated; for instance, participants discussed how:• their experiences with SoTL research through the

program enhanced their marketability during the academic job search and beyond;

• working in an interdisciplinary context helped them with community-building and collaboration as faculty;

• relationships built through the program bolstered participants’ SoTL research and professionalization.

I have spoken at length in different places about SoTL being a grounded part of my teaching and research approaches in general. The university that I was hired at has a very big emphasis on SoTL, and I have continued and expanded that work after leaving the program.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThanks to the RCAH; Dean Esquith; the College of Arts & Letters, Dean Klomparens; the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, & American Cultures; and the RCAH Graduate Fellows for their support throughout this project.

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ASSESSMENT OF THE RCAH GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMJennifer Sano-Franchini ● PhD Candidate in Rhetoric and Writing ● RCAH Graduate Fellow ● sanojenn@msu.edu

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanna Bosse ● Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology

PURPOSEThe purpose of this study is to gain a sense of how the RCAH Graduate Fellowship Program has had a lasting impact on fellows through its goals of:

1. acquainting students to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research; and

2. professionalizing graduate students and providing preparation for the academic job market, including experiences more akin to that of a SLAC or undergraduate institution.

FINDINGSFour key factors were identi!ed in responses to the open-ended questions in the survey:

SoTL Research (8/10)Professionalization (4/10)Interdisciplinarity (4/10)

Community (8/10)*2 participants did not respond to any open-ended questions. *Not all participants mentioned professionalization in their written responses; however, many indicated in other parts of the survey that the program came up in professional documents, on the job market, and later, in their work as as faculty. * The findings presented here show the dominant trends represented in the surveys. Other factors include: time, i.e., having two years to develop projects, as well as how the program engaged fellows’ personal interests.

METHODSTo achieve these goals, we sought the feedback of past and current fellows via their participation in an anonymous online survey. The survey included 23 Likert scale, multiple choice/check box, and open-ended questions. Responses to the open-ended questions were coded using the four themes listed to the right.

Symposium on Teaching, Learning and Graduate Education at MSU: A Joint Endeavor of FAST, IIT, and RCAH Fellows | April 19, 2013

PARTICIPANT PROFILEOf 23 total past and current fellows, 10 participated in the survey so far. Participants were active as RCAH Graduate Fellows between 2008 and 2013, and they were housed across 8 doctoral departments.

Eight participants--3 of whom are current fellows--are affiliated with doctoral granting universities. Two are affiliated with baccalaureate universities.

HOW MIGHT WE IMPROVE?• [...] more interaction with RCAH classes and events.• [...] stronger emphasis on building relationships with RCAH students and RCAH faculty [...] I would have liked to see more of us

really get in there with the undergrad students.• [...] do a few social events.

students

fellows faculty

camaraderiecommunitymentorship

relationshipscollegialitynetworking

collaboration

0

2

4

6

8

Nat. Conf. Reg. Conf. Dept. Colloq. Job Talk Publication

• preliminary interviews• campus visits

• preliminary interviews• campus visits

SoTL RESEARCHParticipants have presented their SoTL research at:

8 of 10 participants mentioned their SoTL projects in one or more of the following: • job letters• CVs• teaching philosophy

What aspects of the program were most helpful for you?• Seeing an alternative model for undergraduate education;

learning about the field of SoTL and how it is applied in RCAH courses.

PROFESSIONALIZATION 7 of 10 participants have been on the academic job market. Of those 7, 6 say the program came up in one or more of the following:• job letters• CVs• teaching philosophy

*At least 2 fellows say their doctoral departments do not provide academic job market preparation for candidates.

What aspects of the program were most helpful for you?• I thought the focus in the latter half on the program on CV,

job talk, teaching philosophy, etc. were really helpful.

With regards to providing an alternative to the Research I model, one participant said:

• [...]this engagement made me realize how much I would fit into a smaller liberal arts school with a central focus on teaching. In many ways it has changed my outlook on my future career.

INTERDISCIPLINARITYParticipants appreciated the interdisciplinary aspect of the program. More speci!cally, participants said these experiences would help them:

• [...]learn about the epistemological frameworks involved in [other] disciplines. Having these interactions helped me learn how to build collegial relationships with those outside my field.

• [...]translate my discipline-specific research for a broader audience of interdisciplinary teachers and scholars.

What aspects of the program were most helpful for you?

• Practice discussing research and teaching with interdisciplinary group of scholars.

• Developing a project that would be understood by my colleagues in different departments and disciplines.

• Interacting with students from other disciplines.

COMMUNITYNearly all participants mentioned the value that the RCAH community brought to their experiences in the program.

What aspects of the program were most helpful for you?• Camaraderie with other fellows.• The community of people. I met some wonderful people

who were interested in similar topics. The faculty at RCAH are also very helpful [...] The people and community really made this opportunity fun.

• Mentorship from RCAH faculty.