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Video: Coastal Institute IGERT Project -- Lessons Learned
Achievement/Results
This video captures trainee and faculty reflections on best practices in multidisciplinary graduate education that emerged from the University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute IGERT Project (CIIP).
Address Goals
CIIP trainees identify five core best practices that emerged from the URI IGERT experience. These were: 1) Create course and special project opportunities that require students to engage in issues and applications they might not otherwise choose because they are outside their comfort zones. Encourage and nurture students to become comfortable with “not knowing” and developing tools to learn outside their discipline. 2) Provide graduate students training in communication (interpersonal, small group, large group, across disciplines, cultures), ethics, logic and conflict resolution. 3) Provide opportunities for students to work outside of the academy through internships and white papers, and with regular support from peers and faculty. 4) Provide mechanisms to foster community, through cohort identity, common courses, common spaces, social events, student-led courses. 5) Provide opportunities to practice multi/interdisciplinary work. Outreach programs should include graduate students in designing and delivering workshops, conferences, and training.
