The gifts that keep on giving
Our tenth and eleventh book winners are Rosalyn Collins (prospective PhD student) and Thomas Ward (current PhD student)! Be sure to enter the book giveaway for your chance to win a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School! More details below (at the end of the post). Now, onto the good stuff!
It’s that time of the year when many (prospective) students are being asked what they would like to receive as gifts. This newsletter post includes several PhD-relevant items recommended to me by #AcademicTwitter, friends, and colleagues. I hope you find some of these items useful! Note that although I am linking to examples of items available at Amazon, I highly recommend supporting local and smaller businesses whenever possible. At the same time, I recognize that Amazon often has the best deals.
You gotta stay hydrated! Items in this section will help you keep hydration (and caffeination) top-of-mind! First up, we have Hydro Flasks (for both cold and hot beverages). For a less expensive option, I recommend Contigo travel mugs (my personal favorite). If you find that your coffee or tea is always getting cold, you may also consider requesting a desk mug warmer (the one I linked to automatically shuts off after four hours!). If you’re more of a cold beverage person, stainless steel straws may be a good choice for you. The straws I linked to come in different shapes and include a cleaner, which is very important! Finally, if you’re the type of person who enjoys working in coffee shops and/or treating yourself to some delicious coffee (or tea) on your way to class (RIP Espresso Royale), ask for a gift card!
Take your desk space to the next level! It took me far too long to appreciate that investing a bit more money now would payoff in greater comfort and productivity in the long-run. So, consider leveling up some of your everyday desk items. First, I highly recommend securing a second computer monitor. It doesn’t have to be fancy! I think I paid ~$80 for mine at a big box store. However, there are benefits to investing a bit more (e.g., better clarity). On this point, I also recommend securing an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. With how much time we all spend on our computers, we should do our best to save our necks and wrists! However, if not wanting to request these bigger ticket items, consider asking for keyboard hand support pillows and mouse pads with built-in support for wrists. Finally, many of my friends and colleagues prefer to read hard copies of papers vs. electronic copies, especially when editing their own papers. If you are like them, you may really benefit from having a black and white laser printer (I have a version of the linked printer and it has worked great for me!).
Books are the best! True story: I can’t leave a bookstore without buying a book (or books if I’m with my dog, Henry, and the employees are nice to him). There are so many great books out there, so keep in mind that this list isn’t exhaustive. First, you know I’m going to recommend A Field Guide to Grad School by Dr. Jessica Calarco. Because writing is so important, I also recommend requesting copies of: The Writing Workshop: Write More, Write Better, Be Happier in Academia by Dr. Barbara Sarnecka (note that Dr. Sarnecka has made her book freely available here), How to Write A Lot by Dr. Paul Silvia, and The Elements of Style by Dr. William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. Finally, developing R skills has become increasingly important. For this reason, you may consider asking for a book like this one, which can help launch your R training!
Let’s get productive! One key step toward being productive is learning how to set goals, measure progress toward them, and reflect on progress made. To do exactly this, I know many people who love their LOT (Life on Track) Planners created by Dr. Sa-kiera Hudson. I also know many people who enjoy using the Panda Planner. To help streamline note-taking, I recommend Rocketbooks, which are reusable notebooks! I appreciate that my Rocketbook allows me to take handwritten notes and quickly upload them to pre-designated folders. Two other gifts you may consider requesting include a year of Dropbox (or whatever other cloud storage service you use) and a premium membership to Grammarly (a writing tool).
Don’t forget about self care! Here’s something else I waited too long to do as a PhD student—take care of myself! As (prospective) PhD students, it’s important to not only exercise your brains, but also exercise your bodies. Recently, I’ve really enjoyed using the Peloton app. I don’t have a Peloton, but I do have a bike and some weights and, so far, I’m really enjoying taking advantage of all the app has to offer. Other exercise-related items you may consider include: a yoga mat, foam roller, and exercise ball. Finally, a friend recommended hand cream and I think that’s a great idea! Just as we protect our wrists with keyboard and mouse supports, we should also protect our skin.
Looking for more ideas? Check out other recommended gifts from the #MHAWS Holiday Gift Guide!
SCHOLAR PROFILE #14: AMEENA PAYNE
The purpose of these profiles is to highlight and connect you to scholars at different career stages doing interesting and important research and service work.
This week, we get to learn about Ameena Payne, who is a vocational education assessor and Master of Education graduate from Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia).
Now, let’s learn about Ameena’s academic journey.
What are your research interests?
I am interested in online higher education, teaching capability, technology-enhanced feedback, first-year student experience, and student engagement.
With whom did you work during your master’s degree?
My Principal Supervisor was Dr. Rola Ajjawi and my Associate Supervisor was Dr. Jessica Holloway.
Why did you choose your master’s institution and advisor(s)?
Swinburne University was the start of my graduate education. At the time I worked in Student Operations, and my employer was aware of my interest in online education instruction. They helped fund my Graduate Certificate of Learning and Teaching (Higher Education) through their university partner, which was Swinburne.
I continued toward a Master of Education at Deakin as my interests aligned with Deakin’s Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) and many of the scholars whose work I’d read and found interesting during my graduate certificate were involved with CRADLE.
One of my current advisors, Dr. Rola Ajjawi, is a CRADLE Associate Professor, and in addition to her articles, I had attended several of her talks prior to reaching out to her. I had a great feeling that, while our interests are similar, we may approach them quite differently. I see this as an advantage and an important learning opportunity. During one of my first Deakin units, there was a video from a research design development and method conference with an excellent panel, and this is how I was introduced to Dr. Jessica Holloway. Dr. Holloway’s work focuses on critical theory, a school of thought I wanted to bring into my own research. Drs. Ajjawi and Holloway hadn’t worked together before; however, I felt we’d make a great team, and they would each bring something different yet equally important from which I could learn. I believe there is tremendous power in connecting with those whose work and careers are aspirational yet divergent.
Please share more about your academic journey.
My undergraduate (UG) journey began on a full tennis scholarship at Chicago State University, a HBCU, where I was also inducted into the university’s ‘Honors College’. However, in my second year, I made the decision to transfer to Illinois Tech where I continued my UG business degree, and suddenly my grades were unremarkable, and I felt disengaged with my study. So, I began attending graduate-level courses at the university’s downtown campus a couple nights per week. The courses were Design Thinking and Behavioural Science which sparked my interest. From there, I was introduced to Amy Segami. Together, we were involved in bringing TEDx events to Illinois Tech, a process that saw me bringing together both UG and post-graduate students and gave me an opportunity to lead. The events had such a positive reception that I was invited to attend the inaugural TEDxSummit in Doha, Qatar. I feel that this is such a significant part of my present academic & research journey because taking the leap in attending these graduate courses opened my eyes to what’s possible in academia, my career and life, and led me to meeting and having the privilege of listening to many brilliant thinkers, some whom I have the privilege of keeping in touch with today.
I moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2014. Staying here is a whole thing that is largely aligned to/driven by the export of education. So, I became an international student for a bit (while planning my next visa), undertaking a couple of diploma-level business degrees. However, I was inspired to undertake a course in training and assessment which led me to becoming a vocational and higher education educator myself, and subsequently completing a Master of Education (as a now Australian permanent resident).
You've done quite a bit of teaching and have a demonstrated commitment to engaging in inclusive teaching practices. What is one bit of advice you have for new faculty who are similarly committed to engaging in inclusive teaching practices?
Observe the unintended; reflect on and keep your students at the center of your pedagogy and don’t be afraid to stick your head above the parapet.
Is there anything else about you or your journey that you’d like to share?
My current supervisory team (plus CRADLE Deakin Professor Margaret Bearman) and I are planning to continue our work together with a PhD project. If the review doesn't go my way and I don't get the CRADLE stipend, I will still start my PhD (part-time) and will just continue to work at my current institution and possibly apply for funding later.
Many thanks to Ameena for sharing more about her academic journey!
How to reach me: You are always welcome to email me (letstalkgradschool@gmail.com) or find me on Twitter @tweetsbymidge.
Let’s give away some books: Readers located in the United States and Canada are eligible to enter the book giveaway to receive a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School by Dr. Jessica Calarco. To do so, complete this survey and note that you only have to complete it once to be entered in all subsequent giveaways! I do hope to expand the reach of the giveaway; however, at the moment, the shipping costs are too great to scale. If you’d like to talk about ways your institution could secure an electronic (or hard) copy, please let me know (sign up for a 1-on-1 meeting below!).
1-on-1 sessions: Interested in some additional mentorship? Sign up for 1-on-1 sessions to discuss your questions regarding the social science PhD application process and/or completing a social science PhD more generally! Sign-ups will happen via Calendly and you can check periodically for updated openings. Sign up here!
NOTE: I will offer one more meeting session through 2021 (December 13).
Until next time!
Margaret