What are student expectation documents?

Student expectation documents can be useful “handbooks for success” in a research group. Because there is no set format or topics that must be included, there is a lot of flexibility to include whatever information could be most useful for incoming students into the research group. Your document can lean toward the philosophical, toward the detailed and practical, or fall somewhere in between. Potential sections or topics can include:

• research philosophy
• professionalism and ethics
• timeline and deliverables toward degree, thesis, or dissertation
• TA and RA responsibilities
• time management
• publication and authorship
• conferences
• field or lab safety
• access to computing and software resources
• preferred means of communication and meetings
• mentoring/advising philosophy
• holiday/vacation policy
• helpful resources specific to the research group

 

Why would I create student expectation documents?

There are several reasons why student expectation documents could be useful.

1. For you: Creating a student expectation document means putting into writing what you, as the mentor/advisor/faculty member, consider to be reasonable and expected. This can be a useful exercise for anticipating and troubleshooting potentially challenging situations before they arise.
2. Research culture: For most undergraduate students and for some incoming graduate students, joining your research group may be the first time a student is encountering a research-focused environment in the geosciences. There can be a lot of unspoken rules or expectations in research. For many students, this can result in an intimidating environment, especially if they perceive that everyone else seems to know how the system works. Expectation documents help to explicitly state some of the unspoken and unwritten guidelines in geoscience research.
3. Culture specific to your research group: Research looks different and is conducted differently depending on the advisor. In addition to the concrete differences in research methods that can result in different approaches for students (i.e., modeling vs. lab vs. field-based projects can lead to different expectations for timeline to publication, data management, etc.), approaches to attending and paying for conferences, authorship, fieldwork, applying for fellowships, and so on can differ greatly between research groups. Because there is no one correct approach to these aspects of being in a research group, misunderstandings about what is expected in your group can cause confusion and frustration for both advisors and students. An expectation document provides the opportunity to lay out your approach clearly.

 

How do I create and/or use student expectation documents?

Simply list or document whatever information you think would be useful for a new student to your group – there is no right or wrong way to do this. Because graduate students and undergraduate students have very different timelines and roles, it may be reasonable to create similar but different documents for both. Consider involving your research group and building or updating an expectation document as a collaborative activity for your team.

Reviewing the document can be a useful activity when a new student is starting research in your group. Even if you have discussed some topics previously, reviewing your document together is an opportunity to initiate conversations about potentially thorny topics.

An expectation document can be an important tool for communication, but it is not a contract and can be revised as needed.

 

Examples and resources:

1. Gleeson, McGill: https://www.mcgill.ca/gradsupervision/files/gradsupervision/gleeson_guidelines_for_graduate_students.pdf

2. Hajek, Penn State: example

3. Lau, Penn State: Graduate Student Expectations.docx

4. A scale to initiate discussions between an advisor and advisee: https://graduatedivision.ucmerced.edu/sites/graduatedivision.ucmerced.edu/files/page/documents/expectation_scales.pdf