GPAD Workshop Schedule and Abstracts

GPAD Schedule Flier

Monday, September 28

10am- Conferences and Publications 
This session will discuss academic conferences, including issues related to attendance, presentations, and funding opportunities. The publications overview will include information on choosing the best publication venue for your work, avoiding predatory or bogus publishers, and an overview of the review and acceptance process.

12pm- Technology Tools for Academic Success 
This workshop will provide you with various technology tools to help you improve your productivity and increase your work efficiency. These tools are handpicked to support graduate students in their diverse roles as students, teachers, assistants, and researchers. Participants are introduced to resources that will improve their skills in: time management, collaborative work, content writing, storage and presentation. The workshop will also review tech support and tech training options available on campus.

2pm- Utlizing Social Media in your Job Search
As the use of social networking skyrockets, finding jobs in the traditional way is now obsolete.  Employers now view your online presence to assess the kind of person you are, who you’re connected to, and how you present yourself.  Through the lenses of Facebook and LinkedIn, we'll discover how your web presence impacts your job search!

Tuesday, September 29

10am- How to Write a Literature Review 
Literature reviews are completed for many purposes: papers, articles, grants, theses, dissertations, etc. This session will explain and show you resources and steps for developing, managing, and completing literature reviews. Laptop not needed, but bring it if you already use the Flashzone-WPA on campus.

12pm- Résumés, CVs and Cover Letters
 This session conducted by Career Services will focus on writing Resumes, CVs, and Cover Letters. Learn how to gauge when each document is appropriate and how to get the attention of the reader. Free online as well as in-person resources will be discussed.

2pm- The Center for Teaching and Learning: Helping with your Students’ Learning
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has a primary mission to provide opportunities, leadership, and support for all faculty to grow in their scholarly and professional endeavors. The long term aim is to support community members in the process of creating, transforming, and/or maintaining Kent State University’s environments for learning as spaces where all students can succeed.  Learn more CTL and the resource and services that can assist you as a teaching assistant.

Wednesday, September 30

10am- Research Ethics and the IRB Application
 This workshop will cover research ethics and will provide you with information about the IRB submission and review processes at Kent State. Topics include an overview of the IRB process, how to develop an informed consent document, and common submission mistakes.

12pm- Three Minute Thesis: Tips for Communicating your Research
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition is coming to Kent State University in October.  The competition helps graduate students develop academic, presentation, and research communication skills by crafting a presentation that explains their research in an engaging and concise manner.  Graduate students are given just three minutes and one Powerpoint slide as tools to explain their research.

This workshop will explain more about the competition and provide tips for creating a successful 3MT presentation.  All graduate students are eligible to participate and compete for cash prizes of up to $500.  Registration is open until October 9 and preliminary rounds of the competition will be on October 21, 22, and 23.  The top five presenters from each preliminary round will compete in the finals on October 30.

2pm- Managing Large Classrooms as a Teaching Assistant 
This workshop offers resources and advice for teaching assistants with large classrooms—both in-person and online. Teaching large classes is a unique experience with specific challenges, especially for teaching assistants. We will cover best practices for developing course discussions, classroom management, and assessments and for evaluating student work.

Thursday, October 1

10am- RefWorks 
RefWorks helps you manage the research you do for papers, theses, dissertations, etc. This session will show you how to use RefWorks when you are writing to automatically insert citations and references according to styles such as APA and MLA. Other advanced functions for managing research and collaboration will also be shown. The new ProQuest “Flow” will also be shown. Laptop not needed, but bring it if you already use the Flashzone-WPA on campus.

12pm- Interviewing and Negotiating your Job Offer  
In this session, you will learn about different types of interviews and interviewing tips. Additionally, recommendations will be shared on evaluating a job offer and negotiating salary and responsibilities with confidence.

2pm- Best Practices for Online Teaching 
This session will cover the five major components that are impacted by the online environment, and best practices to address them. Whether you're brand-new to online learning or you've taught or taken online classes, this presentation will help you think through how to set you and your students up for success.

Friday, October 2

10am- First Time Teaching Assistant
The first part of this session will focus on pedagogical concerns of new T. A.s, including classroom management, lesson planning, and lesson preparation. In the second part, participants will discuss logistical concerns such as where to locate teaching materials or technical support. 

12pm- Searching for Grant Funding Opportunities
 A critical step in obtaining grant funding is searching for and finding funding opportunities that will work for your topic. This session is a tutorial on how to best utilize COS, a funding opportunity database, to extract the most helpful and relevant information to you. The session also includes information about KSU's sponsored programs office and how it assists students in the grant process. 

2pm- Grant Writing 
This workshop will provide an introduction to grant writing, including looking for possible funding sources, writing your application, working with collaborators, among other topics.