Questionnaire data – Students’ Understandings of their Experiences in Graduate School

This study surveyed 43 recent graduates and currently registered graduate students who have taken online courses at OISE/UT to examine how they managed their graduate experiences. Analyses focused on K-12 practicing teachers enrolled in the M.Ed. program. Results suggest that students were generally satisfied with their experiences in achieving their professional and academic goals, but had limited interactions with peers or faculty beyond bounded course contexts and supervisory relationships. Although they recognized the value of presenting and publishing in the research process, students were unaware of or unclear about the significance or value of participation in research groups offering collaboration and co-authorship opportunities. The presentation will describe profiles of responses from students at different points in their programs as well as identifying the challenges both identified by students and also in relation to typical expectations of graduate programs.