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Teaching and Research Assistantships

Expectations of CCN Graduate Students Cognition & Cognitive Neurosciences Program Department of Psychology Michigan State University Prepared by Mark W. Becker Last Updated: 9/9/11. Teaching and Research Assistantships. It’s your JOB & your professor is your BOSS

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Teaching and Research Assistantships

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  1. Expectations of CCN Graduate StudentsCognition & Cognitive Neurosciences ProgramDepartment of PsychologyMichigan State UniversityPrepared by Mark W. BeckerLast Updated: 9/9/11

  2. Teaching and Research Assistantships • It’s your JOB & your professor is your BOSS • Basics: show up, be on time, get your work done in a timely and professional manner. • You are a representative of CCN • Contract - 20 hrs/week

  3. Be a good CCN citizen • Attendance at • Cognitive Forum • Cognitive Science Distinguished Speakers • Cognitive Job Talks (and Lunches) • Cross Interest Groups Job Talks • Other interest group talks • Others’ Dissertation Defenses • Contribute to CCN community • Cognitive forum talk each year • Recruiting students/faculty • Keeping an Expanded Vitae • Need to have this for annual reviews

  4. LabCommitments • Contribute to the running of the lab • Tasks may or may not be paid or directly related to your own research, but they indirectly support your research and the lab • Expectations about commitment (e.g., hours, authorship) differ across advisors. • Be sure you understand your advisor’s expectations for you.

  5. Summer • This is a full-year program. • Catch up on research and writing (thesis, comps, dissertation) • Be clear about expectations regarding lab commitments • Be clear about expectations regarding vacation

  6. Become a Well-Rounded Psychologist • Breadth of knowledge is key to assimilating information and developing novel approaches • Achieved by course work, attendance at talks with diverse topics, gaining experience in range of methods and analysis techniques • READING THE LITERATURE

  7. Become and Effective Communicator • Lecture in courses you are TA’ing • Teach your own course • Give talks in-house and at meetings • Write, write, write….

  8. Become an Expert in your Specialty • At your dissertation proposal you should be the person in the room who • Has thought most deeply about your topic • Knows the most about the topic • At your defense you should be an independent investigator and the world’s expert on your topic. • NOTE: Your presentation at both meetings should be professional!!!

  9. How Do I Become the Expert? • Need the tools • Statistical knowledge, methodological knowledge, and strong knowledge of the literature. • Familiar enough with tools that you are confident applying & modifying them in novel ways. • Need to be fully engaged with your topic!! • Obsessive/passionate about it! • Bottom Line – IT TAKES TIME!!! • Time thinking & reading, as well as doing • SUMMER IS A GREAT TIME TO GET THINGS DONE

  10. The metrics have changed • Undergraduates get rewarded for coursework • Graduate students get rewarded for research

  11. Bottom Line • Grad courses develop a basic foundation for research • The real goal is to expand on that foundation to perform creative, novel, and insightful research. • IT TAKES TIME !!! • Important to be ENGAGED & PRODUCTIVE (i.e. PUBLISH) in your research

  12. A few pieces of advice • Develop productive relationships • With your advisor; others who you respect and would like to be like. • Read – • the classics and cutting edge (journal content alerts) • Have goals & track your progress- • Daily, weekly, monthly, annual goals • Stay focused/manage time wisely • Publish (early and often) • Aim to (eventually) have multiple projects. • Attempt to develop a narrative for your research (something that makes a compelling job talk).

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