There is a growing concern among educators and policymakers about the level of attrition from Ph.D. programs in the sciences and humanities at some U.S. universities. Reliable estimates of graduate student attrition are difficult to obtain, however, because most information comes from the administrative records of individual institutions. This book provides a summary of datasets that could be used to analyze patterns of graduate student attrition and degree completion nationally, along with an analysis of recent studies on the subject. Based on this information, the committee examines the feasibility of designing a system to produce national estimates of graduate student attrition.

Assessment by rubrics has emerged as a tool with great potential to guide successful student learning from a competency-based approach. Rubrics, as instruments that make it possible to share the criteria for carrying out learning and assessment tasks with students, are excellent roadmaps for student learning largely because they allow students to know what they are expected to do and what they are expected to achieve by carrying out the learning tasks. Improving Learning Through Assessment Rubrics: Student Awareness of What and How They Learn contributes to the improvement of what is being evaluated by identifying the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the didactic use of rubrics in the assessment of university learning. The book also provides a set of theoretical issues, methodological elements, and practical resources for the assessment of university learning using rubrics. Covering topics such as active learning, self-assessment, and teacher identity, this reference work is ideal for administrators, policymakers, researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, educators, and students.

A chronicle of the graduate school years that describes the intellectual and emotional experience of obtaining a PhD in a scientific field. Readers will learn what to expect from professors and advisors, and how to prepare for oral exams, simplify dissertation writing and reap long-term benefits.