Graduate School, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2018 Jun 22;13(6):e0199720. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199720. eCollection 2018.
The Broadening Experiences in Scientific Experiences (BEST) program at Wayne State University was designed to increase doctoral students' awareness of multiple employment sectors beyond academia, improve their knowledge of transferable skills required to succeed in any career path, provide opportunities to explore diverse career paths, and gain in-depth knowledge about those paths using experiential learning opportunities. We devised a three-phase program that ranged from providing students with a broad introduction to multiple career opportunities to immersive experiential learning in a specific career sector. Importantly, program content was developed and delivered by alumni and industry experts in five employment sectors-business/industry, communication, government, law/regulatory affairs, and undergraduate/PUI teaching-in partnership with WSU faculty. This article provides data on two notable outcomes: doctoral students participate equally in BEST activities regardless of gender, race, and citizenship status, and student participation in BEST activities did not correlate with lower GRE ratings, lower GPA, or increased time-to-degree. Further, a "halo" effect of the program is evidenced by participation of students from all disciplines, not just the biomedical sciences. Centralizing BEST activities within the Graduate School will allow faculty and individual programs to save resources and time.
韦恩州立大学的拓宽科研经历项目（BEST）旨在提高博士生对学术界以外的多个就业领域的认识，增强他们在任何职业道路上取得成功所需的可转移技能的知识，为探索不同的职业道路提供机会，并通过体验式学习机会深入了解这些道路。我们设计了一个三阶段的项目，从为学生提供广泛的多种职业机会介绍，到在特定职业领域进行沉浸式体验式学习。重要的是，项目内容由来自五个就业领域（商业/工业、传播、政府、法律/监管事务以及本科/初级教学）的校友和行业专家与韦恩州立大学的教师合作开发和提供。本文提供了两个显著成果的数据：无论性别、种族和公民身份如何，博士生平等参与 BEST 活动，而且学生参与 BEST 活动与 GRE 评分较低、平均绩点较低或毕业时间延长无关。此外，该项目的“光环”效应表现为来自各个学科的学生参与，而不仅仅是生物医学科学。将 BEST 活动集中在研究生院内，将使教师和各个项目能够节省资源和时间。
