Boot Camps for Graduate Student Success: A Collaborative Initiative

Abstract

Although graduate students are interested in learning data, grant, literature research, presentation, scholarly communication, and writing and publishing skills – topics not typically taught within their curriculum – scheduling conflicts during the academic year often prevent them from attending workshops that teach these skills. This article describes a grant-funded initiative where multiple campus units collaborated to provide themed boot camps outside of the fall and spring semesters. It also offers recommendations for adapting such a program at other institutions for lower cost, which administrators and practitioners in higher education, especially in academic libraries, may be particularly interested in.

Keywords:

• graduate students
• academic libraries
• boot camps
• library instruction
• collaboration

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Rutgers University-Newark’s Chancellor Nancy Cantor for sponsoring this Chancellor’s Seed Grant project; co-PIs Marne Benson, Al Brown, Kinna Perry, Minglu Wang, and Ann Watkins for their efforts in making this a successful program; and all instructors, helpers, students, and support staff for the various ways in which they contributed to this initiative.