By Dr. Jennifer Cramer
Program Director, Sociology, Anthropology, and Women’s Studies at American Public University
Engagement is a key factor in student success. Faculty members work to foster engagement in courses by cultivating discussion and motivating students to be curious and thoughtful about applying what they learned in class. What many students might not know is that faculty can use their discipline expertise to help provide students with ideas for finding internships, conference workshops, field schools, or other hands-on, experience-based opportunities that will help them take what they are learning in classes to the next level. These experiences bring a competitive or unique edge to a graduate’s toolkit as they hit the job or graduate school market.
As an undergraduate, I really struggled with the large courses that had over 300 students and the lectures without discussions. For me, it was difficult to make the same kind of connections with faculty that I had been used to in my small high school classrooms. I felt disengaged and frankly, somewhat lost. Unexpectedly, what turned this around for me was that I needed to work. This blessing in disguise led me to a job in a genetics lab on campus. In four years working there, I learned completely new things, including how to use equipment like an autoclave, manage a database, and how to conduct basic research. I met professors I did not have classes with, I went to guest lectures, and I learned some of the ins and outs of life as an academic researcher. The genetics professor took time to meet with me regularly, he encouraged me to consider graduate school, and he kept tabs on what courses I was taking and how they were going.