Released on: August 18, 2008, 4:32 pm

Press Release Author: Gina Hiatt, Ph.D. / Academic Ladder, LLC

Industry: Education

Press Release Summary: Grad Students Find Structure and Emotional Support Hard to
Come By.

Press Release Body: MCLEAN, Virginia - Which works better to help graduate students
write the dissertation more quickly - the carrot or the stick? Although most
graduate schools don't do much on either end to give dissertation help, the ones who
do make such efforts usually opt for the stick. For example, Harvard recently cut
off funding for new student slots in departments with slower completion rates.

The problem of overly long times to completion is particularly bad in the
humanities. As Scott Jaschik points out, "Even after 10 years, a majority of
humanities Ph.D. students have not finished their degrees." One reason is that
graduate schools are not set up to support their students in the process of
accomplishing a long-term project like a dissertation.

Two poignant comments in response to a blog post about Harvard's efforts offer
insight into the emotional price that graduate students pay.

"It took me 10 years to get my PhD. When I finally got it my dissertation was
hailed as one of the best ones ever. Up to the point where I actually published it
most all my profs, save one or two supporters, were saying I ought to be kicked out
of the program.. That said, profs could work a little harder to help students who
are struggling, but that\'s part of the hazing ritual. It can work either against
you or for you, depending on circumstances. "

"A PhD is one of the most ill-defined projects a sane human being will undertake.
When is one done?"

Missing from the analyses of how to help students write their dissertations more
quickly is the psychological aspect of supporting them during the writing process.
Graduate students in the dissertation-writing phase need not just information about
the process, but also emotional support, encouragement, structure, and connectedness
with others, in addition to frequent feedback on their process.

One place that offers the psychological component that academics need in order to
write productively, publish, and find life balance is The Academic Writing Club, an
online accountability tool created by Gina Hiatt, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and
the founder and president of Academic Ladder LLC.

The Academic Writing Club's innovative methodology addresses professors' and
graduate students' need to learn how to become productive writers. The Writing Club
does this in way that emphasizes balancing writing with other responsibilities. It
also provides interactivity with other academics around the process of writing. The
online set of tools help academic writers get over writing blocks, stop
procrastinating, and maintain writing productivity.

Writing Club members log on to a unique website where they can post information
about their daily writing progress, receive feedback from academic writing coaches
and from other participants, and also communicate via a message board. They are
able to see not only their progress, but the progress of others. This shared
experience increases writing productivity dramatically. Issues like perfectionism,
negative thinking, and anxiety are all addressed by the coaches.

Although the Academic Writing Club was originally intended as a site for graduate
students, it soon became apparent to Hiatt that post docs and professors also
struggle with writing productively. Now separate areas of the site are available to
grad students and professors. Participants can also choose whether they would like
to be in a humanities, social science or science/math/engineering group.
The coaches who run the Writing Club have seen countless dissertations finished and
books and articles published. Many participants have stayed with the Writing Club
almost two years. Some have started as grad students and now continue as professors
or post docs.
Here are some typical comments from four participants:
"Wow, I can\'t believe that I have a draft done (no matter how rough) of this paper
that has hounded me for close to 12 weeks. While a lot of the material has been
staring at me for a long time, I couldn\'t make myself touch it. This group has
helped me get over my block and fear of working on the manuscript, and I am so very
grateful!"
\"This program ROCKS! The discipline PLUS the support is the best thing that has
happened to me in a long time (career-wise).\"
\"I can see my work habits changing daily. For the first time EVER in my academic
career I feel confident that I can not only live up to expectations but possibly
even exceed them. (Immediate anxiety aside) work is fun\".
"I actually managed to spend two more hours in the evening on my article, and just
sent it to my editor (!)This feels really good. Thanks to the Writing Club! I
don\'t think I would be so productive without it."
Hiatt points out that although people can connect online through blogs or
applications like Facebook, there are no structured sites other than the Academic
Writing Club, for those who need to accomplish academic writing. In particular,
there are no other sites like this that provide coaching guidance and feedback.
She hopes that graduate schools will someday opt for this "carrot" approach to
helping grad students write the dissertation, and fund their students' participation
in the Academic Writing Club. In the mean time, she is trying to keep the site
affordable, so that graduate students can help pare down the time it takes them to
complete their dissertations, and professors can learn to write and publish, while
maintaining balance in the rest of their professional and personal lives.
The next session starts August 25 and runs through September 21. For more
information, go to http://AcademicWritingClub.com


Web Site: http://www.academicwritingclub.com

Contact Details: 6845 Elm Street, Suite 400
McLean, VA 22101
703-759-4219
gina@academicladder.com