United States Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Administrators (USETDA)
2024

Presenters: Ruth Lu, Ohio State University; Kristin Terrill, Iowa State University

Abstract:

Thesis/Dissertation writing retreat events have proven to be popular and appreciated perks for graduate students approaching graduation. These events provide students an opportunity to dedicate time to writing or formatting their thesis/dissertation manuscript. They can also function as a micro-symposium where graduate students and thesis/dissertation administrators and support staff can interact and address matters of shared concern. Organizing these events well requires time, imagination, and ingenuity. In this presentation, we will explore the affordances of digital technologies for thesis/dissertation retreat events. The talk will describe two case studies: the first, a weekend retreat for Ohio University thesis/dissertation writers that included in-person participants as well as virtual attendees. The second, a half-day retreat held at Iowa State University. The organizers of these retreats used various digital technologies for event planning, advertising, networking, registering participants, facilitating participation, and collecting feedback from attendees. Some technologies that were used include social media, video conferencing, AI design assistance, and QR codes. We will review these technologies in the context of thesis/dissertation writing retreats, and provide suggestions for using them in ways that optimize for event accessibility and effectiveness. We will also consider how the use of digital technologies in the context of thesis/dissertation events can both extend the reach of the events but also present barriers to certain participants.

Presenters: Kristin Terrill, Iowa State University; Lily Compton, Iowa State University

Abstract:

Time, training, buy-in: these were some of the most prominent themes that emerged from a roundtable session on digital accessibility that we facilitated at last year’s USETDA. So, what does it take to convince leadership and gatekeepers to provide ETD administrators with essential resources? In this presentation, we will explain how we used quantitative data from ProQuest ETD Administrator, our institutional repository, and our appointment records to build a case for increasing thesis/dissertation administration funding.  

Our analysis was motivated by the problem of creative components—non-thesis master’s capstone projects. These documents are stored in the institutional repository (IR) and, thus, are covered under the institution’s digital accessibility mandate. However, currently, these files are not reviewed prior to IR release, so there is no way of ensuring that they are digitally accessible. By contrast, the Graduate College has established a robust and functional review process for theses and dissertations. Having enacted a plan for incorporating digital accessibility review into this existing process, our next challenge is to develop a parallel workflow for creative components. 

Intuitively, we know that current resources are not enough to a) review creative components for digital accessibility, and b) educate the student authors to make their documents accessible. To make a convincing case for increasing staffing, we used available data to quantify how existing resources are used in thesis/dissertation administration. Our analysis shows that reviewing creative components would necessitate at least 167 additional hours (approximately four 40-hour work weeks) per semester. It also showed that the sole factor that significantly decreased reviewing time was pre-submission format consultations with trained graduate assistants.  These results indicate a clear need for additional staffing; they also justify the allocation of existing funds to our Thesis/Dissertation consulting program by showing that consultations reduce re-work for both reviewers and students. We will report on the outcomes of this analysis, as well as some interesting insights that we gained, such as proportions of students using different template platforms. We will discuss implications for how we can best support students’ learning needs when it comes to digital accessibility. 

Presenters: Kristin Terrill, Iowa State University; Lily Compton, Iowa State University

Abstract:

How should graduate students’ use of AI tools be administered when it comes to theses and dissertations?  In this breakout session, we will describe how the Center for Communication Excellence (CCE) has taken a leading stance at our institution in establishing recommendations for the use of generative AI in graduate student scholarship. We propose a framework of best practices called AI-facilitated literature review (AI-FLR) intended to provide both high-level guidance and detailed procedures for effective, efficient, and ethical thesis and dissertation literature reviews. In this presentation, we will describe a grant-funded workshop development project that gives graduate students hands-on experience using closed- and open-source generative AI tools as scaffolds for their thesis or dissertation literature review. In this workshop, students will gain competence in three stages required for a thorough thesis/dissertation literature review, starting with finding relevant literature and ending with editing the literature review write-up. They will practice critically applying AI tools to mechanical tasks while maintaining responsibility for accuracy and reliability. Finally, they will evaluate the outputs generated by AI tools to reinforce their knowledge of research conduct and writing quality.

The AI-FLR initiative aims to optimize the trustworthiness of scholarship produced by Iowa State University’s graduate students by tapping strategic relationships with institutional leaders in the three tactical areas: compliance, education, and governance (Deloitte AI Institute, 2023). In this presentation we will outline how the AI-FLR framework initiative has taken shape through collaborations with Iowa State University units: the University Library, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and the Office of the Vice President for Research. What the CCE brings to these partnerships is a sophisticated understanding of theses and dissertations as a genre of academic writing. With over a decade of experience providing individualized, responsive instruction to graduate student writers, the CCE is uniquely positioned to advocate for graduate education stakeholders in the broader context of the university and university governance. In addition to seeking audience feedback on ways to improve the AI-FLR workshop, we will provide recommendations for ETD administrators aiming to broaden their institutional impact through strategic collaborations.