Recommendations for Improving Graduate Adviser-Advisee Communication

Abstract

Communication between advisees and their research advisers while they are in graduate school has a major impact on their academic and research performance. A model of communication process was verified using results from a poll of more than 100 engineering graduate students. Major findings from the results and analyses include that advisees appreciate an adviser’s concern, pressure, and timely feedback. However, graduate students would like their advisers to be more sensitive to their lack of technical knowledge. Feedback from the advisee to the adviser can increase the likelihood of effective communication. In addition, advisers need to better guide their students in career building aspects during the Ph.D. process (e.g., submitting papers to journals). Language differences do not appear to be significant barrier to effective communication. An array of recommendations for improving adviser-advisee communication is provided.