Want to demystify the hidden curriculum? Let us help you!

I have 14 copies of A Field Guide to Grad School that I would like to send out before June! If you are a prospective or current PhD student in the United States and are interested in winning a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School, be sure to enter the book giveaway to receive your own copy. More information on how to do this is at the end of the newsletter.

In March, Dr. Tissyana Camacho and I hosted a #HiddenCurriculum pre-conference ahead of the Cognitive Development Society meeting in Pasadena, California. In this post, I describe our programming and share resources generated for and during the pre-conference. Perhaps you’ll find these resources helpful toward developing your own “hidden curriculum” programming (we’re also available to consult on your programming and/or host an event for your department). You can find our submission, program, presentation notes, and event report at this link on the Open Science Framework.

Tissyana leading a group discussion at the end of the Hidden Curriculum event at CDS 2024.

First, some acknowledgments. Generous funding from foundry10 ensured that all trainees could attend the pre-conference at no cost; faculty and industry professionals could attend at a very low cost. During the event, over 140 copies of books donated by Dr. Barbara Sarnecka, Princeton University Press, Stanford University Press, and APA Books were given to trainees. Trainees also enjoyed a wonderful networking event at a nearby hotel thanks to the kindness of 39 donors. Finally, 24 CDS attendees signed up to mentor trainees attending the pre-conference.

Second, more acknowledgments. We were fortunate to be joined by 8 fantastic speakers—all committed to demystifying the hidden curriculum and diversifying science. Speakers included: Drs. Judith Danovitch and Amber Williams who discussed mentorship and networking, Drs. Melissa Koenig and Deon Benton who discussed making and evaluating plans, Drs. Shaylene Nancekivell and Belem López who discussed the academic and non-academic job markets, and doctoral candidates LeNisha Williams and Norwood Glaspie who discussed leading balanced lives as graduate students.

Third, a final acknowledgment. We are grateful to the 62 trainees and 4 faculty who chose to attend the Hidden Curriculum pre-conference, invest in each other, and commit to disseminating information within their networks to remove as many barriers as possible for those historically excluded from academic spaces.

In short, this event was successful precisely because multiple stakeholders were involved—both during the event itself and supporting the event through one of the channels described above. Our grassroots strategy was intentional and reflects our commitment to building coalitions of academic and non-academic community members committed to improving science.

So, what is the point of this post? The primary purpose of this post is to highlight that the pre-conference materials are freely accessible to everyone. Tissyana and I hope that others use our submission, programming notes, and event report to inspire their own hidden curriculum programming. I also want to emphasize just how needed this programming is. Every single doctoral program should set their students up for success by ensuring they have the information they need to thrive in the academy, not just survive.

What are some key programming elements to consider? Based on my experience with the Hidden Curriculum pre-conference, I recommend including the following types of programming in your event (note that this list is not exhaustive):

• Panels: Feature faculty at all career stages and students at all program levels to demonstrate buy in and a department’s commitment to supporting students.

• Mentorship Mapping: Encourage students to reflect on their networks and identify who can be turned to for what and when. Students need multiple mentors; no one mentor can be everything to any student.

• Goal Setting: Include opportunities to deconstruct larger and longer-term goals to highlight that setting good goals takes practice.

• Resources: Distribute tangible resources (e.g., books, resource guides) that students can walk away with to further their learning and share with others.

• Networking: Create low-stakes opportunities for students to practice networking within and across departments.

• Evaluate: Request pre- and post-event feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of your programming. If possible, use the results to motivate allocating even more resources to future events.

Want to talk about your own hidden curriculum programming? Feel free to reach out to Tissyana and me via email at letstalkgradschool@gmail.com.

It’s the end of the term, so I’m feeling a bit silly. I’ve asked ChatGPT to write some haikus about the academic hidden curriculum and they’re not the worst.

Veiled in textbooks' lines, 
Wisdom whispers in the air,
Unseen syllabus.

Secrets softly held,
Beyond textbooks, truths unfold,
Learning in shadows.

Until next time!

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How to reach me: You are always welcome to email me (letstalkgradschool@gmail.com). You can also find me on Twitter (X) @tweetsbymidge and Bluesky @bskybymidge.

Want to support my #hiddencurriculum efforts? Consider “buying me a coffee” via Ko-fi. All funds will be put back into my Let’s Talk Grad School initiatives (i.e., weekend groups, buying/mailing books, etc.). Learn more about my efforts here.

Let’s give away some books: Readers located in the United States are eligible to enter the book giveaway to receive a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School by Dr. Jessica Calarco. To do so, complete this survey and note that you only have to complete it once to be entered in all subsequent giveaways! I do hope to expand the reach of the giveaway; however, at the moment, the shipping costs are too great to scale. If you’d like to talk about ways your institution could secure an electronic (or hard) copy, please let me know.

Wishing you all the best!

Margaret