Background
In Fall 2020, Pavlina—who was then a UBC English PhD candidate and PhD Co-op student—completed a paid work term with the UBC Knowledge Exchange (KX) Unit. In her role as a Training Development Assistant, she developed the foundations of a self-paced training module on using social media as a tool for the two-way exchange of knowledge between researchers and non-academics. Pavlina’s work encourages grad students and postdocs to integrate knowledge exchange principles in innovative ways and guides them with a step-by-step process on how to do so.
Connecting Passion with Meaningful Work
Having worked as a Teaching Assistant and a TA Mentor in the UBC English department, Pavlina has always been passionate about teaching and exploring different approaches to learning. Her work has consistently promoted strategic approaches to education, both within and outside of academia.
During the last few months of her PhD in English, Pavlina—with the encouragement and support of her PhD supervisor, Mary Chapman, and Arts Amplifier lead Letitia Henville—decided to pursue a paid work term at UBC’s Knowledge Exchange Unit. Her optimism and determination to spearhead the development of a new online module allowed Pavlina to reaffirm her strengths in teaching and learning, as well as apply them practically outside of the classroom context.
“I’ve always loved integrating various learning strategies into my teaching and helping students succeed in academia and future work positions. Being able to translate my knowledge into a work term project was incredible.”
Crafting Your Own Success Story: What Did Pavlina Accomplish?
Duties and Responsibilities
As a Training Development Assistant, Pavlina’s core responsibility was establishing the foundations of this online module—including ideating and drafting preliminary content, as well as proposing a structure.
She conducted extensive research including a needs assessment, involving qualitative and quantitative analyses to identify a knowledge gap. By further analyzing and synthesizing this research into easily digestible steps, she also identified the training core categories and developed learning objectives to best suit the needs of grad students. Towards the end of the work term, Pavlina also successfully drafted the module’s preliminary narrative and proposed recommendations for its delivery format based on best practices for online teaching.
Aside from strengthening her research and teaching, Pavlina developed crucial project management, teamwork, and presentation skills. She established project timelines for the module and actively executed on its deliverables. Pavlina also collaborated with a four-member team and updated them on learning module’s progress in meetings.
“Being in charge of the key elements of this project was very empowering—the teamwork and project management skills I gained will serve me well in future positions.”
Key Accomplishments
Pavlina’s work term was highly rewarding—both in terms of her work accomplishments and in terms of her professional development.
Her work researching, developing categories, and creating a draft narrative established a strong foundation for the KX Unit to build upon as they further develop the capsule.
She also had the opportunity to present on project deliverables informally during team meetings, as well as formally to the Associate Director of the KX Unit, Karine Souffez. At the end of the work term, Pavlina presented the latest version of the capsule to the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation.
“Going into this work term, I really wanted to enhance my non-academic presentation skills. Even though it was part of the official duties, I was able to tailor this position to my professional development goals. Presenting to the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, at the end of the term was a significant accomplishment for me.”
Key Highlights of Pavlina’s Experience
For Pavlina, this experience not only reaffirmed her self-confidence and skills in teaching and research, but also challenged her to lead for a project that positively impacts higher education.
“The mentorship and encouragement I received was indispensable. I gained highly valuable insights into Knowledge Exchange and boosted my self-confidence.”
Advice for Future Students Pursuing Paid Internships During their PhDs?
Pavlina encourages future grad students and postdocs to experiment with different work and volunteer opportunities when carving out their career path. She emphasizes the value of being able to mold her role according to the skills that she wanted to develop.
She also urges students not to take their skills and abilities for granted. These skills are applicable beyond academia, where you can use them to enact positive change.
“Internships and experiential learning opportunities are very safe spaces to learn and try new things. The incredible network of support I had was instrumental to my success and allowed for a really rewarding and enjoyable experience.”
What Lies in the Future for Pavlina?
Pavlina’s co-op experience has consolidated her love for teaching and research. She sees education as an avenue to support and positively influence people’s education as well as career and life development. She remains open-minded about her future career prospects and is keen on pursuing meaningful work that involves using her teaching and research skills in an innovative way.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to even apply for this job…and it turned out to be the best possible ending to my PhD.”
Background
In Fall 2020, Pavlina—who was then a UBC English PhD candidate and PhD Co-op student—completed a paid work term with the UBC Knowledge Exchange (KX) Unit. In her role as a Training Development Assistant, she developed the foundations of a self-paced training module on using social media as a tool for the two-way exchange of knowledge between researchers and non-academics. Pavlina’s work encourages grad students and postdocs to integrate knowledge exchange principles in innovative ways and guides them with a step-by-step process on how to do so.
Connecting Passion with Meaningful Work
Having worked as a Teaching Assistant and a TA Mentor in the UBC English department, Pavlina has always been passionate about teaching and exploring different approaches to learning. Her work has consistently promoted strategic approaches to education, both within and outside of academia.
During the last few months of her PhD in English, Pavlina—with the encouragement and support of her PhD supervisor, Mary Chapman, and Arts Amplifier lead Letitia Henville—decided to pursue a paid work term at UBC’s Knowledge Exchange Unit. Her optimism and determination to spearhead the development of a new online module allowed Pavlina to reaffirm her strengths in teaching and learning, as well as apply them practically outside of the classroom context.
“I’ve always loved integrating various learning strategies into my teaching and helping students succeed in academia and future work positions. Being able to translate my knowledge into a work term project was incredible.”
Crafting Your Own Success Story: What Did Pavlina Accomplish?
Duties and Responsibilities
As a Training Development Assistant, Pavlina’s core responsibility was establishing the foundations of this online module—including ideating and drafting preliminary content, as well as proposing a structure.
She conducted extensive research including a needs assessment, involving qualitative and quantitative analyses to identify a knowledge gap. By further analyzing and synthesizing this research into easily digestible steps, she also identified the training core categories and developed learning objectives to best suit the needs of grad students. Towards the end of the work term, Pavlina also successfully drafted the module’s preliminary narrative and proposed recommendations for its delivery format based on best practices for online teaching.
Aside from strengthening her research and teaching, Pavlina developed crucial project management, teamwork, and presentation skills. She established project timelines for the module and actively executed on its deliverables. Pavlina also collaborated with a four-member team and updated them on learning module’s progress in meetings.
“Being in charge of the key elements of this project was very empowering—the teamwork and project management skills I gained will serve me well in future positions.”
Key Accomplishments
Pavlina’s work term was highly rewarding—both in terms of her work accomplishments and in terms of her professional development.
Her work researching, developing categories, and creating a draft narrative established a strong foundation for the KX Unit to build upon as they further develop the capsule.
She also had the opportunity to present on project deliverables informally during team meetings, as well as formally to the Associate Director of the KX Unit, Karine Souffez. At the end of the work term, Pavlina presented the latest version of the capsule to the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation.
“Going into this work term, I really wanted to enhance my non-academic presentation skills. Even though it was part of the official duties, I was able to tailor this position to my professional development goals. Presenting to the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, at the end of the term was a significant accomplishment for me.”
Key Highlights of Pavlina’s Experience
For Pavlina, this experience not only reaffirmed her self-confidence and skills in teaching and research, but also challenged her to lead for a project that positively impacts higher education.
“The mentorship and encouragement I received was indispensable. I gained highly valuable insights into Knowledge Exchange and boosted my self-confidence.”
Advice for Future Students Pursuing Paid Internships During their PhDs?
Pavlina encourages future grad students and postdocs to experiment with different work and volunteer opportunities when carving out their career path. She emphasizes the value of being able to mold her role according to the skills that she wanted to develop.
She also urges students not to take their skills and abilities for granted. These skills are applicable beyond academia, where you can use them to enact positive change.
“Internships and experiential learning opportunities are very safe spaces to learn and try new things. The incredible network of support I had was instrumental to my success and allowed for a really rewarding and enjoyable experience.”
What Lies in the Future for Pavlina?
Pavlina’s co-op experience has consolidated her love for teaching and research. She sees education as an avenue to support and positively influence people’s education as well as career and life development. She remains open-minded about her future career prospects and is keen on pursuing meaningful work that involves using her teaching and research skills in an innovative way.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to even apply for this job…and it turned out to be the best possible ending to my PhD.”