Writing Well for Graduate Students: A Dissertation-Writing Retreat to Promote Graduate Student Productivity and Wellbeing

TitleWriting Well for Graduate Students: A Dissertation-Writing Retreat to Promote Graduate Student Productivity and Wellbeing
Faculty/College/UnitEducation
StatusCompleted
Duration1 Year
Initiation04/01/2019
Completion03/31/2021
Project Summary

We will run one or two 5-day dissertation-writing retreats for graduate students each year. The retreats will take place at Loon Lake Lodge and Retreat Centre, a UBC-affiliated retreat site in the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, Maple Ridge, BC. Alongside these retreats, we will also run productivity and wellbeing assessments before, immediately after, and six months after the retreats, to determine the medium- and long-term benefits of participating in a retreat.

This project aligns with UBC’s Strategic Plan, notably Strategies 3 (“Support the ongoing development of sustainable, healthy and connected campuses and communities”) and 15 (“Strengthen undergraduate and graduate student communities and experience”). These retreats will bring together graduate students from across the institution in peer-supported writing communities. If dissertation-writing retreats prove effective in improving graduate student wellbeing and productivity, we anticipate they could diminish time-to-completion and attrition rates.

For up-to-date information, see https://blogs.ubc.ca/loonlakeretreat/.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2019/2020
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorMichelle Stack
Year 1: Funded Amount18,062
Year 1: Team Members

Michelle Stack, Associate Professor, Educational Studies, Faculty of Education
Letitia Henville, Co-Principal Investigator / Coordinator, Graduate Programs, Arts Co-op Office, Faculty of Arts
Skye Barbic, Assistant Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
Michael Lee, Senior Instructor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine