21 episodes

Marginally Significant is a podcast discussing life in academia, issues with scientific research, and current events. Marginally Significant is hosted by Andrew Smith, Twila Wingrove, Andrew Monroe, and Chris Holden. These four psychologists were all trained at research-focused institutions, but now teach at a comprehensive university. Their unique experiences and shifting roles within their university allow them to see academic life from a particular perspective—a perspective that, although shared by many researchers, teachers, and academics, is often not represented by academics from elite universities. Listen to Marginally Significant to hear their opinions and insights, let them know when you agree or disagree, and contribute to the diversity of perspectives about scientific research and teaching in higher education.

Marginally Significant Andrew Smith, Twila Wingrove, Andrew Monroe, and Chris Holden

    • Science
    • 3.3 • 4 Ratings

Marginally Significant is a podcast discussing life in academia, issues with scientific research, and current events. Marginally Significant is hosted by Andrew Smith, Twila Wingrove, Andrew Monroe, and Chris Holden. These four psychologists were all trained at research-focused institutions, but now teach at a comprehensive university. Their unique experiences and shifting roles within their university allow them to see academic life from a particular perspective—a perspective that, although shared by many researchers, teachers, and academics, is often not represented by academics from elite universities. Listen to Marginally Significant to hear their opinions and insights, let them know when you agree or disagree, and contribute to the diversity of perspectives about scientific research and teaching in higher education.

    Is our research important?

    Is our research important?

    Twitter post: https://twitter.com/wgervais/status/1251319948581892096?s=20


    Baumeister paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002210311600007X



    Marginally Significant is hosted by:
    Andrew Smith @andrewrsmith
    Twila Wingrove @twilawingrove
    Andrew Monroe @monroeandrew
    Chris Holden @profcjholden


    You can contact Marginally Significant on Twitter (@marginallysig), through email (marginallysig@gmail.com), or on the web (marginallysignificant.fireside.fm/contact).

    • 1 hr 28 min
    Quarantine in Academia

    Quarantine in Academia

    Marginally Significant is hosted by:
    Andrew Smith @andrewrsmith
    Twila Wingrove @twilawingrove
    Andrew Monroe @monroeandrew
    Chris Holden @profcjholden


    You can contact Marginally Significant on Twitter (@marginallysig), through email (marginallysig@gmail.com), or on the web (marginallysignificant.fireside.fm/contact).

    • 1 hr 6 min
    Should we clean out the file drawer?

    Should we clean out the file drawer?

    Do you have a file drawer? Cleaning out the file drawer is an idea that has been floating around on twitter, but is it feasible? What does it mean for past studies? Is there a way in which we could get a sense of how many studies are in file drawers? Also, we discuss writing letters of recommendation and how we evaluate the ones we read.



    Marginally Significant is hosted by:
    Andrew Smith @andrewrsmith
    Twila Wingrove @twilawingrove
    Andrew Monroe @monroeandrew
    Chris Holden @profcjholden


    You can contact Marginally Significant on Twitter (@marginallysig), through email (marginallysig@gmail.com), or on the web (marginallysignificant.fireside.fm/contact).

    • 1 hr 5 min
    On the Market

    On the Market

    Are you on the academic job market? In this episode, we discuss our experiences being on the market, tips for success at a wide variety of universities, and our thoughts now that we've been on hiring committees. Most people won't be hired at an R1 university. Understanding what other types of universities are looking for can increase the likelihood of getting an academic job.



    Marginally Significant is hosted by:
    Andrew Smith @andrewrsmith
    Twila Wingrove @twilawingrove
    Andrew Monroe @monroeandrew
    Chris Holden @profcjholden


    You can contact Marginally Significant on Twitter (@marginallysig), through email (marginallysig@gmail.com), or on the web (marginallysignificant.fireside.fm/contact).

    • 1 hr 14 min
    Judging People

    Judging People

    We are required to judge people, whether it is students applying for graduate programs or faculty members going up for tenure. A number of graduate programs have dropped the GRE as a requirement for applications. Many of these programs cite potential biases in the GRE as a reason for removing the requirement. Proponents of the GRE state that, while possibly biased, the GRE is likely to be less biased than alternatives (e.g., letters of recommendation, personal statements). Another biased evaluation is student evaluations of teaching. Numerous studies have shown that they are affected by the teacher's gender and race, but can there still be value in the evaluations? In this episode we discuss whether these biased evaluations should still be used.



    Marginally Significant is hosted by:
    Andrew Smith @andrewrsmith
    Twila Wingrove @twilawingrove
    Andrew Monroe @monroeandrew
    Chris Holden @profcjholden


    You can contact Marginally Significant on Twitter (@marginallysig), through email (marginallysig@gmail.com), or on the web (marginallysignificant.fireside.fm/contact).
    Links:
    A wave of graduate programs drops the GRE application requirementBrown eliminates GRE test requirement for 24 doctoral programsShould We Throw Out the GRE?Course Evaluations: Concerns with Gender and Racial Bias — Thanks to Dr. Conry-Murry (@cconrymurray) for sending this list to us.Meta-analysis of faculty's teaching effectiveness: Student evaluation of teaching ratings and student learning are not relatedAvailability of cookies during an academic course session affects evaluation of teaching — The provision of chocolate cookies had a significant effect on course evaluation. These findings question the validity of SETs and their use in making widespread decisions within a faculty.A new intervention could help reduce bias against women college instructors in course evaluations.

    • 1 hr 6 min
    Are Grants Worth It?

    Are Grants Worth It?

    Is it worth the time and effort to apply for grants when only a small percentage are funded? A recent paper by Kevin Gross and Carl Bergstrom (2019) suggests grant competitions in their corrent form are not worth it. We weigh in on our thoughts about the paper as well as grant funding, in general. We also briefly talk about the aspect of our jobs that motivate us to keep working. Spoiler alert: it is not applying for grants.



    Marginally Significant is hosted by:
    Andrew Smith @andrewrsmith
    Twila Wingrove @twilawingrove
    Andrew Monroe @monroeandrew
    Chris Holden @profcjholden


    You can contact Marginally Significant on Twitter (@marginallysig), through email (marginallysig@gmail.com), or on the web (marginallysignificant.fireside.fm/contact).
    Links:
    Contest models highlight inherent inefficiencies of scientific funding competitions - Gross & Bergstrom, 2019 — "We find that the effort researchers waste in writing proposals may be comparable to the total scientific value of the research that the funding supports, especially when only a few proposals can be funded. Moreover, when professional pressures motivate investigators to seek funding for reasons that extend beyond the value of the proposed science (e.g., promotion, prestige), the entire program can actually hamper scientific progress when the number of awards is small."The inherent inefficiency of grant proposal competitions and the possible benefits of lotteries in allocating research funding

    • 1 hr

Customer Reviews

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4 Ratings

4 Ratings

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