Skip to main content

Department of Psychological Sciences
CaBS - Portfolio GDE Option

CaBS graduate students may opt to complete a "Portfolio" for their General Doctoral Examination.  While basic information is provided on the Auburn University Department of Psychological Sciences GDE Policy, additional details on the portfolio as well as the grading of the portfolio are provided below. Material is expected to have been produced at Auburn University while enrolled in the CaBS graduate program. If your master’s thesis has been accepted from a previous university by CaBS faculty, products from that university may be submitted for the portfolio.

Description of the Written Portfolio

The entire portfolio should be submitted as a single PDF document with bookmarks for each section.

  1. Conference Presentations.  Student has presented 1 oral presentation or 2 poster presentations as first author at a regional, national, or international conference(s). In this section of the portfolio, students should have the following information:
    1. Copy of the conference schedule and program that illustrates the student’s scheduled presentation or poster session.
    2. Copy of the poster or copy of the slides in a handout format.
  2. Publication.  Student has published one peer-reviewed journal article as first author or co-author. In this section of the portfolio, students should have the following information:
    1. Copy of the published manuscript in its entirety.
    2. If the manuscript is in press, the student may submit the manuscript proofs or the email/letter from the journal outlining that the manuscript is accepted.
    3. Contribution to the manuscript is explicitly stated on bookmark page.
  3. Teaching. Student has served as instructor of record (IOR) OR completed two of the other listed teaching opportunities. In this section of the portfolio, students should have the following information for each:
    1. Instructor of record (IOR) for a course:  Course syllabus and course evaluations.  Must have at least one class (or one hour of a longer class period) that was observed by a faculty member.  Faculty member must type up feedback for the student.  The student should submit a copy of that feedback.
    2. Created and delivered a guest lecture on three separate occasions and for three separate topics:  Must have copy of lecture notes or PowerPoint slides.  Must have at least one guest lecture (or one hour of a longer class period) that was observed by a faculty member.  Faculty member must type up feedback for the student.  The student should submit a copy of that feedback.
    3. Created and delivered a training to other professionals or the community:  Must submit training notes, PowerPoint slides, and other tangible products used during the training.
    4. Completed a practicum placement in an applied setting that involved training others on procedures:  Practicum must have been completed successfully.  Student should submit a written summary of the practicum placement and their experiences at the practicum site.  The summary should include a description of training experiences and how the practicum helps to develop their teaching skills.
    5. Completed Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching from Auburn University documentation
    6. If you are externally funded by a mechanism that forbids teaching, you may waive one of the two requirements (cannot be used to waive IOR option).
  4. Choice of Written Submission.  Student has submitted 1 extramural research grant, published 2 manuscripts, or published a review manuscript. In this section of the portfolio, students should have a copy of the full document(s) (grant application, manuscripts, or review manuscript).  Proof of submission is required for the review manuscript.

Evaluation of the Written Portfolio

Students will be required to turn in a portfolio (electronic PDF) consisting of the information outlined in the "Description of the Written Portfolio" to fulfill the requirements outlined in the Auburn University Department of Psychological Sciences GDE Written Exam Options document (Option IV). The portfolio will be evaluated by the GDE committee within 2 weeks of submission. The GDE chair will provide written feedback based on the committee decisions regarding the passing or failing or each component of the written portfolio.

  1. The conference presentations, publications, and teaching or service will be evaluated on a pass/fail criterion.  If the student meets the requirements, this part of the portfolio will be considered passed.  If the student does not meet the requirements (e.g., the student does not have a publication or does not submit the required documentation), this part of the portfolio will be considered failed. 
  2. Written submission (grant application, manuscripts, or review manuscript) will be reviewed by the GDE committee on the quality and content of the submission.  The committee will have two weeks to review the submission and determine if the submission is a pass, conditional pass, or fail.         
    1. If the committee determines that the submission is a pass, the student may be expected to make some minor edits and should work to schedule the Oral Defense.
    2. If the committee determines that the submission is a conditional pass, the student will be expected to make revisions to the manuscript to clarify any committee concerns or questions.  The student will resubmit the manuscript to the committee within one week of receiving the document.  With the second submission, the committee may decide if the written submission has passed and the student can schedule the Oral Defense or if the revisions to the written submission were insufficient and the student has failed.    
  3. If the committee determines that the submission is a fail (initially or following revisions), the committee can make one of two recommendations. 
    1. First, the committee may suggest major revisions to the current written submission.  In this case, the student has two weeks to make those revisions and resubmit the written submission. 
    2. Second, the committee may suggest that the student identify a new written submission document.  In this case, the committee determines that the student will be unable to revise the written submission to the extent to which it would be a passable document.  The committee may guide the student of the best alternative for the written submission.  The student will have 6 weeks to generate a new document to submit to the committee.
    3. When the student submits the new document resulting from c.i. or c.ii., the committee will determine if the new document passes, is a conditional pass, or fails.  If the student fails the second submission, then the student will not be recommended for admission into the doctoral program.

Oral Defense

Students will be required to schedule an oral defense once they pass the written portfolio, in accordance with the Department of Psychological Sciences General Doctoral Examination Policy (please see the Auburn University Department of Psychological Sciences General Doctoral Examination Policy (Passed on March 31, 2016) document, Section 7). The oral defense should be scheduled within 2 weeks of successful passing the written portfolio. At the oral defense, the student should prepare a 30-min research job talk. During the oral defense, the student should be prepared to answer methodological, procedural, conceptual, and analytical questions and discussion points regarding their work. Although the oral defense will be in the form of a job talk, the student should be prepared to answer questions about any aspect of their portfolio.  Should the student fail the oral defense, proceedings outlined in Section 7 of the Department's GDE Policy will be followed.