Abstract:
Within the PhD program at the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, doctoral students in their
second year take the eight-week international study course at one of the partner universities of the school. The
two partner universities are the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Cambridge, both of which are
leaders in teaching and educational research. The primary aim of the international study program is to work closely
on doctoral research projects with partner university advisors. This fall, my groupmate Miruyert Abdrakhmanova
and I went to UPenn to complete the international study course, while other doctoral students from our cohort
visited the University of Cambridge. In this short article, I will share my experiences from the program at UPenn,
which included compulsory, planned-optional, and unplanned components...