Free Resources for Your Graduate Students
Practical tools you can share with your members and students. No cost, no sign-up, no restrictions.
Every summer, graduate students face months of unstructured time with ambitious goals and very little scaffolding. These resources were created to help.
I am Peter Arthur, a Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia and recipient of the 2023 Killam Teaching Prize. Scholarly Learning has grown out of years of teaching, curriculum design, and work with graduate students, especially around reflection, self-regulated learning, and the transition to more independent academic work.
The resources below are free for you to download and share with your graduate students through newsletters, social media, orientation materials, workshops, or any other channel. No permission is needed. No attribution is required, though it is appreciated.
What You Can Share
The Summer Planning Toolkit
A 20-minute planning exercise that walks graduate students through four essential steps before summer begins: defining a SMART goal, building a default weekly rhythm, choosing research-informed strategies, and preparing a recovery plan for when things derail. Adapted from the Scholarly Learning method.
Best shared: late March through mid-April, before summer begins.
Download Toolkit (PDF)Daily Reflection Starter
A printable morning and evening reflection template. Graduate students can print a fresh copy each day and try a structured daily reflection habit for one week. The morning entry takes about 5 minutes; the evening entry about 7 minutes. Includes an If-Then planning prompt and a Looking Ahead section.
Best shared: any time. Useful as a standalone handout in writing groups or workshops.
Download Template (PDF)The Scholarly Learning Method: One-Page Summary
A visual overview of the four-phase framework (Envision, Design, Practice, Integrate), including the Plan, Monitor, Reflect, Adjust cycle, daily rhythm breakdown, and supporting references. Designed to be printed, posted, or forwarded as a standalone reference.
Best shared: with faculty, advisors, and learning support staff who want a quick overview of the approach.
Download Summary (PDF)Ready-to-Use Text for Your Newsletter
Feel free to copy and adapt the following for your newsletter, social media, or email to members.
Short Version (for email or social media)
Planning your summer research? The Summer Planning Toolkit is a free, 6-page PDF designed to help graduate students set clear goals, build a weekly rhythm, and prepare for the inevitable rough patches. Created through years of teaching and work with graduate students. No sign-up required.
Download it here: scholarlylearning.org/resources
Longer Version (for a newsletter feature)
Summer gives graduate students time, but not structure. Many begin the season with ambitious goals and find, by September, that they have not made the progress they hoped for.
Scholarly Learning offers three free resources designed to help:
The Summer Planning Toolkit (6-page PDF): a goal-setting worksheet, weekly planning template, research-informed strategies, and a reset protocol for when things go off track.
The Daily Reflection Starter (2-page PDF): a printable morning and evening template to try structured daily reflection for a week.
The Scholarly Learning Method Summary (1-page PDF): a visual overview of the framework and the ideas that inform it.
All resources are free to download with no sign-up required. Created by Peter Arthur, PhD, Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia and recipient of the 2023 Killam Teaching Prize.
Download all three at: scholarlylearning.org/resources
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About The Graduate: Summer 2026
The resources above are adapted from a larger system. The Graduate: Summer 2026 is a 123-day guided journal that provides the complete daily structure from May through August: morning planning, evening reflection, weekly synthesis, monthly recalibration, and built-in tools for recovery when progress stalls.
The journal is available for individual purchase on Amazon. If you are interested in recommending it to your members or students, or if you have questions about bulk or institutional options for the future, please get in touch.
View on Amazon Learn more about the journal →Guest Workshop (Optional)
If your organisation would find it useful, I am available for a short virtual workshop, typically 30 to 45 minutes, on summer planning for graduate students. These sessions cover goal-setting, daily structure, reflection, and practical ideas drawn from work in self-regulated learning. There is no cost and no obligation to purchase journals.
To discuss a workshop or ask any questions, contact me directly:
Peter Arthur, PhD
Professor of Teaching, University of British Columbia
peter.arthur@ubc.caPermissions
All resources on this page are free to download, print, and distribute to graduate students. You may share them through newsletters, social media, orientation materials, workshops, or any other channel that serves your members. No written permission is needed. The only request is that the PDFs are shared as-is, without modification.