Thesis Support

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Willease N. Williams on May 28, 2009 at 10:21pm

I agree. Its the same time in SC. I will probably write myself to sleep. Good morning!

Permalink Reply by Bob Livingston on June 24, 2009 at 6:27am

I just joined Classroom 2.0 yesterday and I'm still getting the hang of it. Not sure whether this message should be on the wall or here, so I'll post it in both places.

Bob,
Great idea for a group. I'm writing my dissertation for a PhD in Organization Management with a focus in [virtual] Leadership at Capella University. Here's what I've done so far: I submitted the first three chapters to my Dissertation Committee Chair. He requested minimal changes which were made and resubmitted. He approved the chapters and sent them to the members of the committee to be read. I've received the committee feedback and I'm in the process of making the changes they suggested. Those changes should be completed by the end of next week and sent back to the chair for approval or more rewrites - hopefully the former.

My topic is Transformational leadership in a virtual learning environment. I am studying what leadership role learners expect of their instructors in a virtual learning setting and what role instructors think learners expect of them. The student population will be broken up into generational groups to identify any significant differences among the various generations.

Permalink Reply by Penny Coutas on June 27, 2009 at 10:03am

Check this one out :)

Maor, D (2008) Changing relationship: who is the learner and who is the teacher in the online educational landscape. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24 (5), 627-638 http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet24/maor.pdf

Permalink Reply by Bob Zenhausern on June 2, 2010 at 9:01am

Phyllis,

The number one rule of any dissertation is to treat it as a stumbling block, not a challenge. You want to get through this as quickly and easily as possible and work on challenging research when there are no time limits and people looking over your shoulder.

In many ways the hardest part of a dissertation is collecting the data. This is the one part that is not totally under your control. You need the cooperation of the subjects and others from whom you need permission. The easiest part of the dissertation is the statistical analysis because it is a commonly accepted practice to hire a statistical expert.

One of the first questions I would ask is what population is most easily available for you to test procedures and evaluate the effectiveness of those procedures. This helps define the population you will use and so the questions you can ask.

I would avoid hard to find and work with groups like autistics. On the other hand, learning disabled are good subjects because they need help and teachers and admin are more likely to be cooperative.

What are your reactions to these ideas? Share and we can see where to go from there.

Bob

Permalink Reply by Bob Zenhausern on June 26, 2010 at 1:08pm

Then this is the simplest, most fun idea I can think of. Get the Admin to buy it and you are off.

Define the Conditions: Standard, tech1, tech2, tech3.
Decide if you are going to use more than one class.
I would concentrate on a particular area, math, creative writing, science.
Break the year down into quarters and in each of the 4 quarters use on of your conditions.
Grade the way you normally would.

That is my first draft. What do you think?

Permalink Reply by Bob Zenhausern on June 27, 2010 at 5:49am

Let me start out by saying that I enjoy this kind of interaction. It is one of the few things I miss in retirement. Do not think you are imposing on me. If, on the other hand, I am sticking my nose where I should not, let me know.

You said this should get you going. Where are you going? Most students first response is they should read the literature and with that knowledge design the study. Here is an alternative. Start with the Method.

First of all the Method is already outlined and all you have to do is fill in the details. 1) What subject will you use and why? 2) What electronic methods do you plan to include? What are you going to tell the Administration? What are you going to tell the students? How will you measure progress-grades-evaluation, etc? How often will you measure?

Those are a lot of details you have to fill in, but these are the things you are already familiar with and not at all scarey. Flesh out the outline the method section and send it to me and I will ask some questions and the Method section will be better. Repeat as necessary.

Once you have the Method completed you can search the literature for those articles that are relevant. If you start with the literature search you are going to read a lot of material that is not important for your particular study. This way you throw a more narrow net but deeper.

Permalink Reply by Bob Zenhausern on June 27, 2010 at 6:49am

Quick study!!

Be looking for your method

Permalink Reply by Corey Hall on September 4, 2010 at 6:24am

Hi-I'm really new to classroom 2.0, so bear with me. I am a doctoral student at Northcentral University working towards a PhD in education (technology management). I just submitted my COMPS, and if I pass, I will finally be ABD.

My biggest concern right now is locating research participants. I'm looking at a qualitative case study with data collection involving interviews, participant observation, and document collection (online journals completed by participants). I thought I had an 'in' with my local school district, but she recently stopped responding to my e-mails.

I'm scrambling now to come up with a back-up plan that maintains the integrity of my research design.

Permalink Reply by Amanda Wilson on October 13, 2010 at 8:30am

I'm working on an EdS thesis. I'm studying alternative assessment with a focus on student perceptions on learning outcomes assessment. Right now, I'm trying to get my prospectus approved. It's hard not to get discouraged sometimes, but I do have a great committee that provides some detailed feedback. No harm though in getting more feedback, right?

I just rewrote my research questions yesterday. And I'd love to hear any comments anyone has. Thanks!

http://bit.ly/thesis-questions

Permalink Reply by Bob Zenhausern on October 13, 2010 at 9:08am

Amanda,
I think authentic assessment should replace the more traditional testing procedures. You seem to be focusing on the students impressions of the two approaches rather than their relative effectiveness. If you get the results you expect, you can say students say they get more from authentic assessment. If you measure the difference in performance of the two approaches, you make a statement about student performance rather than their attitude.

Have you concentrated on attitude rather than performance for a reason?

Permalink Reply by Amanda Wilson on October 13, 2010 at 3:47pm

Yes, actually. I'm interested in student perception of assessment specifically. I'm more interested in what motivates them to learn intrinsically than what best represents their abilities, though I am interested in that too. I agree that alternative assessments should supplement, and in some cases replace, traditional assessments. However, I think that the act of preparing for and completing an exam has some value too. While my interest is assessment though, my focus is really motivation and student perception. While I believe that we, as educators, are the experts on pedagogy, students need to be heard as well because we can gain some valuable insight from their reflections.

Permalink Reply by Bob Zenhausern on October 14, 2010 at 10:23am

Amanda, one of the first things I tell students about their dissertation is to treat it like a stumbling block rather than a challenge. Do the easiest thing you can which is scientifically valid and acceptable to the committee. Wait until you get your degree to do the more interesting and usually harder thing. Then you have no deadlines and no one but yourself to answer to.

It is easier to measure achievement than motivation.

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