Syllabus

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

EDU 812 Dissertation Seminar – Summer B 2016

Credits - 3

Description

This course supports the development of a focused literature review that will become Chapter 2 of your dissertation. You will review your resources and draft reviews from previous coursework, narrow the focus of your study, and develop a conceptual framework. You will apply standard approaches to developing a literature review by identifying key terms, locating literature, critically evaluating and selecting literature, organizing the literature you have and writing a draft review (Creswell, 2015).

Materials

Bloomberg, L. & Volpe, M. (2012). Completing your qualitative dissertation. SAGE Publications.

Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Boston, MA: Pearson. (You are welcome to use a previous edition).

Ravitch, A. & Riggan, M. (2011). Reason and rigor: How conceptual frameworks guide research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Roberts, C. (2010). The dissertation journey. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Online Resource: Peer Review Guidelines

Community Engagement – https://elearn.une.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/announcement?method=search&context=course&course_id=_27606_1&handle=cp_announcements&mode=cpview

Ed.D program materials and forms (Research resources, presentation resources, etc.)

Examples of publishing your findings or recommendations to a wider audience.

Supplemental Texts

Boote, D. & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation, Educational Researcher, 34(6), 3-15.

Coughlin, D. & Brannick, T. (2014). Doing research in your own organization. London: SAGE Publications.

Creswell, J. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Greenwood, D. J., Whyte, W. F., & Harkavy, I. (1993) Participatory action research as a process and a goal. Human Relations, 46(2), 175-192.

Merriam, S. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass Publications.

Salkind, N. (2013). Statistics for people who (think they) hate statistics. (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Citation manager website: Review a comparison of 3 citation manager tools. – libguides.wustl.edu/choose

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Apply research skills to develop a coherent study
Refresh and extend web-based library research skills through literature review
Evaluate literature for gaps, opportunities to garner new knowledge
Complete a working draft of Chapter Two that aligns with program criteria
Craft a conceptual framework that supports development of research questions
Apply peer review skills to the work of research team members

Assignments

Statement of the Problem (SOP) – Weeks 1/2
Use the provided template and respond to the prompts from Creswell’s text. During Week 1, you will post a Statement of the Problem. This is a formative assessment for you to document what you already believe. Provide feedback on RT Members’ SOPs prior to the end of Week 2.

Draft Chapter 2 Literature Review – Week 2
Build on your earlier lit review by excavating your most relevant articles. Edit and modify your current headings as needed, knowing you will continue to refine and change them throughout the process of the review and through the completion of your study.

Conceptual Framework – Week 3, 5-6

Share your current Conceptual Framework with your RT group members. Provide feedback to RT group members.

Chapter 2 Literature Review – Weeks 4 and 7
Edit and modify your work to date. These two submissions will be reviewed by peers and the instructor.

PPQC – Week 8
Write your statement of the problem, purpose, questions, conceptual framework (PPQC) using a maximum of 600 words. This is a draft that reflects your current thinking and offers your instructors and advisor(s) a window into your emergent thinking.

Peer Review Tasks – Throughout the Term
You will be working with your teams by giving and receiving feedback.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	Points
Statement of the Problem (SOP)	5
Draft Chapter 2 Literature Review	10
Conceptual Framework	5
Chapter 2 Literature Review - Draft 2	20
Chapter 2 Literature Review - Draft 3	30
PPQC	10
Peer Review Tasks	20
Total	100

The criteria for all courses in the Ed. D. program are described in the modules and/or rubrics. Assignments will include guidelines with rubrics, descriptions of expectations, or examples, and include point values. Coursework will be assessed and graded using individual evaluation protocols that are provided for the three major assignments. Final “grades” will reflect the following schema:

High Pass (HP): Work that exceeds all or most of the criteria of the respective assignment. To receive a high pass the work must demonstrate exceptional command and display of all or most required elements;
Pass (P): Work that meets all requirements and expectations as specified in assignments, and is fully satisfactory in every respect;
Low Pass (LP): Work is deemed unsatisfactory.

Grade Scale: 95 = HP; 80-94 = P; 70-79 = LP.

Note** The instructor will determine if an assignment may be revised and resubmitted for rescoring. Candidates may proceed to subsequent courses in the curriculum with one LP grade, and although there is no failing grade, a second LP course grade results in termination from the doctoral program.

All assignments are to be completed in a timely manner with appropriate accuracy, detail, thought and reflection fitting of doctoral-level degree candidates. All assignments (done in writing or with other media applications) are graded on the basis of faculty assessment of your ability to accurately apply concepts from readings, organization, and mechanics. See the appendices for grading rubrics. Please note that you must save all submitted documents in Microsoft Word in order for them to transmit successfully. All work must be properly identified and include author(s)’ name(s). Submit all written work in APA style (Refer to the APA Publication Manual for guidance; Purdue OWL is an excellent, user-friendly resource).

Schedule

Course Schedule at a Glance
This is only a tentative schedule and is meant to give you a bird’s eye view. The activities and assignments may change at the discretion of the instructor.

Research Team Discussion Board = RTDB
Research Team File Exchange = RTFE

Module	Focus	Product/% of grade	Where to post	Due Dates
1	Statement of the Problem (SOP)	Revise or create an emergent “statement of the problem” and post to the Discussion Board (DB). (10% of grade)	RTDB	Due: July 3 at 11:59 PM ET
1	Lit review 1st submission	Post previous Literature Review with references to your Research Team’s (RT) File Exchange (FE)	RTFE	Due: July 3 at 11:59 PM ET
2	Lit review (themes, sub-themes)	Chapter 2 outline or good draft (10% of grade) Schedule RT meeting for Module 3	Bb Assignments	Due: July 10 at 11:59 PM ET
2	SOP Peer review	Feedback on RT Members’ SOPs	RTDB	Due: July 10at 11:59 PM ET
3	Conceptual framework	Revisit your conceptual framework and revise as needed. Post before RT meeting. Review and refine Chapter 2 based on updated c.f.	RTDB	Post c.f. by Wednesday, July 13 at 11:59 pm. ET Review Due: July 17 at 11:59 pm. ET
3	RT Review, continue to refine Chapter 2	Meet with RT – review c.f.’s Outline or graphic of concepts you have identified.	RTDB Bb Collaborate	Takes place between: July 10-16
4	Chapter 2 – 2nd submission	Prepare revised version of Chapter 2 for your peer reviewer and instructor. (20% of grade)	Bb Assignments RTFE	Due: July 24 at 11:59 PM ET
5	Conceptual Framework	Revised conceptual framework.	RTDB	Due: July 31 at 11:59 PM ET
5	Peer review of another’s lit review	Review one other’s lit review	RTFE	Due: July 31 at 11:59 PM ET
6	Ch 2 revision c.f. review	Use B & V checklist to evaluate your own Ch 2 Review a peer’s c.f.	RTDB	Due: August 7 at 11:59 PM ET
7	Chapter 2 – 3rd submission	Chapter 2 with references (30% of grade)	Bb Assignments RTFE	Due: Aug 14 at 11:59 PM ET
8	Draft research problem purpose statement, RQs, c.f.	Revised SOP and additional elements: Maximum 600 words. (10% of grade)	RTDB Bb Assignments	Due: Aug 19 (Friday) at 11:59 PM ET
8	Bridge from Ch 2 to Ch 1	Course Evaluation: Keep an eye out for the link. It will be sent to your UNE email account.

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page

UNE Libraries:

Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
EDD Databases: View EDD Databases
Library Tutorial: Find an article
Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.

UNE Student Academic Success Center

The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Policies

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the Turnitin Student quick start guide.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Attendance Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.