Syllabus

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

EDU 812 – Proposal Capstone 1 – Spring B 2024

Credits - 3

Description

This capstone course is the first of two courses combined to bridge the student’s journey of development in order to prepare a final solid draft of the first three chapters based on the approved working topic. Students will receive final approval on the topic and methodology choice in this course. Alignment of topic with problem, purpose, research questions, title, and themes needed in the literature review is reinforced using the Alignment Tool, as is the Five Chapter Dissertation Outline. Chapters 1 and 2 will be submitted as will the Introduction of Chapter 3. IRB and CITI training will also be a priority.

Materials

Required Readings:

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). ISBN: 978-1433832154. E-text: 978-1433832185

Anfara, V. & Anfara, N. (2014). Theoretical frameworks in qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1452282435. (An earlier or later edition may be used.)

Creswell, J. W. & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN 9781506386706

Creswell, J. & Poth, C. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1506330204. E-text 9781506330211. (An earlier edition may also be used.)

Efron, S. E., & Ravid, R. (2019). Writing the literature review: A practical guide. Guilford Press. ISBN 9781462536894. E-text ISBN 9781462536924

Ravitch, S.M. & Carl, N.M. (2021). Qualitative Research – Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological (2nd ed.) SAGE Publications. ISBN: 9781544333816, 1544333811. E-Text: 9781544333809, 1544333803.

Ravitch, A. & Riggan, M. (2016). Reason and rigor: How conceptual frameworks guide research (2nd ed). SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1483340401. E-Text 978-1483346977. (An earlier or later edition may be used.)

Bloomberg, L. & Volpe, M. (2018). Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning to end (4th ed). Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1544336527. E-text 9781544336510. (An earlier edition may be used.)

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

Creswell, J. & Guetterman, T. (2019). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed). Pearson. ISBN 978-0134519364. E-text 978-0134546568. (Optional – Instructor course ID: generic16649) (An earlier edition may be used.)

Patten, M.L. & Newhart, M. (2018). Understanding research methods an overview of the essentials. (10th ed.). Routledge Publications. ISBN: 9780415790536, 0415790530. E-Text: 9781351817370, 135181737X.

Roberts, C. & Hyatt, L. (2019). The dissertation journey. Corwin Press. ISBN 978-1506373317, E-text PDF Available) (An earlier edition may be used.)

Salkind, N. & Frey, B. B. (2019). Statistics for people who (think they) hate statistics (7th ed). Sage Publications. (An earlier edition may be used.)

Required Resources:

UNE Doctor of Education Program Handbook: Guidelines and Best Practices Doctor of Education Program Handbook: Guidelines and Best Practices.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Review proposed research questions, problem statement, and purpose of the study to ensure alignment.
Follow the Dissertation Template to create a Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3.

Assignments

The assignments in this course will help you to review and revise Chapters 1, 2, and 3 using the new Five Chapter Dissertation Template. These assignments include:

Problems, Purpose, Research Questions Worksheet: this activity will help with crafting and focusing a problem statement, a purpose statement, and research questions.

Dissertation Template: this document provides the required formatting; please copy current content into this template.

Infographic: this assignment is a visual representation of the themes found in the literature review (4-5) and how these themes relate to your purpose, problem, research questions, and conceptual/theoretical framework.

Conceptional and Theoretical Framework Paper: describe your personal interest in the topic, include a topical research summary, and explain the theoretical framework.

Research Approach Worksheet: this assignment will help to align the research methodology with the research purpose, problem, research questions, and conceptual and theoretical framework.

CITI Training/Certificate: if your CITI Training is expired or will expire in the next six months, please visit the UNE Doctor of Education Program Handbook and select the section “CITI IRB Registration and Training Course Instructions” to complete this training.

Research Draft Proposal: Submit your complete revised Working Proposal Draft for a review by your instructor.

Grading Policy

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

Grade Breakdown

Grade item	Points
Week 1: Introduction Discussion	2
Week 1: PPQR Worksheet	5
Week 1: Dissertation Template	3
Week 2: Discussion - Literature Themes Infographic	2
Week 3: Discussion - Assess Chapters 1 & 2	2
Week 3: Conceptual and Theoretical Framework Paper	10
Week 4: Research Approach Worksheet	5
Week 4: CITI Tranining and Certificate	2
Week 6: Research Proposal Draft - Chapters 1 & 2	50
Week 7: Discussion - Reflection on Process	2
Week 8 Discussion - Chap 3	2
Week 8: Revised Working Research Proposal - Chapter 3	15
Total	100

Grading

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. Please note that you must save all submitted documents in Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint 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 and Help with Citations on UNE Library Services web page under Research Help).

Schedule

Week 1: Mar 13 – Mar 17
Week 2: Mar 18 – Mar 24
Week 3: Mar 25 – Mar 31
Week 4: Apr 1 – Apr 7
Week 5: Apr 8 – Apr 14
Week 6: Apr 15 – Apr 21
Week 7: Apr 22 – Apr 28
Week 8: Apr 29 – May 5

Week	Topic	Assignments and Activities	Assignments Due (by 11:59pm ET on day indicated)
Week 1	Introduce Dissertation Topic Problem, Purpose, Research Questions	Discussion PPRQ worksheet Dissertation template	Initial Post: Friday Response Posts: Sunday Assignments due Sunday
Week 2	Reviewing the Literature Review	Discussion: Infographic Learning Activity (ungraded): Continued Review of Chapter 2	Initial Post: Wednesday Response Posts: Sunday
Week 3	Reviewing the Conceptual and Theoretical Framework	Discussion: Chapters 1 & 2 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework Learning Activity (ungraded): Complete Review of Chapter 2	Initial Post: Wednesday Response Posts: Sunday Assignments due Sunday
Week 4	Reviewing the Methodology	Research Approach Worksheet CITI Training/ Certificate Learning Activity (ungraded): Complete Review of Chapter 3	Worksheet Due Wednesday CITI Certificate Due Sunday
Week 5	Methodology – Data Collection and Analysis	Review Chapter 3 Recruitment Method (ungraded) Review Proposal Draft (ungraded)	No assignment submissions this week.
Week 6	Working Proposal Draft	Proposal Draft Revisions: Chapters 1 and 2	Due Sunday
Week 7	Proposal Draft Revision	Discussion: Reflection on Process Learning Activity: (ungraded): Revise Working Proposal Draft	Initial Post: Wednesday Response Posts: Sunday
Week 8	Revised Working Proposal	Discussion: Chapter 3 Introduction Working Proposal Draft: Chapter 3 Introduction	Intial Post: Wednesday Response Post: Friday Proposal due by Wednesday

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.