Syllabus

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

EDU 850: Dissertation Apprenticeship – Summer A 2024

Credits - 1

Description

This course was designed to bridge the student’s previous journey of development to work towards preparing a solid draft of the first three chapters of the dissertation. A review of how to create problems, purpose statements, research questions, writing a literature review, creating a conceptual and theoretical framework, and choosing an appropriate methodology that aligns with the problem, purpose, research questions, and themes is reinforced. Students are asked to review their previous work and adjust as needed to align with the topics reviewed. IRB requirements and CITI training will also be addressed in this course.

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). CA: 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. CA: 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). Thousand Oaks, CA: 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

 

  • 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 itemPoints
Week 1: Introduction Discussion1
Week 1: PPQR Worksheet5
Week 1: Dissertation Template4
Week 2: Infographic5
Week 3: Conceptual and Theoretical Framework Paper5
Week 4: Research Approach Worksheet5
Week 4: CITI Certificate5
Week 6: Research Proposal Draft Revisions15
Week 8: Revised Working Research Proposal 50
Week 8: Self Assessment5
Total100

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: May 8 – May 12
Week 2: May 13 – May 19
Week 3: May 20 – May 26
Week 4: May 27 – Jun 2
Week 5: Jun 3 – Jun 9
Week 6: Jun 10 – Jun 16
Week 7: Jun 17 – Jun 23
Week 8: Jun 24 – Jun 30

Week  Topic Assignments and Activities Assignments Due (by 11:59pm ET on day indicated)
Week 1 Problem, Purpose, Research Questions, and Sampling

Discussion, PPRQ worksheet, Dissertation template

Learning Activity (ungraded): Review Chapter 2

Due Sunday
Week 2 Reviewing the Literature Review

Infographic

Learning Activity (ungraded): Continued Review of Chapter 2

Due Sunday
Week 3 Reviewing the Conceptual and Theoretical Framework

Conceptual and Theoretical Framework

Learning Activity (ungraded): Complete Review of Chapter 2

Due Sunday 
Week 4 Reviewing the Methodology

Research Approach Worksheet

CITI Training/ Certificate

Learning Activity (ungraded):  Complete Review of Chapter 3

Worksheet Due Wednesday

Due Sunday

 

Week 5 Methodology – Data Collection and Analysis

Learning Activities (ungraded):

Review Chapter 3 Recruitment Method (submit for feedback)

Review Research Proposal Draft

Chapter 3: Due Wednesday
Week 6 Working Proposal Draft

Proposal Draft Revisions:

Chapters 1-3

Due Sunday
Week 7  Proposal Draft Revision

Learning Activity (ungraded):

Revise Proposal Draft

No assignment submissions this week.
Week 8 Revised Working Proposal

Submit Revised Working Proposal Draft

Self Assessment

Proposal due by Wednesday

Self Assessment due Friday

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

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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.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

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

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The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

AI Use

The Graduate Programs in Education holds the position that Grammarly and other AI writing and generative technology should not be used when completing course assignments, unless explicitly permitted by course faculty and assignment instructions. These tools do not support a student’s personal and direct capacity to develop and hone skills in creativity, logic, critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, theorization, and writing, which are central to graduate-level rigor, assessment, and research. Use of these tools when not explicitly permitted may result in an academic integrity infraction.

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 guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

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

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.

Attendance Policy

8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of 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:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. 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.