Doctorate of Education in Distance Education (EDDE) 805

Overview

EDDE805: Research Seminar I (3 credits) is the first of two senior-level research seminars, in which students are provided with a supportive environment to engage in active discourse about their dissertation research. Proposal writing and advanced research methods and analyses are addressed, culminating in the production of a first brief draft of their doctoral research project proposal for submission to their supervisor, towards eventual confirmation of their candidacy, after completion of EDDE805.

Outline

Unit A. Principles and practicalities of preparing for your research

• Supervisor-student relationships/expectations
• Organizing your time and bio-rhythms
• Organizing your research project/timelines
• Requirements for a dissertation proposal

Unit B. Components of a proposal & a dissertation

• Purposes of a proposal
• Organizing your ideas
• Finding your niche: the literature review
• Comparative models of literature review

Unit C. Purposes and models of proposals and dissertations

• Planning your proposal: what kinds of research study?
• Qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches to proposal & dissertation writing
• Steps in the process: what to put where & how to express it?

Unit D. Writing your proposal

• What are the defining characteristics of a good proposal?
• What are the defining characteristics of a good dissertation?
• Guidelines for organizing and writing

Unit E. Presenting your ideas: audience & examiners

• Presenting your ideas: orally and in writing
• Considerations of the impact of your writing & presenting
• Broader considerations of your research to the community

Objectives

Consistent with the course title, the purpose of EDDE 805 is to provide students with the opportunity to discuss with their instructor and their peers the elements of their proposed research project, particularly the underlying concepts and principles, the possible findings, the literature from which their chosen topic is derived and their work in progress. Students are required to participate successfully in intellectual debate and discussions with their peers and instructors, to prepare for and discuss the process and principles of writing the proposal and dissertation, and to participate in advanced reading and oral and written review of the literature relevant to their area.

Specifically, at the conclusion of the course students should be able to:

• Draw on, or contribute to, as required and appropriate, the social and interpersonal resources of the student cohort, to support the personal, social, intellectual and learning needs of the EDDE 805 course group while planning and writing the draft dissertation proposal;
• Discuss analytically (compare, contrast, critique, and evaluate) the content of the readings and other topics and resources that constitute the course subject matter, including dissertations and theses written by others, and contributions of classmates and faculty, through various synchronous and asynchronous processes and activities;
• Describe and critically examine personal and professional beliefs and practices, in light of the findings, principles, concepts, and viewpoints found in the literature relating to research project design, and proposal and dissertation planning, organizing, writing and presentation;
• Apply to personal practice, and specifically to the written proposal, appropriate knowledge and skills acquired from various sources, including reading, observation, discussion, and critical analysis and reflection;
• Participate in various course activities: produce written treatments of course topics, as assigned or as personally designed, and submit these in a manner timely for consideration by the seminar group and for assessment by the course instructor(s); lead synchronous seminar sessions and asynchronous discussions; support and respond to other members of the cohort, as required and appropriate;
• Produce a brief draft of their dissertation proposal of a quality and intellectual rigor that is sufficient to submit to their supervisor as the basis for revision in working towards meeting the requirements of confirmation of doctoral candidacy.

Evaluation

Materials

eText

Registration in this course includes an electronic textbook. For more information on electronic textbooks, please refer to our eText Initiative site.

Other Resources

In addition, numerous online texts, journal articles and other readings will be used for each of the units.

Important links

• Course schedule