It’s Official
I had a conversation with my academic adviser the other day. It is official, I am ABD! While some would think of this as mark of failure I don’t consider it that way at all. My intent is to finish not remain in this done with course work limbo common to some doctoral learners.
A plan fully in effect, I begin with my mentor in a few weeks and will have a draft ready for her on day one. That means a lot of work ahead of me. Time is a precious commodity these days and work seems to be increasing in demand. So, I am drawing a line in the sand. Across this line, no work shall pass. I need to block the time and protect it so I can make it to March 16 with a document ready for review.
Wish me luck!
Just a Quick Note
The final grades came back from this last class. Despite all the trouble and apathy I earned a strong B in the course moving my on, officially, to the rest and final part of my doctoral journey.
Calgon Take Me Away
Ok, a dated reference, sure but it is precisely how I feel being out of that last class. I’ve been out for 2 days and my goodness I feel good. I’ve been loading up my paperwork and plans for the coming dissertation class and reviewing my drafts. I’m not ready to get another draft going quite yet but I am getting closer. I feel that getting to the next draft needs a little more literature. To that end, I’ve been hanging out in the online library conducting reviews and gathering up the PDFs and citations in my EndNote.
All work and no play, right? Well, I am rewarding myself with a trip to Philadelphia with some friends this weekend. It will be a time to deprogram from work and school. I get to blow off some steam and recharge the batteries I need for what looks to be a long March ahead of me with both work and school.
So, for now…Calgon take me away. I’ll see you all on Monday for another post and update.
Apathy and Engagement
I was thinking about this last course throughout the night and this morning. My final postings showed my apathy for the content, curriculum, and instruction very clearly. I’m certainly not apologetic for being apathetic or showing it. It does lead me to wonder about apathy and engagement though.
I’ve always found that apathy from students can be headed off using some instructional and curricular techniques. In curriculum, I found that making the content relevant, applicable to performance, and entertaining was a magic combination for staving off apathy and boredom. For example, I created an information security training program once set to a wild west and bandits theme, linked in some important data and facts about the subject, and included some mocked up skits and games to keep the participants engaged in a rather dull topic.
Instruction requires both content knowledge and knowledge of facilitation. Finding ways to learn about the participants and their interest and link that knowledge to the course content in ways that are interesting and meaningful instead of obvious and dull. For example, in my information security training, IT professionals were required to go through the intervention too. This was an audience that clearly was inundated with security knowledge, data, and practices. By most accounts, the program I delivered was elementary to them. So I took the opportunity to ask them questions in the courses that allowed them to show off, stretch their application of knowledge, and provide more rationale for the rest of the class. This put that group in a different class of participant and also added to the value of the class for others. In fact, many people from those classes with IT professionals in them reported learning so much about protecting the company and themselves. A win-win-win for the stakeholders.
My point of this is to say, I was apathetic and felt that the content and curriculum lacked a certain entertainment and relevance value. More importantly, it lacked sufficient clarity to make the content even appear alive much less interesting. The instructor did try to engage me but did so in a way that I was singled out negatively and in ways that clearly violate my employee agreement with my employer, something instructors need to understand. The instructor’s feedback was also elementary and lacked sufficient content to provide information needed for subsequent assignments; further hampering my ability to engage the content in the most basic of ways-for the grade. I suspect that was not intentional with so many participants in class and all developing 20, 30, and 40 page papers but it is what came through.
My apathy led to disengagement on many levels. I was able to find distractions more readily and even seek them out when the thought of going to class was so unappealing that I couldn’t even log into the classroom space. I am disappointed with this last class and have expressed my disappointment to my academic team so they can work with the instructor and designers to make needed improvements to this course. My hope is that future students don’t suffer through this abysmal example of higher education.
As I stated earlier, I am eager to get onto my dissertation phase and will be making some prep for that course over the next few weeks. I will continue to blog my responses and reflections on that process. By this weekend I should have reviewed my drafted proposal and checklists again and have something more concrete to deal with regarding that process and set of items.
Done…Thank Goodness
My final class is done tonight. I must admit that I completed the last assignment with a sigh of relief. The class has been less than engaging as you can tell from my earlier posts and I found it to be a poor use of my time. I should hope my grade is enough to move onto the next section which, from here on out, is about my dissertation. In some circles this would be called ABD.
For some people, ABD is the largest obstacle doctoral students can face. I’ll admit the thought of entering into this phase is daunting. Especially so because my last few entrees into the dissertation have lacked some enthusiasm and clarity. Alas, this is the year I am resolved to make things happen in my life by not letting ideas and thoughts pass me by for some other yo-yo to pick them up and find some success.
So, I am done with this class and my formal class work. I stand prepared and ready to enter into the ABD world. I have confidence in the plan I’ve formulated and continue to formulate. This year, I will end with Dr. Mike Berta.
Oh hey…the Committee Plan
So, I have a Committee Chairperson or as we call them, Dissertation Mentor. This process seems to me more individual than traditionally thought of programs where candidates do the research of their chairs or committee.
In the past my mentor has indicated that she would rather have the proposal ready to go and then bring on the other committee members. This seems like it might add time to the process, a commodity I am short of these days. So how to meet her expectations and still keep on my time line?
I suspect the process of finding committee members might take a few weeks of mutual interviewing and finally selection. It sure did for the mentor position. If it is all similar for the committee members it will be like finding a gem in a field of coal. I was fortunate to find a mentor once and then twice when my first had to step aside for another job. But in that process was a lot of no replies, odd replies, and some outright rude replies (something I am still disappointed with today some years later). I think I should expect some of the same.
Fortunately, as my mentor has explained, it is the mentors job to manage the committee and mine to be the expert and get the work done. In talking with some other doctoral students it would seem that being a committee member is a little more fluid than being a mentor and that is perfectly alright. What I am looking for is sound advice, respectful support, and someone to sign off on the proposal, research, and final product.
There are a few weeks of time before I begin the session with my mentor and I think I will use that time to search the available committee members and make a short list of possible candidates for the job. As I finish up my proposal with my mentor I would like to be bringing on committee members along the way. Perhaps this is a two-pronged approach. We’ll go up the middle and flank them too.
Lots to think about as I come into the hoe stretch on this dissertation.
Oh, There it is
A long day of work is done. I found my proposal draft and realized it was woefully inadequate. So, I printed it out on the few sheets of paper it required and did some searching. I searched, and found, other documents like checklists, change trackers, IRB/ARB submission guidelines and forms, and some internal research request forms.
At the end of the searching and printing, I had a noble stack of paper to sift through this weekend. Yes, this weekend. I know I seem gung-ho about getting this on track but I have to prioritize this final class. A class, I might add, that holds no interest or value for me (dare I say any student…I dare not. Let them have their own blog and feelings about this awful class).
So tonight and tomorrow are dedicated to re-writing a paper I’ve already written based on the feedback from my professor and learning team members. I also get the joy of writing up a plan for how I will or won’t incorporate feedback for this round and potential rounds. I can assure you that this final part will be completely conjecture and will never leave this classroom space and be applied in my real world. If you were ever baffled why public K-12 schooling was onerous and complicated take a few classes and realize that this is a group of professionals that just over-think everything. If there is a silver lining it is that I am more prepared to fight for my child(ren)’s education than ever before. /rant
Okay, where was I?
Right, there it is. So having found my proposal and gathered some other forms needed to submit a qualified proposal to my committee I need to make a plan for the weekend. First, re-read and make notes on my proposal draft. I think this will provide me some insights and reflection on my work and thinking around it. Second, start making a plan for completing the proposal using the guidelines and forms as my checkpoint and ruler. That should take most of the weekend.
Once I’ve finished with this, I think putting some writing in place daily will really help get me going. I begin my next session with my committee chair on March 16th and want to have a finished draft ready to go by the time I’ve hit that starting point with her.
That was your whole plan, huh…
I suppose ambition without a plan is tantamount to frantic busyness. As I drifted off to sleep last night thinking about my return to the Doc Blog and the months ahead I realized that I had no plan. Then a funny thing happened, I had a flash to Ghostbusters and the library scene:
What is missing in that clip is when Venkman says, “Get her!” That was your whole plan, huh, “get her.” Very scientific.”.
That how I felt last night. So, then if get her isn’t going to be the plan what is?
I think the answer lies in the work itself. I need to read my proposal as it stands now and begin thinking the processes it needs to go through out more clearly. I need 3 levels of approval beyond my dissertation committee’s. This means I need to get to work understanding my proposal and the needs of the approving bodies so I can ace this on the first couple of attempts.
So, no full fledged plan but a beginning point. Read, understand, write for approval, and submit. I suspect that in the process I will need to collaborate on some of the approval processes but that won’t be bad. I find teaching something makes that thing become real for me.
So beyond get her to something more concrete. Now, where did I leave that proposal?
Boo! Scared ya’
So, I’m back.
I lost my direction with this blog and despite the energy and drive to want something to write here, I failed to make it come to fruition. Worse, I exclaimed my renewed dedication to posting only to let it wain a few days later. Call it a recurring bout of blogfade. Ugh! Is there a doctor for that?
So what has been happening?
School-wise I am finishing up my formal classwork this week and will be officially ABD next Tuesday. I must tell you that I loathe this last class. It truly is dull, a direct repeat of a class 2 classes ago, and fails to add any value to the program or my progress. I find the discussions dull and uninteresting. I find the assignments asinine busy work not befitting a doctoral student, and the facilitation too myopic to realize what a repeat this class really is for us. But, it is nearly over and I can dive headlong into my dissertation writing.
Dissertation-wise. I couldn’t even tell you where I left off or what I wrote last in it. I met with a supporter of my work last week to talk about another project and was suitably redirected to finish my dissertation so I can capture some opportunity. Good guidance and the plan for this week is to dig out of this crappy class and dust off the dissertation proposal and get it rewritten for submission and approval.
Personally, I’ve had a few ups and downs over the last couple of months. Work is very stressful and while my dissertation is directly related to the work, I can’t find a moment to get it fit into my thinking. Health-wise I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type II. No doubt related to my forced sedentary lifestyle and unending stress load. That said, I immediately went to work and realized that my life was certainly more important than that. I’ve lost about 35 pounds in 45 days (hit a plateau for a few days), got my energy, ambition, and drive back.
I also started a new blog called A Scout is.. It is a journey and exploration of the Scout Law. I am taking each of the 12 points of the Scout Law and dedicating a month to it. All of this in celebration of Scouting’s Centenary in America. I’ve been doing it since Jan 1. with a great deal of dedication. That led me back here to my first blogging project and a revisit to why I began it.
So, I am back and will be spending time here as I rewrite and write my dissertation. The blogging activity should keep my mind sharp, the roadblocks to a minimum, and show my progress on the project of a lifetime.
Look for more.
Research Site Progress
A meeting last week with my boss yielded a surprising “all in favor” response to asking about doing research within our job family and using resources other than me to complete it. Not that there is anything in the research that warrants a ‘no’ but I was surprised by the enthusiasm and vision of what this could mean for our job family in terms of training. It also beget a conversation about the things that could be coming down the road for this group. We both left equally excited.
Still there are some other hurdles to overcome.
- Permission from the regional leaderhsip of the geographic location I intended to use. I am using something outside the Northeast United States to eliminate bias and potential other hurdles related to vision and allowances
- Letters drafted for each leader to showcase to the various committees and boards needed to earn an approved proposal
- The finalized proposal and executive summary for the various committees and boards needed to earn an approved proposal
- Finally, some project planning to implement this. I honestly think we can carry out the research in about 2 weeks of time.
I also have to finish updating my literature review and fortunately, an assignment in my current class hits right on the topic I need to research so bingo.
I must say that for the first time in months, I feel good about this. I wish I’d felt this long ago, I’d be done by now. I need to finish this Spring though. There is some celebrations and plans moving ahead for the Spring, Summer and Fall whether I am done or not.
Image Source: Kristina B