Course Syllabus 

Course Number: HIED 881

Course Title: Dissertation Seminar

Course Sequencing and Prerequisites: Permission of the Instructors

3 Credits 

Mary H. "Molly" Duggan, Ph. D. Associate Professor Community College Leadership Program Department of Educational Leadership & Counseling Education Building Room 166-5 (757) 683-3221 Office Hours (by appointment)  mduggan@odu.edu

Edward E. "Ted" Raspiller, Ed.D Director Community College Leadership Program Department of Educational Leadership & Counseling Education Building Room 132B (757) 683-4344 Office Hours (By appointment)  eraspill@odu.edu

Course Description: This course is offered in an intensive seminar format designed to assist students in making substantive progress toward identifying, refining a dissertation topic, and preparing a research proposal. The seminar will meet in an interactive videoconferencing format, with a combination of videoconferenced class seminars and online meetings. These intensive seminars will require significant preparation and active involvement. Students will be expected to make oral and written presentations of their work and to critique the work of students in the class. Preparation, support materials, and feedback will be supported through Blackboard.

Course Purpose: The purpose of this course is to assist students in the development of a dissertation research proposal. Sufficient progress toward that goal is the expectation of the course. It must be recognized, however, that approval of the research proposal rests with the student's dissertation committee, not with the successful completion of this course. Class activities will be structured around navigating the dissertation process and developing a high quality research prospectus. 

 Course Syllabus: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to

1.     Demonstrate an understanding of the University forms, policies, and procedures associated with the dissertation process.

2.    Recognize the need for a study.

3.    Provide an explanation for the value of or significance of a study.

4.    Locate and critically appraise information and literature related to a topic.

5.    Organize information about a topic thematically.

6.     Propose a means of investigating a topic that is appropriate for the question(s) or issue(s) raised.

7.     Discuss their proposed dissertation research, including the problem to be studied, the theoretical foundation, methodology, and analysis.

8.     Explain the dissertation format and progression.

 Institutional Statement: Old Dominion University's major purpose in its education program is to prepare individuals who have knowledge of their discipline, ability to practice state-of-the-art instruction with students of various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and attitudes that reflect commitment to teaching and learning as well as lifelong professional growth and development. The conceptual framework, Educator as Professional, reflects the development of professional educators who can use their pedagogical and academic abilities to educate all students.

Course Requirements: All students enrolled in the course will be expected to commit themselves to actively pursuing a dissertation topic, to diligently pursuing the literature and other sources in describing and developing the topic, to writing professionally as expected in the dissertation research proposal, and to constructively critiquing the work of other students in the class. Active participation in class is a very important aspect in making this a successful experience for each student and for the class as a whole. Students are expected to develop and present various aspects of their work leading to their prospectus. A student's grade (pass/fail) will be based on having made substantive  progress in developing a proposal along with class presentations.

Grading: A student's grade (pass/fail) will be based on having made substantive  progress in developing a dissertation research proposal  along with class presentations.

Required Texts:

Galvan, J. S. (2006). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Glendale CA: Pyrczak 

American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Students are expected to read at least two dissertations related to their topic.

Supplemental Texts: Depending upon the type of research you decide to perform, you may find some of these books useful.  We will talk briefly about each of the texts below during the first session to help you decide which of these, if any, you might want to add to your library.

McMillan, J. H., & Wergin, J. F. (2002). Understanding and evaluating educational research (2nd. ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Orcher, L. (2005). Conducting research: Social and behavioral science methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.

Orcher, L. (2006). Conducting a survey. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.

Patton, M. L. (2005). Proposing empirical research: A guide to the fundamentals. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.

Patton, M. Q. (1997). Utilization-focused evaluation (3rd. ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Required Class Materials:  Because this course is to be a videoconference, you will need to purchase the following: