E-Surance: Ensuring Quality Dissertations in a Burgeoning Online Doctoral Program

Fred Milacci, D.Ed., Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, Ed.D., & Lucinda S. Spaulding, Ph.D.

School of Education/Department of Graduate Education, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

AbstractAbstract

With attrition rates over 50% nationally, assisting doctoral students to successfully navigate the dissertation process and produce a quality dissertation has always been challenging. This is compounded when students pursue their degree almost exclusively online. We provide an overview of the process developed for our Ed.D. program that not only services and mentors over 500 students in the dissertation phase, but strives to ensure that these students’ dissertations are academically sound and methodologically correct. We describe the human and technological resources needed to provide oversight of this quality “e-surance” process.

Literature ReviewLiterature Review

Goals and ObjectivesGoals and Objectives

Participants will be able to: (a)Identify specific practices that can support the mentoring of doctoral students in an online environment;(b)Identify technologies and practices used to ensure quality dissertations in a large, online doctoral program, and (c)Identify practices and technologies related to persistence in the online doctoral process.

Description of Practice/StrategiesDescription of Practice/Strategies

Based on our research and experience, we present strategies that administrators and educators can implement to foster effective mentorship, to ensure quality dissertations, and ultimately, increase doctoral persistence. Additionally, we review the benefits—and challenges—of each of these strategies.

DiscussionDiscussion

ReferencesReferences

Bair, C.R. (1999). Doctoral student attrition and persistence: A meta-synthesis (Doctoral dissertation, Loyola University, Chicago, 1999). Dissertation Abstracts International.Berelson B. (1960). Graduate education in the United States. The University of Michigan: McGraw Hill.Collins, A., Brown, J.S. & Newman, S.E. (1989). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the craft of reading, writing and mathematics. In L.B. Resnick (Ed.), Knowing, learning, and instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Council of Graduate Schools. (2007). Ph.D. Completion and Attrition: Analysis of Baseline Program Data from the Ph.D. Completion Project. Washington, DC. Doherty, W. (2006). An analysis of multiple factors affecting retention in web based community college courses. Internet and Higher Education, 9, 245-255.Earl-Novell, S. (2006). Determining the extent to which program structure features and integration mechanisms facilitate or impede doctoral student persistence in mathematics. Intl. Journal of Doctoral Studies, 1, 45-57.Hoskins, C. M., & Goldberg, A. D. (2005). Doctoral student persistence in counselor education programs: Student-program match. Counselor Education and Supervision, 44(3), 175-188.Knowles, M. S. 1980. The modern practice of adult education. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. Lovitts, B. E. (2005). Being a good course-taker is not enough: A theoretical perspective on the transition to independent research, Studies in Higher Education, 30(2), 137-154.Rockinson-Szapkiw, A.J., Bray, O. & Spaulding, L.S. (2012, in press). Examining the predictive validity of GRE scores on doctoral education students’ success and methodology choices in the dissertation process. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice,14(4).Rovai, A. P. (2002a). Sense of community, perceived cognitive learning and persistence in asynchronous learning networks. Internet and Higher Education, 5(4), 319-332. Rovai, A. P. (2002b). Development of an instrument to measure classroom community. Internet and Higher Education, 5(3), 197-211.Spaulding, L.S. & Rockinson-Szapkiw, A.J. (2012). Hearing their voices: Factors doctoral candidates attribute to their persistence. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 7, 199-219. Terrell, S. R., Snyder, M. M., & Dringus, L. P. (2009). The development, validation, and application of the Doctoral Student Connectedness Scale. Higher Education and the Internet, 12(2), 112-116. Wao, H. O., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2011). A mixed research investigation of factors related to time to the doctorate in education. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 6, 115-134.

With attrition rates ranging from 40 – 70% depending on the discipline, doctoral student attrition in the United States has been a persistent concern for decades (Berelson, 1960; Council of Graduate Schools Ph.D. Completion Project, 2007). Attrition is a multi-faceted problem and there are a range of student and institutional factors associated with attrition. Student factors include personal attributes such as intelligence, motivation, and ability to cope and manage stress (Lovitts, 2005), while institutional factors include economic integration (e.g., fellowships/ assistantships), effective advising/mentoring, and program type (e.g.,online vs. face-to-face). While online programs have grown in popularity and demand, attrition rates in these programsare significantly higher than traditional programs(Rovai, 2002a). Further,the literature suggeststhat completion rates forprograms with largerentering cohorts (characteristic of many online programs) are lower than programs with smaller entering cohort sizes (Bair, 1999). While all stages of the doctoral journey are demanding, students consistently report that the dissertation phase presents the most challenges (Spaulding & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012). However, there is strong consensus that the level of expertise, advising, mentoring, and supervision chairs provide is integral to persistence (Earl-Novell, 2006; Wao & Onwuegbuzie, 2011). Furthermore, students are more likely to persist when they have positive relationships with their chair and expectations are clear (Hoskins & Goldberg, 2005).

1.1. Timely and helpful feedback Timely and helpful feedback that is both personable and challenging is essential to doctoral candidates’ satisfaction and persistence. Unfortunately, many technologies used in the online environment, such as e-mail and content management systems, pose challenges, such as lost e-mails and delayed documents which may result in feelings of dissatisfaction and isolation (Doherty, 2006). In an era of the collaborative web, a variety of software and technologies are available to better support file sharing, discussions, calendar sharing, task assignment, and collaborative editing. Using a collaborative workspace can help facilitate mentorship and increase connectedness.

2. Prior to the implementation of formal schooling, mentorshipmentorship was the primary manner in which individuals learned new skills. Individuals would work alongside an expert and knowledge about the skill would be transmitted by the expert to the apprentice (Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989). As programs move online, faculty can no longer sit in a local restaurant dialoging with students. Rather, they must develop a new model of mentorship that leverages information and communication technologies (ICTs) to mentor students. The use of E-conferencing systems is presented as a means for sharing and discussing documents.

3.3. Connectedness and community Connectedness and community are associated with online persistence (Rovai, 2002b; Terrell et al., 2009). Implementing technology to support social and scholarly interaction, such as networking technologies (e.g., Facebook, Google Plus), can assist with building online community for doctoral students.

4.4. Admissions requirements Admissions requirements at entry assist in gauging whether students have the potential to complete a quality dissertation. GRE writing scores are recommended as an admissions requirement and integrating remedial writing course requirements for those with low writing scores is recommended as writing scores can predict time to dissertation completion (Rockinson-Szapkiw, Bray, & Spaulding, 2012).

5. Knowles (1980) suggests that adult learners need to engage in relevant learning. Implementation of doctoral research Implementation of doctoral research coursescourses that are relevant and focused on the dissertation manuscript—and which emphasize research, writing, and prospectus development— is recommended.

6.6. Constructing templates, handbooks, and other relevant Constructing templates, handbooks, and other relevant resources resources that demonstrate how to think critically about research and organize research can go a long way towards producing quality dissertations.

7.7. Planning scheduled reviews Planning scheduled reviews by research experts prior to major dissertation benchmarks (e.g., proposal defense, dissertation defense) is presented as a viable way to ensure quality in dissertation methodology.

As traditional higher education institutions increasingly engage in the intense competition of the rapidly growing global marketplace and put their doctoral programs online, the leaders within these institutions are challenged to identify technologies and practices to support the unique aspects of doctoral mentorship. They are further challenged to put policies and procedures into practice to ensure quality dissertations while seeking ways to foster doctoral persistence. The strategies and technologies presented have been found to improve communication, collaboration, faculty-student connectedness, and ultimately, foster persistence in a large, primarily online doctoral program.

 

Fred Milaccifmilacci@liberty.edu

Amanda J. Rockinson-Szapkiw aszapkiw@liberty.edu

Lucinda Spauldinglsspaulding@liberty.edu

 

Fred Milaccifmilacci@liberty.edu

Amanda J. Rockinson-Szapkiw aszapkiw@liberty.edu

Lucinda Spauldinglsspaulding@liberty.edu

Contact InformationContact InformationContact InformationContact Information