[Solved] Topic for dissertation

Assignment Prompt & Instructions

· Scholarly citations in current APA format where appropriate.
· 250 words.

– ## VIDEOS.docx

– ## PersonalProgressStatusCheckModule1AssignmentInstructions.docx

– ## Reading-AvoidingtheDissertationTopicMinefield.pdf

**## VIDEOS.docx**

· VIDEOS

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-understanding-the-dissertation-process?module_item_id=91227869](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-understanding-the-dissertation-process?module_item_id=91227869)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-first-steps-to-developing-your-dissertation?module_item_id=91227878](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-first-steps-to-developing-your-dissertation?module_item_id=91227878)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-problems-with-the-traditional-research-process-for-students?module_item_id=91227883](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-problems-with-the-traditional-research-process-for-students?module_item_id=91227883)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-research-pools-introduction?module_item_id=91227888](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-research-pools-introduction?module_item_id=91227888)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-counseling-databases?module_item_id=91227893](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-counseling-databases?module_item_id=91227893)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-education-databases?module_item_id=91227897](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-education-databases?module_item_id=91227897)

**## PersonalProgressStatusCheckModule1AssignmentInstructions.docx**

EDCO 716

**Personal Progress: Status Check – Module 1 Assignment Instructions**

**Overview**

The student will complete 8 Personal Progress Assignments in this course. These reports will be submitted as a discussion within the course, providing students with an opportunity to collaborate on ideas and share resources related to dissertation topic interests. Discussion replies are OPTIONAL. For each assignment, students must support their assertions with scholarly citations in current APA format where appropriate. Each assignment must be between 200 to 250 words.

**Instructions for Module 1**

This week you engaged a number of resources that introduced you to the dissertation process. One of these videos was titled
**“Understanding the Dissertation Process**.” In your assignment submission for Module 1, respond to the following prompts:

1. Which part of the dissertation process do you feel most comfortable with? And with which part of the dissertation process do you feel the most apprehensive?

2. Where are you in relationship to identifying a dissertation topic? *Do you already know your topic, and, if so, what is it and why are you interested in it? If you don’t know what your topic is just yet, what are some of your areas of interest related to the field of community care and counseling?

The goal in the personal progress assignments is to move closer and closer to your dissertation topic. Help your classmates and professor understand what your interests are, what specific questions you have (if any), and any actions steps you’re planning to take in the coming week to continue narrowing down your dissertation focus.

***I have two topics:**

·
**The effects of childhood sexual assault trauma in adulthood, comparing adults who receive treatment with those who do not.**

·
**How does PTSD treatment in veterans influence marital relationship dynamics compared to no treatment?**

**## Reading-AvoidingtheDissertationTopicMinefield.pdf**

Volume 59, Number 2 TechTrends • March/April 2015 13

Choosing a dissertation topic can
be one of the most important
tasks you will undertake during

your time as a doctoral student. You
can be derailed by choosing topics that
are too broad, too narrow, or too time-
consuming. There are a million reasons
that students don’t finish their disser-
tations, but strategic decision-making
from the beginning can help you avoid
the pitfall of choosing a topic that is not
feasible. This editorial provides brief
narratives from the perspective of two
recent graduates and offers some sug-
gestions for choosing a topic.

Sylvia’s Story
I gradually refined my disserta-

tion topic through class work. I have
diverse research interests so it was dif-
ficult for me to focus on just one. We
had to do a small project in our qualita-
tive/mixed methods research class and
I wanted to do something that could
lead me to a good topic. I have always
been interested in examining motiva-
tion and decision-making so I decided
to examine why people major in for-
eign language. As it turned out, most of
my participants came into college with
a strong interest in foreign language

learning, but the decision to major
came later. I wondered what role, if any,
introductory classes played. In classes
that followed, I wrote a few more pa-
pers that developed my idea, and con-
ducted another small pilot project.
Once I started reviewing the literature
for the dissertation proposal, I saw that
decision-making was potentially influ-
enced by beliefs about knowledge and
language learning. Based on that ini-
tial review, I narrowed my topic to fo-
cus on the decision-making of students
in first-year foreign language classes.

Yvonne’s Story
I have always been interested in

technology and education, from a
human-computer interaction point
of view. I had a lot of industry experi-
ence as an instructional designer and
developer coming into my Ph.D. pro-
gram and, as a result, was interested in
cognitive load theory and multimedia
design. I originally thought I would
examine design and usability of online
classes, but while I was taking Dr. Rob-
ert Reiser’s practicum class, I found
my way into worked example research.
Through one of the articles I reviewed,
I was introduced to the area of peda-

gogical agents and found the idea of
combining worked examples and ped-
agogical agents fascinating.

I further honed my topic by read-
ing more of the pedagogical agent re-
search and talking with my outside
committee member. This led me to
reading about adaptive learning en-
vironments. After reading several ar-
ticles, I came across the magical phrase
that I had been seeking: intelligent tu-
toring systems (ITS). After a thorough
exploration of the ITS research, I no-
ticed that the majority of the research
was coming out of Carnegie Mellon
University’s Human Computer Inter-
action Institute (CMU HCII). I went
to the CMU HCII website and saw
there was a notice for a one-week sum-
mer workshop to learn how to design
and develop an ITS. I immediately ap-
plied and was accepted into the sum-
mer school program. That week was
the most pivotal point in graduate
school for me. I returned home with a
renewed faith that this was going to be
my dissertation topic – looking at dif-
ferent levels of instructional assistance
(worked examples versus problems)
in an intelligent tutoring system using
proportional reasoning as the context.

Graduate Member Musings

Avoiding the Dissertation Topic Minefield
By Sylvia Rogers and Yvonne Earnshaw

14 TechTrends • March/April 2015 Volume 59, Number 2

Feasibility of the Topic
Have a great idea? Thinking about

the best approach to answer your re-
search questions? Will you use a quan-
titative approach? Qualitative? Mixed
methods? What type of research design
would be best to use? If you plan to use
an experimental design, how many
participants will you need and how
feasible will it be to access that many
participants? Will you need to pay the
participants? If you plan to conduct in-
terviews, how much time and money
will you need to transcribe them? Re-
member, the best dissertation is a done
dissertation. You may have a grandiose
idea, but it needs to be a feasible idea
to complete it in a reasonable amount
of time.

Balance Passion with
Relevance

One of the great things about edu-
cational technology and learning sci-
ences is that it is interdisciplinary. This
allows for a great diversity of topics;
however, it is important to choose a
topic for which you have enthusiasm.
You have to spend a lot of time with
your dissertation and it is always easier
to write about something that you en-
joy. However, it should also be clearly
relatable to educational technology

and learning sciences. Once you get
out on the job market, search commit-
tees could be looking at your disserta-
tion as one of the criteria to determine
your fit in their department. How will
your topic contribute to the field? Can
you find a new twist on an established
topic? Avoid topics that have been cov-
ered over and over.

Foundation of the
Research Agenda

Most dissertations make a small
contribution to the existing literature.
It is never too soon to start thinking
about your research agenda as a future
scholar. A research agenda is like one
of those giant cookies you buy in the
mall. If you choose your topic well,
your dissertation will be the first big
bite out of that cookie that will last for
the first few years of your academic ca-
reer.

Tips for Honing Your Topic
There are a variety of strategies

that can help you to narrow your focus
for a potential dissertation topic:
• Talk to people – Talk to your advisor,

your committee members, other fac-
ulty members, and colleagues.

• Attend conferences (like AECT) – Sit
in on some sessions which could give

you ideas to investigate a particular
area. Talk to presenters and scholars
about a particular area of interest.

• Reflect – Write down your thoughts
in a research journal. Draw a con-
cept map or a diagram.

• Examine the literature – See what
other dissertations or research ar-
ticles are suggesting for future re-
search.

• Take classes – Use your classes to
investigate topics. You can write pa-
pers or conduct a preliminary study
and get credit at the same time.

Conclusion
Avoid the minefield of the disser-

tation topic by making strategic deci-
sions from the start. Choose a topic
that is interesting to you, feasible, has
relevance to your field, and potential
for further study; this will help you
finish your degree in a timely fashion.
Establish your research agenda as this
could help you in the job market.

Sylvia Rogers is a recent Ph.D. graduate of Uni-
versity of South Alabama, Mobile, AL. Address
correspondence regarding this column to her via
email to ser804@jagmail.southalabama.edu.

Yvonne Earnshaw is a recent Ph.D. graduate of
Florida State University.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.

**## Reading-AvoidingtheDissertationTopicMinefield.pdf**

Volume 59, Number 2 TechTrends • March/April 2015 13

Choosing a dissertation topic can
be one of the most important
tasks you will undertake during

your time as a doctoral student. You
can be derailed by choosing topics that
are too broad, too narrow, or too time-
consuming. There are a million reasons
that students don’t finish their disser-
tations, but strategic decision-making
from the beginning can help you avoid
the pitfall of choosing a topic that is not
feasible. This editorial provides brief
narratives from the perspective of two
recent graduates and offers some sug-
gestions for choosing a topic.

Sylvia’s Story
I gradually refined my disserta-

tion topic through class work. I have
diverse research interests so it was dif-
ficult for me to focus on just one. We
had to do a small project in our qualita-
tive/mixed methods research class and
I wanted to do something that could
lead me to a good topic. I have always
been interested in examining motiva-
tion and decision-making so I decided
to examine why people major in for-
eign language. As it turned out, most of
my participants came into college with
a strong interest in foreign language

learning, but the decision to major
came later. I wondered what role, if any,
introductory classes played. In classes
that followed, I wrote a few more pa-
pers that developed my idea, and con-
ducted another small pilot project.
Once I started reviewing the literature
for the dissertation proposal, I saw that
decision-making was potentially influ-
enced by beliefs about knowledge and
language learning. Based on that ini-
tial review, I narrowed my topic to fo-
cus on the decision-making of students
in first-year foreign language classes.

Yvonne’s Story
I have always been interested in

technology and education, from a
human-computer interaction point
of view. I had a lot of industry experi-
ence as an instructional designer and
developer coming into my Ph.D. pro-
gram and, as a result, was interested in
cognitive load theory and multimedia
design. I originally thought I would
examine design and usability of online
classes, but while I was taking Dr. Rob-
ert Reiser’s practicum class, I found
my way into worked example research.
Through one of the articles I reviewed,
I was introduced to the area of peda-

gogical agents and found the idea of
combining worked examples and ped-
agogical agents fascinating.

I further honed my topic by read-
ing more of the pedagogical agent re-
search and talking with my outside
committee member. This led me to
reading about adaptive learning en-
vironments. After reading several ar-
ticles, I came across the magical phrase
that I had been seeking: intelligent tu-
toring systems (ITS). After a thorough
exploration of the ITS research, I no-
ticed that the majority of the research
was coming out of Carnegie Mellon
University’s Human Computer Inter-
action Institute (CMU HCII). I went
to the CMU HCII website and saw
there was a notice for a one-week sum-
mer workshop to learn how to design
and develop an ITS. I immediately ap-
plied and was accepted into the sum-
mer school program. That week was
the most pivotal point in graduate
school for me. I returned home with a
renewed faith that this was going to be
my dissertation topic – looking at dif-
ferent levels of instructional assistance
(worked examples versus problems)
in an intelligent tutoring system using
proportional reasoning as the context.

Graduate Member Musings

Avoiding the Dissertation Topic Minefield
By Sylvia Rogers and Yvonne Earnshaw

14 TechTrends • March/April 2015 Volume 59, Number 2

Feasibility of the Topic
Have a great idea? Thinking about

the best approach to answer your re-
search questions? Will you use a quan-
titative approach? Qualitative? Mixed
methods? What type of research design
would be best to use? If you plan to use
an experimental design, how many
participants will you need and how
feasible will it be to access that many
participants? Will you need to pay the
participants? If you plan to conduct in-
terviews, how much time and money
will you need to transcribe them? Re-
member, the best dissertation is a done
dissertation. You may have a grandiose
idea, but it needs to be a feasible idea
to complete it in a reasonable amount
of time.

Balance Passion with
Relevance

One of the great things about edu-
cational technology and learning sci-
ences is that it is interdisciplinary. This
allows for a great diversity of topics;
however, it is important to choose a
topic for which you have enthusiasm.
You have to spend a lot of time with
your dissertation and it is always easier
to write about something that you en-
joy. However, it should also be clearly
relatable to educational technology

and learning sciences. Once you get
out on the job market, search commit-
tees could be looking at your disserta-
tion as one of the criteria to determine
your fit in their department. How will
your topic contribute to the field? Can
you find a new twist on an established
topic? Avoid topics that have been cov-
ered over and over.

Foundation of the
Research Agenda

Most dissertations make a small
contribution to the existing literature.
It is never too soon to start thinking
about your research agenda as a future
scholar. A research agenda is like one
of those giant cookies you buy in the
mall. If you choose your topic well,
your dissertation will be the first big
bite out of that cookie that will last for
the first few years of your academic ca-
reer.

Tips for Honing Your Topic
There are a variety of strategies

that can help you to narrow your focus
for a potential dissertation topic:
• Talk to people – Talk to your advisor,

your committee members, other fac-
ulty members, and colleagues.

• Attend conferences (like AECT) – Sit
in on some sessions which could give

you ideas to investigate a particular
area. Talk to presenters and scholars
about a particular area of interest.

• Reflect – Write down your thoughts
in a research journal. Draw a con-
cept map or a diagram.

• Examine the literature – See what
other dissertations or research ar-
ticles are suggesting for future re-
search.

• Take classes – Use your classes to
investigate topics. You can write pa-
pers or conduct a preliminary study
and get credit at the same time.

Conclusion
Avoid the minefield of the disser-

tation topic by making strategic deci-
sions from the start. Choose a topic
that is interesting to you, feasible, has
relevance to your field, and potential
for further study; this will help you
finish your degree in a timely fashion.
Establish your research agenda as this
could help you in the job market.

Sylvia Rogers is a recent Ph.D. graduate of Uni-
versity of South Alabama, Mobile, AL. Address
correspondence regarding this column to her via
email to ser804@jagmail.southalabama.edu.

Yvonne Earnshaw is a recent Ph.D. graduate of
Florida State University.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.

**## VIDEOS.docx**

· VIDEOS

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-understanding-the-dissertation-process?module_item_id=91227869](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-understanding-the-dissertation-process?module_item_id=91227869)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-first-steps-to-developing-your-dissertation?module_item_id=91227878](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-first-steps-to-developing-your-dissertation?module_item_id=91227878)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-problems-with-the-traditional-research-process-for-students?module_item_id=91227883](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-problems-with-the-traditional-research-process-for-students?module_item_id=91227883)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-research-pools-introduction?module_item_id=91227888](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-research-pools-introduction?module_item_id=91227888)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-counseling-databases?module_item_id=91227893](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-counseling-databases?module_item_id=91227893)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-education-databases?module_item_id=91227897](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-education-databases?module_item_id=91227897)

**## PersonalProgressStatusCheckModule1AssignmentInstructions.docx**

EDCO 716

**Personal Progress: Status Check – Module 1 Assignment Instructions**

**Overview**

The student will complete 8 Personal Progress Assignments in this course. These reports will be submitted as a discussion within the course, providing students with an opportunity to collaborate on ideas and share resources related to dissertation topic interests. Discussion replies are OPTIONAL. For each assignment, students must support their assertions with scholarly citations in current APA format where appropriate. Each assignment must be between 200 to 250 words.

**Instructions for Module 1**

This week you engaged a number of resources that introduced you to the dissertation process. One of these videos was titled
**“Understanding the Dissertation Process**.” In your assignment submission for Module 1, respond to the following prompts:

1. Which part of the dissertation process do you feel most comfortable with? And with which part of the dissertation process do you feel the most apprehensive?

2. Where are you in relationship to identifying a dissertation topic? *Do you already know your topic, and, if so, what is it and why are you interested in it? If you don’t know what your topic is just yet, what are some of your areas of interest related to the field of community care and counseling?

The goal in the personal progress assignments is to move closer and closer to your dissertation topic. Help your classmates and professor understand what your interests are, what specific questions you have (if any), and any actions steps you’re planning to take in the coming week to continue narrowing down your dissertation focus.

***I have two topics:**

·
**The effects of childhood sexual assault trauma in adulthood, comparing adults who receive treatment with those who do not.**

·
**How does PTSD treatment in veterans influence marital relationship dynamics compared to no treatment?**

**## Reading-AvoidingtheDissertationTopicMinefield.pdf**

Volume 59, Number 2 TechTrends • March/April 2015 13

Choosing a dissertation topic can
be one of the most important
tasks you will undertake during

your time as a doctoral student. You
can be derailed by choosing topics that
are too broad, too narrow, or too time-
consuming. There are a million reasons
that students don’t finish their disser-
tations, but strategic decision-making
from the beginning can help you avoid
the pitfall of choosing a topic that is not
feasible. This editorial provides brief
narratives from the perspective of two
recent graduates and offers some sug-
gestions for choosing a topic.

Sylvia’s Story
I gradually refined my disserta-

tion topic through class work. I have
diverse research interests so it was dif-
ficult for me to focus on just one. We
had to do a small project in our qualita-
tive/mixed methods research class and
I wanted to do something that could
lead me to a good topic. I have always
been interested in examining motiva-
tion and decision-making so I decided
to examine why people major in for-
eign language. As it turned out, most of
my participants came into college with
a strong interest in foreign language

learning, but the decision to major
came later. I wondered what role, if any,
introductory classes played. In classes
that followed, I wrote a few more pa-
pers that developed my idea, and con-
ducted another small pilot project.
Once I started reviewing the literature
for the dissertation proposal, I saw that
decision-making was potentially influ-
enced by beliefs about knowledge and
language learning. Based on that ini-
tial review, I narrowed my topic to fo-
cus on the decision-making of students
in first-year foreign language classes.

Yvonne’s Story
I have always been interested in

technology and education, from a
human-computer interaction point
of view. I had a lot of industry experi-
ence as an instructional designer and
developer coming into my Ph.D. pro-
gram and, as a result, was interested in
cognitive load theory and multimedia
design. I originally thought I would
examine design and usability of online
classes, but while I was taking Dr. Rob-
ert Reiser’s practicum class, I found
my way into worked example research.
Through one of the articles I reviewed,
I was introduced to the area of peda-

gogical agents and found the idea of
combining worked examples and ped-
agogical agents fascinating.

I further honed my topic by read-
ing more of the pedagogical agent re-
search and talking with my outside
committee member. This led me to
reading about adaptive learning en-
vironments. After reading several ar-
ticles, I came across the magical phrase
that I had been seeking: intelligent tu-
toring systems (ITS). After a thorough
exploration of the ITS research, I no-
ticed that the majority of the research
was coming out of Carnegie Mellon
University’s Human Computer Inter-
action Institute (CMU HCII). I went
to the CMU HCII website and saw
there was a notice for a one-week sum-
mer workshop to learn how to design
and develop an ITS. I immediately ap-
plied and was accepted into the sum-
mer school program. That week was
the most pivotal point in graduate
school for me. I returned home with a
renewed faith that this was going to be
my dissertation topic – looking at dif-
ferent levels of instructional assistance
(worked examples versus problems)
in an intelligent tutoring system using
proportional reasoning as the context.

Graduate Member Musings

Avoiding the Dissertation Topic Minefield
By Sylvia Rogers and Yvonne Earnshaw

14 TechTrends • March/April 2015 Volume 59, Number 2

Feasibility of the Topic
Have a great idea? Thinking about

the best approach to answer your re-
search questions? Will you use a quan-
titative approach? Qualitative? Mixed
methods? What type of research design
would be best to use? If you plan to use
an experimental design, how many
participants will you need and how
feasible will it be to access that many
participants? Will you need to pay the
participants? If you plan to conduct in-
terviews, how much time and money
will you need to transcribe them? Re-
member, the best dissertation is a done
dissertation. You may have a grandiose
idea, but it needs to be a feasible idea
to complete it in a reasonable amount
of time.

Balance Passion with
Relevance

One of the great things about edu-
cational technology and learning sci-
ences is that it is interdisciplinary. This
allows for a great diversity of topics;
however, it is important to choose a
topic for which you have enthusiasm.
You have to spend a lot of time with
your dissertation and it is always easier
to write about something that you en-
joy. However, it should also be clearly
relatable to educational technology

and learning sciences. Once you get
out on the job market, search commit-
tees could be looking at your disserta-
tion as one of the criteria to determine
your fit in their department. How will
your topic contribute to the field? Can
you find a new twist on an established
topic? Avoid topics that have been cov-
ered over and over.

Foundation of the
Research Agenda

Most dissertations make a small
contribution to the existing literature.
It is never too soon to start thinking
about your research agenda as a future
scholar. A research agenda is like one
of those giant cookies you buy in the
mall. If you choose your topic well,
your dissertation will be the first big
bite out of that cookie that will last for
the first few years of your academic ca-
reer.

Tips for Honing Your Topic
There are a variety of strategies

that can help you to narrow your focus
for a potential dissertation topic:
• Talk to people – Talk to your advisor,

your committee members, other fac-
ulty members, and colleagues.

• Attend conferences (like AECT) – Sit
in on some sessions which could give

you ideas to investigate a particular
area. Talk to presenters and scholars
about a particular area of interest.

• Reflect – Write down your thoughts
in a research journal. Draw a con-
cept map or a diagram.

• Examine the literature – See what
other dissertations or research ar-
ticles are suggesting for future re-
search.

• Take classes – Use your classes to
investigate topics. You can write pa-
pers or conduct a preliminary study
and get credit at the same time.

Conclusion
Avoid the minefield of the disser-

tation topic by making strategic deci-
sions from the start. Choose a topic
that is interesting to you, feasible, has
relevance to your field, and potential
for further study; this will help you
finish your degree in a timely fashion.
Establish your research agenda as this
could help you in the job market.

Sylvia Rogers is a recent Ph.D. graduate of Uni-
versity of South Alabama, Mobile, AL. Address
correspondence regarding this column to her via
email to ser804@jagmail.southalabama.edu.

Yvonne Earnshaw is a recent Ph.D. graduate of
Florida State University.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.

**## VIDEOS.docx**

· VIDEOS

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-understanding-the-dissertation-process?module_item_id=91227869](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-understanding-the-dissertation-process?module_item_id=91227869)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-first-steps-to-developing-your-dissertation?module_item_id=91227878](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-first-steps-to-developing-your-dissertation?module_item_id=91227878)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-problems-with-the-traditional-research-process-for-students?module_item_id=91227883](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-problems-with-the-traditional-research-process-for-students?module_item_id=91227883)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-research-pools-introduction?module_item_id=91227888](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-research-pools-introduction?module_item_id=91227888)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-counseling-databases?module_item_id=91227893](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-counseling-databases?module_item_id=91227893)

[https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-education-databases?module_item_id=91227897](https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/962536/pages/watch-advanced-library-research-strategies-for-education-databases?module_item_id=91227897)

**## PersonalProgressStatusCheckModule1AssignmentInstructions.docx**

EDCO 716

**Personal Progress: Status Check – Module 1 Assignment Instructions**

**Overview**

The student will complete 8 Personal Progress Assignments in this course. These reports will be submitted as a discussion within the course, providing students with an opportunity to collaborate on ideas and share resources related to dissertation topic interests. Discussion replies are OPTIONAL. For each assignment, students must support their assertions with scholarly citations in current APA format where appropriate. Each assignment must be between 200 to 250 words.

**Instructions for Module 1**

This week you engaged a number of resources that introduced you to the dissertation process. One of these videos was titled
**“Understanding the Dissertation Process**.” In your assignment submission for Module 1, respond to the following prompts:

1. Which part of the dissertation process do you feel most comfortable with? And with which part of the dissertation process do you feel the most apprehensive?

2. Where are you in relationship to identifying a dissertation topic? *Do you already know your topic, and, if so, what is it and why are you interested in it? If you don’t know what your topic is just yet, what are some of your areas of interest related to the field of community care and counseling?

The goal in the personal progress assignments is to move closer and closer to your dissertation topic. Help your classmates and professor understand what your interests are, what specific questions you have (if any), and any actions steps you’re planning to take in the coming week to continue narrowing down your dissertation focus.

***I have two topics:**

·
**The effects of childhood sexual assault trauma in adulthood, comparing adults who receive treatment with those who do not.**

·
**How does PTSD treatment in veterans influence marital relationship dynamics compared to no treatment?**

**## Reading-AvoidingtheDissertationTopicMinefield.pdf**

Volume 59, Number 2 TechTrends • March/April 2015 13

Choosing a dissertation topic can
be one of the most important
tasks you will undertake during

your time as a doctoral student. You
can be derailed by choosing topics that
are too broad, too narrow, or too time-
consuming. There are a million reasons
that students don’t finish their disser-
tations, but strategic decision-making
from the beginning can help you avoid
the pitfall of choosing a topic that is not
feasible. This editorial provides brief
narratives from the perspective of two
recent graduates and offers some sug-
gestions for choosing a topic.

Sylvia’s Story
I gradually refined my disserta-

tion topic through class work. I have
diverse research interests so it was dif-
ficult for me to focus on just one. We
had to do a small project in our qualita-
tive/mixed methods research class and
I wanted to do something that could
lead me to a good topic. I have always
been interested in examining motiva-
tion and decision-making so I decided
to examine why people major in for-
eign language. As it turned out, most of
my participants came into college with
a strong interest in foreign language

learning, but the decision to major
came later. I wondered what role, if any,
introductory classes played. In classes
that followed, I wrote a few more pa-
pers that developed my idea, and con-
ducted another small pilot project.
Once I started reviewing the literature
for the dissertation proposal, I saw that
decision-making was potentially influ-
enced by beliefs about knowledge and
language learning. Based on that ini-
tial review, I narrowed my topic to fo-
cus on the decision-making of students
in first-year foreign language classes.

Yvonne’s Story
I have always been interested in

technology and education, from a
human-computer interaction point
of view. I had a lot of industry experi-
ence as an instructional designer and
developer coming into my Ph.D. pro-
gram and, as a result, was interested in
cognitive load theory and multimedia
design. I originally thought I would
examine design and usability of online
classes, but while I was taking Dr. Rob-
ert Reiser’s practicum class, I found
my way into worked example research.
Through one of the articles I reviewed,
I was introduced to the area of peda-

gogical agents and found the idea of
combining worked examples and ped-
agogical agents fascinating.

I further honed my topic by read-
ing more of the pedagogical agent re-
search and talking with my outside
committee member. This led me to
reading about adaptive learning en-
vironments. After reading several ar-
ticles, I came across the magical phrase
that I had been seeking: intelligent tu-
toring systems (ITS). After a thorough
exploration of the ITS research, I no-
ticed that the majority of the research
was coming out of Carnegie Mellon
University’s Human Computer Inter-
action Institute (CMU HCII). I went
to the CMU HCII website and saw
there was a notice for a one-week sum-
mer workshop to learn how to design
and develop an ITS. I immediately ap-
plied and was accepted into the sum-
mer school program. That week was
the most pivotal point in graduate
school for me. I returned home with a
renewed faith that this was going to be
my dissertation topic – looking at dif-
ferent levels of instructional assistance
(worked examples versus problems)
in an intelligent tutoring system using
proportional reasoning as the context.

Graduate Member Musings

Avoiding the Dissertation Topic Minefield
By Sylvia Rogers and Yvonne Earnshaw

14 TechTrends • March/April 2015 Volume 59, Number 2

Feasibility of the Topic
Have a great idea? Thinking about

the best approach to answer your re-
search questions? Will you use a quan-
titative approach? Qualitative? Mixed
methods? What type of research design
would be best to use? If you plan to use
an experimental design, how many
participants will you need and how
feasible will it be to access that many
participants? Will you need to pay the
participants? If you plan to conduct in-
terviews, how much time and money
will you need to transcribe them? Re-
member, the best dissertation is a done
dissertation. You may have a grandiose
idea, but it needs to be a feasible idea
to complete it in a reasonable amount
of time.

Balance Passion with
Relevance

One of the great things about edu-
cational technology and learning sci-
ences is that it is interdisciplinary. This
allows for a great diversity of topics;
however, it is important to choose a
topic for which you have enthusiasm.
You have to spend a lot of time with
your dissertation and it is always easier
to write about something that you en-
joy. However, it should also be clearly
relatable to educational technology

and learning sciences. Once you get
out on the job market, search commit-
tees could be looking at your disserta-
tion as one of the criteria to determine
your fit in their department. How will
your topic contribute to the field? Can
you find a new twist on an established
topic? Avoid topics that have been cov-
ered over and over.

Foundation of the
Research Agenda

Most dissertations make a small
contribution to the existing literature.
It is never too soon to start thinking
about your research agenda as a future
scholar. A research agenda is like one
of those giant cookies you buy in the
mall. If you choose your topic well,
your dissertation will be the first big
bite out of that cookie that will last for
the first few years of your academic ca-
reer.

Tips for Honing Your Topic
There are a variety of strategies

that can help you to narrow your focus
for a potential dissertation topic:
• Talk to people – Talk to your advisor,

your committee members, other fac-
ulty members, and colleagues.

• Attend conferences (like AECT) – Sit
in on some sessions which could give

you ideas to investigate a particular
area. Talk to presenters and scholars
about a particular area of interest.

• Reflect – Write down your thoughts
in a research journal. Draw a con-
cept map or a diagram.

• Examine the literature – See what
other dissertations or research ar-
ticles are suggesting for future re-
search.

• Take classes – Use your classes to
investigate topics. You can write pa-
pers or conduct a preliminary study
and get credit at the same time.

Conclusion
Avoid the minefield of the disser-

tation topic by making strategic deci-
sions from the start. Choose a topic
that is interesting to you, feasible, has
relevance to your field, and potential
for further study; this will help you
finish your degree in a timely fashion.
Establish your research agenda as this
could help you in the job market.

Sylvia Rogers is a recent Ph.D. graduate of Uni-
versity of South Alabama, Mobile, AL. Address
correspondence regarding this column to her via
email to ser804@jagmail.southalabama.edu.

Yvonne Earnshaw is a recent Ph.D. graduate of
Florida State University.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.

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