Some Expectations for Ph.D. Students who are Advisees of Professor Capper

(updated on October 23, 2006)

Program Plan and Taking Courses

• Down load the Ph.D. form from our Web-site and the Ph.D. planning guide and complete it as best you can. Then, set up a time to meet or talk with me. I can answer any questions you have and sign and submit it. This should be done in your first semester of classes.
  
• You should find out from me at your program planning meeting when particular classes are offered. Some classes are offered only once a year. Other classes in other departments are offered only during the summer, or during the day which you must then take that class in the summer. Our department has Tentative Course Schedules at least six months prior to the semester or summer. Please be sure you get a copy early and plan your coursework accordingly. Otherwise, you may have only one class left to take that is only offered a year later, and you will have to wait that year to take the class.

Preparing for the Dissertation

• You should be thinking about your dissertation, what you want to study and how, starting with your first course in your program. We will discuss your dissertation interests in our first meeting together. Every assignment you complete in every course should be related to your dissertation interest area. While your interest may change while in the program, by following this route, you will develop an “inquiring mind”-- a “research mind”-- from the very beginning of the program that will help you later on. Push yourself on this. Ask yourself how your particular topic might be researched. What questions could be asked? What methods could be used? Has anyone else already studied this topic? If so, what research questions did they ask? What methods did they use? What did they find out? What conceptual framework did they use?
  
• Develop a bibliography of literature related to your topic. You should use Endnote or some other bibliography tool to develop this bibliography, starting with your first course. Thus, by the end of your coursework, you will have a solid list of articles (and a file of the articles/books) related to your topic. These articles should include only empirical, research-based or theoretical articles, and not opinion pieces or “how to” articles on the topic
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• The semester before you finish your coursework, set up a time to meet with me and bring your dissertation idea with you as fully developed as you can (topic, possible research questions, possible methods, and possible conceptual framework), and what you see as your tentative time-line for completing your courses and completing your dissertation (rule of thumb - proposal takes 6-9 months to write, and dissertation 1 to 1½ years to write, one half of the time collecting data, the other half writing).

Preparing the Proposal

• You may start formal work on your proposal after we have met and discussed your topic and time-line. At the end of this document is a step-by-step breakdown of how to write the proposal as well as a tentative time-line, and an outline for the proposal. You should first read the items I listed including two proposals from previous students of mine, a book on dissertation writing, and one or two other books I suggest).
  
• Writing the proposal is the most difficult part of the dissertation process. This is because you have to narrow down your topic, focus your research questions, pull all the literature together, etc. The length of your proposal is anywhere from 50-100 or more pages. By doing a thorough job on your proposal, this will become the first 2-3 chapters of your final dissertation (intro/literature review and methods), by simply changing the tense to past tense. Further, a solid proposal with clear questions and solid research design will significantly increase the quality of your dissertation.
  
• Then, write a 10 page overview of the proposal (see list at the end for what should be in it) and get this to me. Set up a time to meet with me after you send it to me for us to discuss it either in person or on the phone.
  
• After we agree on the 10 pages, then you can work on the full proposal. Sometimes students need to write the proposal in sections—writing one section, getting it to me, setting a time to meet or talk with me 2 weeks later, and while waiting on my feedback, going on to the next section.
  
• Please allow me at least 2 weeks to review your work. As soon as you submit your work to me, you should e-mail me and set a date to talk with me about your work 2 weeks from your submission date. PLEASE DON’T WAIT FOR ME TO CALL YOU WITH FEEDBACK.
  
• Be sure the work you get to me is your very best work. I require most students who have registered for 990 or 999 with me for the purpose of writing their dissertation or proposal, to meet weekly with a tutor at the campus Writing Center ( www.wisc.edu/writing/ ) . I suggest all students either hire an editor or get a high school English teacher friend who is a good writer to edit your work before submitting it to me. Allow time (and money) for this editing in your work schedule. Because of the volume of work I review each week, you will get the best feedback from me if I can focus on the substance of your work and structure, and not on the writing per se. I just don’t have time to edit.
  
• When you get your work to me, BE SURE to attach your previous version that I have marked on. This saves me an incredible amount of time. I won’t be able to read your work until I have the previous version.
  
• Also, be sure the cover page of what you get to me has all your contact information (phone, e-mail, etc.), EVERY TIME!, no matter how long we have been working together.
  
• I will give you feedback on your work at your appointment (phone or in person), and we will continue this cycle of you getting your best work to me and I giving you feedback until the proposal/dissertation meets the criteria of good work. Sometimes sections of your proposal or dissertation may need to be revised 3, 4, 5 times or more.
  
• As you near the end of your proposal writing, we will discuss other potential committee members. You need 5 members total, at least 2 outside the department. Three of those members are your core committee members, and the other two are considered outside readers. Factors to consider in selecting members include 1) did they like your work in class? 2) expertise they could contribute to your work, 3) for students going on to be professors, members who can support you in your job search.
  
• Once I feel we cannot improve the work any further and the proposal (or dissertation chapter) is finished, then I will forward it to your two other core committee members. They will require two to three weeks to review the work and provide feedback. After you receive their feedback, you will make their suggested changes, THEN, we will schedule your preliminary exam. I WILL NOT SCHEDULE YOUR EXAM UNTIL I THINK YOUR WORK IS READY. I WILL NOT BE RUSHED OR PUSHED TO SCHEDULE YOUR EXAM BEFORE THIS. This is to protect you! and to ensure your exam will be successful.
  
• Human Subjects Review – All research must be approved by the School of Education Human Subjects Committee (also called Institutional Review Board). This process can take up to one month or even longer! Please see their calendar of when they are meeting and when items are due to them for review. During the two weeks prior to your preliminary exam, you should complete all the paperwork for this. To access all forms, go on line to the School of Education web site, click on Research, then down load the forms, complete them and get them to me to review. When completing the forms, PLEASE copy and paste the relevant information directly from your proposal. There is no need to write new information that I then have to edit again. At the same web site, they also have a Consent Letter Wizard that you should use to write your consent letters. You may not submit the Human Subjects information until AFTER your preliminary exam. This is to ensure that any changes suggested from your committee in the exam are made prior to the Human Subjects submission.

  Please then allow at least 2 weeks, sometimes up to 4 weeks or even longer for Human Subjects approval of your work after your preliminary exam. They will usually provide you feedback and changes you are expected to make and then require you to submit your materials again before they give final approval.

• After you and I have discussed possible dates, my secretary will schedule the exam with you and the committee members. You need to let Shari Smith know the date of the exam at least 3 weeks prior to the exam to enable her to get the necessary paper work ready.

The Preliminary Exam –

a. The exam is scheduled for 2 hours, and the core committee and possibly the other 2 members will attend, and you. The purpose of the exam is to ensure you and the committee are all on the same page with what you want to do, and that we work out any potential kinks in your study. This exam is not a big hoop to jump. Committee members may have already read and provided feedback on the proposal. You should expect hard questions, but they are hard, not to stump you, but to ensure your research questions and design are solid. You should see this as a great opportunity to get five people together who have read your work and want to discuss it with you to make it the best work possible. Savor this time! After your dissertation defense, if you go into academia, you will probably never have this opportunity again.

b. You will prepare a 20 minute overview of your study. Some students use overheads, some use power point, some have handouts, some use note cards, some highlight their proposal. You should practice this and be sure to stick with the time limit!!!!! NO EXCEPTIONS!

c. On the day of the exam, you are to pick up copies of your program and necessary forms from the department Admissions person.

d. I will start the exam by saying “This is the preliminary examination of (your name). We start out the exam by reviewing her Program of Studies and the courses s/he has taken and if any of you have any questions about that.” Members will review your program and ask some simple questions. The purpose of this is to calm you down and for members to become familiar with your background of study.

e. Then, I will ask you to take a couple minutes (no more) and tell us about your professional background and how you became interested in this topic.

f. Then, you will start into your presentation. I will encourage members to interrupt you at anytime and ask you questions. This will mean you will not get through your entire presentation, but the purpose of insisting you stick with the 20 minutes, helps you focus, and ensures there will be plenty of time for discussion. When this does not happen and students go on and on and on about their study, everyone falls mentally asleep, and the exam is a total drag.

g. Again, expect hard questions, but DO NOT become defensive! Give yourself time to respond. You do not have to rush. Pause a minute, and then respond. If you get a question you truly do not know how to respond to, you can say something like “That’s a really good question, I need to think about that, or I have not thought about that.”

1. I typically will ask you very few questions, if any at all, because you have already addressed my questions in our work getting the proposal ready. I will take notes in the exam of any concerns faculty have or any changes they suggest for the proposal or the dissertation. I will not help you answer any questions. This is your exam not mine! If I think another faculty member is way off track, I will help respond to that.

2. Sometimes, faculty themselves will get into a debate about some facet of your study. You just sit back, relax and enjoy the fact they are using up time to ask you questions.

3. Feel free to bring any questions or concerns you have that you wish to address to your committee with you. This is the time to clear up any issues.

4. As the end of the exam time nears, I will go around the table and ask each faculty member if they have any last questions. I will also summarize any changes they have suggested. Then, I will ask you to leave for just a minute. While you are in the hall, I will ask the committee if they feel comfortable signing your completion forms, and also to clear up any issues that may have arisen in the session. Then, I will come get you and congratulate you and it is OVER!

5. Typically, you will not have any changes to make on the proposal. Sometimes minor changes are suggested. Sometimes, the committee suggests a redesign of your research questions and changing your methods somewhat. This is typical, and does not mean your proposal was not solid. It just means it is even better after the committee had a chance to talk about it as a whole. Rather than making proposal changes, any suggested changes are usually made in the final dissertation.

Final Oral Exam

a. You have this exam after completing your dissertation. The format is exactly the same as the preliminary exam, except it lasts two hours. For your 20 minute presentation, you will want to be very brief about your literature review (just a minute or 2), and spend about 5 minutes on the methods, and the rest of the time on findings, discussion, and implications.

1. You will usually have changes to make on the final dissertation after the exam.

2. You need to allow at least several weeks or more after your defense, to make these changes that I will approve, to finish formatting the dissertation, and to submit it to the Graduate School.

Additional Expectations

• If you plan to work on your dissertation/proposal and plan to meet with me (including the summer intersession, then you must register for 990 (Research/Thesis) credits, every semester and summer until you graduate.
  
• Keep me posted on your progress by sending me a brief e-mail at least once a month that includes what you have accomplished on your work thus far, any problems you are having, and your goals for the next month. You may do this more frequently if you think it will help you.
  When you need to make an appointment with me, please e-mail me to set up times to talk. I try not to have students have to wait more than a week to talk with me. I simply keep adding office hours if my current hours get full.
  
  For each year, I will be working on my own research and writing and unable to review your work, write letters of recommendation, or respond to your e-mails on the following dates. If you have scholarship or job application deadlines, please plan ahead!!!
  
  Winter session, usually between December 15 and January 23

Session between spring and summer session, usually May 15-June 15

Session between summer and fall session, usually August 7 – Sept 7

• Time-lines. You should plan to have your final version of your proposal/dissertation completed at least two months prior to your defense. That is, if you wish to defend in May (the latest you can is the second week of May), then you should have it done March 1. If you wish to defend in August (the first week of August is the latest you can), you should have the entire piece completed no later than June 1. If you wish to defend in December (the second week of December is the latest that you can), then you should have it completed October 1. A final version means that you and I have completed all revisions, and it is ready to go to your committee. I will not send it on to your committee, and I will not set a date for your defense until I feel it is ready.
  
• Time to complete. It usually takes at least 6 months to complete a dissertation proposal if someone is working on it at least 15 hours a week or more. This assumes that you already have a topic and solid literature base. If you do not have the latter, the proposal writing could take up to 12 months. The actual dissertation usually requires 6 at least months of data collection and 6 months of analysis and writing. For some, it takes twice as long.

I hope knowing these expectations ahead of time is helpful to you. And do not forget to have fun in the process.

Timeline for Proposal Writing

This is a task analysis for writing the dissertation proposal. Please write in your own projected due dates for each task.

Structure of the Dissertation Proposal

(10 page initial version)

Before students write a full-blown proposal, I ask you to submit a 10 page mini-version first. This outline is for the mini-version.

• Introduction that includes a statement of the problem (about 1-2 pages)
• Literature review (what are the 3-4 major strands of literature to frame your work?) (3-5 pages +)

At the end, summarize what is missing, and what your study will contribute

In the full proposal, be sure to explain how you did the review (ERIC?, Dissertation abstracts?). Be sure to find the “empirical” literature. What research has been done on this topic before? What were their research questions? Their method? Their findings? Most proposals include a chart that describes the most pertinent studies.

The literature tells us:

• What you are doing is unique. That it is very clear that no one has done anything similar, or if so, you are clear about what exactly your study is contributing.
• It gives you ideas on your methods (e.g.,you might adapt their interview questions or their survey).
• It gives you ideas on their conceptual framework that you may adapt or use.
• In the last chapter of the dissertation, you must compare what you found to other studies, and these are the studies you compare your findings to.
• Conceptual framework (what theory/frame will you use to view the problem, frame your data gathering and analysis? Some students find a framework from other studies, others develop one from their literature). (1-2 pages)
• Research questions (3-4 main questions) (1/2 page)
• Method (write with enough detail that someone could follow it exactly) (3-5 pages)
• Design (case study? Qualitative? Ethnography?)
• Participants (who will you gather data from? How will they be picked and why?)
• Procedures (“To answer research question number 1 which is ……., I will…..) then tell us what data you will gather to respond to that question and each question.
• Instrumentation (What interview protocol will you use? How will you develop it? What questions will you ask? Attach the full protocol, surveys, whatever you will use to the proposal). (If you will use surveys, how will you measure reliability and validity of the survey itself? Of the data you get?)
• Analysis (What specific methods? What you will do with the data? Write in detail. Constant Comparative? Analytic Induction (for qualitative). Will you use computer analysis or put it on notecards or what? For quantitative tell us exactly what tests you will run and what programs you will do to run the tests).
• Reliability/Validity (quantitative). Trustworthiness (qualitative)
• Limitations
• Significance (Answer why this is important? Who cares?) How will your study contribute to the literature in this area? To practice? To administrator preparation? To theory? (It has to do all these)

Attach references.

Once this is approved, then you can expand it to the full proposal, fleshing out each section. A full proposal can be anywhere from 50-150 pages.

USE APA, 5 th Edition. Get the book and use it to do your references, citations, etc.