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Current Students
Current Students
Degree Completion: Ph.D.
Research and Inquiry Presentation
Research preparation is the foundation of the Ph.D. program, as research will play a paramount role in your professional career. Once you have formed a Supervisory Committee and have developed your course of study, you will need to begin planning for a Research and Inquiry Presentation.
Training to be an effective researcher requires concentrated focus to learn the various methods of inquiry and practice, and to employ these methods in various research projects while pursuing your degree. You will begin research activities during the first year of your program, and will continue to develop your skills by conducting various research projects, culminating with your dissertation. A major product of your research preparation effort is the Research and Inquiry (R&I) Presentation.
The purposes of R&I are to:
- immerse you in issues of content and method directly pertinent to your specialization;
- provide practical experience in the use of methods and the application of content learned in coursework;
- convey those aspects of substance and method that characterize the topic studied but that are not taught in general method or content courses; and
- afford an opportunity to present research to a professional audience and for the audience to learn about your research. In other words, R&I is the opportunity to begin integrating knowledge pertinent to your specialty.
The design, implementation, and presentation of your research shall be under the supervision of your Supervisory Committee*. A thoroughly developed research project must be presented prior to taking the General Examination. Successful completion of at least one research presentation will be a required part of your preparation for advancement to Candidacy; your Supervisory Committee may require additional research presentations. All members of the Faculty are invited to attend the presentations. In addition, graduate students are also welcome to attend as non-participating observers.
* Note: It is not imperative that the Supervisory Committee be established formally prior to the Research & Inquiry presentation. As an alternative, a group of three faculty members can agree to evaluate your R&I work.
Your plan of research and inquiry should hold substantial promise of contributing to preparation for a dissertation, and at its inception should have a good chance of being reportable at a professional meeting or being publishable in a juried journal. At each meeting, members of your Supervisory Committee will reassess the extent to which your research and inquiry activities are contributing to your stated goals, and provide advice in accordance with their assessment. Between committee meetings, the Chairperson will assume primary responsibility for advising and assisting in your research and inquiry preparation.
Teaching
Each Supervisory Committee will design experiences to promote excellence as a college teacher for students who will seek teaching positions. The nature of these experiences will vary with the prior experience of students. Some students come to graduate programs in education with substantial experience as teachers, and for them, fewer graduate school experiences may be required.
For some students, the annual Research/Inquiry Presentation will be stimulus enough to polish their instructional skills and to demonstrate mastery of instructional approaches. Other students may need to serve as teaching assistants, either formally or informally. Each Supervisory Committee will see that its student has appropriate, supervised experience as needed to promote effective teaching skills.
