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An Ethnographic Study of Graduate students in the humanities

Matt Norsworthy HEOC 803 Dissertation Prospectus. An Ethnographic Study of Graduate students in the humanities. The Issue.

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An Ethnographic Study of Graduate students in the humanities

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  1. Matt Norsworthy HEOC 803 Dissertation Prospectus An Ethnographic Study of Graduate students in the humanities

  2. The Issue Technology has reached a point where computer use is more of a degree of literacy than an alternate skill. While Higher Education has changed significantly with the advancement of technology, it has not fully embraced the possibilities in distance and digital education. Distance education has incorporated online degree programs from the associate’s level on through to PhD and doctoral level studies. However, this is not as prevalent at the PhD level as it could be, and certainly not in the humanities. There is an entrepreneurial element that is missing from many of our institutions in higher education with regards to trying new systems of instruction and learning through the rapid advancements of technology and course delivery. For instance, in 2009, U.S. News & World Report ranked 149 doctoral programs in English in the United States (Morse, 2011). None of these programs offered online PhD programs in English Literature.

  3. The Topic There has been very little research, if any, into the possibilities and effectiveness of an online PhD program in English Literature, or the rest of the Humanities. Based on the 149 institutions in the US offering a PhD in English Literature, there is likely to be a large percentage of potential candidates who are not able to attend English classes at a traditional PhD granting institution. Whether there is a problem attending classes in a traditional PhD program because of geography, career obligations, or family commitments, online PhD programs in the Humanities would certainly offer greater access to more graduate students through innovation and technology. New technologies and tools are available and being used on a global basis allowing for interaction and communication between students and teachers worldwide. Various systems of course delivery, student-faculty communication, electronic texts, video, and other multi-media, can be used to develop a completely online doctoral-level degree program in the humanities.

  4. The Research Problem The research that is out there and the online graduate degree programs that already exist indicate that an online PhD in a Humanities field “can” be done, so we need to understand what kind of students are seeking a PhD in a Humanities field or subject.

  5. The Purpose Statement The purpose of this study is to document and collect data that helps us understand what kind of students are seeking a PhD in a Humanities field or subject, why, and what their plans are for using that PhD.

  6. Evidence and Review of Literature, I Many colleges and universities offer online doctoral level degree programs, and there is research supporting the need for increased use of technology in distance education graduate programs going back to studies like Rhonda Martin Eppers’, “Coordination and Competition in Postsecondary Distance Education: A Comparative Case Study of Statewide Policies” (1997). Eppers pointed out an issue in higher education that is still going on today when she stated: Faculty and administrators, preserving their market niche or carving out new ones, search for the proper balance between face-to-face and technology- enhanced instruction. While institutions wrestle with the appropriate place and use of technology, state governments press them to accommodate more students at a lower cost (1997, p. 551).

  7. Evidence and Review of Literature, II. There has been research into various subjects and sub-topics related to this research problem. Research has been done on the use of technology in teaching English Composition online in “full e-mersion pedagogy” at the undergraduate level (Juzwiak and Tiernan, 2009). One project joined graduates students from a writing course with graduate students from a reading course in virtual communities to discuss the processes of reading and writing (Richards, 2007). The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article on a professor’s use of tablet computers in grading his student’s writing in his English course at City College of New York (Foster, 2005). A literature review was published on the “E-Mentoring Possibilities for Online Doctoral Students,” which should prove to be quite useful to this problem research (Columbaro, 2009). In terms of the overall implementation of distance learning programs, a study was done on whether e-learning policy drives change in higher education (de Freitas and Oliver, 2005). In addition, Susan Peterson Thomas (2005) conducted a study for her dissertation entitled, “An Investigation of the Mission, Vision, Funding Strategies and Student Services for Distance Learning in Land Grant and State Universities,” which would provide guidance for the process and policies relevant to establishing distance education programs in the average land grant and state university.

  8. Evidence and Review of Literature, III. Another aspect of online courses as compared to traditional courses is the quality of assessment that can be given to students in both formats. Ronald Yates and Ryan Beaudrie conducted a quantitative study on the quality of assessment in online math courses at the College of Southern Nevada (2009). Their study found that there was no significant difference between traditional and online grades based on the assessment tools in the math courses, which would be a good basis for similar hypothesis and study in an English program (Yates and Beaudrie, 2009). The social interaction and student learning environment in an online course or program is also an area of concern and study. Yu-fen Yang, Hui-Chin Yeh, and Wing-Kwong Wong recently published a study, “The Influence of Social Interaction on Meaning Construction in a Virtual Community,” in which the researchers found that, the peer review process provides additional benefits compared to simply submitting a final draft (Yang, Yeh, and Wong, 2010). Jean Darcy, Joan Dupre, and Michele Cuomo (2010) published an article on an ePortfolio course program that is being used quite successfully to combine core courses like reading and writing with elective courses like nursing, education, and acting in a virtual learning community at Queensborough Community College in New York. These two articles further support the success of collaboration between students and faculty in an online course or program, particularly in terms of reading and writing skills at the college level.

  9. Evidence and Review of Literature, IV Trevor Heath conducted a quantitative study on supervision in PhD programs in order to analyze the graduate students’ perspective (2002). Then in 2007, Tricia Vilkinas conducted a similar study from the faculty perspective in her, “An Exploratory Study of the Supervision of Ph.D./Research Students’ Theses” (2008). These two reports give perspectives from both sides of the student-faculty relationship in a PhD program that could help in developing best practices and recommendations for supervisory relationships in an online PhD program in English. Recently, the report, “Interactive Learning Online at Public Universities: Evidence From Randomized Trials,” (Bowen, et. al., 2012) found that students learn just as much in hybrid courses as they do in traditional courses. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that, “Some experts advocate online classes as a way to deliver courses more economically and effectively” (Mangan, May 22, 2012, p.1). Inside Higher Ed also reported that, “Without diminishing learning outcomes, automated teaching software can reduce the amount of time professors spend with students and could substantially reduce the cost of instruction, according to new research” (Kolowich, May 22, 2012, p.1).

  10. Research Questions • What kind of students are seeking a PhD in a Humanities field or subject? Why? • What their plans are for using that PhD? • Have they taken a Humanities course online? • Would they consider a Humanities PhD program online? Why or why not?

  11. Targeted Audience • Master’s Degree Student in the Humanities. • Undergraduate Students in the Humanities Contemplating Continuing Through to a PhD. • Administrators at Public and Private Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges. • Department Heads in the Humanities Subjects and Fields. • Current High School Teachers Considering Getting Their PhD in a Humanities Subject.

  12. Bibliography Bowen, W.G., Chingos, M.M., Lack, K.A. & Nygren, T.I. (May 2012). Interactive Learning Online at Public Universities: Evidence From Randomized Trials. New York: Ithaka S+R. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://www.sr.ithaka.org/research-publications/interactive-learning-online-public-universities-evidence-randomized-trials Columbaro, N.L. (2009). E-mentoring possibilities for online doctoral students: a literature review. Adult Learn. 20 no 3/4. 9-15. Darcy, J., Dupre, J., and Cuomo, M. (Oct. 2010). An ePortfolio virtual learning community within a traditional classroom space: the student in a global social networking community. HETS Online Journal. 1:1, 41-60. de Freitas, S. and Oliver, M. (March 2005). Does e-learning policy drive change in higher education?: A case study relating models of organizational change to e-learning implementation. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. 27( 1) , 81–95. Eppers, R. M. (Sept. – Oct. 1997). Coordination and competition in postsecondary distance education: a comparative case study of statewide policies. The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 68, No. 5, pp. 551-587. Foster, A. L. (June 24 2005). Mark Essays Electronically: A Professor Uses Tablet PC's in a Composition Course. The Chronicle of Higher Education. B18. Heath, T. (2002). A quantitative analysis of phd students’ views of supervision. Higher Education Research & Development, Vol. 21, No. 1. Juzwiak, C. and Tiernan, M. (2009). Pedagogies of visibility: the full e-mersion and beyond. New Directions for Community Colleges. 145. Wiley Periodicals. Kolowich, S. (May 22, 2012). Score one for the robo-teachers. Insider Higher Ed. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/22/report-robots-stack-human-professors-teaching-intro-stats Mangan, K. (May 22, 2012). Study shows promise and challenges of ‘hybrid’ courses. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/study-shows-promise-and-challenges-of-hybrid-courses/36350

  13. Bibliography Morse, R. (2011 March 14). Social sciences and humanities rankings methodology. U.S. News & World Report, Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2011/03/14/social-sciences-and-humanities-rankings-methodology-2012 Richards, J.C. (2007). Promoting conversations about reading/writing connections: graduate education student’s discourse in virtual communities of interest. Journal of Reading Education. 33(1), 19-28 Texas Tech University. (n.d.). Doctor of Philosophy in Technical Communication and Rhetoric. Retrieved on 5/12/2011, from http://www.depts.ttu.edu/distancelearning/doctoral/technical-communication/ Thomas, S.P. (2005). An Investigation of the Mission, Vision, Funding Strategies and Student Services for Distance Learning in Land Grant and State Universities. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. U.S. Department of Education. (2006). A test of leadership: charting the future of U.S. higher education (Pre-Publication Copy September 2006) (ED-06-C0-0013). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://benedictine.learntoday.info/AngelUploads/Content/HEOC-705-D4A1/_assoc/41714CFE70ED45499D40337A0F6B658C/Test_of_Leadership_2_.pdf Vilkinas, T. (2007). An exploratory study of the supervision of ph.d./research students’ theses. Innovative Higher Education. 32:297–311. Yang, Y.F., Yeh, H.C., and Wang, W.K. (2010). The influence of social interaction on meaning construction in a virtual community. British Journal of Educational Technology. 4:2, 287-306. Yates, R.W. and Beaudrie, B. (2009). The impact of online assessment on grades in community college distance education mathematics courses. The American Journal of Distance Education. 23: 62–70. Retrieved on 5/25/2011, from ERIC.

  14. Literature Matrix

  15. Literature Matrix

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