Most people who work in student affairs have attended or planned a program that included an evaluation form. More times than not, it has a half-sheet of paper on which roughly five questions were printed. Generally, the questions all asked the same question, but in different ways:
Did you like this program or event?
Students who have had me for class have heard me refer to this method of assessment as "smiley face surveys." I gave this method that name for two reasons:
1. participants sometimes draw a smiley face on the evaluation, and/or
2. the sole purpose of the evaluation is to make the planner feel good about herself/himself.
As we focus more and more on assessing student learning and development, we're moving away from smiley face surveys. And although I have railed against them for a decade now, I propose a revision and reintroduction of this assessment effort. Hopefully we look at a single program or event as fitting in a larger curriculum for student learning and development. We should want honest feedback from participants in these programs and events. But here's the kicker: it has to be fast and easy.
Using the half-sheet of paper approach, we can quickly ask participants to share some important feedback with some simple open-ended questions. I know what you're thinking. Open-ended questions sound like we're going to ask students to write essays. Not at all. Open-ended simply means that the respondent has the freedom to choose what she or he feels is an appropriate response. For example, we can ask students to identify both their favorite and least-favorite part of the program or event. We can also ask them to describe something they learned in 3-5 words.
Here's the most important reminder for this or any assessment approach. Use the data you collect!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
Choosing a Topic for a Dissertation or Thesis (and other research projects)
A few years ago, a friend reached out to me on Facebook, asking advice on choosing a dissertation topic. I thought about the advice I offered her recently after having that same conversation with some our master's and doctoral students at LSU. I went back through my old Facebook messages, and found the advice I offered her. I hope someone finds it useful, as I think it's applicable not only to dissertations and thesis, but to other research projects as well. I've made a few edits from the original post.
Picking a topic can be tough, at least I found that to be the case. In higher ed, I think it's important for the student to choose a program that is in tune with her or his career goals. So, if you're thinking you want to remain a practitioner long term, focus on a topic that relates more to practice. If you want the faculty route, then a topic that is more theory driven, abstract, makes sense.* I knew I was going the faculty route, and my topic was basically the experiences of students of color at a predominantly White university. It's a wide open topic, and I definitely took a more theoretical approach with it, although I didn't do grounded theory or anything like that.
As you try to narrow down a topic, think in terms of answering the following questions:
1. What do I want to know?
2. What areas of literature would I need to consult?
3. What has been addressed about the specific topic already?
4. What would a study on this contribute to higher education?
5. What sources of data would be needed to answer #1?
If answering #4 for a particular topic really gets you fired up or excited, that's your topic.
When you think you've selected a topic, you have to answer the following very honestly: Can I stay energized about this topic for the next 2 years to complete the dissertation, and for 3 years after graduating? I say 3 years after, even if you remain a practitioner, because it becomes a topic of conversation whenever you meet someone and they discover you've recently completed a doctorate
If you have some topics in mind, and can't choose between them, or can't get one to a point that you think is narrow enough, I have some suggestions. Make yourself a table/grid. On the left side, put the following (one in each box of the column):
Picking a topic can be tough, at least I found that to be the case. In higher ed, I think it's important for the student to choose a program that is in tune with her or his career goals. So, if you're thinking you want to remain a practitioner long term, focus on a topic that relates more to practice. If you want the faculty route, then a topic that is more theory driven, abstract, makes sense.* I knew I was going the faculty route, and my topic was basically the experiences of students of color at a predominantly White university. It's a wide open topic, and I definitely took a more theoretical approach with it, although I didn't do grounded theory or anything like that.
As you try to narrow down a topic, think in terms of answering the following questions:
1. What do I want to know?
2. What areas of literature would I need to consult?
3. What has been addressed about the specific topic already?
4. What would a study on this contribute to higher education?
5. What sources of data would be needed to answer #1?
If answering #4 for a particular topic really gets you fired up or excited, that's your topic.
When you think you've selected a topic, you have to answer the following very honestly: Can I stay energized about this topic for the next 2 years to complete the dissertation, and for 3 years after graduating? I say 3 years after, even if you remain a practitioner, because it becomes a topic of conversation whenever you meet someone and they discover you've recently completed a doctorate
If you have some topics in mind, and can't choose between them, or can't get one to a point that you think is narrow enough, I have some suggestions. Make yourself a table/grid. On the left side, put the following (one in each box of the column):
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