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The University Digital Conservancy is home to open access articles, institutional documents, dissertations, datasets, university produced publications, campus newspapers, podcasts & more. Learn about the UDC .

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Department Dissertations and Theses

Many University of Minnesota theses and dissertations are now freely available online in the University Digital Conservancy. 

FREE full-text access to many additional University of Minnesota and Big Ten Academic Alliance theses and dissertations is available for UMN-affiliated users through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses subscription. Millions more print or pdf copies of older theses from around the world (1743-present) can be obtained there for a fee.

Ph.D. Dissertations (Department of Applied Economics)

1920-present.

Can be sorted by author or date, or filtered by subject area.

Master's Theses & Plan B Papers (Department of Applied Economics)

1915-present.

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College of Education and Human Development

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Student dissertations

Graduates of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction engage in complex research agendas supported by our award-winning faculty members. See examples of past student dissertations and research agendas, grouped by doctoral track.

Arts in education

• A Balanced Curriculum for Student-Oriented Learning in Art + Design Education: Toward Community-Based Participatory Design Research  Mee Jekal, 2020  Adviser: James Bequette  
• How does Creativity take shape in an arts classroom? A Post-intentional phenomenological and Arts-based study on the creation of artwork  Shelagh Gamble, 2019  Adviser: James Bequette  
• The Other Museum: The Experience of The Interior Space at The Adaptive Reuse Museum, where the institution meets its historically preserved building  Abdulrahman (Ben) Albannaa, 2019  Adviser: James Bequette

Literacy education

• Race Talk in the Classroom: Whiteness, Emotionality, and Antiracism  Kevin Lally, 2020  Adviser: Tim Lensmire  
• Rereading and Rewriting Teachers’ Stories of Felt Impossibilities   Abby Boehm-Turner, 2020  Adviser: Tim Lensmire  
• Exploring Reading Motivation and Engagement in Discipline-specific Classes  Yongjun Lee, 2020  Adviser: David O’Brien  
• Beyond Urbanization: (Un)sustainable Geographies and Young People’s Literature  Nick Kleese, 2021  Adviser: Marek Oziewicz

Culture and teaching

• Teacher Life: A Narrative Inquiry into the Storied Knowledge of Teachers  Jake Knaus, 2020  Adviser: Bic Ngo  
• Adviser: Bic Ngo Being and Belonging in America: Second-Generation Asian American Teachers’ Stories of Negotiating Identity & Culture  Meghan Phadke, 2021  Adviser: Nina Asher  
• How Service Learning Constructs Ideal Citizens for the Nation  Colleen Rost-Banik, 2019  Adviser: Vichet Chhuon

Second language education

• Traveling through spatial repertoires and mathematics: Dialogic nature of physics discourse practices and socialization activities  Yi-Ju Lai, 2020  Adviser: Kendall King  
• On Becoming the Peace Elephant Warrior Princess: Reclaiming Indigenous Rights to Spirituality, Creativity and Orality for the Vitality of Mbòg Bàsàa  Veronica Quillien, 2019  Adviser: Mary Hermes  
• Elementary Mandarin Immersion Students Learning Alphabetic Pinyin and Using Pinyin to Learn Chinese Characters  Zhongkui Ju, 2019  Adviser: Martha Bigelow  
• Bilingual educational language policies in context: A multidimensional examination of California’s bilingual teaching authorization  Kathleen Mitchell, 2019  Adviser: Kendall King

Elementary education

• Female Student Voice and Breaking the Silence: A Post-Intentional Phenomenological Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Females Using Digital Storytelling  Halah Alismail, 2020  Adviser: Mark Vagle  
• A Phenomenological Exploration of the Hegemonic Insider-Outsider in Teacher Education  Younkyung Hong, 2021  Advisers: Annie Mason and Mark Vagle

Social studies education

• Essential Voices: The Lived Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Individuals in a Rural School.  Heather Abrahamson, 2020  Adviser: J.B. Mayo  
• “You Will See Yourself In This Class”: A Case Study of Rendering Absent Narratives Visible   Daniel Bordwell, 2019  Adviser: J.B. Mayo

Learning technologies

• Examining Pre-service Teachers’ Technology Integration Perceptions and Practices  Yu-Hui Chang, 2021  Adviser: Cassie Scharber  
• Defining Active Learning in Online Courses Through Design Principles   Christiane Reilly, 2020  Adviser: Gill Roehrig  
• What Would Grace Hopper Do? Reclaiming Women's Place in Computer Science  Kris Isaacson, 2019  Adviser: Cassie Scharber

STEM education

• Identity in Mathematics Spaces for Middle and High School Students: A Case Study Approach to the Revealing of Identities in Formal and Informal Mathematics Spaces  Elena Gullickson, 2020  Adviser: Lesa Clarkson  
• Growing North Minneapolis: Fostering Youth Leadership and Critical Mentorship Through Intergenerational Work and Community-University Partnerships  Illana Livstrom, 2020  Adviser: Gill Roehrig  
• Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Proof in Secondary Mathematics Teacher Preparation  Foster Graif, 2020  Adviser: Erin Baldinger  
• Student Experiences Navigating Data Analysis Tasks in Fifth Grade Science and Engineering Settings   Aran Glancy, 2020  Adviser: Erin Baldinger and Tamara Moore  
• Understanding Sensemaking in Undergraduate Science Classrooms   FangFang Zhao, 2020  Advisers: Gill Roehrig and Anita Schuchardt

Graduate School

• Request Information
• Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

What is the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship? 

The Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) gives the University's most accomplished Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to an outstanding research project by providing time to finalize and write their dissertation during the fellowship year.

WHAT IS THE APPLICATION WINDOW? 

The 2025-26 nomination window will open October 2, 2024. The submission deadline is February 28, 2025 by 5:00pm central time.

Deadline extensions will not be granted; late submissions will not be accepted.

How much is the award? 

$25,000 stipend, academic year tuition at the general graduate rate for up to 14 credits per semester, subsidized health insurance through the Graduate Assistant Health Plan for up to one calendar year, and a $1,000 conference grant.

Who Is Eligible? 

Programs may nominate Ph.D. candidates if the nominee:

• will have passed the written and oral preliminary examinations by February 28, 2025.
• will have completed all program coursework by the end of the spring semester 2025 (NOTE: nominee may be registered for program coursework in spring 2025, but may not have any incompletes in program coursework at the time of nomination).
• is expected to graduate in calendar year 2026.

HOW DO I APPLY? 

Program Nomination required. Please reach out to your Director of Graduate Studies or Graduate Program Coordinator .

Colleges have a set number of nomination slots. Check with your program to find out more information about your college’s internal selection process.

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS?

Completed by Nominee (Ph.D. candidate) and submitted directly to the nominating program

• Nominee’s Education Statement
• Nominee’s Summary of Accomplishments
• Nominee’s Statement of Research, see details below

Completed by Nominating Program

• DGS Questionnaire

At the request of a Ph.D. candidate, two (2) letters of recommendation are required.

• One letter from the nominee’s Advisor and/or Co-Advisor, see details below
• One letter from a non-advisor, see details below

All application materials are forwarded to the student’s graduate program for submission to the electronic nomination form . The graduate program will upload a single PDF of the application materials in the following order:

• Nominee's Education Statement
• Nominee's Summary of Accomplishments
• Nominee's Statement of Research
• Two Letters of Recommendation

Required PDF title format: Nominee Last Name, First Name - Program

Further Information

For more information about internal review and nomination procedures, please contact your Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or designated program support staff. If you have additional questions, contact the  Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards .

APPLICATION MATERIAL INSTRUCTIONS

+ nominee’s statement of research, required elements.

• Maximum three pages, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins.
• Include a working title for your research at the top of the proposal.
• Under the title, include an abstract, limited to 100 words, in terms that are jargon-free and accessible to the non-specialist.  

Appendix Page

Key references, diagrams or pictures may be included (but they are not required) on a single additional appendix page (no formatting requirements).

Expectations of content

• Provide a clear summary of your dissertation research and highlight your original contributions to the research, especially if part of a larger research project.
• Describe where your research fits within the context of existing research in the field and the contributions your research will add.
• Describe the area(s) of impact that you see your research having.
• Describe how receiving the DDF supports your professional and/or career goals.
• Specialized terminology must be defined. Faculty reviewers are drawn from many different fields across the University.   

Evaluation Rubric

• You may find this rubric  to be helpful as it will be used by the Faculty Review Committee to evaluate DDF applications.

+ LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Advisor or co-advisor (can be co-authored).

• 2-page maximum, may be co-authored by Advisor and Co-Advisor
• Describe the importance and significance of the overall research project and its impact on the broader discipline.
• Describe and provide examples of the specific contribution(s) the nominee made to the research project, demonstrating the nominee’s independence and research originality (e.g. invited presentations, awards, honors received).
• Describe how the nominee has evolved as a researcher, how that has guided their dissertation research project, and how they will benefit from the DDF.
• Describe the nominee’s timeliness of progress toward the degree. Has this nominee performed below, met, or exceeded expectations and provide explanation for any extenuating circumstances.

Non-Advisor

• 2-page maximum, from a non-Advisor

+ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the review and selection considerations.

An interdepartmental faculty committee reviews nominations and selects award recipients. This rubric is used in review and for discussion.

Can my co-advisor write the second letter of recommendation?

No, the second letter of recommendation must be from a non-advisor. Your co-advisor can co-author the first letter with your advisor. A committee member or other non-advisor can author the second letter.

Are there any tips for a successful DDF application?

The nominee is encouraged to have their Statement of Research reviewed and critiqued by persons completely outside the field and unfamiliar with the discipline to assure that it meets the wide-audience test of accessibility. Many excellent nominees have not received awards in past years because their statements contained undefined specialized words and dense syntax, making the statement incomprehensible to reviewers not in the nominee's discipline.

DDF Conference Grant

The DDF Conference Grant supports a recipient’s presentation of dissertation research at a conference while on DDF tenure. The application form, which includes instructions and more information, is linked in the DDF Terms & Conditions. Applications are accepted on the 6th of every month, September through May, during a recipient’s DDF tenure.

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Freely available research resources

Staff are available to provide research assistance online:

Quick help  is available by  email  or  24/7 chat .

Public access

This guide is for researchers who are not affiliated with the University of Minnesota. All of the resources listed here should be available to all residents of Minnesota, and most are freely available to anyone. 

Accessing library databases remotely (non-affiliates)

Current University of Minnesota students, faculty and staff have access to most of our online databases and collections from off-campus. 

Unfortunately, our licenses do not allow us to offer access to most online resources from outside of our physical libraries to members of the public, but there are many resources including open access materials, content purchased by the State of Minnesota, and other freely available resources. Non-University affiliates can use our online resources using computers in our libraries. 

This guide lists scholarly resources you can use for free, from any location, regardless of your University-affiliation. 

Minnesota access to online resources

• eLibrary Minnesota ELibrary Minnesota gives Minnesota access to magazine, journal, newspaper and encyclopedia articles, media, including images, videos, and audio files, and other information resources. It provides information on topics, including consumer information, arts and humanities, career, occupation, and test prep, current events, health, science, social science, politics, business, and more.

Public Libraries

Check with your local public library - many libraries, like Hennepin Count y, R amsey County , and St. Paul Public Libraries are now offering access to libraries via services like curbside pick-up, computer appointments, and more. Public library card holders can also access most public libraries' online resources from home.

• University of Minnesota Libraries Home Page Find books, scores, recordings, magazines, journals, movies, and more in the University of Minnesota Libraries catalog.

Scholarly articles

• OA Button Search the OA Button by entering a DOI, article title, or citation. If an open access version of the article is not found and there is a legal route to making a version available, the OA Button will contact the author on your behalf to request their article be shared.
• Unpaywall Extension This is a web browser extension that connects users from publisher webpages to open access versions of articles. Once installed, a tab on the right side of the screen will indicate whether an open access version exists. Clicking on the tab navigates to the open version, when available.
• Google Scholar (UMN setup required) To gain off-campus access to articles from library journal subscriptions, change the Library Settings to University of Minnesota Twin Cities in Google Scholar (see this tutorial) Use Google Scholar to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, research institutes, and scholarly repositories from colleges and universities. Look for the "FindIt@U of M Twin Cities" links in your Google Scholar search results to access library subscriptions.
• The Lens Lens.org is a free-to-use database that searches a variety of sources, including PubMed, CORE (a very large repository), and Microsoft Academic Graph. It has a significant amount of patent data as well. From the landing page, click on Patents, Scholarly Works, or Profiles above the main search box. Search results will be a mixture of subscription and open access materials. Among many other filters, it has the option to filter results by open access status.
• Dimensions: Open science Aggregates millions of open science publications, grants, policy documents, citations, and more. Covers the health, chemical, physical, and clinical sciences, as well as engineering, mathematics, psychology, and much more.
• PubMed Central PubMed Central is a free digital repository that archives publicly accessible full-text scholarly articles that have been published within the biomedical and life sciences journal literature.
• DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals (OA) Directory of Open Access Journals covers free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals of all subjects and languages. There are 5625 journals in the directory. Currently 2398 journals are searchable at the article level; ~468,000 articles are included in the DOAJ service.
• JSTOR Open Content Academic content on JSTOR that is open to everyone, everywhere. Search thousands of free journal articles and open access book chapters. JSTOR also offers free individual accounts to their full scholarly collection, allowing up to six article downloads every 30 days.
• NCBI Bookshelf Free online access to ebooks and documents in life sciences and healthcare.
• Project Muse OA Open access (OA) books and journals from several distinguished university presses and scholarly societies.
• Libraries search Search for materials across University of Minnesota library collections and databases.

Books & ebooks

• Directory of Open Access Books Openly available scholarly books from academic publishers.
• Ebooks Minnesota The collection covers a wide variety of subjects for readers of all ages, and features content from our state's independent publishers.
• Epub Books Free public domain eBooks that you can download in the EPUB format.
• Google Books Google Books searches the full text of thousands of books, so it can help you find out if a certain word or phrase is in a book. It will only show you snippets of the book's text, though, so you'll need to find the books in the Library or request them through Interlibrary Loan.
• HathiTrust Digital Library HathiTrust is a large digital database of full text books and other materials. For older items (in the public domain) anyone can view and download. You have limited access to items covered under copyright, except for users with print-reading disabilities who apply for special access to digitized works.
• Internet Archive: eBooks and Text archive Full-text of books and other tests available, mostly published before 1923 and in the public domain, from a variety of Libraries.
• OApen Library Open Access Publishing in European Networks (OAPEN) Library contains freely accessible academic books, mainly in the area of humanities and social sciences.
• Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks.
• TOME: eBooks from University Presses Open access to online books published by university presses, including the University of Minnesota and many more.

Media: Image and sound collections

• Archives of American Art Collection of primary source documentation on American visual arts.
• Cities and buildings database Digitized images of buildings and cities drawn from across time and throughout the world.
• Getty Research Institute Images Includes artists’ sketchbooks, drawings and watercolors, rare prints from the 16th through the 18th century, 19th-century architectural drawings of cultural landmarks, and early photographs of the Middle East and Asia. Available to the public for use without fees or restriction.
• IMSLP Petrucci Music Library 96,380 works · 324,160 scores · 36,506 recordings · 12,986 composers · 338 performers
• Media History Digital Library Public domain media periodicals and online access to the histories of cinema, broadcasting, and recorded sound.
• UbuWeb An online educational resource for avant-garde material. It includes texts and critical studies, visual, concrete and sound poetry, film and video art, sound art and music, and theatre and dance productions among other critical avant-garde material.
• Virtual Library of Musicology ViFaMusik, the central portal for music and musicology, allows you to access an extensive digital library containing the latest scholarly research and online resources.

Archives & digital repositories

• American Memory: Historical Collections for the National Digital Library Primary source and archival materials covering topics such as art and architecture, performing arts, technology and applied sciences.
• Black Freedom Struggle in the United States Select digital primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history, from 1790-present.
• Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers This site allows you to search and view US newspaper pages from 1880-1923 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
• Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) A searchable online catalog with millions of digitized items to browse, including photos, maps and books, from libraries, archives, museums, and cultural institutions around the United States.
• Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub (1849-1924) Digital reproductions of historical newspapers from Minnesotan towns and cities. Includes the Minneapolis Tribune from 1867-1922.
• Umbra Search African American History A freely available search tool and widget that brings together over 400,000 digitized materials documenting African American culture and history from over 1,000 libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions.
• UMedia Discover 161,819 images, maps, manuscripts, video, audio, and more. UMedia provides open access to digitized materials from across the University of Minnesota.
• University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy The University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (UDC) is a venue for faculty to deposit open access copies of their scholarly work, a showcase for select student works, such as dissertations and honors theses, a home to the Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM), and centralized, searchable access to institutional digital records including those of the University of Minnesota Archives.

More freely available resources

Thanks to UC Berkeley: select content above derived from their guide to Freely Available Resources for Research . 

For more freely available resources from specific disciplines please see UC Berkeley's sub-pages covering:

• Arts, Humanities, and Area Studies  
• Social Sciences

• MyU : For Students, Faculty, and Staff

Final dissertation and thesis defense

Once a computer science doctoral student has completed their thesis, they may proceed to step #8 on the  graduation checklist  and assign their doctoral examination committee. Members should be updated to reflect who will serve as  committee  chair and who will serve in a reviewing capacity. Students should remember that an advisor cannot be the chair of the Final Defense Committee. 

The final oral examination committees must consist of at least four qualified individuals to include:

• At least three members (including the advisor) must be from your major field; in almost all cases, this will be someone whose home department is Computer Science & Engineering.
• At least one member must represent a field outside the major.

Things to consider:

• You must select a committee chair, the faculty advisor can not serve as chair.
• If you have declared a minor, at least one member must represent the minor field. This counts for the outside the major representative.
• Members cannot satisfy the requirement with respect to more than one field.

All members of the committees and the candidate must participate live either in-person or remotely, the presentation can not be recorded and viewed later by one or more committee members. The final oral examination committee is not required to include the same members who served on the prelim oral committee.

Thesis reviewers for final oral examination

• A minimum of three major field reviewers and one minor/outside reviewer are required. In the case of multiple minors, there must be a reviewer for each minor.  
• Advisor(s) must serve as reviewers.
• Every designated reviewer on the doctoral dissertation reviewer’s report must certify that the dissertation is ready for defense before the doctoral final oral examination may take place.
• Must represent the major on the final oral committees.
• The chair of the doctoral final oral examination committee may not be the candidate’s advisor.

Co-advisor (if any)

• May represent the major or the minor/outside field on the preliminary oral and final oral committees.
• May serve as chair for the preliminary oral examination.
• The chair of the doctoral final oral examination committee may not be the candidate’s co-advisor.

Copies of a student's thesis should be given to all members of the committee. It is important to note that all members of a student's committee read his or her thesis; although only those designated as thesis reviewers sign the form indicating that the thesis is ready for defense. Student's must notify their advisor and the other members of the committee at least two weeks in advance that the thesis will be delivered on a particular date. All members of the examining committee must then have at least two weeks to read the thesis after it has been delivered. The reviewers must decide unanimously that the thesis is ready for defense.  Upon completion of the review, designated committee members complete the Reviewer's Report form to certify that a student is ready for defense. All Reviewer's Report forms should be submitted to the Graduate Student Services and Progress Office at minimum one week before the date of a student's Final Oral Examination. 

Once a student's thesis is complete with all requested changes made, the thesis along with a cover page signed by the student and advisor must be submitted to  GSSP . In signing the cover page, the advisor is certifying that all requested changes have been made. Students will then be requested to submit a thesis online. The Computer Science and Engineering department also requests that students submit one bound copy of the final thesis to the department. Directions for thesis submission along with thesis formatting instructions can be found  here.

Final Oral Examination Procedure

Students are responsible for scheduling their thesis defense with the Graduate Student Services and Progress office via the  Final Oral Examination Scheduling  system at least one week prior to their defense. The student's thesis must be reviewed by his or her committee and the Thesis Reviewer Report form must be turned in prior to the student's defense.  The Graduate Student Services and Progress office will send a "Final Oral Examination Report Doctoral Degree" form to the chair of the Final Examination Committee, please note that this will not be a student's advisor. Students should verify that this form had been received by the Committee Chair.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering requires all Ph.D. students to hold their final thesis defense within ninety days of obtaining all committee member signatures on the " Reviewers Report on the Ph.D. Thesis" form which states that the thesis is ready for defense. This form is available in the  Graduation Packet  available for download at the Graduate School webpage.   Those who fail to take their thesis defense due to scheduling conflicts must resubmit this form to restart the 90-day clock.

To be awarded the degree students must receive no more than one dissenting vote from the total examining committee. Students must make all the necessary changes in the text of the thesis before it is bound. Students must observe all requirements, including submitting one unbound copy of the thesis with the signature of an advisor to the Graduate Student Services and Progress Office, before a degree can be awarded.

Graduate Education policy requires that all thesis defense presentations for doctoral candidates be made open to the public. To ensure transparency, the Computer Science Department requires doctoral candidates to make their full dissertation available to the public prior to the final oral defense. The availability of this copy, along with the time and place of your thesis defense must be communicated to  [email protected]  for dissemination through electronic mail to current graduate faculty and students, at least one week prior to your defense date. This announcement must contain a one-page descriptive abstract of the thesis to be defended, the name of the thesis advisor, the names of any co-advisors, and the URL of your thesis. To schedule the Final Oral Examination, the student must notify the Graduate school through the online system. The Computer Science front desk staff can assist with reserving a room if needed. to notify the faculty, peers and the general public of the Thesis Defense.    

After passing the final oral exam, students must turn in the signed  Thesis Defense Report Form to the GSSP office within 24 hours. Upon your departure, please remember to submit to the department a change of address, the name of your first employer (after graduation) and return keys you have for your office and/or the labs.

For questions about the final dissertation and thesis defense, contact the Graduate Program Coordinator: Current students:  [email protected] Prospective students:  [email protected]

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Effective online teaching and learning strategies: interdisciplinary research of student perceptions in higher education

• Published: 24 August 2024

Cite this article

• Yifat Davidoff   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1397-5811 1 &
• Wurud Jayusi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0754-6703 2  

Higher Education has serious challenges regarding academic online teaching-learning-evaluation methods and tools. This study examined 980 students from diverse disciplines about their social-emotional-psychological (SEP) perceptions. We also examined the presence and desirability of 14 TLE (teaching-learning-evaluation) tools in the online learning environment. Findings indicate that current academic online learning does not meet students’ social-emotional needs and reveals a significant demand for practical and engaging methods like simulations and interactive platforms. Diverse disciplines expose different needs (e.g., business and engineering students reported a greater lack of empowerment and lowered acquisition of skills than students from disciplines characterized by higher engaging online learning, such as education and social sciences). Diversified teaching methods, interactive platforms, group support and assessment are needed to address diverse needs. This study extends the international understanding of SEP and TLE theoretical and methodological concepts and suggests practical solutions for effective online teaching-learning and evaluation for diverse disciplines.

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• Artificial Intelligence
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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The survey itself is available her in English: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZiGRreBhBe6F7xQC8AsRNhSzX30pu9GFHbfvKKJTxRUtTw/viewform .

Abbreviations

Social emotional psychological

Teaching-learning-evaluation

Psychological empowerment

Self-regulated learners

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Acknowledgements

We would also like to thank the following organizations for their support: University of Portsmouth, UK; University of Cape Town; Beit Berl Academic College; David Yellin Academic College; Ben-Gurion University; Tel Aviv University; Haifa University.

This research was funded by the Feldman Foundation, TX by The Centre for Shared Society in Beat Berl College.

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Davidoff, Y., Jayusi, W. Effective online teaching and learning strategies: interdisciplinary research of student perceptions in higher education. Educ Inf Technol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12958-8

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PRTH 987 Dissertation Writing in Practical Theology I

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For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the  Academic Course Catalog .

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PRTH 987 is the transitional course that assesses competency from PhD in Practical Theology course work and prepares the PhD candidate for dissertation writing. This is accomplished through the successful completion of a comprehensive field exam, prospectus development and approval, and pairing the candidate with an appropriate dissertation supervisor. All these tasks are necessary before dissertation writing can formally commence.

Course Assignment

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Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Quiz: Preprospectus Proposal Consultation

The student will submit to the instructor teaching PRTH 987 a “Preprospectus Proposal” developed in the Tier II courses for the instructor’s evaluation and feedback, especially as it relates to the three overriding principles of dissertations in the PhD in Practical Theology program; namely, that they must be appropriately biblical, theological, and practical. The student will then meet with the instructor to discuss the details of the proposal before the first draft of the prospectus is composed. This initial consultation will provide opportunity for redirection and refinement as appropriate, along with advice on how the particular topic might best be developed into a library-based, biblically, and practically oriented PhD dissertation. The student will complete a quiz verifying that they have completed the requirement. (CLO: A, B).

Comprehensive Exam 4: Journal Article Proposal Assignment

The fourth and final comprehensive exam requires the composition of an article related to the student’s intended dissertation topic. The article functions as a “field essay” and (1) establishes that the student has “read themselves into the field” sufficient to demonstrate mastery of the issues and literature appropriate to the PhD level of research, and (2) establishes that the student has a viable proposed research topic in the field. In preparation for the exam, the student must write a brief proposal (2-page maximum) to be submitted to the professor for approval. (CLO: A).

Comprehensive Exam 4: Journal Article Assignment

Once the Comprehensive Exam 4: Journal Article Proposal Assignment has been approved by the instructor of PRTH 987, the student must prepare and submit a publishable article on an approved topic relevant to the student’s dissertation that explores a gap in the literature. This exam must demonstrate that the student has a mastery of the field, a grasp of the literature, and an ability to integrate information and themes developed in their PhD in Practical Theology coursework. (CLO: A).

Dissertation Prospectus: First Draft Assignment

The PhD in Practical Theology prospectus will be submitted in two stages: first draft and final draft. In the first draft submission, the student will submit a prospectus containing 4 key components: (1) a dissertation abstract; (2) a description of the dissertation’s research methodology and design of the dissertation’s argument; (3) a chapter-by-chapter outline; (4) a working bibliography. (CLO: B, C).

Dissertation Prospectus: Final Draft Assignment

The final draft of the dissertation prospectus will contain the same 4 components as the Dissertation Prospectus First Draft Assignment and will gather up, address, and remediate any issues raised by the instructor. (CLO: B, C).

Quiz: Dissertation Supervisor Pairing Assignment

The student will complete the Dissertation Supervisor Pairing Quiz to verify that they are ready to be paired with a dissertation supervisor. (CLO: G).

Argument Analysis and Research Methodology Assignment

Considering the elements of a good argument in Turabian’s A Manual for Writers, Chapter 5, “Planning Your Argument,” the student will assess their dissertation’s proposed argument relative to (1) its central claim; (2) warrants on which the claim relies; (3) evidence supporting the claim the student intends to present in the dissertation; and (4) the student’s response to potential objections to the argument. Then, the student will describe their research methodology relative to 4 key concerns: (1) it employs library-based (rather than human subject) research; (2) it employs an evidence-based, logically-defensible research heurism; (3) it is biblical and theological with engagement with primary sources as appropriate; and (4) it is practical. The paper must be double-spaced and between 7-10 pages in length, exclusive of title page, contents page, and bibliography, and follow current Turabian format guidelines, utilizing footnote citations. The paper must consist of two distinct sections: argument analysis and revised research methodology. (CLO: D).

Quiz: Primary Source Research

Because this is a PhD in Practical Theology, engagement with the biblical text (primary source) sufficient to undergird both the theological and practical components of the student’s research is both required and expected. The student will complete a quiz verifying that they have engaged in appropriate primary source research related to their dissertation’s topic and focus. (CLO: E, F).

Quiz: Turabian Review

Because Kate Turabian’s A Manual for Writers is the style standard for the student’s dissertation, the student will complete a quiz verifying that they have reviewed the style guide sufficiently to be able to produce a clean dissertation. (CLO: E, F).

Quiz: Dissertation Supervisor Initial Consultation Assignment

Once the student has been notified of dissertation supervisor pairing, the student will reach out to the dissertation supervisor and request an initial consultation. This consultation meeting will typically be 20 to 30 minutes in length and will be conducted virtually through Microsoft Teams or the current video conferencing platform the university is using at the time. (CLO: G).

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