Mentoring Dissertation Students in Online Doctoral Programs

2017 ◽  
pp. 118-135
Author(s):  
Colleen M. Halupa
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Transactional Distance ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face ◽  
Doctoral Work ◽  
Online Doctoral Programs ◽  
Dissertation Process ◽  
Improve Student Learning

Mentoring doctoral students in online programs can be even more challenging than mentoring in the face-to-face educational environment. Factors such as geographic and transactional distance can result in student isolation and attrition during the dissertation process. Students often are not prepared for the intensity of doctoral work and the discipline required to complete a dissertation. Effective mentoring techniques can decrease transactional distance boundaries to enhance the online dissertation process. Dissertation chairs must understand how mentoring can improve student learning. Rather than mentoring students based on personal beliefs or past experience, online dissertation chairs must familiarize themselves with best practices in mentoring throughout the dissertation process to provide a quality educational experience for their students, as well as to decrease attrition.

scholarly journals Professional Formation and Identities of Online and Face-To-Face Students: Experiences about a Doctoral Program of Educational Research in Mexico

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (21) ◽  
pp. 1347
Author(s):  
Leticia Nayeli Ramírez-Ramírez ◽  
Juan Manuel Fernández-Cárdenas
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
The Relationship

The present investigation focuses on understanding the experiences of professional training and identities that face-to-face and virtual doctoral students construct in a training program as educational researchers in Mexico. The relationship between experiences and emerging identities as researchers, academics and learners has not been an important focus in research on doctoral students. Similarly, virtual doctoral programs are scarcely offered in Mexico and their impact on the trajectory of doctoral students has been barely documented. The present research is positioned in the qualitative-phenomenological approach and is based on the conceptual referents of the sociocultural approach to identity in practice. The research questions guiding the analysis were the following: (a) How do the face-to-face and online doctoral students experience their doctoral career? (b) What strengths, opportunities, difficulties and threats do they experience? and (c) What identities do you create in your doctoral career?

Design Considerations for Online (and On-Ground) Programs

2020 ◽  
pp. 82-86
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Interpersonal Interactions ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Support Mechanisms ◽  
Course Experiences ◽  
Online Doctoral Programs

This chapter examines design considerations for online doctoral programs. Although the methods of course delivery and interpersonal interactions are different, the rigor of the online programs must equal those of the on-ground programs. Interactions among classmates, fellow doctoral students, and the faculty members must be purposefully designed and supported in order to attain the same enhancements that those equivalent interactions in on-ground courses support. Support mechanisms for encouraging and facilitating beyond course experiences must be created and periodically assessed.

scholarly journals Student Support Networks in Online Doctoral Programs: Exploring Nested Communities

10.28945/3676 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 033-048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharla Berry
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Social ◽  
Online Doctoral Programs

Aim/Purpose: Enrollment in online doctoral programs has grown over the past decade. A sense of community, defined as feelings of closeness within a social group, is vital to retention, but few studies have explored how online doctoral students create community. Background: In this qualitative case study, I explore how students in one online doctoral program created a learning community. Methodology: Data for the study was drawn from 60 hours of video footage from six online courses, the message boards from the six courses, and twenty interviews with first and second-year students. Contribution: Findings from this study indicate that the structure of the social network in an online doctoral program is significantly different from the structure of learning communities in face-to-face programs. In the online program, the doctoral community was more insular, more peer-centered, and less reliant on faculty support than in in-person programs. Findings: Utilizing a nested communities theoretical framework, I identified four subgroups that informed online doctoral students’ sense of community: cohort, class groups, small peer groups, and study groups. Students interacted frequently with members of each of the aforementioned social groups and drew academic, social, and emotional support from their interactions. Recommendations for Practitioners: Data from this study suggests that online doctoral students are interested in making social and academic connections. Practitioners should leverage technology and on-campus supports to promote extracurricular interactions for online students. Recommendation for Researchers: Rather than focus on professional socialization, students in the online doctoral community were interested in providing social and academic support to peers. Researchers should consider how socialization in online doctoral programs differs from traditional, face-to-face programs. Impact on Society: As universities increase online offerings, it is important to consider the issues that impact retention in online programs. By identifying the social structures that support online community, this study helps build knowledge around retention and engagement of online students. Future Research: Future research should continue to explore the unique social networks that support online students.

scholarly journals AN EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDICATORS OF THE COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY FRAMEWORK AND RETENTION IN ONLINE PROGRAMS

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wally Boston ◽  
Sebastián R. Díaz ◽  
Angela M. Gibson ◽  
Phil Ice ◽  
Jennifer Richardson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Student Persistence ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Student Records ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework ◽  
The Relationship

As the growth of online programs continues to rapidly accelerate, concern over retention is increasing. Models for understanding student persistence in the face-to-face environment are well established, however, the many of the variables in these constructs are not present in the online environment or they manifest in significantly different ways. With attrition rates significantly higher than in face-to-face programs, the development of models to explain online retention is considered imperative. This study moves in that direction by exploring the relationship between indicators of the Community of Inquiry Framework and student persistence. Analysis of over 28,000 student records and survey data demonstrates a significant amount of variance in re-enrollment can be accounted for by indicators of Social Presence.

Factors Contributing to the Effectiveness of Online Students and Instructors

2018 ◽  
pp. 1451-1462
Author(s):  
Michelle Kilburn ◽  
Martha Henckell ◽  
David Starrett
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Online Students ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face

Identifying the positive attributes of students and instructors in the online environment will contribute to the understanding of how we can enhance the learning experience for the student and the teaching experience for the instructor. This article will assist students and instructors in understanding the differences that may be experienced in the online environment versus the face-to-face environment and provide the opportunity to consider whether online learning and/or teaching is a “good fit” for them. Understanding why students and/or instructors might choose the online environment will also assist administrators in developing successful, quality online programs that enrich the experiences for both students and instructors.

Online Student and Instructor Characteristics

2011 ◽  
pp. 2911-2916
Author(s):  
Michelle Kilburn ◽  
Martha Henckell ◽  
David Starrett
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Face ◽  
Instructor Characteristics

As technological advances become mainstream in higher education, many universities have begun delving into online learning as an effective means of course delivery. Transitioning from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age of learning has forced some evaluators to rethink standards of success and the idea of productivity and learning (Leonard, 1999). Understanding the positive attributes of students and instructors in the online environment will contribute to the understanding of how we can enhance the learning experience for the student and the teaching experience for the instructor. This article will also assist students and instructors in understanding the differences that may be experienced in the online environment vs. the face-to-face environment and provide the opportunity to consider whether online learning or teaching is a “good fit” for them. Understanding why students or instructors might choose the online environment will also assist administrators in developing successful, quality online programs that enrich the experiences for both students and instructors.

Summer Mentoring Experiences for Students in Online Doctoral Programs

2021 ◽  
pp. 109-131
Author(s):  
Julie Smit ◽  
Elizabeth Jones ◽  
Michael Ladick ◽  
Mellinee Lesley
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
University Faculty ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Online Doctoral Programs

University faculty created the Llano Estacado Writers' Alliance (LEWA) in response to improving the quality and rigor of online doctoral programs. The goal for LEWA was to promote meaningful academic writing and transform doctoral students' identities as agentic academic writers. After LEWA's inception, the authors incorporated the perspectives of their alumni and advanced doctoral students to help address students' needs. This chapter documents the four-year journey of forming LEWA and developing new approaches to mentoring online doctoral students. Specifically, the authors recount the evolution from the faculty-led, week-long summer intensives that addressed students' anxieties and uncertainties about the doctoral program to the writing intensives that were more student centered, responsive, and primarily focused on the mores of academic writing. Results demonstrated the benefits of professor-led and peer-led networks in developing students' sense of belonging, sense of accountability to their peers, and a sense of self-worth as capable academic writers.

Perspectives of Online Doctoral Students in Educational Leadership

2010 ◽  
pp. 264-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicky Gilpin
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
Social Aspect ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Online Doctoral Programs

This study examines the perspectives of adult learners in an online Educational Leadership doctoral program. A qualitative survey research instrument was used to elucidate and explore phenomenological themes connected to student attitudes and perspectives regarding the experience of adult online education, the perceived challenges of an online doctoral program, the perceived benefits of an online doctoral program, student or teacher-connected strategies for success within online graduate education, the on-ground residencies in connection with the asynchronous aspects of the program, the perception of an online doctoral degree within their fields, and recommendations for online doctoral programs in the future. The findings suggest that strategies to increase student success in doctoral online programs should include a recognition of differentiated instruction toward multiple intelligences, increased communication of the dissertation or program timeline, an examination of how online students meet the contact hour requirements through teams, residencies, and individual time management, and an exploration of the social aspect of online learning.

Developing Dispositions of Collegiality and Professionalism in Online Doctoral Programs

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Lee S. Duemer ◽  
Heather Greenhalgh-Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Hidden Curriculum ◽  
Online Doctoral Programs

In this chapter, the authors make the argument that online doctoral students need opportunities to develop scholarly dispositions, particularly dispositions associated with collegiality and professionalism. They make that argument by first defining what they mean by dispositions, then by making an argument for a dispositional standpoint of care and analysis, then by describing dispositions of collegiality and professionalism. They then articulate an understanding of how to support the accrual of these dispositions in online doctoral programs. They do this by attending to the hidden curriculum of graduate school, and then by arguing for making parts of that hidden curriculum more visible and explicit.

Factors Contributing to the Effectiveness of Online Students and Instructors

2019 ◽  
pp. 38-51
Author(s):  
Michelle Kilburn ◽  
Martha Henckell ◽  
David Starrett
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Online Students ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face

Identifying the positive attributes of students and instructors in the online environment will contribute to the understanding of how we can enhance the learning experience for the student and the teaching experience for the instructor. This chapter will assist students and instructors in understanding the differences that may be experienced in the online environment versus the face-to-face environment and provide the opportunity to consider whether online learning and/or teaching is a “good fit” for them. Understanding why students and/or instructors might choose the online environment will also assist administrators in developing successful, quality online programs that enrich the experiences for both students and instructors.

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