Responsibilities: the Chair, the Team and You
Topic 2: Overview of the Dissertation Process
We’ve learned that it is easier to complete a dissertation if you work in a team. Even if you are doing an independent dissertation with no thematic group, you can still assemble an effective team around you. The three main groups are the Chair, your colleagues, and you. This page provides some guidance about the responsibilities of each of these. Ultimately, the responsibility for completing a dissertation lies with you, the student. But making effective use of the resources around you can make your experience more rewarding.
The Dissertation Chair
Watch the video below to hear Dr. Julie Slayton discuss strategies for working effectively with your dissertation chair.
The Dissertation Chair
Watch the video below to hear Dr. Julie Slayton discuss strategies for working effectively with your dissertation chair.
Your Colleagues
When we asked successful EdD graduates what helped them the most to get through the dissertation process, the most common answer was "my colleagues.” But what is it about your colleagues that is helpful? They coax, nag, and cajole. They read your work. They share resources. They help you pace yourself. Whether you are in a dissertation group, or working independently, the most useful thing you can do is partner with someone. We refer to this as a having a "writing partner.” Make a commitment with this person to meet regularly, share your work, offer feedback, and, most importantly, hold each other accountable – encourage each other to keep going. You, then, become this source of support for someone else, too. Watch the video below to hear how a student has made the writing partner idea work.
When we asked successful EdD graduates what helped them the most to get through the dissertation process, the most common answer was "my colleagues.” But what is it about your colleagues that is helpful? They coax, nag, and cajole. They read your work. They share resources. They help you pace yourself. Whether you are in a dissertation group, or working independently, the most useful thing you can do is partner with someone. We refer to this as a having a "writing partner.” Make a commitment with this person to meet regularly, share your work, offer feedback, and, most importantly, hold each other accountable – encourage each other to keep going. You, then, become this source of support for someone else, too. Watch the video below to hear how a student has made the writing partner idea work.
Yourself
In the end, the person responsible for your finishing this project is you. The faculty has worked out the timelines, and broken down the project into manageable pieces mapped on to that timeline, but you are the person who has to actually write the drafts, make the changes, do the study, and do the thinking needed to pull it all together. No one else can do that for you. The faculty, collectively, has successfully guided more than a thousand students through this process, so listen when they make suggestions or offer advice. If you follow the timelines provided, and do the related work, you should be able to finish within the time limits.
In the end, the person responsible for your finishing this project is you. The faculty has worked out the timelines, and broken down the project into manageable pieces mapped on to that timeline, but you are the person who has to actually write the drafts, make the changes, do the study, and do the thinking needed to pull it all together. No one else can do that for you. The faculty, collectively, has successfully guided more than a thousand students through this process, so listen when they make suggestions or offer advice. If you follow the timelines provided, and do the related work, you should be able to finish within the time limits.
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