A focus group interview is a flexible, unstructured dialogue between the members of a group and an experienced facilitator/moderator that meets in a convenient location. The focus group interview is a way to elicit multiple perspectives on a given topic (Packer-Muti, 2010).
Read MoreABD (all but dissertation) are three little letters that come with a simultaneously sense of pride and emptiness. The feeling of pride comes with finishing a doctoral degree’s course curriculum and passing comps, which is no easy feat. While it’s exciting, it’s really only half of the journey. That’s when the emptiness creeps in and the anxiety of having to conduct your own research becomes a realization. This is when the real fun begins, however, there are a variety of circumstances that stop doctoral students from ever finishing. You know of at least one person who stayed ABD and never finished. I’m sure of it. I knew of this struggle before I even applied to a doctoral program. When I was accepted though, I created a goal for myself of finishing by the time I turned 30 or five years to complete the whole program. Surprisingly, I actually pulled it off. If you’re ABD and can’t seem to cross the dissertation finish line, here are five tips to finally get you there:
Read MoreComps, or comprehensive exams, are what keeps doctoral students up at night. For those of you who will never know the pain of taking these exams, they are designed to test your knowledge on the curriculum over the last two plus years. This pertains to research methodologies, theories, concepts, culture, leadership, or other related topics to the institution’s curriculum. Comps are brutal, absolutely brutal. I have personally seen people mentally break under the pressure because if you don’t pass, you will never finish your doctorate. Luckily, this didn’t happen to me and I owe it all to a strategy I devised.
Read MoreWITH MOST TRADITIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS FOCUSING ON THE WORK OF THE PROFESSOR RATHER THAN STUDENT OUTCOMES, MANY STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES ARE LEFT BEHIND, EVEN WHEN INTEGRATIVE TEACHING STYLES ARE APPLIED.
Read MoreAdult learners face a unique set of challenges when deciding to go back to school. They must overcome a vast array of hurdles in higher education, not just in balancing work and family, but in cost considerations, accessibility, and commitments necessary for returning to school.
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