1. Group Dissertations in Practice

2. QUICK FACTS- MSU Ed.D 3-YEAR COHORT PROGRAM
FIRST COHORT: SEPTEMBER 2013
SMALL COHORTS: STUDENTS
K-12 FOCUS (Higher Education, Medical staff, Youth Workers, Immigrant Advocates, Health Educators, Community Activists and others have joined)

3. Guiding Purposes, Values of DEL & DIP
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
CONTRIBUTION ORIENTED ACTION- RESEARCH
ACADEMIC RIGOR
GROUP COLLABORATION

4. What is a DEL Dissertation in Practice?
A DEL DIP project is a significant time-bounded effort undertaken by a group of students working interdependently to address a school or community-related problem, often in collaboration with an external partner.
DIPs are undertaken as part of DEL program mission to contribute to re-development efforts within Michigan

5. Why a Group DIP? To better engage challenges facing Michigan
To make concrete contributions to practices addressing those challenges
To provide stronger systems of DIP support- including social support- for working educators
To maintain doctoral standards of intellectual rigor and knowledge creation.

6. Qualities of a DEL DIP
A central purpose of being useful and making things better for a stakeholder group.
Have aspects of both knowledge generation and knowledge application
Engage school and community practitioners in collaborative inquiry
Leverage tacit professional knowledge to develop ideas, resources and solutions to problems that youth-serving professionals deal with every day. 

7. Particular Demands of DEL DIP
DIPs require students to work interdependently in collaboration with others. This requires multiple levels of collaboration:
Within DIP groups – involving collective and individual responsibility and accountability;
With advisor/chair and faculty seminar instructors - requiring transparency and flexibility;
With partner, as specified in memo of understanding underscoring responsiveness.

8. YOU WILL ENGAGE IN A GROUP DIP
Our application process makes clear that a group DIP model is used and non-negotiable.
Applicants who express strong a priori interest in a particular topic are counselled to consider a Ph.D. or individual thesis program.
Students often begin floating ideas with each other in Year 1.

9. TIMELINE

10. For success…
DIPs are not too abstract (leaving the team wandering) or too narrow (which reduces learning and risks mediocrity.)
DIPS are not open-ended and ongoing. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end and end products. BUT…it may be conceptualized as a stage in a larger process.
These restrictions anchor the project to practice as well as timelines.

11. Other Key Sources of Success
Dedicated Faculty Adviser for each group
3 meetings across DIP year gather all 3 cohorts together.
Normative video conferencing habits established via online learning Years 1-2
Social support, obligation, coverage

12. DIP Types (thus far) FACULTY-STUDENT INITIATED RESEARCH
(1) Funding Equity
OUTSIDE REQUEST
FOR COLLABORATIVE INQUIRY
(1) Absenteeism
STUDENT INITIATED PROPOSALS
(9) See Next Slide
STUDENT-DISTRICT COLLABORATION
1. Equity Audit
1. Collective Impact of Community Services

13. SELF-INIATED DIPS

14. 100% on time Graduation (We have lost some students in the
first and second semester to life events.
And some students complete products over summer)

15. DIP as a GROUP

16. How Groups Form
On their own, students begin to explore and discuss potential DIP topics and studies in Year 2
So far, we have found a way to integrate everyone into a group.[ Some bumps]
Many begin to form groups. [Size 3-5] Some speak with faculty.
Remember, these are small cohorts

17. Group Patterns
Strong groups (70%) Similar levels of interest in topic and study design; similar strengths for the work,
Mixed Groups (20%)   Different levels of interest in topic but attachments to other elements of the project; positive group norms
Challenged Groups (10%) Different levels of interest, focus, direction and contribution …until urgency galvanzies improved collective action. (2 cases)  
1 group that ended in a separation due to chronic late/weak contributions of 1 member; remaining members are a strong group.

18. DIP Advisor
Groups ask a DEL faculty member to serve as an Chair/adviser or co-chair/adviser [4-person faculty committees ]
Groups begin to explore ideas, faculty advise, assist

19. Storming Norming DIP Studies
The starting phase of group DIPS is messy [ and anxiety producing for some].
We counsel tolerance for initial messiness of grounding RQs and project design.
The negotiating process is a learning experiences about research, about group members orientations that teaches and strengthens the group

20. Groups are Largely Self-Managing
Part of the DIP learning experience involves:
Displacing some personal passions
Finding something to attach to strongly
Working collaboratively to utilize different strengths

21. Displaced Personal Passions
Opportunities for personal study and research over Years 1-2
But, group DIPs requires collective decisions and focus
Members know that group DIPS will involve compromise Members invest in different elements

22. Attaching to Different Elements in the Work
Most are passionate about the topic
Some drawn by learning methods
Design
Improvement Science
Q methodology
Some are enthusiastic about navigating partnerships or new connections in the field.
Some take the lead in developing key products and contributions.

23. Students learn and achieve by collaborating & utilizing different strengths
Contributing Individual strengths for:
Conceptualization
Linking to theory
Quantitative analysis
Qualitative analysis
Project management and logistics
Seeing applications and contributions

24. Benefit of Tensions/Conflict
Source of conflict can be internal (study design preferences, group process) or external (challenges with partners)
Conflict can be a crucible that hardens the eventual project and product.
We press for leadership actions that make conflict productive. ‘This is what its about”

25. Groups Learning in Many and sometimes Unexpected Ways
Group work forces program values and learning into practice:
Developing relationships and learning community,
Diagnosing, formulating problems,
Designing and implementing projects
Organizing work,
Managing conflict,
Putting ideas into practice
Communicating

26. Utility of DIP to their practice
Affirming their own orientations as leaders
Suggestions/solutions for their own Problems of Practice
Improved processes to use in their professional situations
Knowledge for developing professional development

27. PRODUCTS: More Productively: Policy briefs
Data briefs
Process Designs
Survey, assessment and tracking tools
Guidance manuals
Web sites
Networks
A (fairly traditional) group dissertation document
(* Deposit to Graduate School optional.
Direct deposit to ProQuest arranged

28. IMPACT AND VISIBILITY HAS AIDED SUPPORT and RESPECT FOR THE PROGRAM
But additionally…
Meetings with State Superintendent of Education
Testimony to Legislative Hearings
Presentations and Workshops at Professional Conferences
Leadership of New Partnerships and Networks
IMPACT AND VISIBILITY HAS AIDED SUPPORT and RESPECT FOR THE PROGRAM

29. Personal & Professional Gains for Students
Personally transformative experience
New skills, knowledge beyond coursework
Advances in leadership skills (developing partnerships, seeking resources, managing peer relationships)
New networks, exposures to policy makers and influential people
Boost in stature with corresponding opportunities for new positions

30. Faculty Experiences Different responsibilities (or added)
Helping groups
Working with groups working w/ partnership
More methods assist and partnership
Less alignment with individual faculty specialization
Need to give up certain forms of control
So, a different kind of trust

31. Administrative Nuts & Bolts If You are Interested

32. Application & Admission
Application = GRE, Purpose Statement, Writing Sample, Transcripts, Recommendations (traditional materials)
Individual talk with program faculty by pre- applicants and applicants common.
Admission by committee review. Criteria: evidence of professional and academic readiness, potential for leadership in high need communities, experience with collaboration, diversity of cohort.

33. Meeting Times, Places, Mediums
Year 1:
Mostly on campus
Saturdays 9-1:00
Some live- online classes (using Zoom.)
Year 2
Hyrbrid format; campus 1/month (aligned with other cohorts on campus dates)
Year 3
In the field,
3 cohort meets up on campus

34. Committees
Students form a 4-person faculty committee, with their DIP adviser as the Chair. Faculty can come from other units and departments. Added members from the field can be included.
Committees hear and decide on DIP Proposal and DIP Defense

35. the GRADUATE SCHOOL
The Group DIP was part of our Ed.D application to our Graduate School. We had to move through several layers of review but received support at each level.
MSU may be distinct in having an influential College of BUT, we encourage people to go for it

36. Dissertation Submission
Submission of the dissertation document to the MSU Graduate School is optional
Students can submit under a single name, with a footnote on the collaborative nature of the work and listing other contributors.

37. Support for Ed.D Research
An ongoing push from the MSU EAD faculty is to include Ed.D students in established doctoral research support funds and competitions that assist with travel, equipment, transcribing, gift cards for participants, etc.
We are also pushing to include them in global exchange programs and opportunities