EDDE 806: Epilogue (of reboots and alternative universes)

I guess this is my "806 is dead, long live 806!" post ;-) 

One of the final requirements for EDDE 806 is to:

Create a final blog post linking to the 6 earlier posts and providing a final reflection, feedback and any recommendations on the course as a whole.

For those who are keeping score at home, other course requirements included the following:

• Present a 30-45 minute presentation on their proposal or dissertation work and progress and respond to comments and questions.
• Post reactions and reflections on at least 6 of the presentations (over one or more semesters) using a response template created by the instructor, to their blog in the Athabasca Landing (tagged with EDD 806)
• Attend and participate in discussion in at least 6 sessions over one or two semesters of the course

I am not really sure what a final reflection really looks like for 806, especially considering that I will most likely attend quite a few sessions next fall when the remainder of my cohort will be presenting their in-progress proposals.  So, I thought that doing a reflection on the EdD program up to now would be worthwhile, and proposing a new way of pacing the program, and in the process something about 806 might come of it.

It seems hard to believe that about three years ago (give or take a month) I had just been accepted to the EdD program at Athabasca University (the stomping grounds of Anderson, Dron, Siemens, Cleveland-Innes, and another researchers I had been reading the work of in the years preceding my application to this university), and I had submitted my program fee payment to matriculate.  Three years, and nine AU courses later I am plugging away at my dissertation proposal.  If you are wondering what those 9 courses are:

• 6 compulsory courses (EDDE 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806)
• 2 optional courses (MDDE 701, 702)
• 1 course in which I was a teaching assistant/intern (MDDE 620), for the "Greek cohort" no less :-) 

As with any good program, program creators take into account feedback received from a variety of sources and the program improves (for example the 2 optional courses started becoming available as my cohort was rolling in).   This proposed timeline from matriculation to graduation is what I would have done the same, and differently, if I were to go back in time:

Spring 2014 (same as the original timeline)

1. Accepted! Woohoo!
2. Enrolled
3. Got books mailed to me (nice job, AU!)
4. May 2014 - "welcome to the program" online adobe connect session with the cohort and select faculty.  Placed in pre-selected groups to work on Assignment 1 (due when we meet in August in Edmonton)

Summer 2014 (same as the original timeline)

1. June-July: meet with Marc, Renate, and Steph (cohortmates) online -a few times to work on assignment 1
2. June-July: read through textbook, and download PDFs from course site.
3. August: meet in Edmonton, meet cohort-mates in person, polish assignment, present assignment.

Fall 2014 (somewhat similar to what I did in the original timeline)

1. EDDE 801 (Advanced Topics and Issues in Distance Education)
1. Weekly live sessions for class
2. Weekly guests from the field of distance education (woot!)
2. EDDE 806. 
1. Peruse through the recent recorded sessions and listen to two. 
2. No need for reflective posts --> Get feet wet, see what other cohorts are doing, ideate on own work. Maybe in final 801 session students share their ideas from having viewed 2 recordings.

Spring 2015

1. EDDE 802 (Advanced Research Methods in Education)
1. Bi-weekly live session for class
2. EDDE 806 
1. Attend 2 sessions during the weeks 802 didn't meet. 
2. Reflect on 1 presentation (live or recorded)

Summer 2015

1. MDDE 702 (qualitative refresher for those who need a refresher)
2. Start brainstorming on your proposals.  Jot down big research questions, diagram some potential research methods for them,  and write brief abstracts about the problem to be solved. This is sort of like a TV show elevator pitch.  Be ready to pitch 3 ideas.
3. Go back to 802 materials and see them in light of your pitches

Fall 2015

1. EDDE 803 (Teaching and Learning in Distance Education)
1. Bi-weekly class sessions
2. Tackle topics on teaching and learning.  
3. Does anything from course seem to connect to your 3 pitches?  File it!
4. Intern in an MDE class
2. EDDE 806 
1. Attend 2 live sessions (during weeks when 803 does not meet)
2. Reflect on two sessions (either live or recorded that semester)
3. Present your top 3 pitches and receive feedback from audience in one of the live sessions
4. Continue refining your 3 pitches based on feedback (this task crosses into spring 2016)

Spring 2016

1. EDDE 804 (Leadership and Project Management in Distance Education)
1. Bi-Weekly sessions
2. Tackle topics on leadership.  
3. Does anything from course seem to connect to your 3 pitches?  File it!
2. EDDE 806
1. Attend 2 live sessions (during weeks when 804 does not meet)
2. Reflect on two sessions (either live or recorded that semester)
3. Pitch 2 expanded ideas (expanded in terms of what type of literature you might look into, and updated ideas about methodology and problem)

Summer 2016

1. MDDE 701 (Quantitative research refresher for those that need it)
2. Pick one of your pitches and develop a literature review (due at the beginning of 805)
3. Pick one of your pitches and develop a preliminary intro (due at the beginning of 805)

Fall 2016

1. EDDE 805
1. Bi-weekly class meetings
2. Polish off a draft of your proposal that includes summer deliverables + methods
2. EDDE 806
1. Attend 2 live sessions
2. Reflect on two sessions (either live or recorded that semester)

Spring 2017

1. EDDE 806
1. Attend 6 live sessions
2. Reflect on 4 live sessions
3. Present your proposal

Summer 2017

1. Polish off proposal
2. Connect with your cohort over the summer (support network)

Fall 2017

1. Defend Proposal & start Research

So, what are the differences between what I did and what I wish I had done (and what was an option?) I had dipped my toes in 806 when I started in 801; I was curious, and since the course was open to anyone, why not? But, once 802 kicked in, it was difficult to keep up, so I was on-and-off in 806 throughout the program (more off than on, until 805).  Despite the on-and-off nature I ended up reflecting on some of the sessions before I officially signed up for the course (hence the number of posts at the end).   I think that 806 was originally conceived as a course to keep the band together in some formal manner while we're all off doing our own thing, but I think that the strength of 806 is really in being a connecting strand (on the program side) from start to end.  I think being part of 806 from the start can help future cohorts conceptualize what they want to do, see what others are doing, and know that for proper execution of the dissertation lots of planning needs to go into it (and we can all commiserate at our setbacks, and celebrate our victories). I think this is important to see early on.

In terms of Summer terms, summer is definitely a good time to kick back, relax, have a few beers in the garden while reading your favorite fiction...but in all honesty two weeks off would be have been fine, and then we should have been on the path again.  Coming from a US background, I am used to the term ending at the end of May. AU's early start and early end of the spring (Winter) semester meant that I had boatloads of free time.  This dissertation won't write itself and I think that the summers (Mid-April through August) are a good time to do it in a structured (cohort driven, program driven) way.  Summers can be a time when you work on your elevator pitch for some ideas - and you can present them in 806 (during your second year) to see what might stick - you can also get feedback and things to think about.  During the summer of year 2 you can spend those 4 months in doing a lit-review and an introduction (2 chapters!), and be ready to roll in 805 (start of year 3).  I think this plan gets you better positioned to defend at the beginning of year 4.

A potentially controversial issue might be the requirements for 806. At the moment it's an attend 6 and reflect on 6 setup.  My proposal is attending and/or viewing 14 sessions (as opposed to 6), reflecting on more sessions overall, but you'd have the freedom to reflect on some recorded ones - in case the live session wasn't something you could really say something about; and EDDE 806 is more integrated into the entire EdD process.  Of course, this means that 805 + 806 (Research Seminar I & II) would need to be tweaked, but I think that the end goal would be better.

So, what do other EdD folks think?  Does this work for you?

Post Title	Reflection & Live attendance	Reflection from Recording	Own Presentation
Post I - On prepping for a dissertation	✓
Post II - Of research questions and generalizability	✓
Post III - Presented by Musical Interlude!	✓
Post IV - madlib your research a bit		✓
Post V - The final one of the spring 2016 season		✓
Post VI - A new semester	✓
Post VI.II - Attack of the Greeks!		✓
Post VI.III - The one with Sir John Daniel		✓
Post VII - Now what was that about Open Ended Questions???	✓
Post VIII - Do Vulcans have emotional presence in the CoI?	✓
Post IX - About that 'in-process' presentation...			✓
Post X - it marks the spot!	✓
Post XI - Get your Walford on...	✓
Post XII - Of Navigators and Succession...	✓
Post XIII - It's the end of the semester, and I feel fine	✓
Totals:	10	4	1