Ed.S. TKT 7000 Research-Based Directed Individual Study

 

 

Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development

TKT 7000 Directed Individual Study

For Educational Specialist (Ed. S.) Only

 

 

GUIDELINES

These guidelines are for Ed. S. students who enroll in TKT 7000 Directed Individual Study (DIS) in the Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development (ISWD). The student, in consultation with the major advisor and committee members, needs to agree on a list of plan to accomplish the proposed learning activities for the DIS. Regardless of the topic and learning activities, DIS requires personal interaction between committee and student according to a mutually agreed-to format and learning plan. The interaction can be by telephone, email, office visits, or any form of electronic communication. If deviations from the learning plan occur during the semester, the faculty member and student must all agree to the changes in the learning plan.

 

DIS: Options
There are two options: A) Project-based DIS, and B) Research-based DIS.  Each option is described below:

 

Option A: Project-based DIS

Student can choose a project-based DIS and project examples may include educational technology, curriculum development, evaluation project, or software program, etc. For this option, student may opt to design a program, evaluate a program, develop curriculum, modify curriculum, develop an instructional unit, or create something that has educational value. Student may also evaluate educational software or modify existing software program in order to improve its performance.

 

    • Deliverables (up to the committee’s guidance):
      • Project
      • Written Project Report

 

    • Written Project Report:  Recommended sections to be included:
      • Title for the project (must be approved by your committee)
      • Abstract for the project
      • Introduction of the project (a general description of your project)
      • The need for the project or the purpose of the project
      • The significance or potential impact of the project, including those whom it will benefit
      • Stages of the project, including a timeline
      • Deliverables or components of the project
      • How the project will be used, including the intended audience and setting
      • How the project was evaluated formatively
      • For design-based projects:
        • Description of the key design decisions
        • Reflections on the deliverables and the design process
      • For analysis or evaluation-based projects:
        • Description of the key findings
        • Reflections on the analysis or evaluation process
      • Copies of final project deliverables, if applicable

 

Option B: Research-based DIS

Student can also choose to propose a research study for DIS. Research examples may include: action research, case study, or survey, etc.
 

    • Deliverables (up to the committee’s guidance):
      • Research Proposal

 

    • Research Proposal:  Recommended sections to be included:
      • Title for the study (must be approved by your committee)
      • 100-200 words abstract for the proposal
      • Chapter 1: Introduction/background of the study, including: statement of the problem, research questions/hypotheses, significance/purpose/need of the study, delimitations of the study, limitations of the study, definition of terms
      • Chapter 2: Literature review (should be current and relevant to the topic of interest with at least 10-15 references for using APA 6th edition)
      • Chapter 3 Methodology (for a quantitative study) research design, population, instrumentation, methods of validating the instrument, methods of establishing the reliability of the instrument, method(s) of data collection, and methods of data analysis.
      • Chapter 3: Methodology (for a qualitative study): research design, site/population/sample, instrument, data collection, data analysis, the emergent research process, validity and trustworthiness.

 

STEPS: Student’s To-Do

As a student, you are responsible to work with your major advisor and committee on your DIS.

 

  1. Fill out the DIS Request Form including your signature.

 

  1. With guidance from the major advisor and committee, write an Overview (a min. of 3-5 pages) that defines the topic, need for the study or project, process used to carry out the project, significance, and timeline for completion. Email your major advisor your Overview along with the DIS Request Form at least one month PRIOR TO the semester that you plan to take for committee review and approval.

 

  1. After your Overview is approved by the advisor and committee member, send the DIS Request Form and Overview to the Administrative Staff at IED #100 to get override and register for the course.

 

  1. Your committee will require you to meet or communicate with them on a regular schedule so they can guide your work and monitor your progress.

 

  1. The final work should be in professional and scholarly format submitted to your advisor and committee by the last day of classes.  Your work will be evaluated by the advisor and total committee members.

 

Approval Form for TKT 7000

TKT 7000 Ed.S. DIS Approval Form