https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqrCoyVK80I It's done. Congratulations! That dissertation you've stressed over for months... that you've labored over for years... It's finally complete. You've uploaded it to a database, or submitted it to the library, and there it sits. New knowledge. Waiting for discovery. Put on that fancy new robe and stride across the stage. After you pick... Continue Reading →
I am happy to finally make my entire final dissertation available for all to download and read. This document represents some of the first qualitative research into how traditionally aged college students use social media and its impact on their development and how they construct identities online. If you want a more detailed description, I've included the... Continue Reading →
I'm pleased to be presenting the results of my dissertation research at ACPA this year. This presentation provides a broad overview of my study, its findings, and implications. This is one of the first times I am presenting this material in public and I am super excited about it. If you want to learn more,... Continue Reading →
It's over! It's hard to believe the one of the final steps on my journey is complete. I want to thank everyone for all of their support throughout this process. There are far too many of you to mention individually, but I trust you know who you are and how much I appreciate you. If you'd... Continue Reading →
Don't want to spend the time reading through 300 pages of my dissertation work on college students, social media, identity, and selfhood? No problem. I pulled out 96 "quotable quotes" from the text. Consider it the "Reader's Digest of Dissertations." Wondering why 96 and not... 100...? I just went through the whole thing until I... Continue Reading →
Qualitative research requires that one code text (or images, or video, etc.) for themes. Coding is a process whereby you find snippets of text, highlight and/or excerpt it, and tag it with a word or phrase. There are a number of different code types, such as close-text, in vivo, etc. Some can be categories and... Continue Reading →
I came across this GREAT SlideShare from Wiley promoting their book by Joanne Broder Sumerson, Finish Your Dissertation, Don't Let It Finish You. Although I cannot vouch for the book itself, having not actually read it, this slick little piece of marketing material hits the nail on the head. If you or someone you love are... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJANw2WzfEE As many of you know, a couple of months ago I had my dissertation proposal hearing. For social science dissertations, after one completes their first three chapters, they present it to their committee for approval. The first three chapters typically include an introduction, a review of literature, and your methodology (how you intend to... Continue Reading →
This Thursday, I will (finally) have my dissertation proposal hearing. This means I will present my proposed dissertation research to my committee and seek approval to move forward into the data collection and analysis phases. Proposals generally include the "first three chapters" of a dissertation. These chapters are typically an introduction, a review of literature, and a research... Continue Reading →
Once a month, I’ve made it a point to highlight the posts from other bloggers that I believe deserve wider recognition. This month I wanted to share a resource that that Dr. Laura Pasquini put together for her dissertation work. It includes a database of higher education policy/guideline documents on social media use. For professionals and administrators looking to shape institutional policies and guidelines regarding social media implementation across campus, this can be an invaluable resource for benchmarking and guidance.
During the course of my dissertation research, a few events connected to the scope of my study, and directly to the social media documents I was gathering. I ended up building a database of 250 post-secondary education (PSE) institutional guidelines and policies to completely understand HOW the PSE sector is ACTUALLY “guiding” social media. More importantly my research uncovers the organizational identity and cultural values of social media among 10 different countries. {More to be shared post dissertation defense June 12, 2014.}
If you are interested in either research around policies and/or social media impact to organizations, specifically post-secondary education, then you most likely heard about the Kansas Board of Regents approval to amend their policy manual back in December 2013 to outline “improper use of social media by University of Kansas faculty.” If not, I have an article and infographic of the timeline of events for you:
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The power of digital technology allows one to impact others and make connections in sometimes unexpected ways. My “love letter” to my dissertation struck a chord with many and inspired Doreen Hettich-Atkins to write her own "divorce" letter to her dissertation. The PhD journey is intensely personal, but there are always unspoken common experiences that anyone who has... Continue Reading →
Dear Dissertation- I wanted to write a letter to you to let you know that I still love you. I feel like we’ve been drifting as of late, and I wanted to reaffirm our commitment. We’ve been courting for a long time. Three years ago, when we started flirting, I didn’t have an idea as... Continue Reading →
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