As with all approaches, there are advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage to this approach is the potential for a strong, supportive bond between the student and chairperson, which can provide a foundation through which the student can craft a solid research document and transform from a student into a doctoral level researcher. The second advantage is that the committee—faculty with the expertise to support the student, who are committed to the student’s success but of the involvement of the document development—are then able to review and provide intensive feedback on the dissertation document drafted by the student and chair with “fresh eyes”. Then as a group, the student, along with the chair, and committee members can come together to exchange ideas and concepts, with the resulting document being very powerful and scientifically rigorous.
Naturally, this desired outcome is predicated on the chair and student having a shared vision of the direction of the dissertation research; the working relationship being effective both in terms of the dyad and then continuing to be functional when the committee members are added to the dynamics.
Despite the best of plans and intentions, sometimes it just doesn’t happen as anticipated. The chair, the student, and the committee members may have different perspectives, working habits or schedules. The student may not be ready to make the leap to scholar, or the chair or committee may not be ready or able to facilitate the student’s movement to that level. And at times, what seemed like a great idea at the onset may just not be working out. So, what do you do?
If you have a Healthy Workplace, you try new strategies and options to help students move forward, maintaining faculty and student engagement in the process. At the University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies, we promote enhanced communication throughout the doctoral process and empowering the doctoral committee members by engaging them earlier in the process of dissertation development.
We are currently in the preliminary stages of implementation, which includes gradually increasing committee involvement at an earlier stage of dissertation planning, which we believe will ultimately result in greater insight of the doctoral dissertation development experience from multiple perspectives. The goal for the program is to improve the satisfaction of our doctoral committee members and students, as well as enhance the socialization of our doctoral students through expanded involvement in scholarly exchanges in the academic classroom setting. It is anticipated that this will also strengthen students’ evolution into doctoral scholars. The program will run until it has been determined that enough data has been collected to confirm the efficacy of earlier committee involvement in dissertation development.
Creating change in a long standing environment is never simple—particularly in a virtual environment. However, with a supportive administration, combined with open communication, incremental integration of change, and a realistic evaluation component incorporating debriefing and reconceptualization of the process as needed, we anticipate a positive impact on the doctoral experience at the University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies.