Teaching the Dissertation Process While Chairing the Committee: Transferring Knowledge and Experiences

A majority of universities utilize the dissertation defense process within their doctoral program to determine if the student has a clear understanding of their study, which has multiple components. It is critical to note that not having a defense process does not make one doctoral program better than another program. However, in the event that there is no defense process in place for some universities, it is essential that students are able to defend their work to their dissertation committee for all submissions/feedback as well as for every benchmark. This will not only help strengthen their knowledge of their research towards their dissertation, but also indicate the knowledge gained towards their topic and make and/or prove them to be experts in that field. The dissertation chair is more than an advisor, but utilizes the same teaching methods from a course-instructed platform. The presenter will discuss his co-authored upcoming book chapter Proven Best Practices in Guiding Non-Traditional Dissertation Students to Degree Conferral. It is essential to have open communication as well as collaboration between the student, dissertation chair, and all committee members to include the IRB reviewer/representative when working on a strategic plan, timeline, research, and study site. Attendees will hear from the presenter’s perspective regarding how students successfully completed their entire doctoral program within three years or less. The presenter will give examples of the step-by-step learning process as a student proceeds through five chapters of a dissertation. Attendees will have the chance to discuss their experiences/perspectives during the Q&A portion