 Wysłany: Śro 2:33, 13 Paź 2010 Temat postu: therefore |
|
| Missing literature review: A literature review, which should be a necessary step in research design courses, is also not absolutely required of masterate students. The literature review is integral to understanding the type(s) of knowledge and case studies already in the field and enables the student to position his/her research interests within the discipline.
In this article, after making the case for enhancing the research training for masterate students, I explain that the American PhD program can better prepare doctorate candidates for independent research with a careful and strategic re-tooling of the program. Secondly, I propose changing the curriculum to limit the taught course work to one, while allowing for structured, independent study credits in order to develop strong grounding in the methods and theories of one's specialty. I suggest the following curriculum: Limited research training: Masterate programs tend to limit research training to quantification, which fails to capture the more qualitative, descriptive knowledge of a discipline. Qualitative research enhances one's understanding of the relationships occurring within and across bodies of knowledge, and hence justifies investing precious class time on it. Enhancing the American Masterate Curriculum Compared to PhD programs in the United Kingdom and other countries, such as Canada, New Zealand, and, Germany, the American PhD takes years and unnecessary expense to obtain. The reason: with the American PhD, most of the research training takes place at the doctorate level when students can, in fact,football jersey, gain strong research training and develop independent research skills at the masterate level. After reviewing the curricula of different doctorate programs in the United States and comparing them to those of other countries, I discovered that there is a way to cut back on the coursework fat and reduce the number of years to complete the American doctorate program to three years in lieu of the five to eight years it normally takes now. Freelance Writing Jobs | Today's Articles | Sign In Browse Sections a theoretical course (3 credits),football uniforms, which discusses the overarching theories that have defined the fieldan independent study (3 credits) on the methodologies used to develop original or contributory knowledge in the discipline, and requires students to write a methods exposition paper describing what these methods arean independent study (3 credits) on the sub-disciplinary theories that have evolved in the discipline and requires students to describe them and how they relate to the major theories of the disciplinecompletion of a research prospectus (1 credit) with a description of the intended methodologiesfield work and analysis (3 credits)writing of the dissertation (6 credits) and preparation of both an undergraduate and a graduate teaching syllabus (1 credit)dissertation defense Enhancing the masterate training with a curriculum that strengthens students' abilities in carrying out independent research and managing bodies of knowledge can shave years off the American PhD. Firstly, I propose ending the culture of admitting students into a combined masterate/doctorate program and requiring that students without the necessary training prior to entering the chosen PhD program, barring related disciplines (i.e. geography, urban planning), should first aim to complete the masterate degree. Thus, if a prospective student intends to seek a PhD in environmental science, but has no environmental science (save for a few courses) training, that student should first complete the M.S. in environmental science. Reading glasses - Ian Britton Failing to present central and auxiliary theories: Another gap with the American masterate is the failure to present the primary and subsidiary theories that have contributed to and/or influenced the field. This knowledge is generally not taught until the doctorate level in American universities. Getting both a broad and narrow understanding of disciplinary theory enables students to understand how and why knowledge has transformed and migrated along trans-disciplinary paths. Discussing the theories can also bring out important concepts that allow one to apply teachings to the practice of one's field. The most salient gaps with the American masterate curriculum is in the obvious lack of training to conducting independent research. The gaps are most evident in three areas: There is, of course, a general assumption that the student has gained some paid (i.e. professional work experience) or life (i.e. volunteering and internships) knowledge prior to beginning a masterate program and,nfl jerseys on sale, therefore, has some "real world" insights to offer. Real world exposure in relation to one's academic program of choice undeniably enhances one's graduate, learning experience. American Doctorate: Proposing an Alternative Curriculum This proposed curriculum, combined with strategic changes made to the masterate curriculum, could reduce the American PhD to three or four years. The benefits to doing so are two-fold: (1) it reduces the teaching load for professors and enables them to advise students more carefully and (2) it allows students to immediately hone in on their particular specialties, while making them more critical thinkers, who can work independently. American PhD: Proposing Another Way Oct 9, 2010 Camille Tuason Mata |
|
