Research Proposal

Description

Following a successful completion of the Comprehensive Exam, doctoral students assemble and write a research proposal. This proposal is a formal, scholarly document where a student makes the case for a certain study or project and writes how such a study would be conducted. Unlike the comprehensive exam, a student is expected to collaborate with her or his advisor (also known as the Supervisory Committee Chair, or sometimes called the Dissertation Chair, Research Chair), who can provide feedback during the drafting of the document.

Process

After the approval of the advisor, the student will submit the research proposal and a link to the asynchronous presentation of the proposal to the doctoral committee. The committee will read and provide feedback/comments to the dissertations advisor within two weeks. The advisor will communicate with the committee about the proposal and they will decide if it is ready to be defended by the student. The advisor (representing the committee) and the student select the date for the proposal defense. It is the responsibility of the student and advisor to notify the Doctoral Program Coordination team (edtechdoc@boisestate.edu) of this date.

Proposal Document Format and Length

The proposal document does not have one specific format that all students must follow. However, the following sections are generally what the committee will expect.

It is the decision of the advisor and committee as to the format that must be followed, which is unique to each student depending on the type of dissertation s/he wishes to complete. In very general terms, the proposal should include an introduction to the research or study questions (or design), a justification of the research based on a review of current, scholarly literature, and a detailed description of the method(s) to be employed to carry out the dissertation. A timeline must be included. A research proposal does not have a prescribed length; the expectations for length should be discussed between the student and advisor.

For a proposal for a traditional, chapter-based dissertation, here is our template.

Our template essentially follows the Graduate College template for a final dissertation. It behooves the student to use this template starting with the proposal and continue to use it through the dissertation writing because it saves *hours* of time that would otherwise go to reformatting all the pieces. This advice is directly from students who have completed the program.

Proposal Presentation Format and Length

Do not start until advisor has approved final draft of proposal

Should not be longer than 20 minutes

Expected to be an engaging, narrated presentation of salient points, with particular focus on the details of methodology

Include a timeline of the data collection and analysis phases

May or may not include video of the student her/himself

Will be available online for at least two weeks leading up to the proposal defense

Proposal Defense Meeting

The committee members will ask questions to clarify any information regarding the proposed study and provide feedback to improve the quality of the research. Approval of the proposal by the dissertation committee is understood as an agreement between the student and the committee. The doctoral student and her/his committee agree that the study presented has the potential to contribute to the professional body of knowledge in the area of Educational Technology. The committee will inform the student their decision immediately after the defense, the committee will sign the Proposal Defense form. The advisor will ensure the department chair sign the form and will submit the completed form, as well as notes from the defense meeting, to the Doctoral Program Coordination team. The signed form will be included in the student’s file. Should major revisions be required, students must submit them in accordance with a timeline established by the committee. All members of the committee should approve the revisions before the student is able to move forward with the study.

Institutional Review Board Applications

Any research involving human subjects, whether or not it is tied to the dissertation study, must be reviewed by Boise State University’s Institutional Review Board. A student who is doing such research under the auspices of the Ed.D. program must work with her/his advisor on the application. If the IRB application is being submitted so that the student can collect data to be used for the dissertation study, the strongly preferred method is that the application would be submitted only after the final research proposal is approved (if submitting an “Exempt” or “Expedited” application, the decision on the IRB application is typically received within seven working days). If the study necessitates data collection before the scheduled proposal defense, or if the IRB application is complicated and could potentially take time (a “Full” application may take more than 30 days for approval), the student should seek guidance and approval from the advisor and committee. If changes to the study are required by the committee following the proposal defense, it may be necessary for the student to submit an addendum to revise the IRB application if it has already been approved.

Frequent Questions about the Proposal

What is the Research Proposal? It is a substantive, formal document in which the student provides a written rationale / justification for her or his dissertation topic.

What are its contents? It is typically comprised of at least three parts (introduction, literature review, and a description of a proposed research or design methodology (which includes a timeline). The format and length must be specifically discussed with the advisor before a student begins the process of writing the proposal.

When can the document be started? The proposal development officially starts after a student has successfully completed the comprehensive examination (though some students may start developing it informally before the comp exam).

When is it due? This is up to the student’s advisor, but it is generally expected that the proposal will be due not later than the semester before the final dissertation is submitted. The due date varies based on the agree reached with the advisor. There will at least be enough time built into the process so that the advisor can give feedback on early drafts before the final document is due. It is reasonable to expect at least two weeks for any feedback cycle. The final proposal draft must be submitted to the committee no later than two weeks before the defense date.

When can the proposal be defended? Again, this is up to the student’s advisor, who will communicate with the committee. Generally speaking, proposal defenses will only be scheduled during the fall or spring semesters, though a summer defense meeting is possible IF (and only if) the advisor and committee members agree to make themselves available (there is no obligation on their part given faculty contracts are from mid-August to mid-May).

Who contributes to the proposal? The proposal is like the comp exam in that it is a formal step in the doctoral process, but unlike the comp exam in that one can consult others, especially the advisor, as the document is assembled. The writing is expected to be the student’s own. Students can re-used portions of their comp exam or other writing they have done to complete the proposal.

What happens when the proposal is completed? Once the student assembles the proposal, it is submitted to each member of the search committee. The committee then has a timeline to submit feedback (generally two to three weeks, depending on schedules). The conversation about the feedback can happen either synchronously or asynchronously; this is left to the committee chair. There will be a formal decision about the proposal:

Approved

Move ahead with study as planned

Approved with revisions

Minor revisions: move ahead on the study, though revise some portions of the proposal

Major revisions: study cannot move ahead until the revisions are approved by the committee

Not Approved

The study cannot go forward as planned. The advisor and committee will discuss whether or not it is appropriate to grant the student a chance to revise and resubmit, or change direction entirely.

Adjourned

This is not a “failure” of the proposal itself. This decision will be noted if the technology fails, or if the student or members cannot be present due to extenuating circumstances, etc. The defense will be re-scheduled.

What is the relationship of proposal development to “Dissertation Hours” (EDTECH 693)? A student can register for EDTECH 693 hours (11 total credit hours are required) AFTER s/he has completed ALL doctoral core, research core, cognate hours, and elective hours. The “Innovative Experience” can be completed concurrently with the first EDTECH 693 credits in which a student enrolls, but not afterwards.

How soon can the dissertation be composed and defended following a successful research proposal defense? It depends. The amount of time a student needs to complete her or his study or design project very much depends on a number of factors. As stated earlier, it is very uncommon for a dissertation to be defended in the same term as the research proposal. In general terms, a student should not expect to defend a dissertation sooner than three months after the proposal is approved. This time simply accounts for data collection, or design iterations, and revisions to drafts by the advisor.

It is expected that the student will be enrolled in EDTECH 693 for each semester s/he is working toward the proposal and final dissertation defense. During the semester in which a student defends the dissertation, s/he will enroll for at least one hour of EDTECH 693.