Ask Doctoral Advising

August 28th, 2009   by Lynn Riskedal

Criticism, failure, and raising above

Recently, this article was shared with me.  From the perspective of learning and being challenged to learn and grow, it makes sense.  What any educator (faculty and academic advisor) desires is a learner willing to listen and to learn from the comments and wisdom of someone who has already walked the path of the learner.

The problem is, comments written on papers are often called, and/or interpreted as criticism.

Criticism is defined as
WRONG.
BAD.
YOU FAILED.
YOU ARE NOT CAPABLE. READ MORE

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August 25th, 2009   by Mark Larson

Three Simple and Quick Tips for the Comprehensive Exam

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August 20th, 2009   by Dana Forbes

Relish Reading

Sitting down with your morning coffee or the beverage of your choice, you skim the headlines of the local newspaper, scoot through your RSS feeds, or rush through reading summaries of journal articles before you begin the day. Or, perhaps, you mesh with multi-tasking. READ MORE

Posted in Becoming Doctoral, General | 2 Comments »

August 20th, 2009   by Jonathan Gehrz

The Power of PhD, Part III – A Pledge to Greatness

Today, I close out the series I began in May 2009.  May 21, 2009 I wrote an entry on the power of a doctoral education, questioning whether a doctoral education was a guiding outlook, like optimism?   This idea that a doctoral degree and those three little letters and your decision to pursue this degree has a far more extensive impact than intellectual growth only.  On June 19, 2009, I continued the series with a discussion on how doctoral education can paralyze or empower an individual to overcome great challenges. 

This morning, I was driving into work and a radio station was playing Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror.  The following words really struck me as poignant: 

If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
You gotta get it right, while you got the time

READ MORE

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August 17th, 2009   by Constance Davis

Fourth doctoral commandment: educate thyself about the dissertation process

Yes, learners have advisors who help them navigate the maze of processes and policies connected with the dissertation. And, yes, learners have mentors who help guide them through the actual writing and researching involved for the dissertation. But learners should also learn something about the journey upon which they are embarking. READ MORE

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August 12th, 2009   by Constance Davis

Third doctoral commandment: The dissertation is an iterative process

Nearly every day I speak with learners who are frustrated that they have to keep writing and rewriting – and sometimes rewriting even more – before their mentors will approve a chapter.

These same learners become even more frustrated after the committee looks at those same chapters and demands even more rewriting. The school-level review may require still more rewrites before the chapters will be approved. READ MORE

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August 11th, 2009   by Michael Franklin

The View from Mars

What is the place of life perspective in the writing process? In other words, how can contemplating the span of one’s life contextualize the writing process as both an accumulation of experience and an evolution of the writer’s abilities? READ MORE

Posted in Becoming Doctoral, General | 1 Comment »

August 7th, 2009   by Jen Williams

Strategies for Writing a Statement of Teaching Philosophy

Applicants for college and university teaching positions, both full-time and adjunct, are frequently asked to submit a statement of teaching philosophy along with their CV, cover letter and other application materials. The statement of teaching philosophy causes a good deal of anxiety for some of the learners I speak with in the Capella Career Center, while others don’t take it seriously and fail to give it the thought and effort it deserves. Teaching philosophies are not easy to write, so it is understandable that they are a source of anxiety for some learners and a project on which to procrastinate for others. What follows are some suggestions for writing a strong statement of teaching philosophy, which should be useful to readers who find themselves in either camp.

Simply put, notable teaching philosophies are well-written and avoid abstract, predictable, or trite statements. Mediocre or downright bad philosophies usually suffer from one or both ailments. READ MORE

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August 5th, 2009   by Betsy Purpero

PhD, PhD What do I See?

If I want to have perfect vision I need to wear glasses at all times. Without them my world is blurred and foggy. Recently my glasses broke and I had to wear my old frames with an outdated prescription while my other glasses got fixed. I was able get by but I still had to lean in closer or turn on an extra light to see. I wasn’t comfortable driving with my old glasses and relied on others to get me around. For a couple of days I didn’t have clear vision and life was a bit more challenging. Once I got my glasses back my fog lifted, I could see clearly. READ MORE

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