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Please be sure to
send an electronic copy of each chapter to each committee member
as soon as it is done (as you write them). Tell your
committee that you just want them to see your
progress, and you welcome any suggestions or corrections. |
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Do NOT expect faculty to be available
over the summer when they are not under contract.
ORAL DEFENSE MEETING
Distance students can come in person or telephone to a Park
phone number, such as your advisor's office. This defense
should be scheduled to meet by midterm of your final term. Be sure to work around holidays
and vacation weeks because no
faculty should be asked to do work for you when they are
supposed to be with family and friends.
Leave yourself
plenty of time in your final term so that you finish on time. Work backwards
according to your schedule. Figure on at least two weeks for the faculty
committee to read your work. No one has time for anything week 8.
HARDCOPY
Make sure you give a hardcopy
of your project or thesis to all your committee members
about two weeks before the defense. Hardcopies of your revised thesis must be
submitted to all committee members no later than six weeks prior to the date of
commencement. Projects and reflections have a little more flexibility, but your
advisor is likely to schedule everyone on the same day around week 4, so that
means everyonne needs to send the hardcopy out by week 2. That gives your
committee only two weeks to read your thesis and for you to defend it. At most
universities, faculty are given MONTHS to do review, so even two weeks is an
unrealistic expectation. Make sure you warn the committee of your deadlines in
advance, and you will want to send materials as you go along so there is less
for them to read and respond to at the end. If you wait too long, you may not be
able to graduate. During holiday times, between terms, and summer, please do not
expect faculty to read, correspond with you, or meet.
THESIS DEFENSE
UNIVERSITY POLICY: An oral defense of the thesis must be satisfactorily
completed and approved by the Committee, and the result of the defense must be
submitted to the Graduate School, three weeks prior to graduation. Thesis
defense is open to the University community.
YOU
MUST BE OFF PROBATION AND HAVE FULLY COMPLETED YOUR APPLICATION AND ADMITTANCE
TO THE PROGRAM.
THESIS DUE TO
GRADUATE SCHOOL WEEK FIVE OF LAST TERM
We have no control over this deadline, so meet it! This means the thesis is in
final form, all corrections made, on the correct paper, with forms signed. The
Graduate School should receive a copy for final approval
no later than three weeks
prior to the day on which the degree is to be conferred.
IRB
NOTIFICATION OF CONCLUSION OF RESEARCH
If you conducted research
needing IRB approval, you are required to notify the IRB that you finished by
contacting
Dr. Kerkman of the IRB
saying something like this.
This email is notification
that my research on human subjects entitled _____________ , tracking
number __________________ is completed. I have finished collecting
collecting data. All documents have been destroyed. Thank you for your help with this work.
Copy your advisor when you send this email.
DURING THE ORAL DEFENSE
You take control of the meeting, otherwise the faculty will,
and it will be less pleasant for you. In person students
often provide food or drink. There will just be three
faculty in addition to yourself.
POWERPOINT
Please send your small, single file, small, .ppt format PowerPoint
in advance to all committee members particularly because
someone may decide to meet via phone. There should be no
voice over. This should be an outline of your presentation.
You will speak on the phone. There's no need for visuals.
Plan to spend about 5-10 minutes on your presentation. Everyone
read what you wrote, so emphasize what you learned through
the process and how it related to your other courses.
For distance students, I'll show the PowerPoint presentation
on my computer. Because it will be small, use high contrast,
large arial font, about 5 words across and 5 lines per
slide. Use bullet points. No pictures, although charts may
be useful. Do NOT write our paragraphs and read them.
SIGNATURE PAGE
The signature page is the most important part of the whole
meeting.
For a thesis, you need four copies printed on 100% cotton.
For a project, you need one copy.
The signature page needs to be signed by the three faculty on your
committee. What I recommend is using multiple copies if any faculty member is
at a distance during your defense. Make sure you scan and keep a copy of that page(s) with signatures. Not at Park, but I've seen committees that had a
problem after the fact and tried to hold up graduation, which they could not do
because the student had the signature page. Don't expect your advisor to make
everything go smoothly. What if I win the lottery and blow you off? Ultimately
you are responsible for all the paperwork, sending it to the right people, and
making sure you graduate. Be responsible for taking care of everything
yourself.
Make sure you spell everyone's name correctly, with
correct degrees (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D). You list the committee
members (including your advisor) and no one else. One term I
had someone send me four versions before they got it right.
DO THE SIGNATURE PAGE ONCE and make it CORRECT. MAIL or
deliver hardcopies to your advisor at least three weeks in
advance so they arrive at least two weeks in advance of your
defense meeting.
Dr. J. Aitken, Professor, Communication Arts
229 Copley, 8700 NW River Park Drive, Park University,
Parkville, MO 64152
Make sure you fill out the signature page and bring or email
it as a scanned, electronic attachment to your advisor. Bring the hardcopies yourself or if you are at a distance, remind
your advisor to bring it to your meeting.
http://onlineacademics.org/CA797/Forms You want the signatures at the meeting! If any committee
members are by phone, you need to make a copy of the
signature page for your protection, then US mail the page to them
with a return address envelope.
MAKING FINAL REVISIONS
Students still have to make changes to the thesis/project
after the defense. Make sure you schedule a work day after
your defense so you can make all corrections immediately and
submit the final version to your Advisor. PROOF EVERY WORD.
Make sure every reference listing is cited and every
citation is in the reference list. Give your advisor at
least a week to make a final scan. Then submit for binding
in the case of a thesis.
Remember, make sure you make an electronic scanned copy of the
signature page! Send an electronic copy to the Registrar (Eileen West),
with copies of your email to Program Director (Dr. J. Mark Noe), and
the Graduate School (Betty Deck). Also send an email with your whole thesis
file attached to the Graduate School
(Betty Deck)
as soon as it is
revised after the oral defense.
DURING THIS PROCESS, DO NOT FORWARD ANYONE'S EMAIL TO ANYONE
ELSE!!!!!!!
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