The Walden Center for Student Success
(WCSS) launched its first Doctoral Writing Workshop series in November, 2014 through
the Academic Skills Center to better support Walden students who are in the dissertation
writing stage. There are four 6-week long workshops for both quarter and semester-based
term starts that encompass the various stages of a student’s dissertation,
including:
As coordinator for the WCSS faculty development,
I reached out to students from the WCSS 8010 workshop to ask their opinion of
the workshop. I learned a great deal about the content and the inner workings
of the workshop from Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration/Criminal Justice
student Carmelita Dockery.
Carmelita began her journey at Walden in
June, 2010, already holding a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Edwards University
in Austin, TX and an M.A. in Professional Counseling from Olivet Nazarene
University in Bourbonnais, IL. When I caught up with Carmelita, she had just
completed her first Doctoral Workshop 8010 – Revising and Editing the Proposal
as of January 4, 2015, and she took the time out of her busy Walden career to
answer a few of my questions.
Shawn:
Did the workshop help you with your dissertation?
Carmelita: I was able to submit a
portion of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 to my instructor. She was very helpful in
terms of guiding me towards scholarly writing, which is required for
dissertation writing.
What
was the most helpful aspect of the dissertation workshop?
The workshop helped me understand the
importance of creating topic sentences, eliminating wordiness, being more
concise, and eliminating anthropomorphism in my paragraphs.
Were
you familiar with Walden’s Writing Center previous to taking the workshop?
Yes, I am familiar with the Writing Center,
but I have not utilized the Writing Center because I work unusual hours at the
Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. When I need assistance at midnight, I
don’t think anyone is available; hence, my reason for taking the writing
workshop.
How
were the materials from Walden’s Writing Center helpful during your
workshop?
The reading material was helpful, as well as my faculty
member’s suggestions. I am using the information I gleaned from the workshop to
revise both my Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.
Can
you tell us about the feedback you received from your faculty member through your essay reviews and
other interactions?
I received constructive criticism from
my instructor on a regular basis. Each time I submitted two to three pages of Chapter
1 or 2, she responded within 24 hours. I appreciated her prompt response. My
faculty member also provided me with suggestions on improving my writing for my
proposal.
Did you receive feedback from your peers?
Yes, I received feedback from my
classmates. I was reluctant to allow anyone to read my proposal, but when I
realized I was not alone in this situation, I shared and received feedback from
my peers. I also provided feedback on my classmates’ writings. I enjoyed this
workshop tremendously!
Is
there anything else you would like to add about the workshop?
I think this workshop should be part of
the required coursework at Walden. I completed 3 years of required coursework
and thought I was writing well, or scholarly, but I was not writing well enough for
the dissertation proposal. Perhaps if this class was included in my coursework, I would not be struggling with my writing issues.
Would
you recommend these workshops to other Walden students?
Yes, I would highly recommend this
workshop to every student in the PhD program.
If you want more information about the WCSS Workshops, please visit the Academic Skills Center website or contact wcsscourses@waldenu.edu.
Today's interview wraps up our month of capstone (dissertation or doctoral study) posts. Did you miss a post? Here's March's roundup:
Today's interview wraps up our month of capstone (dissertation or doctoral study) posts. Did you miss a post? Here's March's roundup:
- WriteCast Episode 19: The Literature Review: Tackling the Hard Questions
- 5 Things to Know Before Starting Your Dissertation
- You've Received Your Form & Style Review--Now, What?
- Come Out From Behind That Laptop! How to Make the Most of the Real Live Humans You Meet at Residencies
- Planning for Your Proposal? Why Now is the Time to Get to Know IRB Resources
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Shawn Picht is a writing instructor in the Writing Center and the coordinator of faculty development for the Academic Skills Center. In his free time he likes to jog, jump rope, read literature and philosophy, write about his travels, and play Rolling Stones and Dylan songs on a blue acoustic guitar.
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