educational research – Silence and Voice

Successful Viva = PhD

As I mentioned in my Tweet on March 25, 2013, I successfully passed my Viva Voce exam at Lancaster University and was awarded my PhD in E-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning (Educational Research) forthwith. In the British system, passing a viva forthwith means I passed without corrections and was thus awarded the degree.

As a result, my doctoral thesis, entitled Navigating Liminality: The Experience of Troublesome Periods and Distance During Doctoral Study, is being printed and bound at the university.

I especially want to thank my supervisor, Professor Malcolm Tight, (standing next to me in the image below), and my examiners Professor Paul Trowler (in the left on the picture) and Dr. Margaret Kiley (who attended remotely from Australia). Alice Jesmont (also in the picture below) has been invaluable in her assistance while I attended Lancaster University, along with Dr. Gale Parchoma, who started off as part of my supervisory team before moving on to the University of Calgary.

I am now working at publishing some of the results of my work, so hope to have lots more to share. Thanks goes to all who have supported, guided, and helped me along the way, about which I will also speak more in the near future.

Research Seminar this Wednesday!

I am presenting my doctoral thesis research in progress at my department’s Seminar Series. I often attend the Department of Educational Research seminars from a distance, though this will be the first time I have presented at one.

While this has been a great opportunity to help me focus my writing and make some solid progress, the most interesting thing for me will be that this is the first time I will discuss my research holistically. Thus far, I have only spoken with other people about various elements of it; this will be a glimpse at the entire study.

I wonder what this experience is like for others? If you engaged in doctoral research, what was your experience like the first time you presented your study for feedback and comment?

Ken Robinson: Changing Education Paradigms & #change11

I just came across this thought-provoking video Ken Robinson: Changing Education Paradigms, and thought others who may have missed it may find the visualization of the TED talk engaging. It does certainly resonate with the collective learning work of Allison Littlejohn in this week’s #change11 MOOC course!