Category Archives: PhD
13th Week PhD: The Dissertation Transformation
For my two classes this week, there was a lot of reading and a lot of posting in discussion boards (and even more of that to come). In one class (Research Design & Analysis) we were required to read the first two chapters of a dissertation and see how it aligned with what our textbook says about how to structure research. In the second class (Advanced Worldview) we were required to read two more chapters in our textbook plus two articles that have opposing viewpoints to the Christian worldview concept and discuss them in relation to their legitimacy and educational transformation. Instead of telling you what I wrote for the assignments, I will just leave you with this: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
For the first time in 13 weeks, I am tired of thinking. Although my husband and I took a mini-vacation last weekend to celebrate our anniversary (which was fabulous!!), my brain is tired from reading, thinking, writing, thinking, writing, reading…and staying up until 2am probably didn’t help either.
I will press on, get some rest and transform my mind in preparation for the big “D” (Dissertation!).
Blessings to you and yours.
Eleventh Week PhD: Advanced Study and Research
Hello fellow bloggers and blog readers! This is my eleventh week in the PhD program and my respite is over. This semester will be long, but in the end it will be worth the many hours of discussion, reading, writing, and researching. My two classes this semester are Advanced Study of Worldview and Research Design and Analysis. More on Research Design and Analysis in a bit. The first impression of Advanced Study of Worldview is there will be a lot of reading, I get to write a book review, and I get to read “God is not great: How religion poisons everything” by C. Hitchens. I am really not looking forward to reading the last book, but I am pretty sure it will challenge me, and I am always up for a good challenge.
As a librarian, I live for research. I research everything–buying a new phone, a new car, a new stove, a new computer, couches, desks, books, hotels, activities, etc. I help students research. I help faculty research. I teach how to research. I research for the fun of it. The textbook for this class (as seen in the photo) is “Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research” by J. Creswell (5th ed.). The textbook is full of information, a lot of which I know, a lot of which I don’t. One little thing that bothers me about this book in chapter 3 is a section on how to conduct research in the library. This edition was updated this year–the copyright date is actually 2015–and it is only available in a loose-leaf version. However, the information on library resources is a tad outdated. I am sure some academic libraries (somewhere) still use CD-ROMs to access databases (there could be some). Creswell (2015) even suggests that a researcher “go to the bookshelves” and “scan the table of contents of education journals from the past 7 to 10 years” (p. 82). I might possibly do this while working on my dissertation so that I leave no stone un-turned, however it would only be if my library (I have access to two wonderful academic library resources) did not have electronic access to what I needed or if the only copy of a journal was in print. This scenario is highly unlikely since most academic libraries (including the one in which I work) have removed some print journal copies (given away, donated, sold, etc.) if available elsewhere electronically to make room for other collections, services, or partners, etc. in the library. I realize that not everything is available electronically and in those cases, yes, I will use the print copy to browse the table of contents, but it is only as a last step (depending on my topic).
The author fails to mention the most valuable resource a doctoral student will need–WorldCat–the catalog of almost every book known in the world in every kind of library imaginable, most of which are connected to a lending system. He does mention the Library of Congress, which is a wealth of information (especially their online collections), but it is not primarily a lending library. There is one mention of interlibrary loan which is also of utmost importance to a doctoral student, or any graduate student really. Try as it might, there is not one academic library that can purchase every single database, book, resource, media, etc. in the world. Interlibrary loan covers this by creating a lending library of thousands of libraries across the world–not only for books, but for journal articles, too
. I think Creswell should have consulted a librarian on this chapter because this librarian is not impressed.
So, off my soapbox, I am excited for this new semester to begin. Reading, discussing, networking, writing, and researching will be the thing for the next few months.
Blessings to you and yours.
Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Ninth Week PhD: Been There, Done That
This Monday, my final paper was due for my first doctoral class. Christian Worldview for Educators was a great first doctoral course as there was the appropriate amount of APA style, assignments, readings, and discussions. This course was a good introduction to the doctoral mindset. I had never given much thought to the Christian worldview as a way to relate to my profession. As someone who works in Christian higher education, a Christian worldview is important since it is the reason Christian higher education exists and why I have chosen to work in its environment.
Another lesson this class has taught me is time management. Having one course in the summer has been a challenge, but having two courses this fall will be even more challenging. Without a set schedule for dealing with two courses at once, I will surely get behind and will probably not be able to catch up.
So, now that this course is over, I will rest a little, read for pleasure a little, and read ahead a little for the start of a new semester.
Blessings to you and yours.
Eighth Week PhD: A Moral Argument
One of our readings this week was from our Beckwith, Craig, and Moreland textbook, “To everyone an answer: A case for the Christian worldview.” Our discussion question asked us to choose one of the arguments we had to read and decide which one best argued for the existence of God. One chapter called, “A moral argument” by Copan, struck me as the most valid and convincing argument for God’s existence. The moral argument proposes that since morality exists, then God exists. This is a very brief summary of the argument. There are some that would argue that morality (knowing the difference between right and wrong) can exist without God.
I read a portion of a book by Zuckerman that explained how the societies in Sweden and Denmark are existing peacefully and in little chaos without a strong following of Godly principles. There are probably many other societies existing with the same principles. Morality is something God gave all human beings knowledge of as explained in Romans 2:14-16 in which the Gentiles have the law “written on their hearts,” obeying God’s law even though they did not know the law. Whether you believe in God or not, he exists and he has given everyone an inner moral compass. Even if a society exists with peace and abiding citizens, eventually, without acknowledgement of God, the society will fall.
The difference between morals with God and morals without God is the motivation of our actions—faith. In relation to faith and actions, James 1:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (New International Version). While morality (knowing the difference between good and evil) is a human nature, I believe that without God morals have no purpose and no meaning.
Blessings to you and yours.
Copan, P. (2004). A moral argument. In F. Beckwith, W. Craig, & J. Moreland (Eds.), To everyone an answer: A case for the Christian worldview (pp. 108-123). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Zuckerman, P. (2008). Society without God: What the least religious nations can tell us about contentment. New York: New York University Press.
Seventh Week PhD: Null Curriculum & Intelligence
If you’ve never heard of the “null curriculum” you are not alone. Perhaps you are a teacher and you did study about it when you were going through college. If I studied it while I was in college, I don’t remember doing so. According to our textbook by Pazmino, the “null curriculum” are the things that you do not teach that you either meant to teach, but forget or can’t teach because of time restraints. The “null curriculum” fits into the “explicit curriculum” and the “hidden curriculum” to make up the whole of what a teacher could teach. The “hidden curriculum” are the things that you don’t necessarily put in your lesson plans or aren’t necessarily a learning objective, but you teach it anyway. One example of this might be if a teacher tries to teach her students to treat each other with respect. She may not have this in her lesson plans or it may not be a learning objective, but it is being taught nonetheless. An example of “null curriculum” might be if a teacher has to skip a chapter in a textbook because there was a day lost due to weather. The teacher has to make the decision to keep it in or take it out and what is the most important thing for the students to learn. That is what a teacher does. All of those things comprise the curriculum.
It wasn’t part of our reading this week, but next week part of our reading includes chapters from our Beckwith, Craig, and Moreland text. In one of the chapters, Dembski defines intelligence, according to etymology of the word, as “choosing between.” Intelligent people weigh all the options and then make choices. This makes sense because in Proverbs 14:6 (NIV) it says, “The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.” Intelligence can be inherited, but I think it can also be learned by teaching students, children, friends, and colleagues how to make choices when given many options. Maybe you are more intelligent than you thought!
Blessings to you and yours.
Dembski, W. (2004). An information-theoretic design argument. In F. Beckwith, W. Craig, & J. Moreland (Eds.), To everyone an answer (pp. 77-94). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Pazmino, R. (2008). Foundational issues in Christian education: An introduction in evangelical perspective. (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Sixth Week PhD: I Love Deadlines…
…I love the whooshing sound they make as they go by (attributed to Douglas Adams). This week was almost all spent on writing my first doctoral paper for the Christian Worldview for Educators class. We also had to submit a 12-15 PowerPoint slide presentation to go with the paper. We were tasked with choosing a critical issue in our field (Distance Education) and applying ideas from our textbooks to this critical issue (at least 7 sources total, we could use the Bible, but was not part of our Reference List, plus a video for the Powerpoint). My title is “The Effects of Social Media on Pedagogy in Online Learning.” I didn’t procrastinate, exactly. In graduate school, working on my Master’s degree, there were plenty of times I started a paper the day before it was due. Most of the time, it works for me. However, this time, I researched my topic a few weeks in advance of sending the topic to my professor. After my professor approved my topic, I researched some more. Then I went to Las Vegas, presented a poster (you can view that here as a PDF if you want: http://www.tagmydoc.com/dl/24jVS5/gmAN), had a vacation in Las Vegas with my hubby, and then went to Virginia for residency. I probably should have worked on my paper a little bit at a time during all those places. After staying up until 3am to submit paper and PowerPoint, I will think a little more ahead of time for my next paper (due August 6).
Perhaps it is wise to follow in the footsteps of God, who sent his Son at just the right time (Galatians 4:4). He planned for Jesus to come to earth to put aside the old law and establish a new one. He must have carefully planned it, researched it, made notes, referenced his own work, learned from his previous writings, and then sent us Jesus–exactly when we needed him. So I should plan accordingly so that my papers will be sent at just the right time.
Blessings to you and yours.
Fifth Week PhD: I Survived My First Residency
I am moving right along after my fifth week in my first course of my doctoral program. Starting on Monday this week was my first of three residencies at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. It is a beautiful campus about 20 minutes from the beach. I didn’t get to go to the beach this time, but I did meet my current professor face-to-face (Hi Dr. Finn!), and I met many of the professors I will have in the future. I met many of my classmates with whom I have been talking online. On the first day we met in our individual cognate groups–mine was composed of three different cognates–Distance Education, Higher Education, and Higher Education Leadership Management. We were divided into groups and were tasked with researching a topic and presenting on that topic this morning (Thursday). All of my group happened to be from the Distance Education cognate–Fred, Julie, and Jose. We chose the topic, “Faculty and Digital Media Literacy: Tools, Challenges, Barriers, and Solutions.” My first presentation as a doctoral student went smoothly with help from my wonderful classmates!
During the week, we received encouragement and truth about what it will take to successfully complete this program–time. I met some second year and third year residency students who were also encouraging and honest about what it takes to get through this program. After this week, I know I am supposed to be here. I know what it will take. I am prepared. I can do it!
Third Week: PhD To Everyone An Answer
It is my third week of my first course as a doctoral student. Yay me! This week our discussion was on two chapters of a book titled, “Foundational Issues in Christian Education: An Introduction in Evangelical Perspective” by Robert Pazmino and four chapters of a book titled, “To Everyone An Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview” edited by Francis Beckwith, William Craig, and J.P. Moreland. The latter book is not specifically about education although you can apply it to that. This book is about apologetics. Apologetics is to defend one’s faith in order to bring people to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Out of the two books, I enjoyed reading this one. It flowed better and was easier to understand. This book happens to be a collection of essays in honor of Norman L. Geisler, an expert in Christian apologetics.
One of the most interesting sections focused on the relationship between Jesus and his family. During Jesus’ time, the society was patriarchal. Women did not take leadership roles and were not the center of the culture. Jesus changed all that when he spoke to women. Even some of his followers were women. Jesus also changed the definition of family when he said, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50, NIV). Jesus was known to befriend known “sinners” and forgive their sins. He welcomed them as family. We must remember that even if we have a loving family, there are some in the world who do not. There are some who do leave their mother, father, sisters, and brothers for Christ. Our definition of family needs to be bigger than we suppose it to be, just as it was to Jesus. Blessings to you and yours.
Second Week PhD: Creeds and Foundations
Another week down and 100 more to go (or so)! This week one of our discussions focused on observations of the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed. I was not familiar with either one, so I chose the Apostles’ Creed. The text of the creed is here:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
It is a nice creed. If one were to commit to this creed, a belief in God, the Father, Jesus his son, and the Holy Spirit would be necessary. This creed focuses on God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If one were not raised in the catholic church (like me), then one might have a problem with the phrase “I believe in the holy catholic church.” However, after reading it several times, I have come to the conclusion that whatever the intentions were of the original author(s), I believe that the phrases “holy catholic church” and “communion of saints” are referring to a unified church–a people that profess God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as one. A people that are committed to believing in a creator, his son, and the power of the Holy Spirit. A spirit of unity is what God wants from us. Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
Blessings to you and yours.
Dawn of Knowledge 
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