Planning and Execution

Question 1

Wellington, Bathmaker, Hunt et al. (2005) identified “hard work” as a critical success factor in any doctoral program (p. 4). The very word “degree” derives from the Latin term gradus, which means “a step”; thus earning a degree connotes taking a step upward, as if climbing a ladder (Wellington, Bathmaker, Hunt et al., p. 5). One could compare this upward motion to ascending a steep learning curve. The hard work or difficulty encompasses challenges at every level–intellectual, physical, and emotional.

All: On a scale of 1-10 (1 being “extremely easy” and 10 being “excruciatingly difficult”), how difficult do you expect the doctoral program to be? Other than personal sacrifices, what kinds of disappointments do you expect to be part of the process?

150 word answer

Question 2

“Project Learning.” Please respond to the following:

Continue to consider the project identified in Discussion 1.

• What was the project objective?
• Assess the planning and execution of the project and identify what went well that you do not want to forget.
• Identify what you learned from the project experience.
• Evaluate the project outcome and decide what you and the project team would do differently if this project were to happen again.