Agile DPS Dissertation Process

1
Agile DPS Dissertation Process

• Chuck Tappert and Allen Stix
• DPS Research Seminar 2

2
Agile DPS Dissertation Methodologies and Tools

• Agile Methodology
• Cohort Group
• Socratic Method
• Dissertation Notebook
• Writing Emphasis
• Writing Tools

3
Agile Methodology

• Similar to agile software development
• Uses XP method of small releases and fast
  turnarounds (2-week iterations)
• Makes incremental advances in the dissertation
  work

4
Cohort Group

• Cohort contributes frequently
• Through their extensive knowledge and experience
• Make suggestions in the meetings
• Help find relevant literature/related material
• The power of the community is strong!

5
Socratic Method

• Clarification through confrontational dialogue
• Students must vigorously defend their position
• Works best if students adequately prepare for
  research seminar sessions
• Wikipedia definition asking a series of
  questions surrounding a central issue, and
  answering questions of the others involved.
  Generally this involves the defense of one point
  of view against another and is oppositional.

6
Dissertation Notebook

• Maintain a dissertation notebook
• As a repository of ideas, thoughts, and data
• Only place that you write, diagram, or doodle
  about your dissertation
• (see Dr. Ron Franks presentation slides for more
  information about the notebook)

7
Writing Emphasis

• Expressing your ideas in writing gives you a good
  grasp on them
• The written form of your ideas is amenable to
  iterative refinement
• Allows you to communicate your ideas to your
  advisor and discuss them point by point
• We recommend writing a conference/journal paper
  summarizing your ideas/work

8
Writing Tools

• Microsoft Word
• Formatting, spell checking, and other benefits of
  a word processor
• Microsoft PowerPoint for presentations
• Endnote
• Bibliography management software
• Always spell check documents/slides
• We teach the Strunk and White style of writing
  clearly and succinctly

9
Research Seminars 1 and 2 (fall and spring year
1)

• Learn about research and dissertation process
• What research is and how to do it
• Traditional versus agile dissertation process
• Conduct literature search/analyze research papers
• Faculty members present their research
• Select a suitable research area
• Best to choose an area where you have knowledge
  and expertise makes completion possible in 3
  years (saves several years over traditional
  method)

10
Research Seminars 3, 4, 5 (summer year 1,
fall-spring year 2)

• Choose/analyze a paper essence, methodology,
  etc.
• Select a suitable research problem
• Independent work by the student
• Present/discuss/refine in research seminars
• Choose advisor and committee
• Interact with advisor
• Review the related literature
• Independent work by the student
• Refined through research seminar interactions
• Write the idea paper
• Revise through the agile evolutionary process of
  presentations/discussions in research seminars
• Begin the research

11
Dissertation Work(summer year 2, fall-spring
year 3)

• Select a suitable research approach/plan
• Idea paper grows to include approach/plan
• Conduct the research
• Interact with advisor using XP methodology
• Idea paper grows into dissertation
• Present status at Saturday sessions
• Committee meetings
• Pre-defense (if necessary)
• Defense

12
Conclusion

• DPS dissertation completions (Chris Longo
  2/13/07)
• 2002 15 of 20 completed 75
• 2003 6 of 18 completed 33
• 2004 11 of 16 completed 69
• 2005 11 of 18 completed 61
• 2006 6 of 16 completed 38
• Overall 49 of 88 completed 56
• Average years to completion 3.5 years
• Agile DPS dissertation process works!