Independent Research in Education (ED495a)

  • URL: https://libguides.enc.edu/AGS/ECE/researchproject
  • Research Tools

    General Overview

    915844Before You Are Enrolled

    Read this libguide thoroughly to make sure you are willing and able to do everything that will be required of you.

    Submit the Topic Approval Form no later than 4 weeks before your desired start date.  If your topic is not approved, revise and resubmit the form until it is accepted.

    When your topic is approved you will be enrolled in the course.

     

    Before the Course Starts

    Your Research Advisor will email you the week before the course starts to schedule the two conference sessions.  Respond to this email within 3 days of its sent date to confirm the conference days, times, and locations.  If you do not respond in time, the course may be cancelled.

     

    The First Conference

    The first conference will take place within the first week of the course and will run for 1-2 hours.  You must attend all conferences (see the attendance policy).  Make sure you arrive on time and are prepared.

     

    The Research Phase

    The time between the two conferences will be spent performing research and meeting whatever goals or deadlines you and your Research Advisor have agreed upon.  This will involve extensive use of the ENC library's online databases.  If you need help using these resources, please ask a librarian to show you.  (Note:  The librarians are happy to help you learn how to use the resources, but you should not ask or expect them to locate articles for you.  YOU are the researcher - that is your job.)

     

    The Second Conference

    The second conference will take place at roughly the midpoint of the course - in the 3rd or 4th week.  It should also last between 1 and 2 hours.  Once again, you must attend the conference and you must make every effort to be fully prepared.

     

    The Writing Phase

    When your Research Advisor believes you are ready, you will begin synthesizing the information you have gathered.  Start writing your paper.  This will be a multi-draft process.  It is highly recommended that you take advantage of the writing resources that are available to you.  The Center for Student Enrichment can help you structure your paper and offer suggestions.  The online service Grammarly can proofread your paper for grammatical errors.  Use these resources to improve your paper.

     

    At the End

    Submit your final paper to your Research Advisor by the end date of the course.  Your Research Advisor will evaluate the paper and give you feedback on it. You will receive your final course grade through the MyENC portal in the usual way.

    Please note that your final grade for the course will not necessarily be the same grade you receive on your paper.  The course grade will take the learning process into consideration as well.  While the exact criteria will be up to your Research Advisor, you may be graded on things like how well prepared you were for conferences, whether you met deadlines for interim assignments, the quality of your interactions with the Research Advisor.  All of these things help to illustrate what and how much you learned throughout this course.  While the final product is important, it is not the only thing that matters.