SPED 995 06: Scholarly Project

The semester prior to completing your project you had your Topic Proposal form approved by the School of Graduate Studies.  As a result, your project must align with what you stated in your Topic Proposal.  If you change your mind and want to pursue a new direction, even with the same topic, you will need to repeat the Topic Proposal process.  Remember, your topic must align with your major.

 Acceptable style for final presentation of the project should follow the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which is 7^th edition. Formatting of title page, table of contents, margins, reference notes, lists, tables and general typing instructions should coincide with APA style. Equally as important is an appropriate professional style of writing.  It is your responsibility (not your advisor’s) to format your project following APA guidelines.  If you do not know how to cite a source in-text or in the reference list, you will need to spend time looking it up in the manual.  Before submitting each chapter, be sure to edit carefully using the Editing Checklist located in the Appendices.

Smarthinking is a free, online tutoring service available that can help you with your writing.  It is available in the course site.  It is expected that you submit your chapters to Smarthinking prior to submitting them to Blackboard. Be sure to make the suggested changes prior to submitting your document in Blackboard. In addition, upload the feedback form you received from Smarthinking. NOTE: If the suggested changes have not been made prior to submitting the document, they will not be graded until the final. In other words, you will not receive feedback from the instructor prior to the final submission.

SPED 995 is a course, just like all other courses you have taken in your program.  Each chapter is considered an assignment so pay close attention to the deadlines to avoid submitting late work.  Please review the scholarly project scoring rubric so you know the evaluation criteria. 

Regarding scholastic dishonesty, should you choose to use the work of a former student who took this course or from documents on the internet (without proper citation), in whole or in part, then you have chosen to fail this course.

Lastly, if you are graduating this semester, be sure to apply for graduation now, if you have not already done so.

In order to succeed in this course, at a minimum, you should be able to:

• Navigate in and use basic Blackboard functions
• Download and open electronic documents
• Create, save, and upload/attach electronic documents
• Send, receive, and manage email

Topic Proposal Logistics

Major Assignments/Assignment Schedule

Chapter I – due May 26 by 8:00 a.m. (CST)

Chapter II – due June 9 by 8:00 a.m. (CST)

Chapter III – due June 23 by 8:00 a.m. (CST)

Chapter IV – due July 8 by 8:00 a.m. (CST)

Final Project – due July 14 by 8:00 a.m. (CST)

REVISIONS

You will be given the opportunity to revise each chapter one time.  It is your choice to revise to improve your score.  If you make revisions, you will have one week to resubmit from when it was returned to you.  Please resubmit through Blackboard.  If you revise a chapter, you still need to submit the next chapter by its due date.

As a reminder, SPED 995 is based on a letter grade, not on Pass/Fail.

TITLE PAGE

A title page that indicates the title of your project (same title that was on your topic proposal), your name, address, date, school affiliation if available, and a statement indicating that this fulfills the requirements for the master of science (or education) degree in special education at the University of North Dakota.  This information should be centered on the page.

Refer to the example title page in the appendices. 

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Approximately 3-5 pages double-spaced

Your introduction should provide the reader with a general introduction to the topic area. You should introduce the rationale for choosing the topic under discussion. The introduction should provide the reader with a definitive statement of the problem under consideration and the potential benefit of the proposed research. You should introduce and define key terms that will assist the reader in understanding the terminology used in your project.

The following headings must be included in your CHAPTER I:

• Introduction
• Statement of the Problem
• Description of the Project
• Potential Benefits of the Project
• Key Terms

Each of the terms will need to be defined and cited with a professional resource.  Professional resources are the materials you acquired or/and learned about in your coursework.  Citing definitions with Webster is not considered scholarly writing at the master’s level.

Example:

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA):

A process for gathering broad and specific information about a child’s behavior in order to identify the behavior’s function or purpose.  A functional behavior assessment is used to develop a behavior intervention plan (Department of Education, 2011).

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Approximately 8-10 pages double-spaced

The purpose of a literature review is to identify what is known and what is not known about your topic. To do this, you will need to locate seminal works (i.e., scholarly books, research articles, documents, reviews, internet resources) on your topic. The literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). The literature review connects theory with practice. It is not just a descriptive list of the material available or a set of summaries but an organized synthesis of what has been published on your topic by accredited scholars and researchers. Depending on the topic, the number of sources for a literature review can range between five and fifteen (more is better).   Lastly, the field of education is in constant change due to ongoing research.  As a result, your literature must be recent; meaning, it can only be within the past 10 years.

The following must be included in your CHAPTER II:

• A substantial review of recent literature must be completed that is pertinent to the proposed topic.  For example, if you are creating a curriculum, what does the professional literature say about components and/or instructional strategies regarding the curriculum?
• The literature reported in this chapter must lead up to and support the content you put in CHAPTER III.  Remember, interventions must be researched-based and the research is reported in the professional literature.
• Literature reviews are organized into sections through the use of headings and subheadings.
• As a reminder, you are reporting what the professional literature states using direct quotes and paraphrasing.  You may not insert your personal conclusions, opinions, or beliefs.

The following resource will assist you in organizing your literature review: www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html

Sources for the Literature Review

Academic Journals. Academic journals are usually the best source for literature reviews. These contain articles written by specialists in the field (usually college professors), who describe their research, secondary research, novel applications of existing theories, or interesting new ideas set in a theoretical context. There are several academic journals in the field of special education that can be accessed via an ERIC search.

The Internet. The internet is a good place to find a great deal of information quickly; however, this information is not always credible. While journal articles are peer-reviewed before being published, the only criterion for putting information on the internet is that one has a web site and the technical knowledge to post it. The U.S. Department of Education maintains the ERIC website which is designed specifically for educators at www.accesseric.org. ERIC stands for Educational Resources Information Center. This site contains thousands of journal articles, research reports, curriculum, conference papers, and teaching guides. The review process for many of these sources is minimal and thus, they vary widely in their validity and credibility.

Books. Books are also good sources, but keep in mind that just because information is written in a book does not mean it is always true. Books that cite their sources and those that are published by major publishing companies are generally those that can be trusted to provide credible information. 

CHAPTER III

PROJECT

Approximate Length: Varies

The goal of this chapter is to demonstrate your knowledge and skills at developing a supportive learning environment for individuals.  Supportive environments can be established in multiple ways, such as:  an action research project, curriculum development, an in-service or workshop, or creation of an effective teaching strategy.  Please discuss ideas with your advisor.

Things to Remember:

1. Your scholarly project is a demonstration of what you learned in your coursework. So, you need to apply what you learned.  Many students choose to develop curriculum for this chapter, which means you must apply what you learned in your method course relative to the disability area you are targeting with your unit.  For example, if you are developing a social skills curriculum/unit, you need to create lessons and a performance evaluation that embeds all the requirements taught in SPED 555 Advanced Methods:  Emotional Disturbance.
2. It is acceptable to use resources/materials developed by others; however, you will need to blend work of others with materials you have created.  For example, if you develop curriculum, 50% of the resources you utilize can be taken from other sources (with credit being given) and 50% the creation of your own materials.
3. This chapter does not need to follow APA formatting and can be compiled in a manner most fitting for your project.
4. You must use people-first language.
5. Read the entire scoring rubric before completing this project.

CHAPTER IV SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS

Approximately 3-4 pages double-spaced

This chapter provides the reader with a brief reiteration of the preceding three chapters. It should focus on integrating your project with what you found in the review of the literature, thus you are providing evidence of your data literacy.

The following headings must be included in your CHAPTER IV:

• Summary
  • What is the significance of your project in relation to the literature?
• Conclusions
  • What do you conclude regarding your topic in relation to the impact/significance it will have on the stakeholder group for whom you targeted your project?
• Recommendations
  • As a professional, what recommendations do you give regarding implementation of your topic/project?
• Reflective Statement
  • This chapter must also include a reflective statement about both the project and your experience in the master’s program. This statement should include:
    • What you learned from doing the project
    • What you learned from or how you grew throughout your master’s program
    • What you see as the roles and responsibilities of a special education teacher, and finally
    • Your definition of and plans for professional development

REFERENCE LIST

You should provide a complete reference list of all materials used in the study. The format should follow APA guidelines as established in the manual.

GRADING

See the scoring rubric for the criteria, under the Grading Criteria Section, you will be evaluated on for this project.  Note the points assigned to each category on the grading rubric will be based on 1 revision of each chapter.  This means you will have one opportunity to make changes/edits from my feedback after one submission of each chapter. 

Access and Log in Information

This course was developed and will be facilitated utilizing Blackboard. To get started with the course, please go to: http://blackboard.UND.edu and log in with your NDUS.Identifier, Username and Password. If you do not know your NDUS Identifier or have forgotten your password, please visit Your NDUS Account page on the UIT website.

Resources

Many services are available to UND students such as writing assistance from the UND Writing Center, free online tutoring from Smarthinking, and more. Visit the Student Resources page for more information. Students also have access to the UND Student Resource Site via Blackboard. It is recommended that you become familiar with the tools and tutorials within the site to better equip you in navigating the course.

Course Requirements/Expectations

1. The student will review the syllabus and course schedule posted in Blackboard.
2. The student will access and follow all course instructions found in the weekly area of the Blackboard course.
3. The student will participate in any lecture or discussion sessions on campus or online as provided and as part of this course.
4. The student will complete and submit assignments, exams, quizzes, etc. by the dated noted and in the manner described in Blackboard and on the course schedule. We will use Central Standard Time for due dates and times.
5. The student will participate fully and in a timely manner to get the benefit of learning from instructor and/or peers.

Instructor Responsibilities and Feedback

• The instructor will provide feedback on all assignments and group activities by Wednesday of the following week.
• The instructor will be available during appointed Office Hours to answer questions, provide feedback, and offer advice. Additional meeting times are available upon student request. 

My preferred method of communication is email or phone or Zoom. I encourage you to reach out to me when you have a question. If you wish to schedule an appointment, please email some dates and times that you prefer to meet. My contact information is in the "Faculty” tab in Blackboard. Use the recurring Zoom link in Blackboard. If you need specific technology to communicate, please send me a link so we can connect in a way that is appropriate for you.

Announcements

Announcements will be posted in Blackboard on a regular basis. Be sure to check the class announcements regularly as they will contain important information about class assignments and other class matters.

Email

If you need to contact me directly, check the Faculty tab in Blackboard or the syllabus for my contact information. I will respond back to you within 48 hours during the week or weekend.

Course Etiquette

When participating in class (online or in person) it is important to interact with your peers in an appropriate manner. Always use professional language (no netspeak) in your postings and emails. Please be respectful of your classmates at all times even if you disagree with their ideas.

Standards Addressed:

CEC Standards: 2 Learning Environments; 3 Curricular Content Knowledge; 5 Instructional Planning & Strategies; 6 Professional Learning & Ethical Practice.  ESPB 19015.1; ESPB 19015.4; ESPB 19015.6; CAEP A.1.1; CAEP A.1.2

Proposal Rubric

**Teacher candidates’ knowledge and skills are considered proficient when their scores are in the Meets Expectation or Exceeds Expectation category.

APPENDIX A: Title Page

Perceived Advising Needs of Adult Learners

by

Joseph M. Thomas

Bachelor of Arts, Augustana Lutheran College, 2008

A Scholarly Project

Submitted to Dr. Mickey Mouse

of the

University of North Dakota

In partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

Master of Science

Grand Forks, North Dakota

December

2015

APPENDIX B: Editing Checklist

• People-first language is used
• Nouns and pronouns agree
  • Singular example:  student use she or he
  • Plural example:  students use their
• Lack of subject-verb agreement
  • Check your draft for subject-verb agreement problems by circling each sentence's subject and drawing a line with an arrow to that subject's verb. You should be able to do this for each sentence. A verb must agree with its subject in number and in person. In many cases, the verb must take a form depending on whether the subject is singular or plural: The old man is angry and stamps into the house, but The old men are angry and stamp into the house. Lack of subject-verb agreement is often just a matter of leaving the -s ending off the verb out of carelessness, or of using a form of English that does not have this ending. Sometimes, however, this error results from particular sentence constructions. 
• Possessive nouns have apostrophes
  • Singular example:  Student’s IEP
  • Plural example:  Students’ IEPs
• Major headings are centered, bolded and subheadings are left justified and bolded
• Direct quotes include page numbers in citations
• Acronyms have been written out the first time used in each chapter
• Unnecessary shift in tense
  • Check to make sure all the verb tenses work together appropriately. Verb tenses tell readers when actions take place: saying "Willie went to school" indicates a past action whereas saying "he will go" indicates a future action. When you shift from one tense to another with no clear reason, you can confuse readers. 
• Its/It’s Confusion
  • Use its to mean belonging to it; use it's only when you mean it is or it has.
• Comma Splice
  • Check all the commas used in your draft for comma splices, which occur only when a comma separates clauses that could each stand alone as a sentence. To correct a comma splice, you can insert a semicolon or period, add a word like and or although after the comma, or restructure the sentence.

Assignment Policy

Due dates for each assignment or activity will be posted in Blackboard.

Late Work

Example:  Late assignments will be accepted for 1 week after the due date but will receive a 1-full letter grade reduction in points unless prior arrangements have been made. Ex. An assignment due on June 1 worth 100 points could be turned in as late as June 8^th   8:00 am CT, with a maximum, number of points now possible of 90. (The grade possible has dropped from an A+ to a B+.) Assignments submitted after the due date (even with permission from the instructor) will be graded after all current assignments have been graded. Feedback might be less detailed than if the assignment was submitted on the original due date.

Please note: You do not need to disclose or perform trauma when asking for an extension; you just need to let us know (very broadly) that you need help, and we will do what we can to get you back on track in the course.

SUBMITTING FINAL COPY

After all chapters have been approved by your instructor and after you have done a complete and thorough edit of all four chapters, you will need to submit a final copy through Blackboard.  

Incompletes

It is expected that students will complete all requirements for a course during the time frame of the course. For reasons beyond a student’s control, and upon request by the student or on behalf of the student, an incomplete grade may be assigned by the instructor when there is reasonable certainty the student will successfully complete the course without retaking it. The mark “I,” Incomplete, will be assigned only to the student who has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work up to a time within four weeks of the close of the semester, including the examination period, and whose work is incomplete for reasons satisfactory to his or her instructor. More information regarding UND’s Incomplete policy can be found on The Grading System webpage.

Resolution of Problems

Should a problem occur, you should speak to your instructor first. If the problem continues to be unresolved, go to the department chair, and next to the college dean. Should the problem persist, you have the right to go to the provost next, and then to the president.

Policies for Students in Educator Preparation Programs

Dispositions:  The Council of Accreditation for Educator Preparation (CAEP) requires the university to monitor the academic progress and dispositions of every student enrolled in a program leading to an education license or credential.  Dispositions refer to a student’s actions and behaviors in terms of professionalism, ethics and human relations. Should a concern arise about a student’s progress or dispositions, faculty, instructors and/or cooperating teachers may request a one-on-one meeting with the teacher candidate or advanced student to discuss areas of strength or concerns.  Written documentation of this conference may be included in the student’s permanent file.  Specific procedures are delineated on the form, Professional Dispositions for UND Teacher Education. 

Essential Abilities Requirements:  Essential abilities are academic performance requirements that refer to those physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the educator preparation curriculum and the development of personal attributes required for professional licensure. The candidate must possess or be able to gain these abilities with or without reasonable accommodation. The essential abilities required by the curriculum are reflected by competencies in the following areas: communication, intellectual, behavioral, social, motor, and sensory (Handbook for Teacher Education).

Reasonable accommodations will be afforded to education candidates with disabilities as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  Students who can no longer perform the essential functions of education candidates must report that to the Associate Dean of Student Services and Assessment and suggest any accommodations that they think will enable them to perform as education candidates.  The Associate Dean will then determine if the suggested accommodations are reasonable or if there are any other reasonable accommodations that can be made.  If accommodations cannot be made, the student may not be able to complete their educational program.