HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
GUIDELINES FOR MASTER’S LEVEL
INDEPENDENT STUDIES
THE ASSESSMENT PROJECT
Revised 2009
Higher Education Program
Master’s Level Independent Study – Assessment Project
This document is designed as an aid to completing the independent study in the Higher
Education program. Part 1 contains guidelines for the independent study report. Part 2
contains a chart that includes the steps students must take to complete the independent
study process.
Content Guidelines
All Master’s students earning the M.A.Ed. degree in Higher Education will complete an
independent study during the second year of the program. As a prerequisite, all students
will have successfully completed two courses in assessment as a core requirement. At
the end of the first year, students will be given the opportunity to express their interest in
one or more prearranged independent studies (See Step 1, Process and Timeline). Once
assigned, the student will work closely with their respective field supervisor to conduct
the research and write a complete report according to the guidelines provided here.
Students may use as much of the APA Manual of Style 5th Edition as seems appropriate.
The report should serve as a stand-alone document, will be scholarly in its quality, and
may, in some instances, have potential for conference presentations or publication in
professional newsletters, trade magazines, or some journals.
The final report should include (a) a cover page, (b) an executive summary, (c) a table of
contents [a list of tables and list of figures may also be appropriate], (d) a section titled
“Introduction and Background” ,(e) a section titled “Methods”, (f) a section titled
“Findings”, (g) a section titled “Discussion and Recommendations” , and (h) a section
titled “References.” Each section should start on its own page. Some reports may also
have a section titled “Appendices” that should be placed after the reference list. Any
acknowledgement should appear after the cover page and before the executive summary.
Do NOT use a running header. Center page numbers at the bottom of the page.
Cover Page
The cover page should NOT be numbered but should include the title of the report, the
author, the members of the student’s examining committee (at least 3 faculty members),
and the date of the comprehensive exam. This information should be double-spaced.
Executive Summary
A bulleted list should be used to highlight the important aspects of the report. The text in
the bullets should be single-spaced and contain only a few sentences. This bulleted list
should be used to remind the reader of the purpose study, how the data were collected,
and the type of analysis that was used. Several bulleted items should call attention to
only the most important findings and recommendations of the study. The Executive
Study should be no more than two pages long.
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Tables of Contents, List of Tables, and List of Figures
The Table of Contents should appear after the Cover Page and after the Executive
Summary. All major sections of the report and their respective headings and subheadings
should be listed in the Table of Contents. These items should be left justified.
Subheadings should be indented. Their corresponding page numbers should be right
justified. The Table of Contents should be double-spaced. Follow the same rules for the
List of Tables and List of Figures.
Section 1 - Introduction and Background
The most important point of the introduction is to define the topic, identify why the
research is being conducted, and to some extent justify why the report is important. To
that end, authors should identify the topic to be studied in context. Authors should spend
several pages discussing the subject of their inquiry from a national, regional, local, and
institutional perspective if possible. Authors should refer to the published literature but
this summary might also include less formal sources such as the Chronicle of Higher
Education, local newspaper reports, association white papers, conference handouts, and
interviews with professionals in the field or at the institution studied.
It is also important to provide some background about the department and the institution
where the study is taking place. Including background about the organizational structure
might also help the reader understand the institutional dynamics surrounding the topic
that is being studied.
This section of the report should also include a strong purpose statement followed by one
or more research questions that will be answered in the subsequent sections of the report.
The last subsection should be titled “Organization of the Study.” Authors should doublespace this text and use appropriately formatted headings for this section of the report (See
Step 5, Process and Timeline).
Section 2 - Methodology
Independent studies involve an assessment or research using some type of data. The
research techniques may be quantitative or qualitative. Existing data may be used or the
data may be collected by the researcher.
Regardless of the topic and the methods chosen, authors should describe: (a) the
participants who provided the data, (b) the measures used, (c) the data collection process,
(d) the data analysis procedures used, and (e) any processes used to ensure the quality of
the inquiry (i.e., reliability, validity, trustworthiness, authenticity, etc.) in this section of
the report. Authors should double-space this text and use appropriately formatted
headings for this section (See Step 5, Process and Timeline).
If copyrighted questionnaires are used, permission to use such materials must be obtained
in advance. If data are to be collected or if the research may result in a publication of any
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type, IRB permission must be obtained before the project begins (See Step 7, Process and
Timeline).
Section 3 - Findings
The Findings Section of the report summarizes the data collected and the results of the
data analysis. The data and analysis should be organized and reported in such a way that
the research questions posed in the study are answered.
Refer to the APA Manual of Style 5th Edition to determine which measures should be
reported and how the data should be displayed. If means are reported for example, the
number of respondents (n), and standard deviation (sd) should also be reported.
Table designations are left justified and appear in regular font. The table title appears
beneath the table designation, is left justified, and is italicized. Words in the title appear
in upper and lower case.
Figures may also be used to display images or other pictures. Do not use a frame to
surround the image. The figure title appears at the bottom of the figure. The figure
number (i.e., Figure 1.) is capitalized, numbered and ends with a period. The name of the
figure appears in upper and lower case letters and is italicized (Figure 1. Name of the
figure).
Usually, tables and figures appear on separate pages and text is double spaced. For
purposes of this report, authors may place tables and figures in the text and single-space
the text in the tables or figures. Regardless of the placement of these visual aids, text
should fill the surrounding page. Authors should always place tables and figures as close
as they can the referenced text and use their best judgment on where they should appear.
Finally, remember that the purpose of the Findings or Results Section is to report data
analysis and to comment on any data collection and analysis process that may have
affected the findings. Commenting on the implications of the findings or interpreting the
data should be saved for the discussion section of the report (See Step 11, Process and
Timeline).
Section 4 - Discussion and Recommendations
In many ways, the most valuable section of the report is the Discussion and
Recommendation Section of the report. Authors should comment on what the results
mean and why they may have occurred. When possible, the findings should be connected
with other results found in the literature reported in Section 1. If the findings do not
support the literature, hypothesize why this might have occurred.
Finally, make recommendations for practice based on your findings. Recommend future
studies that should be conducted based on your findings. Comment on how your study
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might have been improved and write a conclusion that brings closure to the report (See
Step 13, Process and Timeline).
References
While these reports are meant to be scholarly in terms of their quality, comprehensive
literature reviews are not required. Appropriate citations should be used when referring
to the written work of others, however. Reference materials should be used to place the
study in its contemporary context. All citations should appear in APA format. Eight to
15 citations would be more than adequate. Also note that for purposes of this report, all
references should be SINGLE-spaced, double-space between references.
Appendices
Appendices may include letters of permission, IRB approval, copies of the questionnaire
used in the study, and other pertinent materials that may add to the value of the report.
The ideal report is a stand-alone document. Using appendices properly means that
readers will not have to refer to other documents to make sense of what they have just
read.
Final Comment
In these pages, we have tried to outline the major components of an independent study.
These suggestions provide some general guidelines. We have not covered every item nor
have we anticipated every issue. It is not our intention to do so.
Authors should seek to write reports that adequately address the topic in a substantial
manner. Each report should seek its own length. Quality is more important than quantity.
Questions should be addressed to your field supervisor first and then your faculty advisor.
Process and Timeline
Key:
FA = Faculty Advisor
GS = Graduate School
SOE = School of Education
Step
1
Activity
Projects
assigned
2
FA Status
FS = Field Supervisor
IS = Independent Study
Details
Students assigned to projects,
FSs, and FAs. All parties notified
of assignments
Student completes Plan of Study
form and has it approved by FA.
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Deadline*
March 30
April 30
Notes
Form available
from GS website:
http://www.grads.vt
.edu/forms/index.ht
ml
5
3
Initial Mtg.
with FS
Student and FS meet to introduce
selves and discuss project.
Identify summer activities if
appropriate
Student completes form, FS
reviews it, FA signs and submits
it
April 30
4
IS Request
Form - Fall
5
Student
writes
Sections 1
and 2
Section1-Intro/Background
Section 2-Methodology
October
6
Form
Committee
Committee consists of at least 3
people eligible for appointment to
the GS (i.e., hold terminal
degrees)
October
7
IRB
Apply for and receive IRB
approval (if appropriate)
November
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Must be to
FA by
August
1**
a. Available at:
http://www.soe.vt.e
du/oap/graduatefor
ms.html
b. Brief description
must be sufficiently
detailed to merit 3
units of academic
credit
c. Form is approved
by SOE and GS and
GS adds 3 units of
IS to student’s
schedule
Drafts go to FS for
editing. Allow 2
weeks for review of
every draft. Once
FS is satisfied
sections go to FA
FA serves as one
member. FS serves
as second member
if s/he holds
terminal degree. If
not, serves as 4th
member and 3rd
member is a HED
affiliated faculty
member
If results are to be
used in any public
forum (e.g.,
conference
presentations,
publications) IRB
approval MUST be
obtained. Details at:
http://www.irb.vt.e
du/
6
8
Approval to
Conduct
Study
IS Request
Form Spring
FS and FA need to approve
methodology before data are
collected and/or analyzed
Student completes form, FS
reviews it, FA signs and submits
it
December
10
Collect and
analyze data
Student collects data (if
necessary) and begins analysis
JanuaryFebruary
11
Write
Section 3
Section 3-Findings
February
12
Submit
Application
for Degree
This action notifies the GS of
student’s intent to graduate in
MAY
March
1**
13
Write
Section 4
Section 4-Discussion and
Recommendations
March
14
Write
Executive
Summary
Bulleted summary of purpose,
method, key results
March
15
Schedule
Final Exam
Dates in April when exams will
be held have been reserved.
Students must complete Request
to Admit Candidate to Final
Exam form
March
20**
9
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December
10**
a. Available at:
http://www.soe.vt.e
du/oap/graduatefor
ms.html
b. Brief description
must be sufficiently
detailed to merit 3
units of academic
credit
c. Form is approved
by SOE and GS and
GS adds 3 units of
IS to student’s
schedule
Student keeps FS
and FA informed of
progress
Drafts go to FS for
editing. Allow 2
weeks for review of
every draft. Once
FS is satisfied
section goes to FA
Form available at:
http://www.grads.vt
.edu/forms/index.ht
ml
Drafts go to FS for
editing. Allow 2
weeks for review of
every draft. Once
FS is satisfied
section goes to FA
Drafts go to FS for
editing. Once FS is
satisfied Exec
Summ goes to FA
Form available at:
http://www.grads.vt
.edu/forms/index.ht
ml
7
16
17
Report to
Committee
Complete
other forms
18
Conduct
final exam
19
Revise
report
20
Submit final
report
Commence
ment
21
Complete report due to committee April 1**
members
Student works with HED
Program Secretary to ensure that
other paperwork is completed
Reserved
dates in
April
May 1
Make revisions to report as
suggested by committee at final
exam
Send electronic version of final
May 5
report to all committee members
Go to commencement ceremonies
and celebrate your success!!
Plan of Study,
Change of
Committee and
other forms may be
required before the
GS will schedule
the final exam.
Make changes in
bold, send to FS for
approval.
* Note: deadlines related to writing sections may vary depending on nature of project.
For example, students using existing data may be able to analyze data earlier in the year.
** Note: These are hard deadlines if student plans to graduate in May. No exceptions.
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