Proposed Conceptualization of Ed.D. Capstone
The Dissertation in Practice is the culminating Inquiry as Practice for the Doctor
of Education degree. It demonstrates that doctoral candidates have the ability, as
scholarly practitioners, to solve problems of practice and to think, perform, and act
with integrity (Shulman, 2005). Inquiry as Practice is a process of posing questions
about complex problems of practice. Scholarly practitioners use various research
findings, theories, and professional wisdom to design innovative solutions to
address those complex problems of practice. Scholarly practitioners are able to use
data to understand the effects of innovation and have the ability to gather, organize,
judge, aggregate, and analyze situations, literature, and data with a critical lens.
The UMSL College of Education Dissertation in Practice is the capstone experience
for a program of study characterized by scholarly practitioners working in
community. As such, the format can be one of several possibilities:
1. A traditional format wherein the research problem is a complex problem of
practice and the inquiry is presented in a single-authored, multi-chapter
document.
2. A mixed format wherein a global set of complex problems is presented in an
initial chapter followed by a review of related research literature on that set
of complex problems in an additional chapter, these chapters being multipleauthored by scholarly practitioner members of a learning community. These
two chapters are then followed by single-authored presentations of the
inquiries conducted by members of the learning community with a
concluding multiple-authored chapter that integrates and summarizes the
individual inquiries. The single-authored presentations can be in the format
of a chapter, with the entire work comprising a book manuscript, or in the
format of an article suitable for submission to a journal.
3. A technical report commissioned by a school district, educational
organization, or other client. The report incorporates a multiple-authored
introduction and survey of relevant literature; single-authored chapters, each
reporting an inquiry related to a complex problem of practice; and a
proposed innovation or set of innovations suggested by the inquiries.
Dissertation in Practice faculty/mentor committees evaluate individual students
with the evaluation based both on the products of the learning community as well as
the conduct and report/product of the individual’s inquiry. The products are to be
at least the written work and an oral defense presented to the University
community in public format and also can include an oral presentation to
practitioners or members of an organization that commissioned the work.
Excerpts from the College of Education Graduate Rules and Regulations . . .
1. Dissertation in Practice Proposal
The learning community should prepare a Dissertation in Practice proposal. In
addition to identifying the complex problems of practice that will be addressed
as the capstone work and a review of the relevant literature, the proposal should
indicate the role each individual learning community member will have in the
final products. It should also indicate the anticipated form of the final products.
A written portion must be included, as well as an oral presentation to a
community of practice, and an oral presentation (defense) to the campus
community. If the research involves human participants, proof of Institutional
Review Board approval is needed before the College of Education can forward
the proposal to the Graduate Dean for approval.
2. Dissertation in Practice Requirements
The mentor team decides which team members will serve as the chair for each
learning community member and complete Form D-2. This form should be sent
to the Academic Programs office for review and subsequent submission to the
Graduate Dean for approval.
The mentor team comprises the Dissertation in Practice Committee with other
graduate faculty members as needed. A senior member of the practice
community with a terminal degree can be included. If this individual is to be
among four committee members, the Graduate Dean must approve the
practitioner as a member of the graduate faculty. Form D-4 should be submitted
to appoint this group as the dissertation committee.
Once admitted to the Candidacy stage, candidates must be continuously enrolled,
typically in EDUC 7998 Dissertation in Practice Research. Candidates are not
required to enroll for the summer session.
Learning community members work on the Dissertation in Practice as a cohort
with both group and individual responsibilities and products. If any learning
community member does not contribute to group work or does not complete
his/her individual work, the student may, at the discretion of the mentor team,
complete the Dissertation in Practice with a following learning community.
A copy of the written portion of the completed Dissertation in Practice should be
submitted to the Graduate Dean after approval by the Dissertation Committee at
least six weeks prior to commencement. Such committee approvals need not be
obtained at a meeting of the committee, but a meeting of this nature is a common
practice and is recommended. Endorsement implies a thorough review of the
essentially final work by each committee member (students should allow
committee members approximately four weeks to read and review the
essentially final dissertations). A Preliminary Approval of the Dissertation and
Preliminary Application for the Doctoral Degree form (D-6), an Oral Defense
form (D-9), and a computer file of the oral defense announcement with the
dissertation abstract should be submitted with a copy of the dissertation.
The Dissertation in Practice can take a variety of forms, including but not limited
to: a book with multi-authored and single-authored chapters; multi-authored
introductory, literature review, and summary chapters with single-authored
chapters or articles suitable for submission as a publication; technical reports;
and multi-media works.
Candidates and mentor teams should be aware that the abstract will be widely
read by the campus community. If all procedures are followed the Graduate
Dean will sign the Preliminary Approval of Dissertation and Preliminary
Application for Doctoral Degree form.
3. Defense of the Dissertation in Practice
The Graduate Dean appoints the Defense of Dissertation Committee, in
accordance with the recommendation of the unit and using the Appointment of
Defense of Dissertation Committee form (typically consisting of the Dissertation
Committee members). The Graduate Dean may appoint one additional qualified
voting member to the Defense of Dissertation Committee. This individual should
be a member of the Graduate Faculty within the University of Missouri system.
The Defense of Dissertation Committee should consider the group and
individually authored written portions of the capstone work, the oral
presentation to the community of practice, and the oral presentation to the
campus community by attending both presentations. The committee can
question the candidate as they see fit at the conclusion of the campus
presentation. The committee should vote as to whether the individual has
passed the Dissertation in Practice defense. Two negative votes are sufficient for
failure, even if outnumbered by positive votes. An abstention is considered a
negative vote. A student failing an oral defense should be provided with an
opportunity for one additional defense. The timing and format of the
subsequent defense will be determined by the Defense of Dissertation
Committee and the second defense will take place before the same committee.
Final examination of the Dissertation in Practice is open to the public. The
decision of the Defense of Dissertation Committee is final. The report of the final
examination is submitted to the Graduate School Office on form D-7 or D-7e.
Fall 2014