THE HONG KONG INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
Course Outline
Programme Title : Doctor of Education (EdD)
Module Title
Faculty
: Presentation of Thesis Proposal
: Graduate School
Credit Points
Course Hours
: 3
: 1 (seminar presentation) + 38 (directed learning)
Co-requisite(s) : All core courses in the EdD programme and corresponding specialized area courses
Synopsis
Under the guidance of the principal supervisor and associate supervisors, and building upon the foundation of preparation of r esearch proposal , the student develops a full research proposal as well as a research ethics application. The student will also have to present the proposal formally in a seminar organized by the Graduate School. The students will then revise the proposal and ethics application taking account of feedback from panel members, colleague researchers, and other fellow students. Candidature is confirmed when the student passes the course.
Objectives
The aim of the course is to train and enable students to
 demonstrate an expert knowledge of their chosen Specialied Area and the larger educational context in which their Area of Study operates;
 prepare a full research proposal that demonstrates originality and innovation in the Area chosen;
 develop skills in making professional presentations in a research environment;
 develop the ability to contribute to the professional debate in that field; and
 carry out a research project independently under the guidance of the principal supervisor and a team of co-supervisors.
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Content
This course builds upon the foundation of preparation of thesis proposal to guide students in the development and presentation of a research proposal that will become their thesis. Under the guidance of the supervisors, each student enrolled in the course will
 develop a proposal to fully describe the nature, significance, and aims of their research and the potential impact it can make;
 explain clearly in the proposal the methodologies used as well as the major milestones of the project;
 develop the skills and ability in presenting research ideas in the field of education, social sciences, humanities and related areas; and
 engage in intellectual debate with researchers in the chosen field of study.
Assessment
Assessment will consist of three components; together these three components will assess each student’s ability and achievement in preparing a research proposal, presenting the proposed study in a seminar, as well as responding to comments made by other researchers and fellow students. To be specific, each student will be required to

Research proposal -- submit a full research proposal (5,000 to 6,000 words; 70%);

Oral presentation -- present orally the details of their research plan. The presentation normally includes a literature review of the thesis proposal, the practical conduct with considerations of research methodology of the thesis. The oral presentation would normally be 60 minutes, including a 30 minutes presentation and a 30 minutes question-and-answer session. The presentation will be assessed in terms of the significance, relevance, feasibility and coherence of the plan (25%); and

Rebuttal -- respond to comments and questions raised by other candidates. Hence, along with the thesis proposal, candidate will also submit a Response Letter in the range of 800-1,000 words, taking account of feedback from other candidates (5%)
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Required Text
Nil
Suggested Reading
Books
Bell, J (2005). Doing your own research project: A Guide for first-time researchers in education, health and social science. 4 th
Edition. Buckinghamshire, Open University Press.
Billingham, Jo (2003). Giving presentations . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Reinhart, Susan M. (2002). Giving academic presentations.
Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of
Michigan Press.
Sales, B.D. & Folkman, S. (Eds.) (2000). Ethics in research with human participants . APA.
Weston, A. (2009) A Rulebook for Arguments . 4 th
Edition. Indianapolis: Hackett.
Journal articles
Additional journal articles may be prescribed by the principal supervisor and members of the supervision team.
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