The National Graduate School
of Quality Management
NGS
Orientation for Incoming Students
All materials presented within the “Orientation for Incoming Students” is also contained within the
Student Handbook. The following set of slides highlight some key points that every new student should
know. Refer to the Student Handbook for additional clarification and official policy statements.
Overview
Topics to be Addressed
 NGS Accreditation
 Academic Tenets & Assessment
 Student Responsibilities
 General NGS Policies and Procedures
 Financial Aid
 Additional Resources and Information
 The Doctor of Business Administration Program
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Regionally Accredited
Nationally Recognized
By the
New England Association of
Schools and Colleges (NEAS&C)
through its
Commission on Institutions of Higher
Education (CIHE)
209 Burlington Road
Bedford, MA 01730-1433
781-271-0022
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Academic Tenets
& Assessment
Tenets of the NGS Learning Community
 The institution achieves its academic goals through the
commitment and performance of its faculty and students
 NGS promotes a learning environment that encourages
– a cooperative spirit and teamwork
– respect for diversity and inclusiveness of people and their ideas
– intellectual curiosity and inquiry
– tangible and quantifiable outcomes for the customer
– concern for the customer’s goals, needs, and expectations
– continual learning and measurable improvements
– a balance between theory and practice
– sharing real-life experiences while adhering to the highest standards
of confidentiality and ethical behavior
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Assessment Instruments
 Assessment of educational outcomes is conducted at the course level,
the semester level, and by the overall effectiveness of the DBA
Curriculum
– Faculty assess individual and team outcomes against educational
objectives in each course
– The Dissertation Project Supervisor and the faculty conduct Juried
Reviews and assess student application of theory learned, semester-bysemester, for each doctoral dissertation project
– Overall program effectiveness is evaluated by analysis of the student
Dissertation Project, wherein results are validated by sponsors
– The NGS administration assesses the results of the Program by monitoring
cost savings achieved at sponsoring organizations; student promotions or
advancements directly attributed to the attainment of the degree; and via
surveys
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Student Responsibilities
Student Responsibilities
 Honor all NGS academic tenets
 Read the NGS Student Handbook
 Download all course materials from Blackboard
 Purchase required books and supplemental instructional
aids as described in each course syllabus
 Complete all assignments in a timely and professional
manner
 Report anticipated absences to NGS faculty
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Student Responsibilities
 Confer with faculty on manner in which to make-up any
missed course work or class-time as a result of deployment
 Seek academic counseling from faculty at the first sign of a
problem that will affect individual performance
 Follow-up with faculty to remediate incomplete grades within
the required time frame
 Meet all program requirements
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Advance Absence Notification
Due to temporary duty, deployment, long-term illness, disability or extraordinary hardship
you must take the following Proactive steps:

Send written notification to faculty and studentservices123@ngs.edu
–



Coordinate make-up work and a timeline for submission
Submit assignments within the timeframe established by the Professor or
course syllabus
Request an academic plan to meet course requirements and the specific
terms outlined in the academic plan
–


making appropriate coordination for course completion
for more than one course, contact studentservices123@ngs.edu
While absent, maintain communication with your Professor, Dissertation
Project Supervisor and team members
–
continue to contribute to team presentations by providing input
–
keep documentation and logs of all progress input
Upon return, provide proper notification and reconnect with your team
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Classroom Etiquette
 Follow all rules of military installations and civilian facilities
 Be punctual
 Do not use tape recorders without permission from faculty




and consensus from class members
Adjust communications equipment to “vibrate” mode
Avoid disruptive class behaviors
Do not perform other work while class is in session
Return classroom to previous condition
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General
Policies & Procedures
Admissions Requirements
Stated in the Student Handbook (Section 5)
NGS must receive by the end of Course One:
 Official Master’s Degree transcript
– Contact your college
– Have your transcript sent directly to NGS
– If your undergraduate degree is from outside of USA, you must submit a
transcript request to The Center for Educational Documentation
 Log into your Application account for the address & downloadable form
 Two letters of recommendation
– Reference letter forms are available
 Log into your Application account for the downloadable Form
Have both sent to:
Keeper of Records
The National Graduate School
186 Jones Road
Falmouth, MA 02540
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Student Council Representative
Every Cohort Group will select a class representative:
 Chosen before or during course one
 Primary liaison between the class and NGS
 Assists in program administration and logistics
 Acts as classroom facility manager (including equipment)
 Assists with special events (such as graduation planning)
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Class Cancellation Policy
 NGS will notify students in a timely fashion if class is
cancelled or rescheduled for any reason
 Notices are sent via email, phone and any other
appropriate means to reach the student – by Faculty or
other NGS employees only
 Students may call the Inclement Weather and Special
Notification Hotline @ 800-838-2580
 NGS makes every attempt to maintain established
schedules and reserves the right to make changes to the
schedule when necessary
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Course Assessments
 Completed at the end of each course
 Completed anonymously via on-line survey
 Helps NGS identify opportunities for improvement in
– courses
– faculty
– class logistics and facilities
 Helps instructors improve learning outcomes
 NGS is committed to continuous improvement!
We appreciate your feedback!
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Financial Assistance
Student Accounts
 Bursar’s Office 1-800-838-2580, Extension #509
– Tuition Assistance (TA) Form submission
– Corporate Voucher submission
– Handles all payments and account questions
– Access your Student Account information online
http://216 206 161 17 to check tuition account balance
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Student Responsibilities
 Know your benefits & local Education Services Officer
(ESO) policies
 TA Forms
– See ESO for approval procedure and send approved
form to NGS Bursar
 VA – obtain your Certificate of Eligibility
– NGS will provide instructions regarding your site code and NGS
certifying official
– Visit www.gibill.va.gov
 Corporate vouchers – Submit to Bursar
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NGS can help you with Financial Aid!
We Will:
 Tell you what’s available and how to combine resources
 Provide detailed guidelines to determine your cost of
attendance ( www.ngs.edu/financialaid )
 Offer support for “intelligent borrowing”
 Explain the process for securing loans
Talk to a Financial Aid Counselor
financialaid@ngs.edu or 1-800-838-2580, Ext #509
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Stafford Loans and Bank of America
Private Loans
Visit: www.ngs.edu/admissions/financialaid
Or call: 1-800-838-2580, Ext. 509
for more information
Can be used for tuition, fees, books, computers,
and other school expenses!
Remember, loans must be repaid!
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Additional
Resources and
Information
The NGS Student Handbook
 Outlines all policies
 Can be accessed on-line
 Log into the NGS site at www.ngs.edu
 Go to Students/Current Students/Catalog and Current Student
Handbook
 http://www.ngs.edu/html/current_students.htm
 The Student Handbook is also accessible from a link on the
Orientation Course Module
 It is the only source for NGS regulations concerning Students
Services issues
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Student ID Cards
– Student ID’s may get you discounts on books,
computers, etc.
– Visit www.studentdiscount.com
– Digital photo will be taken by NGS staff person at an orientation event
held prior to the first class
– If you miss this event, then email an uploaded picture (head shot of
yourself) to: photo@ngs.edu
– Your NGS student ID will be mailed to you or delivered to your class!
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Doctor of Business Administration
(DBA) Program
The DBA Degree
 Emphasis on “applied research” versus “pure research”
 What is the difference?
– Applied Research: Designed to solve specific “practical problems”
– Pure Research: Designed to acquire broad “basic” knowledge
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The DBA Degree
~ continued ~
 Prepares graduates to:
– Lead & Manage organizational efforts related to the
various disciplines {Quality Systems Management;
Homeland Security Policy & Quality Management;
Environmental Quality Policy & Quality Management}
– Advance the body of knowledge and best practices
– Demonstrate measurable improvements in their sponsor
organizations
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Graduation Requirements
 Complete 20, 3-credit doctoral courses
 Maintain a 3.0 grade-point-average
 Complete a senior-level Dissertation Project with
enterprise-wide results
 Demonstrate understanding through supervised teaching
at the graduate level
 Publish an article or text related to the dissertation project
in a recognized and refereed medium
 Orally present the results of your work during a Doctoral
Dissertation Defense
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Curricula Overview
 Divided into four Semesters {“academic gates”} of
approximately six months each
 Formal summative assessment required at end of each
“gate” to assure achievement of designated learning
 DBA Specialization Selection accomplished during First
Semester because:
– Dissertation Project has been designated & proposed
– Champions and Guiding Coalition have been selected
– Performance Measurement Agreement has been defined
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DBA Program Delivery Format
 Accelerated, low-residence
 Courses & Dissertation Project completed simultaneously
 Approximately half of courses completed
“in residence”
 Remaining courses completed “virtually”
(Substantive Internet access required)
 NGS “cluster sites” located nationally and internationally
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Dissertation Project Requirements
 Completed on an Individual Basis, each must include
and/or address:
– Organizational sponsorship
– A Senior-level Champion, pre-approved by the NGS Faculty
– Explicit links to organizational value stream, priorities and/or
enterprise-wide objectives
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Dissertation Project Requirements
Continued
– Performance measures jointly pre-approved by the organizational
Champion and NGS Faculty
– A schedule for in-progress reviews by the Candidate, Champion
and Faculty
– Significant impact
– Measurable Financial benefits to the sponsor
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Electronic Coursework Submission
 DBA students will submit assignments and Dissertation
Project information into the student learning portal
“BlackBoard.” Considered one of the best used in
American doctoral programs today, “BlackBoard” allows
students to:
- Electronically enter assignments into the BlackBoard
‘Digital Drop Box’
- Receive assignments directly from Professors
- Receive Email messages
- Chat with peers
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Additional “BlackBoard” Resources
 BlackBoard provides:
– Access to course materials (syllabi, slides, etc…)
– Announcements to students
– The “General Information Course” (training) for All Students
– Class schedule - date, time, and location of classes
– Book list (Buy books early. New courses begin every 5 weeks!
Recommend you buy books a semester at a time)
– Additional Links to
 Financial Aid
 Student accounts
 Student Handbook
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Sensitive & Proprietary Information
It is understandable that some Dissertation Projects will
be sensitive in nature. For that reason, NGS has made
available a “secure” site in which project information is
limited only to the Professors who require access to
evaluate student progress toward the completion of
degree requirements.
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Non-Disclosure Agreements
(NDA’s)
During the 16-year history of The National Graduate School,
the institution has mentored students in the implementation
of many highly-sensitive projects. As a result, it is very
familiar with NDA’s and will, therefore, require any member
of the Administration, Faculty or Staff to provide a signed
copy whenever necessary to protect the confidentiality of
proprietary information associated with any Doctoral
Dissertation project
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Student Support Teams
 Dissertation Projects implemented in most accredited
doctoral programs across the nation are completed
individually, therefore the same will occur at NGS.
 Students will, however, be assigned to “Support Teams” in
which they will benefit from personal and professional
collegiality, academic support, as well as opportunities to
apply and test the principles of “team dynamics” in relation
to the myriad dissertations projects proposed by their
peers.
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Faculty Teams
 NGS also employs the “team approach” in its assignment
of faculty. As a result, students receive instruction from a
vast range of professionals who possess expertise in an
array of appropriate, related fields.
 All courses and dissertations will be taught and
examined by:
- Faculty Content Teams that include subject-matter-experts
qualified to teach specific courses
- Juried Review Teams who review DBA Projects
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The Doctoral Dissertation Process
~ Intensified “Quick Start” Approach ~
 In Course 1 - begin to “conceptualize” your prospective
dissertation topic
 No later than Course 3 - finalize selection of a topic and
prepare a “Dissertation Problem Statement” as well as
“Research Questions”
 By end of First Semester (Course 4) - prepare and submit
a DRAFT of the first three Chapters of your Dissertation
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The Dissertation Process
- continued  Conduct research while completing coursework
 Present a “trial” version of your Dissertation Defense to the
Doctoral Dissertation Committee during your “Initial
Colloquium.”
 Taking advantage of recommendations from your
Dissertation Committee, make any necessary revisions to
your document & presentation
 Present your dissertation during the “Final Colloquium”
commonly known as the “Doctoral Dissertation Defense.”
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The Colloquium
{ko-loke-kwe-um}
- A traditional requirement of nearly every accredited
doctoral program nationwide.
- Two-part process that requires both “Initial” and “Final”
presentations of your Doctoral Dissertation.
- Both “colloquium” and “colloquia” (plural) are common
terms, however the former is applied at NGS.
- Includes a detailed description of findings specified in your
Five Chapter Dissertation DRAFT.
- Presented during Course 19, it serves as a valuable
opportunity to receive feedback from the Dissertation
Committee as you prepare for the “Final Colloquium”
commonly known as the “Doctoral Dissertation Defense.”
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Doctoral Dissertations – In General
 Technically, a “manuscript”
 Several common formats used in the US
- American Psychological Association Style (APA)
- Modern Language Association of America (MLA)
- Chicago Style
- Turabian (variation of Chicago Style specifically used for
student theses and dissertations)
- American Chemical Society Style (ACS Format)
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The NGS Dissertation
 Written in the Five-Chapter format of the APA Style (SevenChapter format written for some Social & Behavioral Science
dissertations at other institutions)
 The Chapters are entitled:
- Introduction
- Review of Related Literature
- Methodology
- Results
- Conclusions and Summary
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Doctoral Candidacy
 A significant academic milestone!
 “Doctoral Candidate” and “Doctoral Student” are often
interchangeably used, however,
 Doctoral Candidacy is “Official” ONLY following:
- Approval of Dissertation Project by sponsoring
organization and Dissertation Project Supervisor
- Submission of a Signed Dissertation Project Charter
- Oral presentation of the Dissertation Project during the
“Initial Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium”
- Maintenance of a 3.0 gpa with no outstanding “I” grades
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Dissertation Preparation Resources
 Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (Fifth Edition)
Includes format guidelines and instructions related to dissertation
preparation, in general
 NGS Doctoral Dissertation Guide
Provides instructions specific to NGS dissertations
 NGS Doctor of Business Administration Programs
Reference Manual
Your resource for nearly every other DBA Program issue
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Dissertation Project Support
You will be granted
access and a
training package
during the first
Dissertation
Project class
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Research Databases
 NGS offers the following to assist doctoral-level
researchers acquire the information necessary to complete
their dissertations:
- FirstSearch Online Database
- ProQuest Doctoral Dissertation Databases, Volumes
A&B
- Web-of-Science (Michigan Library Consortium)
- Naval Postgraduate School Homeland Security Digital
Library
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Research Databases
- continued -
ERIC
MEDLINE
ArticleFirst
GPO (WorldCat Dissertations & Theses)
Clase and Periodica
Electronic Collections Online
ProceedingsFirst
PapersFirst
The World Almanac
OALster
CAMIO
CONTENTdm
ArchieveGrid
And more
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EXAMPLE
FirstSearch Online Database
http://firstsearch.oclc.org
 Interactive Online
Information system
 It includes:
– Books
– Journal Articles
– Films
– Computer Software
– Other Materials
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FirstSearch Online Database
1 Access FirstSearch from Blackboard
00 GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS
Student Services
2 Click on “FirstSearch Link Database”
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FirstSearch Online Database
Getting Started
http://firstsearch.oclc.org

This is the
FirstSearch Home
Page. Enter the
Authorization #
and Password
which is located on
your Library Guide
and listed below:
Login = Pending
Password = Pending
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FirstSearch Online Database
You can ask FirstSearch
to list all the databases
that are available for
your research.
Or, you can search by
topic, or check the
recommended
databases.
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FirstSearch Online Database
FirstSearch will list the
databases so you can
choose the one that best
fits your criteria.
If you experience any
difficulties, please email:
techsupport@ngs.edu
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DBA-Specific Grading Criteria
 DBA Program students must complete 20 courses to
graduate
 In keeping with NGS grading requirements, students must
maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 throughout
enrollment in the Program
 A grade of “F” in any course will preclude the award of credit
for that course.
 All “I” grades must be remediated before a student can
graduate
 Only two “C’s” are permitted to remain as “final grades”
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Grading Criteria - Continued
 While the Doctoral Dissertation Project will be individually completed,
DBA students will occasionally work in Teams during classroom
sessions. The following distinct, yet consistent areas are evaluated for
grading in each course.
– Individual and “assigned support team” preparation for class
 Readings, completion of assignments
– Individual and team analysis of data
 Technical accuracy and relevance of analysis
– Individual and team contribution
 Advancing knowledge, adding value to customers
– Individual and team presentations
 Effective delivery of content, accurate display of visual information
– Overall class participation
 Collaboration with classmates, contribution to class discussion, performance in assignments,
assimilation and implementation of key concepts
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Grading Criteria Matrix
 NGS uses the letter grade
A
4 00 C+
2 30
A-
3 70 C
2 00
B+
3 30 F
0
B
3 00 I
Incomplete
B-
2 70 W
Withdrawn
system (A,B,C,F,I,W)
 Courses in which grades
of “I”, “F” , and “W” are
earned cannot be credited
toward DBA degree
requirements
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The NGS Staff is here to help you!
(800) 838 – 2580, Ext. 123
Student Services
studentservices123@ngs.edu
Financial Aid
financialaid@ngs.edu
VA assistance
vainfo@ngs.edu
Admission Status
admissions@ngs.edu
Student Academic Records
 Grades, Transcripts, etc
keeperofrecords@ngs.edu
Technology Assistance
 Web, Blackboard, passwords, etc
techsupport@ngs.edu
Bursar
bursar@ngs.edu
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Wishing You Success
 Welcome to “The Team”!
 Make the most of it. It’s a tremendous program!
 The more you put into it, the more you get back.
 You will find yourself applying what you learn long after
graduation.
 You will make friends for life
 Have fun!!!
 Join the NGS Alumni Association after graduation
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