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- Review Creating a Thesis Title (3:46)
- A potential title for your thesis
- Give meaningful feedback to at least 2 other students about their thesis title - You want to help them improve the title based on your knowledge of title creation
Thesis Title:
ReplyDeleteA “Flipped” Classroom Approach to Teach Chemistry at Post-Secondary Level
I understand the idea here, but Post-Secondary should probably be College or Community Collehe or Higher Education. Also, please review title video at: http://thesis-uoitmed.weebly.com/title.html - You have no verb in the title.
DeleteNirusha - What are you looking to research? Are you examining the effects of the flipped classroom, exploring best practices or something else? It is unclear from the title what your research hopes to achieve in regards to the flipped classroom approach to chemistry.
DeleteMy draft #2 of the thesis title:
ReplyDeleteExploring the suitable undergraduate level chemistry course to introduce the “flipped or partially flipped classroom” teaching pedagogy
Very wordy - Again - Please review the video at http://thesis-uoitmed.weebly.com/title.html - Drop the word "suitable" - not really a research term - Keep it simpler - Like the verb "Exploring" Maybe you could combine the simplicity of your first draft with this version.
DeleteI agree with Robin here - it seems a bit wordy. It took me a few reads to understand the idea of your paper. It might be worth rephrasing 'Exploring the suitable undergraduate level chemistry course' to something that comes across more clearly.
DeleteDo I understand correctly that you want to explore the effectiveness of "flipped classroom" pedagogy in an undergraduate chemistry course? I think that is what you are trying to say. I agree with Robin's comment about combining the simplicity of the first draft with a verb and the key terms from your second draft.
DeleteHello Everyone,
DeleteHere are my two refined titles, I am not sure which one sounds better. Thanks for your feedback!
Modified Title 1: Exploring the teaching strategies to create a conducive learning environment in a flipped undergraduate introductory chemistry classroom
Modified Title 2: An analysis of the use of debates, blogs and formative assessments in a flipped undergraduate introductory chemistry classroom
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DeleteHi Nirusha, I'm very late getting to these blog posts but my two cents are that the second modified title has too many elements and can still be simplified. The abstract can get into the details of the flipped class particulars. The first one I think is better but I'm not sure conducive is the right word you want the the first "the" can probably be excised. Perhaps something more like:
DeleteExploring teaching strategies to create a successful flipped classroom model in an undergraduate chemistry classroom
Proposed Thesis Title for James Robertson: "Exploring the impact of intelliegence-led policing on academic curriculum in Higher Education"
ReplyDeleteThoughts?
A reasonable start - Remember this is a title, so you would use "Title Case". Not sure what "Intelligence-Led Policing" is - Does it have anything to to with technology? I don't see that in your title. "Academic Curriculum in Higher Education" is very general - not sure what you mean by this?
DeleteHi James,
DeleteI would consider being more specific with your population at the end of your title. From your title, I assume your paper will be about how technology can help students in post-secondary education? I'm also curious to how this might be measurable (I'm sure it is, just curious about your thesis idea :))
Thanks!
Andrew
Hi James
DeleteSimilar thoughts to others. I am sure this will be cleared up in one sentence to you, but how does policing impact curriculum in higher ed? Are you speaking specifically to the curriculum in a police foundations program? I find the title to be just a bit vague in that respect.
Hi James,
DeleteFrom what I've read, intelligence-led policing involves gathering data and analyzing it. Would you be looking at how technology supports the data gathering or the analysis of it? Narrowing this aspect might help ie how can technology support the analysis of crimes to aid in crime prevention or responses? How are academic policing programs adapting to the analytical or technological requirements of intelligence-led policing framework?
I'm not sure if you were looking at how technology is used in this type of policing framework or how students use technology to learn it.
I'm looking forward to hearing more about your topic.
Thesis Title: School Based Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy with Technological Support for Syrian Refugee Children dealing with PTSD and depression
ReplyDeleteA good start and review the video at http://thesis-uoitmed.weebly.com/title.html - There is no verb in this title at the beginning. Depression needs to a capital letter. Is the term school-based necessary here? Also, just wondering if you have access to this kind of data. Might be tricky, although looks like a worthwhile study.
DeleteThis is an interesting idea, Gillian. What technological support do you intend to provide? Is "school-based" necessary because it distinguishes what you are doing from clinical CBT? My experience with the mental health system suggests that a school-based approach would be valuable. Clinical mental health services take considerable time, money and effort to access. Adolescents do get better access than adults. It may be that refugees have priority support, but I doubt that. School-based is a compound adjective and should be hyphenated, if you decide to keep it.
DeleteHi Gillian,
DeleteI also am unclear about "school-based" but I looked it up and it seems to be CBT delivered at school rather than at a professional's office. Are you looking at how technology can support the therapy provided at school? What age are the children you would be looking at? Would you have access to an adequate number of Syrian refugee children?
Thesis title: Exploring the Impact of the Gamification of Mathematics on Student Achievement and Motivation in Grade 5 Classrooms
ReplyDeleteSome notes:
- Having a hard time to decide my population as I'm not quite sure yet... I'm thinking of the junior aged students but I feel like that is too vague - Any ideas for how I should change the 'Grade 5 classrooms' above or should I leave it as is?
- I feel like achievement is a 'buzz word' - What's another way I could re-phrase achievement - or should I leave it as is?
Thanks,
Andrew
Andrew, I know Robin used "impact" in his title examples, but I'm one of those curmudgeons who find that use annoying. The debate on its use produces more heat than light. Use "effect" to avoid colliding with people like me.
DeleteWith regards to your second question, "outcomes" is a good alternative to "achievement."
Hi Andrew, I was just wondering how you would measure motivation? I'm not sure how easy that would be to measure.
DeleteI typically advocate impact, as opposed to effect, because the word effect implies that this will be a rather controlled, scientific study which is next to impossible in the complex and systems-based world of education and the classroom. Andrew - you really are not talking about the gamification of mathematics - that is a pretty grand study. So perhaps 'Exploring the Impact of Gamification on Student Attitude and and Achievement in Middle School Mathematics Classroom. This title allows you some wiggle room "just" focusing on motivation and "just" focusing on grade 5. Plus you will get more readers when you publish if you say "Middle School".
DeleteAt the risk of turning this thread away from Andrew's title, Robin, I noticed that you include "effect" in the list of title starters. Is your distinction between "impact" and "effect" a preference or a widely-held understanding in educational research?
DeleteThanks for the feedback everyone! I'm still thinking about how I'll measure motivation, likely through a personal survey of some sort, but the details of that I haven't quite figured out yet. I have amended my title based on the advice above.
DeleteHi Andrew,
DeleteTo start, (like others have already stated) I would choose between "achievement" and "motivation". I would avoid trying to study/measure both. Funnel Funnel Funnel!
Like Gillian said, motivation as a little tougher to measure due to the qualitative nature of the methodology (though it can definitely be done). For the sake of argument, let's assume you are measuring achievement (I might even go with "improvement" instead of achievement? Again - more easily measured as you are comparing results).
I might try to wrap my tongue around a title like this....
"Smarter than a 5th Grader? Understanding how Game-Based Math Instruction can improve mathematics skills in middle school students"
That title isn't perfect, as it implies that you have a conclusion already (which you should never do in a thesis - you should just be asking a question and then answering it without bias). You can substitute the words here for exactly what you are studying, but you can see the specificity in that proposed title. You might even elaborate in the title as to WHICH SPECIFIC math skill you are seeking to measure/improve, but perhaps that level of specificity is better left for your research question...
Anyway, best of luck with this! I am a STRONG supporter of gamification and serious gaming/simulations and am looking forward to learning more about your research!
James
Hi James,
DeleteHow are you planning to measure the impact of game-based math instructions?
An Unholy Trinity? Examining the Effect of Asynchronous Video Feedback on Spiritual Formation and Instructor Immediacy in Online Theological Education
ReplyDeleteHi Tim
DeleteI think you are looking at a really interesting topic, and I am really interested in your literature review. We have been trying to use panopto to provide feedback to students via video to try and make it more rich and meaningful than a few lines of text.
I too am unsure as to what spiritual formation means, so I don't think I can fully interpret what your title is getting to. What effect does video feedback have on instructor immediacy makes sense to me. But I am unsure about what spiritual formation is, and am curious to find out!
Thanks for your feedback, Adam. I was not aware of Panopto. Thanks for the lead. See my comments on Gillian's question about spiritual formation.
DeleteI REALLY like the opening - I wish I could think of these kind of titles. Mine tend to be accurate but dull. I would drop "asynchronous" because you imply that with the word "online". I don't mind spiritual formation and I can be assumed that you would operationally define that in the paper. That said, I assume you want to change that (because of below comments). I would use presence instead of immediacy to be consistent with Garrison's terms and model.
DeleteRobin, I'm caught between Rovai and Garrison. Not withstanding Gillian's question, I think "instructor immediacy" (Rovai) communicates more clearly than "teaching presence" (Garrison). As I have read some of the literature on the latter, there seems to be some confusion about what it means. Nonetheless, I will probably go in the direction of Garrison. There seems to be more research utilizing his model.
DeleteProposed Revision:
An Unholy Union? Examining the Effect of Asynchronous Video Feedback on Teaching Presence in Theological Education
I'm still looking for another word for "effect" given Robin's critique of that word elsewhere. I can't bring myself to use "impact" though.
Outcomes?
DeleteLike:
DeleteAn Unholy Union? Examining the Outcomes of Asynchronous Video Feedback on Teaching Presence in Theological Education
Maybe. Thanks for the suggestion, Lillian.
Looking back at Robin's prompts, perhaps I could go with:
An Unholy Union? Assessing the Effectiveness of Asynchronous Video Feedback in Developing Teaching Presence in Theological Education
Hi Tim,
DeleteWhen I read the two titles I get different impressions. With the first one, I think you're identifying a result and with the second one, I might be expecting an evaluation. Which one were you leaning towards? The first may be more observational and the second may require assessment criteria or measurement scale.
Would "An Unholy Union? How Asynchronous Video Feedback Influences Teaching Presence in Theological Education" be on track with your thoughts?
Hi Tim, I may be missing something but can you explain what you mean by Spiritual Formation and Instructor Immediacy?
ReplyDeleteIn theological education, there is the expectation that students will grow spiritually as well as intellectually during their studies. Spiritual formation is the intentional process by which that happens. I had proposed to measure that change, but after discussing this with Robin I expect to drop it to narrow the focus of my thesis.
DeleteInstructor immediacy is a measure of the attitudes of the students about the presence of the instructor. Rovai conceptualized the idea. It is closely related to teaching presence in Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's Community of Inquiry model.
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (1999). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2), 87–105.
Rovai, A. P. (2000). Building and sustaining community in asynchronous learning networks. The Internet and Higher Education, 3(4), 285–297.
Very clear example of the kind of post I think is top notch Tim.
DeleteThesis Title: Understanding Factors That Influence Ontario College professors use of Learning Management Systems
ReplyDeleteMy question at this point: My sample will be exclusive to one college, so is it fair to title my paper as such, or would it be more precise to say at "one Ontario College" or at "Name of College"?
Thanks everyone!
Sorry everyone, this is Adam McGregor. Working on adjusting my settings so my profile is visible.
DeleteAlso, I am going to change the word professors to faculty. The proposed title is:
DeleteUnderstanding Factors That Influence Ontario College Faculty use of Learning Management Systems
Nice start to the title - I would drop Ontario because (a) title typically to not narrow much further than country and (b) you assume a world audience when you publish, so "college" is more general and relevant to folks outside Ontario. You might consider adding "Community" in front of college, because college in the US is equal to university.
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DeleteHi Adam,
DeleteWhat do you mean by "use"? do you mean selection? uptake? willingness to explore or employ? or maybe LMS preference? or HOW they use LMS (for discussions, for sharing content, for assignment submissions?
Usually the selection is not up to the professor (institutional decision), so that's probably not it. So i will assume you are looking at what makes faculty want to use an LMS as an instructional tool. To that end, why not consider a title similar to this one?
"Buy In or Toss Out? Exploring the factors that affect faculty willingness to integrate Learning Management Systems in traditional Higher Education curriculum"
If, rather, you are looking at what features faculty like in an LMS, then you could rephrase the title accordingly:
"An LMS Odyssey: Exploring faculty perceptions of the functions and features of Learning Management Systems in Higher Education"
Anyway, you likely get the idea. I know you are only looking at one college, but if there is a chance your findings can be generalized to other colleges then you could just say "higher education". Basically, you need to be specific about the word "use" and also what it is about the LMS that they are "using". Looking forward to chatting more on this!
James
Hi James
DeleteThanks for that reply, and I really like your suggestion. If you don't mind me picking your brain further, I just wanted to give you a bit more information.
Because it is mandated (for the most part, this is anecdotal) at this point that faculty use the LMS of their respective institution, I am more looking to determine what factors influence how faculty use it. Not so much their willingness, as that is now in our job description, but beyond simply throwing slides and grades up, what are the factors that determine the extent of use, not so much the willingness of faculty to use it.
Does that make sense?
You have a knack for creativity in title making that I don't, so any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thanks again!
So, if I understand what you are hoping to research it is less about their pereceptions of the LMS and more how they use the LMS. If I am correct how about a title like this (inspired from James' title): An LMS Odyssey: Exploring faculty use of the Learning Management Systems in a Community College Classroom Environment.
DeletePerhaps it is not even exploring but rather an analysis of their use of the LMS. Also, one last thought - is it the LMS and the tools you are looking at or how they use online technology/teaching? I only ask as that can be beyond the LMS and the tools within the LMS.
Sorry for the very late suggestion, but how about this combination of suggested titles?
DeleteBeyond the Grade: Influencing Factors that Drive Adoption and Integration of Learning Management Systems by Ontario College Professors
It seems to me that it is the depth of use you want to explore and what drives some to greater use of LMS and what causes resistance amongst other professors. Why are some profs more like explorers striving to find new paths through the system and others refuse to do anymore than add grades.
Exploring the Impact of a Cloud-based Tool on Reading Comprehension of First-year College Students
ReplyDeleteI find this very clear. I only have one question - is it just one cloud based tool or more than one. If it is just the one I wonder if it is appropriate to name it or not (perhaps a question for Prof. Kay). Also, I noticed in other posts it was mentioned to use Community College instead of just college (something I will have to fix in my own title as well).
DeleteTitle: Blended 2.0: Exploring College Faculty Goals and Required Supports For Online Teaching Post Blended Learning Adoption.
ReplyDeleteHi Nair,
ReplyDeleteTo clarify, are you looking at the goals of college faculty and the supports they need in a post-blended learning environment?
Hi Nair,
ReplyDeleteIt is a little unclear as to what is "Post Blended Learning Adoption".
Is it sort of a reflective feedback on student learning?
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ReplyDelete