TA DA Thesis And Dissertation Accomplished

1
TA DA!Thesis And Dissertation Accomplished

• presented by April Reed

2
Agenda

• What is TA DA!
• Where to start completion date
• How to use it - Demo

3
What is TA-DA!

• Software to support the thesis or dissertation
  process
• from beginning to completion
• Contains CD-Rom Resource Tool On-Line TA-DA!
  Advisor
• TA-DA! process built around your dissertation
  completion date

4
Topics covered

• picking your topic
• choosing your advisor
• managing your committee
• doing the research
• writing the proposal
• how to get started
• creating a work plan/calendar
• 12 minute tasks

5
Background on Creator of TA-DA!

• Created by Dr. Wendy Carter who has 5 degrees,
  B.A, M.A., 2 M.S. and a PhD
• Dr. Carter lectures and conducts seminars on this
  topic

6
The Method

• Dr. Wendy Carter says It takes continuous
  action to finish your degree. You can move to
  your own internal rhythms, but make sure you do
  something every day, no matter how small, and you
  will reach your goal.

7
Critical steps to succeed

• You have to know where youre going, and when
  you expect to arrive
• Choose a specific completion date
• COMMIT to a specific completion date
• Need reasonable realistic date
• Do some work every day

8
Considerations for Choosing a Completion Date

• Did I push the date out further than I need to?
• What about my job? Will it interfere with the
  date?
• How can I balancing time with family friends so
  I dont neglect them?
• Am I over scheduling? I know this will
  jeopardize my health

9
Completion Date Contract

• Input the date into TA-DA!
• Fill in and print the completion date contract
• Know the process steps for achieving your
  dissertation
• COMMITMENT IS THE KEY
• Less than 25 of students complete their thesis
  or dissertation

10

11
Trivia Question 1

• What is the average number of chapters in a
  dissertation for a topic in your field?

12
TA-DA! Assists you to

• Work effectively every day
• Plan to meet deadlines
• Choose the best topic
• Choose best advisor committee for you
• Effectively prepare your defense
• Work on your dissertation still have time for
  family friends
• Plan your dissertation budget
• Access discipline-specific links for your
  research
• Track your progress against your custom calendar
• Participate in online completion community for
  support collaboration

13
Guidance

• most challenging part of graduate school begins
  when the course work ends
• Your goal is simply to add to the existing
  research and to complete your degree.

14
Resources Tools

• Tools calendar
• Tips
• Printable forms
• Getting started checklist
• 12 minute tasks
• Contract
• Requirements Checklist
• Research Template
• Ability to save your input data

15
Tips

• Create a methods journal
• All formulas, methods, calculations, models and
  theories
• Keep hard copies of all dissertation chapters
• Create document template with formatting
  requirements for your institution before you
  begin writing use to write all chapters.
• Keep track of everything youre doing use the
  requirements checklist check it off

16
Requirements Checklist
17
Trivia Question 2

• Where can you get a copy of the dissertation
  format manual?

18
Do Some Work 12 Minutes a Day

• Dr. Carter proposes working at least 12 minutes
  every day to complete your thesis or dissertation
• Goal
• Make consistent, incremental progress

19
Work Plan Calendar

• Determine the average number of chapters for a
  dissertation in your field
• TA-DA! will calculate how many pages to write
  each day based on number of chapters and
  completion date

20
DEMO

• Are you committed?
• Choosing a topic
• Your work plan calendar

21
Links from Online TA-DA!

• Go to www.tadafinallyfinished.com
• for links like this
• Computer Science Technology FOLDOC Free
  Online Dictionary of Computing MIT Laboratory
  for Computer Science Information Technologies
  Resource Central Information Technologies
  Resource Computer Science WWW Virtual Library
  Computing