Frequently Asked Questions
How much time do we get with our prospectus advisers?
What are the main causes of students failing prospectus?
What happens to a student who fails the prospectus?
Some details about the written exam
How much time do we get with our prospectus advisers?
Prospectus advisers are available for an average of one hour/week for two semesters of prospectus work (doesn't always coincide with the actual semesters of 396T registration--work with your prospectus adviser on this) PLUS the additional support time needed during the semester in which your prospectus is turned in. Thus, prospectus advisers are available for three semesters to work with you on your prospectus, but are never committed to working with you on prospectus during the summer -- doing that is entirely up to your prospectus adviser (many faculty are not available at all during the summer).
What are the main causes of students failing prospectus?
Those who do not pass prospectus:
--do not get it done (the prospectus adviser makes a recommendation to the GSC)
--get only part of it done (the committee then meets to decide whether to go forward with the exams and what recommendation to make to the GSC)
--receive below-passing ratings (see rubrics in Appendix E). Each student ends up with 9 ratings. The GSC reviews all the ratings, discusses any potential problem areas, and makes a decision and votes on what the student needs to do next.
Students who do not meet regularly with their prospectus advisers may risk an increased chance of low ratings.
It is a good idea, when preparing the prospectus, to think about how what you've learned in previous EDP courses relates to what you're doing with your prospectus, as questions for the written and oral exams can come from anything the student has learned since beginning studies in Educational Psychology.
Producing the prospectus is basically to show you possess the breadth of knowledge and skill to put a research design together in order to demonstrate your abilities as a future independent researcher. Success in this endeavor moves you beyond your area of specialization to being supervised by your dissertation supervisor and committee.
You can think of the prospectus as a manuscript being submitted to a publication with a fairly general audience. You're not writing it for a particular faculty person, but, rather for the Department of Educational Psychology.
What happens to a student who fails the prospectus?
If a student fails the prospectus the first time, it is usually the case that the student is given a second chance to turn in the prospectus (either the following semester or a year later).
After the titles and summaries are turned in, they are compiled in one document, without names, and distributed to the GSC faculty members. These faculty then rate each summary with regards to how they feel they could serve on the committee (1 - 4, with 1 being least likely to be able to serve well on the committee). The ratings are compiled in a spreadsheet and given to Dr. Carlson with the summaries (with names and area of student). Dr. Carlson then assigns the other two members of the committee, taking into account the ratings from the faculty. In addition, at least one member from the student's area must be on the committee (often this is the prospectus adviser), and, if possible, one member knowledgeable in the student's research design.
It is a good idea to include in the summary the type of design to be used and whether it will involve a qualitative or quantitative analysis.
Students generally find out who will be on their committees the day they turn in their prospectuses.
Some details about the written exam
--The prospectus adviser collects the questions from the committee members before the exam to ensure there is no overlap.
--Students are not allowed to have their prospectuses in the written exam, but the committee members know this and ask questions accordingly. Committee members asking the questions are identified on the written exam.
--After the written exam, students are not allowed to ask faculty members for help with questions that might be on the oral exam.
