how long will it all take? this finishes last week's conversation about how to craft your dissertation or thesis endgame and wraps it up with a bit of backwards mapping. More can be found on www.doctoralnet.com

1. Exploiting Rapid
Change in Technology
Enhanced Learning
… for Post Graduate Education
EndGame Part 2:
Ensuring you can get it done on time

2. Quotes
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin
“The key, of course, is to break down these larger
projects into bite-sized pieces that you can take action
on right away.”
David Allen

3. Agenda :
1. Go over homework
2. Discuss process of backwards mapping
3. Go through probable backwards map for
final year.
4. Q & A

4. 1. Golden thread that foster carers CAN do therapeutic level work, if
properly trained, for kids with severe attachment disorders
2. Literature talks about what is needed but takes a therapy by
therapists approach
3. Personally this researcher cares deeply that the field is opened
wider through training because so many more children will be
helped
4. Intro and abstract need to open up the possibilities to the readers
so the results and discussion secure the prize – what is important to
the researcher.

5. 1. Golden thread that foster carers CAN do therapeutic level work, if properly trained, for
kids with severe attachment disorders
1. Severe rewrite may be needed – 1 months work
2. Literature talks about what is needed but takes a therapy by therapists approach
1. Probable that the set up is there but needs to be checked
3. Personally this researcher cares deeply that the field is opened wider through training
because so many more children will be helped
1. Another few weeks might be wise to read and have others read so2.5 the passion is
balanced with
4. Intro and abstract need to open up the possibilities to the readers so the results and
discussion secure the prize – what is important to the researcher.
1. Another month
2. 2.5 months and its ready!
3. But what then?
5. And what if you haven’t written it yet? Think in terms of 1 month -6 weeks for every
chapter you haven’t written and that assumes working some everyday and following
clear guidance as you go along – either the site step by step, the book, or a coach

6. Backwards Mapping
When do you want to be finished? Let’s work backwards
from there

7. When Will You Graduate?
• 2017 – you should be ready to collect data or
very close to that
• 2018 – you should be actively designing at least
– hopefully writing your proposal
• 2019 – this is a comfortable finish date if you
are just beginning to design and are committed
to spending 20-25 hours a week

8. January February March April
May June July August
September October November December
James, E.A., Slater, T. (2014) Writing your Doctoral Dissertation of Thesis Faster: A
Proven Map to Success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing. Pgs 17-20.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1452274150/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=
52274150&linkCode=as2&tag=thefutsofedup-20

9. Month Accomplishment Tasks Needed to
Complete that Goal
Notes
December
November

10. Note: these are for reference only – times will vary per your
university & guidelines
Interactive Exploration

11. Month Year ending
2014
Accomplishment Tasks Needed to
Complete that Goal
Notes
December Graduation All documents must
be signed off and
ready for
publication
Leave 2-3 weeks for
publication
difficulties
November Final defense All committee
members must have
time to read
October Final conversations
with supervisor
Supervisor must
approve, sign off,
often set dates
Depends on your
relationship and
their load the
timing of this.
September Chapters 4 and 5
written and edited
Other people
responding to first
drafts
Do you know what
you want to say?

12. Month Accomplishment Tasks Needed to
Complete that Goal
Notes
August Data analysis
ongoing
First drafts being
written of findings
Never done just
once – plan for 3-5
iterations before
finishing
July Data collected,
analysis ongoing
June Analysis begun
Data collection
Data collected,
May Data collection Chasing down
people to get a big
enough sample

13. Month Accomplishment Tasks Needed to
Complete that Goal
Notes
April Ethical Review
March Proposal Approved
February Final Committee
work on Proposal
January Proposal finished
and off to
committee.

14. Questions and
Answers
1. What questions do you have
that the network group here
can help answer?

15. Any blind alleys of your own right now?

16. What’s Up at DoctoralNet?
1. Groups continue through Feb – back in April
2. New 30 day challenge – work/life balance - http://www.doctoralnet.com/resources/30-day-
challenge-4-work-life-balance.html
1. https://www.bigmarker.com/doctoralnet/Ending-challenges-with-work-life-school-balance-in-
graduate-work is the recording of these slides…
2. http://www.slideshare.net/doctoralnet/work-life-balance-for-graduate-students
3. Moving into research design and critical thinking in webinars and upcoming in April will be getting
published.
4. Next in the Friday series on working past the 5 things likely to cause issues is independence.
Welcome TAMUCC!