LEAD6001 - Introduction to Advanced Stud

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LEAD6001 Introduction to Advanced Studies
Dr. Bruce A. Johnson
Course Introduction
Welcome to Introduction to Advanced Studies! You've taken an important step by starting your
journey as a graduate student. Now you might ask: What will it take for me to succeed?
You’re at the starting line of your academic journey. While it’s important to envision the finish
line—graduation—we must also explore ways to make the most of the time along the way. What
are the steps necessary for you to succeed? How can you prepare yourself for what’s ahead?
You will experience checkpoints or milestones to measure your progress as you go. As you step
into this new chapter of your story, you need the right tools as well as the right mindset.
Henry Ford, who invented the automobile, stated it best: “Whether you think you can, or you
think you can't – you're right.” You must establish a vision for what you want to complete,
commit to it—and most important of all—believe you can achieve it.
Your journey will help you grow as a leader, whether you are in a leadership role now, or you
aspire to serve in that capacity sometime in the future. Your academic studies will also help
transform you from a doctoral student to a scholar-practitioner, broadening how you think, write,
and view the world around you.
In this course, you will gain essential tools, strategies, and resources to help you succeed now
and throughout your future studies. Adding these to your repertoire will prepare you for
graduate-level writing, thinking, and research.
Module 1: Self-Assessment
Part 1: Establishing Goals as a Vision for Success
Think back to the day you enrolled in your academic program. Sitting at your computer and
applying online might have seemed like an enormous hurdle; it was the first major step you took
toward your new academic commitment. Do you remember the time and thought it took to
apply?
Perhaps your career aspirations require a doctorate. Perhaps you have family members
encouraging you to develop your full potential. Or perhaps you are so passionate about your
field of study, you want to become an expert. You will tap into these motivations as you
establish long-term and short-term goals between now and graduation day. These first weeks in
the academic journey are the most important in connecting your motivation and resiliency to
empower you to reach your goals.
If you were to conduct an online search about goal setting, you would find thousands upon
thousands of resources. Yet, you want to know specifically why graduate students need to set
appropriate goals. You aren’t developing goals now just for the sake of a future dream project.
Rather, creating these milestones will motivate you to keep moving forward when the going gets
tough and the tasks feel daunting. Are you embarking on this adventure while caring for your
family, working a full-time job, or dedicating time to other commitments? Chances are your
studies are not your only focus. Creating a goal-focused mindset will be essential for your
success.
Did you know the act of goal setting itself increases motivation? Well-designed goals are ones
you can measure using specific language and timelines. This enables you to know exactly when
you are making progress, and this, in turn, builds confidence. As you develop confidence by
meeting short-term goals, the long-term goals seem more attainable, and this reduces self-
doubt (Shoaib & Kohil, 2017).

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The best type of goal is a learning goal (Camp, 2017). When you establish a learning goal,
especially a short-term or milestone goal related to completing a set of courses, you encourage
yourself to do something more than check-off a box; you hone your focus on your studies and
overall pursuit of knowledge.
Your short-term goals will be most effective if you make them learning goals. So, ask yourself:
What do you hope to accomplish with this course? What do you hope to accomplish in your first
three courses? Where would you like to be and what would you like to have accomplished six
months into your academic journey?
In this introductory course, you will add to your goal statements each week as you discover
important topics. For now, just consider what you want to complete, rather than the specifics of
how you will complete it. For example, you might set a short-term goal for turning in all
assignments on time for the first course in your program. The goal is specific and measurable.
As you brainstorm how to identify and quantify your first milestone, consider shifting the focus
away from a grade and toward the learning process. While it can be tempting to use a GPA as
an indicator of progress, making a grade your goal shifts your focus in the wrong direction. If
you focus instead on how you can perform your best, you will find your grades mirror this level
of performance. Those with a learning-focused mindset will experience greater personal and
professional development than those who focus only on grades.
After establishing your first milestone or learning goal, you can establish another. You will
continue developing short-term goals along the timeline of your academic studies from the start
to the finish. Once you have developed all your short-term goals, you will develop your specific
and measurable long-term goal—giving you a means for mapping your progress throughout
your academic journey. You might only have one long-term goal: to complete your academic
studies. If so, write it in a manner so you feel inspired when you read it.
For example, instead of stating "I will complete my program," try adding specific details. If you
are earning your Doctor of Education in Second Language Instruction, you might have a long-
term goal stating, "Upon completing my program, I will successfully obtain all approvals for my
well-researched and skillfully crafted dissertation, proving I am prepared to serve a school
district’s leaders for enhancing second language instruction." Perhaps you are a registered
nurse who is pursuing your Doctorate in Nursing Education because you want to educate future
healthcare providers using your experience and research.
Your long-term goal will look different depending on the outcomes you hope to reach in your
specific field. You can certainly tell the difference, and more importantly, you can feel the
difference when you include visual cues within the choice of words.
One of your long-term goals likely relates to leadership. This insight has some good news for
you: "We've collected assessment data from millions of people around the world. We can tell
you without a doubt that there are leaders in every profession, every type of organization, every
religion, and every country, from young to old, male and female. It's a myth that leadership can't
be learned—that you either have it, or you don't. There is leadership potential everywhere we
look" (Kouzes & Posner, 2016, p. 24). You are, or likely have been, a leader in some capacity
already. Now ask yourself: How do I want to grow in this capacity?
The next step is thinking about motivation. After brainstorming your goals, how can you use
them to stay motivated? As you start this exercise, ask yourself, “Why is completing each goal
important to me?”
Now, consider where you will spend most of your time studying. Go to this space as you design
and refine your goal statements. At a minimum, print them out and keep them close to your

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working area. Finally, use visualization to bring these goal statements to life. You can intensify
the emotional connection by finding visuals to represent the statements you write. Perhaps you
have family photos, photos of you studying, a copy of your admission email, images you find
online, or any other image you find to create an emotional response as you read the goal
statements. The more you feel good about your goals, the more motivated you will be to
complete them.
Part 2: Discover Why Time and Stress Must Both Be Managed
Pursuing academic studies means you have committed your time, regardless of whether you
have already determined ways to fold them into your weekly schedule. Now, you must figure out
how to allocate time for classwork while balancing other responsibilities.
While you might think, "I will have plenty of time for my studies," the reality may change from
week to week. Even if you have a traditional nine-to-five work schedule, you likely have other
responsibilities. To meet the weekly course requirements, you must consider: How will you
make time for these new tasks? What will you do now when your job or family requires
additional time? What if something unexpected comes up? You might also think about a time
when you held a leadership role and the impact of that on your schedule. How many competing
priorities did you have to balance? These are important questions to ask yourself.
One of the most important lessons you can learn is this: You always have time for anything you
believe is important. This truth underscores the value of developing emotionally compelling
short-term or milestone goal statements. If you truly believe in your goals and have visual
reminders of them surrounding you, you will find a way to balance your coursework with other
responsibilities each week.
You probably know developing a time management plan is important. However, what strategies
will you use to create the most effective approach for you? Do you think one time management
plan will work for every single week in your program? Likely not! Demands will shift depending
on everything going on in your life. What this means is two-fold. First, you should create and
review a time plan every week. Weekly planning gives you a framework within which you can be
flexible and respond to the unexpected. Second, it means you may need to employ more than
one time management method as you create your plan each week.
You may choose from many time management methods, and you will likely read about many as
you search the ACE Library. One of the most effective strategies is chunking. This method
involves taking a bigger task and breaking it into smaller chunks. For example, on Sunday, you
might preview the Module's discussion prompt and assignment directions. Previewing what you
will turn in gives you an idea of what to look for in the Module’s content.
If you have an original discussion post due on Thursday, you can break this task into writing
chunks and work on it Monday through Thursday. Perhaps Sunday and Monday, you spend
time reviewing the required reading and presentations. Then, Tuesday, you begin developing
your post. You know you might have a family gathering on Wednesday, so this chunking
strategy ensures you’re ahead of the due date and don’t have to miss out on another high-
priority value.
Likewise, you may use the same strategy for an assignment due on Sunday. Let’s say your
assignment is to design an eight-slide, narrated presentation. You might spend Thursday
creating an outline and gathering information. You know you have a date on Friday, so you plan
to spend time Saturday morning designing your slides before recording and submitting the
presentation on Sunday. As we will learn, scheduling personal time amidst your study time is
essential for helping you manage your stress level.

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It’s also a good idea to consider other variables impacting efficiency. You might review your
week and think about when your energy level is the highest. Then, plan your studies during
those peak times. Another method is to learn to say no when asked to take on tasks or attend
optional events. If saying no is hard for you, make sure you keep your time plan with you and
know how much time you need to stay balanced and focused. You can also ask for help from
others when needed, especially if they are aware of your goals. If a family member or friend is
willing to lighten your personal load, say yes!
The kryptonite to any great time management plan is procrastination. If we wait until the last
minute and work under self-imposed pressure, it “can result in stress, anxiety, a sense of guilt,
health problems, create unrelated crises, or result in harming social relationships with others for
not reliably meeting responsibilities and commitments" (Shepherd & Shaughnessy, 2020, p. 1).
Say on Monday you think, “I don’t have anything due until Thursday,” and you put off previewing
your assignments for the week or reviewing any other materials. Procrastinating one day leads
to procrastinating on another. All of a sudden, it’s Thursday night, you’ve had a long week, and
you have two hours to research, write, and submit your discussion post. Understandably, this
creates stress, and the pressure does not help you do your best work.
You are more likely to avoid this trap if you have your time management plan in place and know
the deadlines. With the chunking method, you realize the due dates are only a portion of the
bigger picture. It’s important to be aware of how easy it can be to give in once and the pattern
this can lead to in the long term.
If procrastination is a temptation for you, try experimenting with the Pomodoro Technique
(Shepherd & Shaughnessy, 2020). To use this technique, choose a task on your list. Maybe you
decide to review all the readings and watch the presentations or to create an outline for your
assignment. Next, remove all distractions from your workspace, including your cellphone, and
set a timer for 25 minutes. When the timer runs out, allow yourself a five-minute break before
setting a new 25-minute timer. This cycle is called one Pomodoro. Repeat four Pomodoros
before allowing yourself a longer break.
Now, where will you document your time management plan? Is it portable and easy to keep with
you? Do you prefer a traditional paper planner, or a digital tool like Google Calendar or
Microsoft OneNote? A benefit of using a digital tool is many of them allow you to easily share
with others, like family members you want to keep in the loop about what you’re doing when.
There are other benefits to managing your time as well. Studies show a positive correlation
between increased or improved time management and time spent studying, increased
engagement, and higher levels of learning and achievement (Wolters & Brady, 2021). If you
have allocated a specific amount of time for your studies, along with other tasks, you are less
likely to feel like you’re falling behind or to worry about missing a deadline.
Effective time management also correlates positively with the perception of self-efficacy, your
sense of feeling like you control your time (Galindo-Domínguez & Bezanill, 2021). A sense of
losing control of time, may lead to feeling undue stress. At this point in your academic journey,
it’s likely you feel energized and prepared for any challenge. This feeling may change from
week to week, and even day to day, depending on personal circumstances and professional
responsibilities. Stress can cause motivation to wane, so we must be prepared to handle it.
Are you aware when you are feeling signs or symptoms of stress? Whenever you begin to feel
upset, fearful, worried, or concerned, you are experiencing typical stress triggers. Many
students experience stress related to deadlines for discussions and assignments, about a lack
of knowledge for an assigned subject, or a loss of self-confidence. How did you–or have you–
addressed stress as a leader? Leaders face the potential for stress almost every day, especially

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during challenging times. It’s important to notice and respond appropriately to these triggers
rather than just hoping they go away.
Stress triggers can immediately affect your well-being. In fact, “the perception of feeling
overwhelmed, can lead to deleterious effects physically (such as a weakened immune system),
mentally, and emotionally" (Stillwell & Scott, 2017, pp. 507–508). If we do not recognize and
mitigate stress, we will become worn down or worn out, and this is likely to adversely affect our
academic studies, among other things.
One of the most effective stress-management strategies is to schedule down time. This could
be an hour or two, or even a day if possible. A break from technology and all demands can help
restore a sense of balance. You might go on a walk outdoors, or schedule time to relax and
connect with family or friends. You need to find an outlet for restoring your well-being, so you
can come back to your studies feeling renewed, rested, and refreshed. The sooner you figure
out a time management plan that works for you, the better your experience as a graduate
student will be.
Module 2: Graduate Field of Interest
Part 1: Effectively Utilize ACE Writing Center
Imagine you have been invited to attend your first academic conference and the speaker is
someone you admire, a person who has made significant contributions to the field of leadership
and education. Once you arrive, you receive a written overview of the speaker's presentation.
As you begin to skim the overview, you notice one, then another, then another academic writing
error. The more you notice, the more you are distracted from the message of the presentation.
The speaker has a doctorate in education and is well-known for teaching and writing, so why all
the mistakes? How would noticing the errors affect your initial perception of this speaker? Most
likely you would wonder why these mistakes were made, and with good reason. You expect a
doctoral graduate to have mastered academic writing skills and be able to publish something
without these kinds of errors.
In this module, you are going to work on developing your initial field of interest, which will
determine what subject or subjects you begin to research for your graduate project. To convey
your thoughts and ideas about any subject matter appropriately, you need to learn some of the
basic conventions of graduate writing. Now, if the thought of writing at this level seems
overwhelming, don’t worry. Anyone can excel at writing with practice, especially if you allocate
enough time to complete what's required, manage the writing mechanics, and use all available
ACE resources.
As a graduate student, how you write is just as important as what you write. Writing one draft
and posting or submitting it immediately will likely result in an incomplete product that lacks
polish. There are very few people, even professional writers, who can publish their first draft. All
drafts require proofreading and some degree of fine-tuning. The more practiced you become
with academic writing, the quicker you will find yourself identifying any needed edits and ways to
elevate what you have written.
Let's consider a few common things to avoid when writing at the graduate level.
The first is using the word "we." Students commonly choose this word when introducing a
subject. They might say something like: "We are going to write about andragogy and self-
directed learning." As a general rule, you should write in third person unless you are asked to
compose a first-person personal essay.
In addition, you don't want to tell your instructor what you are going to write about when you
construct a sentence. A better choice is to write about the subject. So, for the example we just

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mentioned, you might transform it and say: "Andragogy is associated with the concept of self-
directed learning."
Next is using the word "one." This is another word students sometimes use to avoid writing in
first person. They might say something like: "One can say managers are not the same as
leaders." The rule related to writing in third person applies again for this example.
When you construct a sentence, be direct and write about the subject itself, without writing from
someone's point of view. To transform our example sentence, you might say it this way: "Due to
the distinct differences in responsibilities, the role of a leader is significantly different from that of
a manager."
Another word to avoid is "great." Consider this example: "By implementing this principle, they
will become great teachers." The reason to avoid the word "great" is it is highly subjective. What
you believe to be a "great" quality could be something different to another person. It is better to
choose a more specific word. You could transform the example by saying something like: "By
implementing this principle, they will learn to excel at teaching."
Now let's consider two important elements of a graduate paper: the introduction and conclusion.
Before we jump in, let me say this: The ACE Writing Center provides Scholarly Writing Tips, and
I have provided a link to this valuable resource in the Learning Objects for this module. It is also
linked in the course bibliography. When you visit, you will notice I drew heavily from this
resource when I selected highlights to mention here.
For many students, an introduction is one of the most challenging sections of a paper to write,
especially a graduate-level paper. When writing an introduction, the two most common mistakes
are restating the instructions and filling it with direct quotes about the topic.
There are two ways to think about developing an introduction. The first is to craft it as a thesis
statement, which means you are introducing a point of view or perspective you intend to prove
through what you write or develop throughout the paper. The second is to consider the
introduction as a general overview of the topic or topics you intend to address. This identifies
the main highlights of your paper. You also want to make certain this section is written in your
own words rather than a collection of citations or direct quotes.
The second important element of a graduate paper is the conclusion, which should always be
included to summarize what you have written. The same note about avoiding the inclusion of
citations applies for the conclusion. This needs to be your final summary, written in your own
words. According to ACE (n.d.), the conclusion should include a restatement of the thesis and
summary of what you have discussed in the paper. You want to leave the reader with a key
takeaway, a hopefully lasting impression of the thinking represented by and within your written
work.
One way to do this is to use the first sentence to restate the thesis in a different way, then to
follow this with 2-4 sentences (or more for a longer work) to summarize the paragraphs (or
pages) from the body of the work. The final sentence of the conclusion is used to summarize the
entirety of the work in an interesting or memorable way. It’s important to note, the conclusion is
never a place for presenting new information.
The most important lesson you can learn is to relate your academic writing to your work as a
graduate student on the way to becoming a scholar-practitioner. This is the time to develop
proper academic writing habits to help you now and as you look towards a dissertation or
research project. Whether you are preparing a discussion post or some other assignment, you
need to always write with proper capitalization, complete sentences, and proper punctuation.
To help you develop your academic writing skills, ACE offers students the following resources:

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• ACE Writing Center
• Tutor.com
• Scholarly Writing Tips
The Scholarly Writing Tips website includes videos to assist you in expanding your skill as a
writer. I encourage you to schedule some time this week to explore these sources so you can
begin to apply what you learn.
Part 2: Essential APA Formatting Resources and Strategies
Let’s turn our attention to some more important strategies needed for graduate writing. It's
important to learn about go-to resources to help you properly format your papers, citations, and
sources within a reference list.
Let's revisit the original scenario and now consider what your opinion of the academic
conference speaker would be if you read their presentation overview and discovered numerous
in-text citation errors, as well as errors within the reference list. Would your expectation about
mastery of APA formatting also apply, just as it did for academic writing?
It is likely you would expect a person with a doctorate to have mastered academic writing and
APA formatting. As you read through a document containing numerous errors that has been
written by someone who has a doctoral degree, you likely feel surprised and disappointed. This
is not a standard ACE allows at any degree program level. Mastery of academic writing and
APA formatting is not optional. It is a necessary part of earning your degree and the success
you desire.
Here are some APA formatting basics to help you get started. First, in graduate writing you want
to avoid the use of direct quotes. A direct quote simply reports what you have read. When you
paraphrase the information and include a proper citation, you demonstrate your ability to extract
the meaning of what you have read and learned. Next, whether you are developing a
PowerPoint presentation, discussion post, or other type of written assignment, you must always
properly cite the information you draw from sources.
Dr. Katrina González Landa, Teaching and Learning Program Coordinator for the ACE Writing
Center, shares this about learning to paraphrase information from a source:
"There is sometimes a misconception in academic writing: the idea that paraphrasing is talking
about an article in your own words. Paraphrasing is actually taking an article you have read and
discussing it within your own argument or response to a prompt. It is taking something you have
read and including it in a sentence about what you are saying in this paper. This means you are
moving beyond summarizing and going into synthesizing."
"The best way to paraphrase is to read an article and then put it away. Without looking back at
the article, jot down its important points in a separate Word document. Do this for each article
you intend to use in a paper. Personally, I like to write the bibliographic information for an article
on the top of a Word document and then write short, bulleted notes on that document. I use new
Word documents for each article I read. You will notice patterns and similarities within the
different documents you read and take notes on. Then, you use only the notes when writing
your paper. You will cite an article whenever you mention it, but you will not go back to look at
the article, which will prevent you from quoting it or using similar language."
"Never copy/paste a sentence and change a few words around. This is not paraphrasing. To
properly paraphrase, discuss how what you have read supports your thoughts on a topic or how
what you have read relates to what you are learning."

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Dr. González Landa recommends using the following resources within the Writing Center:
APA Basics Manual: This downloadable handout contains helpful information and citation
examples. Some of the examples include Citing a Work with Three or More Authors and Citing a
Work with No Author. Every student should keep this handout close by for use as a quick
reference for discussion posts and papers.
ACE Assignment Template: This is another downloadable Word document students can save to
their computer, open, and use for written assignments. As noted in the instructions: "If you type
right into it, and don't change the settings, you will have a properly formatted paper." This
template is formatted according to APA standards, following the APA Manual 7th
Edition.
Within the ACE Writing Center there is a dedicated webpage for APA formatting resources,
which include the following:
APA 7th
Edition Notable Changes: This handout provides important updates for students with an
earlier APA edition, including changes to References and In-Text Citations and changes
involving Inclusive and Bias-Free Language students need to know. These changes are
explained and examples are provided.
APA Guide to Tables and Figures: This downloadable handout consists of slides with
information taken directly from the APA Manual 7th
Edition. The guide presents a complete
overview of Tables and Figures, including detailed examples.
APA Guide to Mechanics of Style: This is another handout consisting of slides from APA, with
information based on the 7th
Edition. It includes elements such as spelling, capitalization,
abbreviations, numbers, symbols, and more.
Finally, this question on the ACE Writing Center's dedicated APA webpage is notable for
students: How do I know how to list a source on the reference page?
The answer: "The ACE APA Basics Manual is a great resource to download and use when
writing papers. The APA Resources page in this Writing Center and the APA website also list
several examples on how to format different resources. Please note these resources are not as
exhaustive as the APA 7th
Edition Manual."
Within this APA resources website, provided by the ACE Writing Center, there is a link to the
APA website for Handouts and Guides. There are five important categories for the resources
provided that students should explore, and these include: General Seventh Edition, Paper
Format, In-Text Citations, Reference List, Mechanics of Style and Writing Style.
The most important lesson to learn is this: APA formatting is a skill all students must master to
be successful at ACE. While it will take time and practice to learn, there are many resources
available you can bookmark and download for reference as you develop your posts and papers.
And, as you are going to learn in the next section, proper use of APA formatting also helps you
avoid plagiarism.
Part 3: Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism Essentials
If the word plagiarism sounds important to you, it should. It is a significant topic relevant to all
aspects of what you write and post as a student here at ACE.
To begin, ACE defines plagiarism as using someone else’s words or ideas as your own, without
citation or attribution. This means using the existing words of another author, published in any
other form or in any other format, and without any form of acknowledgement, is blatant
plagiarism. It is an unacceptable practice and will lead to some form of academic sanction by
your instructor and the school.

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There are three forms of plagiarism: Accidental, Intentional, and Self-Plagiarism.
Accidental plagiarism occurs when a student makes an attempt to acknowledge the information
used from a source but accidentally misses one of the two required forms of citations.
Example #1. The Turnitin (TII) Report highlights this sentence as matching an existing source:
“Children learn best when taught with the principle of pedagogy.”
Outcome: There is no citation provided with the sentence; however, the report matches it to a
source listed in the student's reference list. The instructor decides it was a case of accidental
plagiarism as the student did attempt to acknowledge the source used; however, it was not
completely and correctly acknowledged according to APA standards. They would likely deduct
points from the mechanics portion of the rubric.
Intentional plagiarism occurs when a student uses someone else’s words or ideas as their own,
without citation or attribution.
Example #2. The instructor receives a TII Report with sentences highlighted and matched to
existing sources. A review of the student's paper shows no in-text citations and no sources in a
reference list.
Outcome: The instructor determines this is a case of intentional plagiarism. They would apply an
academic sanction to the student's grade and file a report with ACE.
Self-Plagiarism: The ACE Writing Center has a dedicated website for plagiarism and self-
plagiarism. "Self-plagiarism occurs when you present work that you have previously completed
(like an old assignment) as if it were new. While you may need to go back to an old assignment
during your studies, your new work should contain new ideas. If you are extending an idea from
previous work or you need to discuss your previous work, you should include an in-text citation
and list the previous work on the reference page of your new work. Citing yourself should be
used sparingly, as ACE wants to see the progression and growth of ideas throughout your
studies. If you choose to cite previous work, please discuss this with your course instructor
before submission" (American College of Education, n.d.).
For most assignments at ACE, prior papers should not be used. If you believe a prior paper
should be used, speak with your instructor ahead of time to avoid an incident of self-plagiarism.
While it’s possible it might be appropriate to draw from articles used in previous assignments or
to elaborate on ideas you developed in another course, it is never acceptable to turn the same
assignment in for different courses.
Since TII and the Similarity Report it generates provide the standard for evaluating your writing,
it is important to understand how to read the report. Students are encouraged to understand the
basics of how the program compares their work with existing published works and generates a
similarity score. The higher the percentage of similarity with existing works, the lower the level of
originality associated with the new work. Many students find the report serves as a valuable
asset for improving their writing skills.
It's important to check the status of your Turnitin Report prior to the assignment due date, so
you have time to make any necessary changes, if applicable. Since the report is typically run
automatically when you submit an assignment, you should see the results within minutes. If you
check, and discover changes to make, you can always submit another draft – so long as it is still
submitted by (not after) the due date. Your instructor will evaluate the last draft submitted by the
due date. The expectation at ACE is students working at the doctoral level will submit work with
no more than a 10% similarity score. Another way of conceptualizing this is that, at minimum,
90% of the work you put into your dissertation should reflect your original thinking.

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However, it’s important to know the percentage alone is not the guiding factor for your
instructors when they evaluate your assignments. Your instructors will review the Turnitin
Report, any sentences matched to existing sources, and the sources that have been identified.
Let’s look at a few examples to help you understand why it is important for you to review the
Turnitin Report before the assignment due date.
Example #1. The Turnitin (TII) Report lists a 4% score.
A review of the report finds a match to wording found within the ACE Assignment Template,
including the title page, paragraph headings, and sample reference list.
Outcome: The instructor takes no further action as it was a match to a template.
A review of the report finds a match to wording found within the LEAD Framework Template.
Outcome: The instructor takes no further action as it was a match to a template.
A review of the report finds a match to the following sentence: “I love learning new things and
I'm not afraid to try.”
Outcome: The instructor takes no further action as it is a match to common words.
A review of the report finds a match to several sentences within a section that has a paragraph
heading, Learning Philosophy. There are no in-text citations and no sources in a reference list.
Outcome: The instructor investigates and discovers it's a match to one of the student's prior
papers. [The student had not contacted their instructor about using a prior paper.] The instructor
determines this is a case of self-plagiarism. An academic sanction is applied to the student's
grade and a report is filed with the school.
A review of the report finds a match to three sentences. There are no in-text citations and no
sources in a reference list.
Outcome: The instructor investigates and determines it is an instance of intentional plagiarism.
There is an academic sanction applied to the student's grade and a report filed with the school.
Example #6. The Turnitin (TII) Report lists an 8% score.
A review of the report finds a match to two sentences throughout the paper. There are no in-text
citations; however, the sentences are matched to sources in a reference list.
Outcome: The instructor investigates and determines it is an instance of accidental plagiarism.
They deduct points for the mechanics of the written assignment.
To learn more about plagiarism, along with TII, you can view the Academic Integrity and
Plagiarism Tutorial located in the Learning Objects for Module 2.
As a student at ACE, it’s important to remember there is no amount of acceptable plagiarism. It
is your responsibility to properly cite your sources and acknowledge the intellectual property you
draw from them. Reviewing the Turnitin Report prior to the due date is one of the most effective
methods of ensuring your papers do not have any issues and, if they do, you have time to
correct and resubmit them.

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Part 4: Essential Research Strategies Through the ACE Library
One of the important aspects of becoming a scholar-practitioner is developing your graduate
research skills. In this module you are asked to describe your chosen field of interest and find a
research article about it. You may have an initial idea about a field of interest, a fully developed
topic statement, or you may still be thinking. Whatever the case, now is the time to begin to
think about the practicality of finding and developing a topic of interest.
As with any research endeavor, your field of interest can start out broad as you begin gathering
information. From there you can narrow it down to create a feasible graduate research project.
For example, a project designed to change some aspect of the entire educational system within
the United States may not be feasible for graduate-level research. Yet if you narrow the topic to
something that could be changed on a district level and, once successful, used as a model to
implement nationwide, it just might work for your research project.
You may ask yourself: Where do I begin to look for research related to my topic or for
information about a topic? While the internet seems to be one of the easiest and quickest
sources of "information," and may in fact provide some credible sources, this should not be your
starting point.
Keep in mind you are becoming a scholar-practitioner, and as such, you want to ensure your
research is credible, academic, and scholarly. For most of your work, you want to find peer-
reviewed journal articles. While there may be exceptions, this is the general rule for graduate
research. The one place where you can find this type of research is the ACE online library.
When you visit the ACE Library home page, you will see three options: Databases, Journals,
and Subject Guides. When you conduct research for a subject, one of the easiest methods is to
start by using the ACE OneSearch feature. With ACE OneSearch, you have three options; you
can search by keyword, title, or author. A keyword search generates the broadest possible list of
outcomes, which you can then narrow down.
Once you have a list of results, you can apply additional filters. The most common filters for
graduate research are "at my library", "peer reviewed", and "date range." The date range option
is important as graduate students need to find sources published within the last five years.
There is an important lesson to learn about obtaining citations from the online library databases:
The citations are not always accurate. You must learn to check, and often correct, the citations
automatically generated by the database.
The following example illustrates this lesson. This is an incorrect citation provided by the library
database:
Grund, A., Fries, S., & Rheinberg, F. (2018, January 1). Know Your Preferences: Self-
Regulation as Need-Congruent Goal Selection. Review of General Psychology, 22(4), 437–451.
Did you catch what was incorrect? Now look at the citation after it has been corrected using the
APA Manual 7th
Edition formatting standard:
Grund, A., Fries, S., & Rheinberg, F. (2018). Know your preferences: Self-regulation as need-
congruent goal selection. Review of General Psychology, 22(4), 437–451.
https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000159
Did you notice the changes in capitalization in the title of the article? And the addition of the DOI
link in the corrected citation? These details may seem insignificant, but they are very important
for establishing your level of professionalism and authority as a graduate student.
There are additional resources to explore from the ACE Library home page. For example, you
can explore the navigation menu and find numerous helpful research-related resources. You

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might find it helpful to pull up the Library website and look at the pages we reference as we go
through these next few examples.
Example #1. Resources
When you click on the Resources tab, then the Find Articles tab, you can find informative posts
such as How to Find Articles and Is It Peer Reviewed?
Example #2: RefWorks
When you click on the Resources tab, then the RefWorks tab, you will see a post that answers
the question: What is RefWorks?
As a graduate researcher, this is a very important source to use now. The following information
is provided: "RefWorks is a web-based bibliographic reference or citation manager. Students
and researchers can use it to organize their references and import references from online
databases and other sources."
Example #3: Doctoral Resources
You will find there is a dedicated area of the website for doctoral students, and it contains a
wealth of useful resources. For example, there are Tips for Obtaining the Full Text of Articles.
If you would like assistance from the librarians, look for the following on the ACE Library home
page: Need Help? There you’ll find the most up-to-date information about when librarians are
available to answer your questions and help you with your research.
There are some general guidelines to keep in mind when you are developing your papers and
discussion posts. First, unless you are asked to find websites for a specific learning activity, as a
graduate student you want to use scholarly resources for support of what you write and post. If
you ever have questions about the type of sources to use, ask your instructor.
Generally, an encyclopedia and dictionary are not appropriate sources. Neither is Wikipedia as
it is an editable document and subject to misinformation. The type of assignment will also
determine the type of sources needed. For example, sources may not be required for a personal
essay, whereas a research assignment typically requires the support of scholarly, peer-
reviewed sources. Pay careful attention to the directions for each assignment to be sure you
use the correct type of sources for each one.
As to ACE presentations provided within the course, these should not be used as the sole
“scholarly source” for a discussion post or written assignment. Presentations provide an
overview of the course topics and are not the same as scholarly, peer-reviewed articles.
Any time you need to find sources for support of your written critical analysis, be it in a
discussion post or written assignment, your first choice should be scholarly peer-reviewed
journal articles from the online library. The ACE Library provides you with one convenient place
to find all you need for your graduate studies.
Module 3: Self-Regulation
Part 1: Learn About Establishing a New Identity
You should feel very good about your decision to pursue graduate studies. You are taking a
significant step towards a brand-new future, one you are creating one class at a time. While
your visible accomplishments will be validated externally, it is the internal qualities you develop
which will allow you to reach and achieve the moment of victory.
Now that you are a graduate student and must balance this role with your other responsibilities,
it will be helpful to explore the new identity you are forming. You already have one or more

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identities defining you, and now, you’re adding another. Your success in completing your
academic studies depends on how well you nurture all these identities individually and as a
whole.
As you begin thinking about the sum of your identities, first consider basic qualities you
possess. Kouzes and Posner (2016) ask, "Who are you? For example, people say they want to
ask a new leader: What do you stand for and believe in? What is your style? How do you make
decisions? What makes you think you can do this? What makes you happy (or sad, frustrated,
angry, etc.)?" (p. 59). Develop a list and answer these questions for yourself. This establishes
an essential baseline of who you are and what you believe. These qualities are part of at least
three identities you have as a student at ACE.
Your primary identity is your personal identity. This encompasses your “values, belief systems,
goals, and emotions,” in contrast to your social identity which is a function of the groups to
which you belong (Holmes et al., 2019, p. 1016). Your personal identity is responsible for
bringing you to the point of deciding to pursue a new academic journey. If you take time to
reflect on the qualities that make up your personal identity and identify the ones that motivated
you to make the decision to enroll, you will better understand who you are as a person. In other
words, there was something within you that helped you decide and feel good about taking a
step forward. What were those qualities? Can you name them?
When you started your studies at ACE, you began forming a new identity as a student. How
important is this to your overall sense of identity? When your student identity plays a central role
in how you operate and view who you are, it enables you to persist in your studies. Because it is
so central, dropping out would be like losing a part of yourself. The centrality of your identity as
a student is tied to your self-image and your ability to persevere when facing challenges. The
more well-developed your sense of identity centrality, the more likely you are to overcome
obstacles and achieve your goals (Holmes et al., 2019).
What this means is your new student identity is now a persona you tap into to help define
yourself, not just in the present but also in how you see yourself in the future. Becoming a
student is not just about taking classes, rather there is a purpose attached to it, one that
includes your goals and dreams. When you have a strong sense of student identity centrality,
you have identified the driving reason or reasons for choosing this particular time to begin, along
with your chosen academic specialization, and this awareness is a source of motivation.
As you think about having a brand-new identity, you can draw on qualities from your personal
identity that will help you excel as a student. For example, if one of the qualities from your
personal identity is a belief that working hard produces optimal results, you can apply this
quality to your student identity. You may also discover qualities you need to develop or improve
to succeed as a graduate student.
Whatever qualities you have or may need for your student identity, now is the time to think
about what it means. While it may seem hard to imagine having two separate identities, the
distinction lies in their unique purposes. You are still the same person, and qualities you
possess may overlap among the identities, yet you develop qualities for specific reasons. This is
how you create unique and easily recognizable identities, through qualities matched to specific
purpose or goal statements.
A third identity is your professional identity. Many students begin their academic journey to
improve their career options, develop new career-related skills, and/or establish an entirely new
career path. This is all part of changing, enhancing, or updating a person’s professional identity.
Professional identity may be defined as “an individual’s felt and recognized association with a

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vocation requiring specialized knowledge and skills (a profession) and pertinent values,
activities and norms” (Yoon Ha Choi et al., 2021, p. 91).
This definition reminds you a profession is typically related to a vocation, or something you train
for by obtaining the skills and knowledge necessary to master your chosen craft. In one regard,
earning new academic credentials will add to your chosen craft in some manner, whether
directly or indirectly. For example, you may have selected a program that will help you gain
leadership knowledge you can directly apply to your current job. In contrast, the skills of critical
thinking and advanced writing may be of indirect value to the work you are currently doing.
In your work as a graduate student at ACE, you are developing a professional identity as a
scholar-practitioner, one you will realize more fully the longer you are in your program. As you
grow into this identity, you will become increasingly confident in your own abilities and
comfortable interacting with others who identify as professional scholars and academicians. In
Module Five, you are going to learn more about the term scholar-practitioner; however, for now
just know it has to do with advanced academic scholarship. This includes a community of
leaders, educators, and researchers who have all earned degrees like yours and have the same
advanced skillsets you are in the process of acquiring.
For now, your professional identity will remain focused on job or career responsibilities you must
maintain while you engage in your studies. However, once you graduate and transition away
from an active identity as a student, you will find your professional identity expands in many new
ways based on what you learn and achieve in your course of study.
Part 2: Gaining Tools for Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy
You have at least three distinct identities to cultivate as a person, a student, and a professional.
They are all based upon your unique qualities and characteristics. When you think about
yourself as a whole person, and someone who is a combination of these identities, you need to
consider how you manage yourself. For instance, how do you manage all aspects of your
thoughts and behavior to achieve the goals you’ve established?
You can begin by answering the questions: “What do you believe about yourself?” and “What
are you capable of achieving?” Do you see yourself as a leader? "Believing that you can lead is
absolutely essential to developing your leadership skills and abilities. It's this belief that provides
you the commitment and sustained effort needed to become a better leader over time" (Kouzes
and Posner, 2016, p. 50).
What this reminds you of is the importance of having beliefs and the power those beliefs can
hold for sustaining your motivation. Yet belief alone is not enough to help you achieve your
goals. What will further benefit your growth is learning about self-regulation and self-efficacy.
Self-regulation may be defined broadly as "willful, deliberate, and active processes of planning,
maintenance, and reflection of one’s actions in terms of cognition, motivation, affect, and
behavior" (Grund et al., 2018, p. 438). Think of how a home is maintained with a central heating
and cooling system. What keeps either system from running non-stop and creating extreme
conditions? It is the temperature controller regulating the flow of hot and cold air throughout your
home. Now apply this same idea of being regulated to yourself. Self-regulation is a set of
processes and actions involving your thoughts and behaviors that ensure you act in a certain
manner.
The concept of self-regulation applies directly to your work as a graduate student. In this
context, it refers to the thoughts and behaviors you leverage to master the methods you use to
study and learn (Robinson, 2021). Now that you have specific deadlines to meet, and studies
demanding your full time and concentration, you need to adjust your behaviors to ensure you

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meet all the requirements. In other words, part of your student identity involves adjusting your
self-regulation in this role.
Students who learn to regulate their behaviors are more likely to receive a boost of confidence
along with successfully accomplishing their goals (Robinson, 2021). In contrast, those who do
not are more likely to fall short of achieving their academic goals. This suggests a direct link
between student failure and the inability to effectively self-regulate (Villatoro Moral & de Benito,
2021). So, the more effort you put into learning to self-regulate now as you are establishing your
new student identity, the more likely you are to successfully complete what you have started.
To begin the process of self-regulation as a student, think of how you want to set your internal
thermometer. The setpoint can be your goals, both short-term and long-term. Then you must
decide what adjustments you need to make to your behavior so you can achieve your goals. For
example, do you need to reduce time in some areas of your life to create space for your
studies?
The most important aspect of self-regulation is this: You control your student identity, which
means you control your outcomes. If any outcome is not what you planned for or expected, you
can self-regulate and work towards a different one.
The next important concept is self-efficacy. Self efficacy has to do with believing you are
capable of performing a specific action and achieving a particular outcome (Naoreen et al.,
2021). This concept is in direct contrast to self-regulation, which involves taking action to
change or adapt your behaviors to meet specific goals or achieve desired outcomes. Self-
efficacy has to do with what you believe about your ability or capacity to achieve your goals.
A few minutes ago you were asked: “What do you believe about yourself?” and “What are you
capable of achieving?” Your belief, or your sense of self-efficacy, will directly influence your
ability to self-regulate. If you think you are incapable of doing something, you may choose to not
even try. On the other hand, if you think you are capable, you are far more likely to persist and
eventually overcome the hurdles to accomplish what you set out to do (Naoreen et al., 2021).
What you believe about yourself plays a critical role in the decisions you make about what you
think and how you behave.
Now consider how the concept of self-efficacy applies to your graduate studies and graduate
identity. Every week you are enrolled in a class, there will be certain requirements. For each
one, you will make an internal assessment of your ability to complete what is required. If you
have a high sense of self-efficacy, or a strong belief you can complete the required tasks, you
will approach them with confidence. You will also self-regulate your behaviors to ensure these
tasks are completed to the best of your abilities and meet all the expectations.
Your sense of self-efficacy plays a major role in how you consider, approach, and tackle your
goals, tasks, and challenges (Gorban et al., 2022). As a student you must believe you are in
direct control of the outcomes you experience throughout your entire academic program. Your
sense of self-efficacy will determine the level of success you achieve and what you accomplish
along the way. If you believe you are capable and can do well, then you will become highly self-
regulated and direct your behaviors towards achieving all the goals you establish.
Module 4: Self-Motivation
Part 1: Overcoming the Potential for Online Isolation
You've begun your graduate studies and are likely excited by thoughts of the new future ahead
of you. During this first course you may have a mix of feelings, from apprehension to certainty
that this is the time to do this. Perhaps your family or friends weighed in, but you made the final

16
determination to start this new journey now. Did you think about, or even consider, who your
support system might be during your program?
As you progress through the next class or two, it is possible you may begin to feel like you are
alone – despite navigating classes with other students. This can occur as a result of working
from home and feeling as if you do not know anyone you can talk to who can relate to the
challenges you occasionally face as a student. Even if you have family, friends, or colleagues
who support you, you may discover your needs as a graduate student are different. When this
happens, it may be harder for your existing support system to understand what you need.
To avoid feeling isolated, you need more support than just having someone to bounce ideas off
of as you brainstorm how to meet a deadline or think of an assignment topic. As a graduate
student, you are thinking at a higher level and engaging in intellectual conversations. You need
to expand your support system to include individuals who are comfortable operating at the same
skill level.
There are other reasons why you may feel isolated while working in a virtual environment, and it
is important to understand so you can take steps now to prevent this from happening. It is not
uncommon for doctoral students completing their programs online to report feeling lonely in the
process. The reality of online education is developing supportive relationships can be more
complicated since engagement occurs virtually rather than in person. Lack of time in the same
physical space, constantly changing cohorts, and competing obligations outside of school can
compound the sense of isolation. These realities underscore the importance of being intentional
about cultivating a sense of community and proactively seeking connections with your academic
peers (Lehan et al., 2021).
The best relationships you can develop now are with colleagues you meet within your program.
These connections can provide you with the level of conversation and empathy you will need as
you move through your coursework. Ideally, you will connect with one or more individuals, and
you can support each other all the way to the finish line.
When you are connected and develop a sense of collegiality and friendship with peers in your
program, this will meet a basic need we all have to be accepted and valued by others. Research
suggests relationships like this help increase a sense of competence and autonomy which, in
turn, supports persistence and an overall sense of well-being (De Clercq et al., 2021). In other
words, those who make friends in the program may actually set themselves up to succeed in
ways those who do not connect with others miss (Lehan et al., 2021).
Did you know some studies have linked cultivating a sense of community and interacting
positively with others with a student’s overall persistence (Lehan et al., 2021)? Now is the time
to start looking for a colleague to connect with, someone with similar goals and interests. When
you build your personal academic community from the start, you may find it makes all the
difference in helping you navigate the challenges and frustrations you are bound to face as you
move through the program.
What happens if you do not plan for and cultivate a support system as you work through your
studies? You are likely to find yourself feeling isolated, frustrated, and eventually willing to give
up. Have you ever heard the term ABD? “All But Dissertation” or ABD is the sad label for
doctoral candidates who make it through their courses only to give up before writing the
dissertation they need to earn their credential.
The number of students in the United States with the ABD status is shocking, and here at ACE
we do not want you to be one of them. We encourage you to find others with whom you can
create your own professional academic community, and we want you to make it to the finish
line. Don’t allow isolation to wear you down and cause you to miss the mark of achieving the

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goals you have set for yourself. There’s no doubt this can be a long, lonely process, but it
doesn’t have to be. By taking the initiative to build a supportive community now, you will help
yourself and others make it all the way through (Chametsky, 2020).
Your academic community can serve many purposes, from discussing project or dissertation
ideas, to acting as a source for inspiration. You will likely reach a point where you need
someone to vent to who understands the frustrations unique to your academic work. Your
academic tribe can provide an essential sounding board in those moments too (Chametsky,
2020). With any luck, these people will be part of your academic community for years to come.
After you graduate, you’ll still need a community as you continue to conduct research, write,
publish, and pursue the work you begin in this program.
Part 2: Developing Motivational Strategies to Help You Succeed
What do you believe is most responsible for ensuring your success as an online graduate
student? We have talked about beliefs, and they are extremely important. However, there is
something connected to your beliefs that you will find is just as important for achieving goals. It
is your mindset.
Consider how you began this academic journey. More than likely this was not the only
responsibility you had at the time. Most students have many competing priorities and demands
on their time. Now you start an online class and have more than one deadline to meet during a
week. If you haven't already thought about how you will maintain your state of mind, you can
quickly start to feel overwhelmed.
I find it interesting that many people think their mind is set or fixed. In reality, your mind
processes hundreds of thoughts throughout the day. A lot of external stimuli and information
vies for your attention. It can be very easy to get distracted. Somewhere in between all these
distractions, your mind is developing, processing, or holding other ideas, knowledge, and
beliefs.
Maintaining your mindset is a must as you navigate graduate school. What you have believed
before about your ability to learn, what you have tried to do to focus, and how you have
processed information – all must improve if you are to succeed at this new level. You must
develop beliefs that learning is valuable, staying focused is essential, and processing
information or learning is critical.
"If you buy into the view that leaders are born and that talents are fixed at birth, it is highly
unlikely that you'll put forth the time and effort to be better than you already are. It's also likely
that you'll avoid challenges, give up quickly when things get tough, and perceive that spending
any effort on training will be a general waste of time" (Kouzes & Posner, 2016, p. 56). What you
believe most definitely influences your outcomes. When you are a leader, your beliefs also
influence the outcomes of those around you.
Now consider this: "On the other hand, if you begin with the belief that you can learn new skills
no matter what your present level of competence is and that training and coaching will pay off,
then you're much more likely to do whatever it takes to improve. You are more likely to seek and
accept challenges, persist when obstacles are in your way or not be deterred when you have a
setback, and see your efforts as necessary steps toward mastering leadership" (Kouzes &
Posner, 2016, p. 56). This is the type of thought pattern you want to develop and maintain.
You can use the power of your mind to transform what you think and how you feel. If you decide
you are going to be a successful student, and you hold tightly to your belief, you will succeed
even when you encounter significant challenges. Your beliefs are also a form of self-motivation.

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You are establishing a positive belief system, and this will motivate you to keep going when you
feel frustrated or overwhelmed.
Two types of motivation are common for students, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is
the most important to cultivate now. This is a disposition oriented toward supporting your pursuit
of higher education and expanded qualifications for your chosen vocation. This is the drive
inside you that pushes you toward your goals regardless of what is going on around you.
Extrinsic motivations come from outside of you. These are things like assignments, deadlines,
and the culture of your new academic community. These help move you toward your goals too
(Templeton, 2021).
Many students who enroll in an online degree program are non-traditional, in the sense of
having waited for some time after high school before going back to college. Some adult learners
are mature and have well-defined needs. Mature learners have a psychological need to learn
and may be motivated intrinsically by their love of learning or extrinsically by their ambition to
expand or change their career options. Often, motivation is a blend of internal and external
factors, and we leverage it to move toward goals driven by both personal and professional
ambitions (Templeton, 2021).
For graduate students, there are additional motivational factors specific to this type of program.
You are probably exploring your academic pursuit through a unique lens of meaning colored by
both internal and external factors. Are you a person who values intellectual development? Are
you interested enough in a particular field to dedicate time, energy, and money to understanding
it better? Do you have a desire to gain experience as a researcher? Maybe you are ready to
make a life change and need a new degree to do what you want to do next (Sverdlik & Hall,
2020). How you answer questions like these reveals a lot about how you are motivated. Are you
beginning to see why having a positive belief system is so critical in your academic endeavors?
To establish a self-motivated mindset, you must identify with the purpose or reason why you
started this program and what you hope to achieve. Many students refer to this as a calling,
living their purpose or potential, finding a career with meaning, and/or reaching a point of self-
actualization in their career. Whatever the case is for you, once you have a reason, you can
regulate your behaviors and fix your mindset on keeping a positive and supportive belief
system.
When you exercise your autonomy and select behaviors you believe are valuable to you as a
person you are operating in the realm of identified regulation. This is similar to intrinsic
motivation but with the added caveat of fully endorsing the valuable activity in which you have
chosen to engage. Such is the case with deciding to earn a PhD and then fully embracing the
process as well as the goal (Hands, 2020). You learn to regulate your behavior and your
mindset. You fix your mind on success and attach your thoughts to the specific reasons you
chose to enroll in this program.
To develop self-motivation, you need to strategically manage both your internal and external
perspective. “Research by Geraniou (2010) has further identified two key 'survival strategies'
used by students to maintain motivation throughout their doctoral studies, the first being 'internal
survival strategies' that include elements of self-reliance (e.g. reminding oneself of being able to
overcome obstacles), interest (e.g. reflecting on the ways one’s scholarly activities are
connected to personal interests), and achievement (e.g. focusing on one’s desire to achieve a
doctoral degree)" (Sverdlik & Hall, 2020, pp. 101-102). This is a reminder you need a positive
mindset and a clear sense of your purpose for undertaking this academic journey.
Next, you can develop strategies to manage external factors. These “external survival
strategies” include developing a community of peers, supervisors, and other faculty, being

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willing to change as you learn and grow, and engaging in activities like publishing or presenting
your work, scholarly activities that challenge you to stretch your skills and share what you know
(Sverdlik & Hall, 2020). Your community will remind you of your purpose, act as a sounding
board when you need them, and rein you in when you start to lose your way.
As you move through your academic program, the more you pay attention to your thoughts and
stay focused on what's important, the more likely you are to succeed. Remember your purpose,
continue to believe it is possible to succeed, and you will.
Module 5: Critical Thinking
Part 1: Discover How You Can Develop Higher Order Thinking
By this point you are beginning to understand the requirements of graduate studies are different
than any other program you've been in before. You are now expected to demonstrate advanced
thinking, move beyond reactive responses and rote answers, and most importantly,
demonstrate your ability to conduct research and present intellectual analyses. No longer is
Google your primary source of information. Now you are expected to search for scholarly
sources from the ACE Library and demonstrate your ability to assess information from those
sources. What is the key to being able to rise to the requirements of a graduate student? It is
your ability to demonstrate higher order thinking.
As you have already learned, we think and process hundreds of thoughts every day. We think
about some things automatically and without analysis, such as opening a door. Even reading a
book, in and of itself, requires no advanced thinking – unless it is assigned reading for a class. It
is only when you intentionally engage your mind that you begin practicing higher order thinking.
For example, if you need to write an analysis for a class involving research and original insights,
you will draw on higher order thinking skills to do it well. This is also known as critical thinking.
In the context of your work as a scholar, you will practice critical thinking in a variety of ways.
You will seek to understand and apply theories and methods in reasonable ways. You will
analyze complex data and use it to make credible assumptions. You will formulate conclusions
and determine evidence-based reasons for what have formerly been only assumptions. You will
ask questions and challenge conclusions others have made in the past. And, you will learn to
find weaknesses or vulnerabilities in your own and others’ thinking (Brodin, 2016). As a
graduate student you will be asked to demonstrate all these abilities at some point in your
program, and likely on many occasions.
Critical thinking involves logic and reasoning. In other words, you are moving beyond personal
opinions and feelings. If you begin a sentence with the words “I feel,” you have not used critical
thinking. In graduate studies, feelings take a back seat to logic and reasoning. Critical thinking
involves tackling and taking apart complex problems. We use it when searching for flexible
solutions we can communicate to others in an understandable and applicable manner. It is a
practice we can develop and improve over time (Cooper, 2020).
This is why it is important to develop an academic community peopled with those who can relate
to you on an intellectual level. While it is important to also have friends and family, an academic
community is more likely to provide support as you develop the higher-level thinking skills your
studies demand. The more you practice critical thinking, the more natural the process will
become. You will find you look differently at everything you read and hear because of this skill.
The ability to think critically includes metacognition. This is thinking about thinking. Dwyer et al.
(2014) refer to critical thinking “as a metacognitive technique consisting of many sub-skills such
as interpretation, assessment, and inference that increase the chances of generating a rational

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conclusion to an argument or answer to a problem when used appropriately” (Utama et al.,
2022, p. 55).
As you reflect on these definitions, does it give you ideas about ways you might apply a higher
level of critical thinking to assignments like discussion posts? Every time you write one of these,
you have an opportunity, not just to answer questions and check a task off your to do list, but
also to think deeply and critically. You do this both as you formulate your own response and as
you respond to your classmates. By applying critical thinking to your work, you will elevate your
own and others’ thinking.
The art of critical thinking, or being able to analyze, synthesize, process, and transform
information, and develop both logical and rational analyses, is a skill you will find useful now and
after graduation. Your faculty and dissertation committee will do all they can to point you toward
information that will help you succeed in the program and in your future career. However, how
much knowledge you gain ultimately depends on the effort you commit to learning. This requires
action on your part, not the passive consumption of information placed in front of you (Cooper,
2020).
You will have many opportunities to strengthen your critical thinking skills as a graduate student.
You will analyze evidence, arguments, and claims. We will ask you to evaluate and judge the
credibility and usefulness of data. You will solve problems and apply data to decision-making,
both as an individual and with your peers. We will encourage you to use inductive and deductive
reasoning to make inferences and draw conclusions (Utama et al., 2022). As you respond to
challenges like these, you will enjoy the benefits of increasing your thinking skills in proportion to
the effort you invest.
Here’s an example of a practical way to tap into your critical thinking skills. Begin by copying the
instructions for a discussion or assignment into a Word document. From there, create an
outline. This could be a regular outline, a mind map, or any other structure that helps you to
thoroughly analyze the required topics. Next, brainstorm ideas by adding your initial thoughts to
the outline. After you’ve put your thoughts on paper, you will analyze them. During this step, you
will probably search for scholarly sources to support or refute your ideas. You will use logic and
reasoning to gather information, evaluate it, and discard or apply what you find. As you do this,
you will hone your ability to develop new and original thinking about the topic or question. The
result will be a much different product than what you would have come up with by typing up your
first response and submitting it without research or reflection.
As you develop the skills of a critical thinker, it will become obvious to those around you. You
will write, post, and respond differently. According to Arends, the results of critical thinking
include being able to articulate effective and practical reasoning, demonstrate the flexibility to
use several thinking styles rather than just one or two, make judgments and decisions based on
data rather than opinion, and solve problems (Utama et al., 2022). The result? You will have
more to say to your classmates and will provide more value to the exchanges on the discussion
boards.
Saputri et al. describe it this way, “A student with critical thinking should provide a better logical
reason for understanding, analyzing, solving the problem, making complex choices, and
improving high-level thinking skills” (Utama et al., 2022, p. 55). Graduate students should think
about how to add value and insight to the discussion, not how to debate personal opinions.
Cultivating this higher-order thinking skill will transform all aspects of your work and increase
your confidence level. This will serve you well as you work to embody your new identity as a
scholar-practitioner.
Part 2: Becoming a Scholar-Practitioner

21
One of the most transformative aspects of working your way through graduate school is
becoming a scholar-practitioner. This is the final topic we will discuss in this course. This is not
just a concept to study. It is an identity to acquire. How you navigate this evolution will impact
what you write as well as how you write. Hopefully, this generates excitement as you think about
bringing your best self to the process of learning, thinking, conducting research, and writing. It
should also reinforce the sense of motivation you have to do work that makes a positive
contribution to the world.
As you begin to fully understand what it means to become a scholar-practitioner, it is important
you recognize your existing values. "You need to be clear about the core values and beliefs that
guide your decisions and actions. You have to determine what you care most about and why it's
important. To become the very best leader you can be, your motivation needs to be intrinsic and
not instrumental" (Kouzes & Posner, 2016, p. 70).
As we discussed in earlier modules, your beliefs help frame your mindset. And your mindset
frames what you think about your abilities and capabilities. To stay motivated, you need to
identify the root purpose driving the goals you establish. This has never been more important
than here at the start of your new academic journey.
In addition to what has led you up to now, you also need to embrace a new vision at this point in
your story. Where do you see yourself in one, two, and five years? What do you want to know
and do? What kind of leader do you see yourself becoming? Do you want to teach others? Do
you want to be recognized as a leader in your field? Would you prefer to lead from the front of
the room or to encourage others from a less visible position? Do you want to influence your field
by writing and publishing?
There’s no magic in envisioning the future. No one can know exactly how it will unfold. However,
by determining what you would like the future to be, you are far more likely to make decisions
and take actions that create what you envision. According to Kouzes and Posner (2016), the
place to start is to determine the kind of leader you want to become and focus first on that
image.
A scholar-practitioner is a broad term used to describe the work done by someone with the
credentials you are earning. When you think of scholarly practice, you likely would not consider
developing discussion posts or written assignments with the use of popular sources anyone can
find online, such as Wikipedia, a dictionary, or an encyclopedia. Instead, you are going to look
for scholarly, credible sources to inform your work, the types of sources you now know you can
find in the ACE Library.
Your scholarly practice also involves how you approach any task. For example, if you are going
to share an opinion, now you know it should be well-informed and based on research. You want
to bring logic and reason to every required task. The scholarly skills you're developing will serve
you well during your academic work as a student, as well as in the future as you realize the
goals you have established.
So, what does becoming a scholar-practitioner mean to you? How you answer this question will
inform your beliefs and guide your thinking. Start by viewing it as an academic responsibility.
Then, determine how you will allocate your time to elevate how and what you write. Finally,
determine your approach to research, and how you will build scholarly analyses. Apply critical
thinking skills as you give yourself the time necessary to conduct the research. Then, analyze,
synthesize, and process what you learn as you respond to the tasks you are assigned.
Scholar-practitioners never stop asking questions. They are continually scanning the horizon for
changes, trends, and data in their own and adjacent industries (Tyler & Lombardozzi, 2017).
Sometimes the most intriguing new insights come from making connections between two

22
industries that are not connected in obvious ways. Perhaps they gain insights from art or music
and apply them to education. Or draw inferences from the sports world and apply them in a
corporate boardroom. Or connect the dots between emerging understandings of something in
the animal kingdom and a healthcare practice that could benefit humans.
The difference between the scholar-practitioner and others is that, when we see a question or a
potential connection, we chase it rather than ignore it. We do not shrug our shoulders, say
“That’s an interesting idea,” and go about our day. We know the critical thinking we do has the
potential to benefit others, and we leverage our curiosity to make the world a better place.

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