Project Summary: Application: Networking and Next Steps Note: This Assignment has two parts. Part 1: Building Your Network When you registered for this course, you may or may not have had a clear understanding of the advanced graduate degree path you planned to pursue. As you reflect on what you have explored in your coursework and from your colleagues this semester, you may have gained additional insight on this important decision. The choice of a degree path is very personal and is based on your passion and the goals you want to reach. Do not worry if you are still not sure which path is the best one for you. Your student advisor can assist you by answering any questions you might have. As you have engaged in interactions with your Instructor and colleagues, you may have realized how important it is to build a network of individuals to support your degree path and the specialization you select. Many of you will attend a residency, and this is an excellent way of meeting people and forming relationships. Having a network of colleagues who are traveling an advanced graduate degree path at the same time as you is an excellent support system and may contribute to the success you have in the program. Networking, however, does not have to occur in a face-to-face setting. You might find that using Skype, smartphones, social media, and other methods are useful ways to stay connected and to support one another. QUESTION: For Part 1, write a brief description of the degree path and specialization you believe you are planning to pursue. Then, explain at least two strategies you are likely to use to build a network with colleagues, and explain why these particular strategies would support a professional collaboration. Part 2: Next Steps In this modules Discussion, you assumed a professional role associated with your degree path and specialization. In your post, you explained how you might approach the case study problem from the perspective of this role. In Part 1 of the Assignment, you wrote a brief description of the degree path and specialization you intend to pursue. For this part of the Assignment, you will explain how you might approach a topic that excites you based on the degree path and specialization you are pursuing. When you began this course, you identified topics that rouse your passion. You also began considering how obtaining an advanced graduate degree might help you make a difference in one of these areas. Address one of these topics for this Assignment. Be sure to review the Degree Path Road Map to consider how professionals with different degrees address education-related problems. Reflect on how you might approach a problem related to your selected topic from the perspective of the degree path and specialization you are pursuing. For Part 2, based on this reflection, identify two goalsone personal and one professionalthat will support you as you continue on your chosen degree pathway. Submit by Day 7 (of Module 6) a 3- to 4-page paper in which you accomplish the following: Write a brief description of the degree path and specialization you plan to pursue. Then, explain at least two strategies you are likely to use to build a network with colleagues and explain why these particular strategies would support a professional collaboration. Explain how you might apply the perspective of your degree pathway and specialization to a problem related to a topic that demonstrates your passion. Identify two goalsone personal and one professionalthat will support you as you continue on your chosen degree pathway. Explain how these personal and professional goals inform your approach to a problem related to your topic. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction Laureate Education (Producer). (2014k). Module 6: Which road are you on? [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes. Accessible player Learning Objectives Students will: Apply professional perspectives to education-related problems Analyze networking strategies to support professional collaboration Analyze personal and professional goals Which Road Are You On? Which Road Are You On? Program Transcript [MUSIC PLAYING] KELLEY JO WALTERS: Congratulations on reaching this point in your advanced graduate journey. At this point in the course, we would like you to explore the idea of being on the right path for your journey. There are many specialization areas at Walden, and there are three different, yet equal paths that you can take- - the PhD, the EdD, and the EdS. We hope that you have taken the time to explore each of these paths, and to think about what each means to you personally, now and in your future. If you are currently enrolled in one path and may think that perhaps another path may be better suited to your professional goals, please reach out to advising. At any point in your program, your professors or advisers will assist you. Another key concept that we want you to consider as you complete your work in this module is the concept of networking. You will find a list of the professional groups in your field in the tool kit, under specialization resources. We highly encourage you to reach out to each other, others in your field, and others working on advanced graduate degrees so that you can begin to build a network that helps support you as you travel along this journey. It is also important that you map out a personal plan of action for yourself as you make your journey through your program. At each step along the path, think about not only the outcomes that you will cover in the courses, but how each course can help you accomplish that final project. All the instructors in the foundation courses have been hand-picked. They are some of the best at Walden, and they want to assist you as much as possible. Please reach out if you have questions. We truly and genuinely hope that you have enjoyed this first course, and will continue to persevere, to stay motivated, and to find ways to organize yourself as you continue on your journey. We look forward to seeing how you become scholars and agents of change in the coming years. Which Road Are You On? Additional Content Attribution Music: Creative Support Services Los Angeles, CA 2015 Laureate Education, Inc. 1 Which Road Are You On? Dimension Sound Effects Library Newnan, GA Narrator Tracks Music Library Stevens Point, WI Signature Music, Inc Chesterton, IN Studio Cutz Music Library Carrollton, TX _____________________________________________________________________________________ Module 6 Learning Resources This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week's assigned Learning Resources. To access select media resources, please use the media players below. Required Resources Readings Walden University. (2013b). Which program is right for you? EdS, EdD, or PhD.? Retrieved fromhttp://www.waldenu.edu/colleges-schools/riley-college-of-education/academic-programs/which-program Media Laureate Education (Producer). (2014b). Degree paths and professional careers [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes. Walden faculty members talk about their professional work and their degree tracks (PhD, EdD, and EdS) Accessible player Laureate Education (Producer). (2014c). Degree path road map [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Focus on the degree paths displayed in the map and relate this to your reflection about the degree path you have selected. Laureate Education (Producer). (2014o). The mentor/mentee relationship [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 12 minutes. A Walden faculty member and a student discuss their mentor/mentee relationship. Accessible player Laureate Education. (Producer). (2014p). Transformational story [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Laureate Education (Producer). (2014q). Which road are you on? [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes. Student interviewees address how they focused on social change. Accessible player Optional Resources American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Capraro, R. M., & Thompson, B. (2008). The educational researcher defined: What will future researchers be trained to do? The Journal of Educational Research, 101(4), 247253, 256. Dowd, M. (2015). Ed.D. vs. Ph.D. Degree in higher education. Seattlepi.com. Retrieved fromhttp://education.seattlepi.com/edd-vs-phd-degree-higher-education-1220.html Gardner, S. K., Hayes, M. T., & Neider, X. N. (2007). The dispositions and skills of a Ph.D. in education: Perspectives of faculty and graduate students in one college of education. Innovative Higher Education, 31(5), 287299