Forward Momentum: Providing Supportive Space for EdD Students’ Dissertation Progression through Weekly Online Writing Sessions

Abstract

This essay describes an online writing group introduced to a CPED EdD program at a research-intensive, land-grant university during the summer of 2020 when the existing face-to-face program shifted to fully online delivery. The purpose of the writing sessions was to support EdD student practitioners with dissertation writing productivity by offering multiple weekly opportunities for synchronous writing sessions via Zoom online video conferencing. Although this new program is still in development, initial student feedback suggests that the writing sessions not only supported students’ dissertation progression, but it also established a sense of community and social support in an online environment. Lessons learned are shared, and we argue that this could be an ideal time to offer online writing sessions, especially since the pandemic will continue into the coming months.

Virtual Dissertation Circles: Student Engagement Strategies and Lessons Learned

“…Glazek, Adu, & McFeeters (2018) present research on the implementation of a formal dissertation support center and its evaluation, based on the premise that the center format will be able to address the unique needs of individual students. Writing sessions have also been employed as a strategy for supporting students engaged in the dissertation process (Maldonado, Dolfi, Bartlett, & Bartlett, 2021). When working to support online doctoral students engaged in the dissertation process, unique challenges apply.…”