The Beyond Distance Research Alliance, at the University of Leicester, maintains a blog with contributions from many in the department. As a new research student, I was asked to contribute on a rotational basis. My first post, “A newcomer, from across the pond,” is now posted. In addition to reading it, you may wish to subscribe to the blog feed to catch the posts of others. You can expect my next there on March 9.

During the past week, I have contemplated the pillars, or foundation, for my literature review, as I indicated in my last post. While I was working with three, a fourth has become apparent. Once these are a little more set, I will share the direction. Today, I expect to map journals and a few books to the different areas and set up a regular reading process.

If you are expecting to see my post on the BDRA blog today, I misread a little. It is actually February 16 when my first will appear. Instead, Brenda Padilla has writen on, “Technolove, kind of,” fitting for Valentine’s Day.

My book list is growing, and I will try to borrow from libraries or access full text books online wherever possible. So far, the ones that interest me aren’t readily available and will have to be purchased. The first I ordered arrived a few days ago. How to Get a PhD: A handbook for students and supervisors, by Estelle M. Phillips and Derek S. Pugh, is a wonderful overview of the British system, in particular, and the process toward achieving a doctorate. Make sure you order the 5th edition, as the first one I saw was actually the 4th.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

My first meeting with supervisors, since commencing the PhD programme, was obviously a highlight. While I had been asked to prepare a draft research plan, I looked forward to discussion about how we would proceed. Drs Armellini and Edirisingha and I met by Skype for an hour. The plan gave them a starting point to see what I had considered, and they developed questions to discuss with me at that and later meetings. We’ve agreed to meet bi-weekly.

The next step is to determine the ‘pillars’ or ‘foundation’ for my literature review. I am using a mindmap to organise my ideas and allow for easy presentation. Since CmapTools was introduced in a recent course in which I participated, I quickly adopted it. While I have little experience with such concept maps, it is already appearing very useful. My initial presentation will be ready by the end of this week for my supervisors to review in advance of our next meeting.

I was also introduced to the researcher training modules that I am provided with to guide my development. As of this morning, I have read through the first module. There were many additional papers suggested for reading, to which I will return. Since I have been asked what these modules entail, here is the module and unit breakdown. The actual contents are accessible to students of the University of Leicester.

Another request made of me by one of the staff within the Beyond Distance Research Alliance (BDRA), to which I am attached, is to contribute to their blog. My first post will be February 14, 2011, but there are many others from the members of the BDRA, including research students, that you may enjoy following.

I look forward to sharing about my research area in the future, as I will welcome input and discussion.

It was last week that I became fully paid and registered as an advanced postgraduate at the University of Leicester, the week ending with a welcoming email from my two supervisors. They are Dr Alejandro Armellini and Dr Palitha Edirisingha in the Beyond Distance Research Alliance (BDRA). I have been in contact with Dr Armellini for more than a year now, and I met both when I visited Leicester this past October. For anyone not familiar with past postings, I am pursuing a PhD in E-learning and Learning Technologies with a focus on self-directed work-based learning.

With the traditional UK model, there are no formal courses. As I understand, I will work on my research while learning and developing skills. I am looking forward to becoming more familar with the programme expectations and the process, and this should start with my first supervisory meeting on February 1. For this meeting, I was asked to prepare a draft research plan for January 28. This follows the research proposal that I submitted as part of my application. Based on a little research, including input from other researchers, my plan was developed to account for my next four years. It was submitted last night, so my supervisors would have it first thing on January 28, their time, when they arrived. After the meeting, I’m sure there will be immediate changes. Also, the plan will be revised as I progress and mature in my new endeavour. Time management will be an important consideration, always keeping the intended completion date of December 2014 in sight.

The only other activity I am sure of is participation in their Research Day on February 24. I will make myself available for all or part of the day, as they deem fit. Keeping in mind they are 7 hours ahead of us, it could be a very early morning. It also creates my first conflict, as I have a breakfast meeting as a member of Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada, which has an interesting speaker. I will miss the breakfast, but I look forward to the research knowledge.

As this blog also serves as a record for me, I want to thank a couple of people. Brenda Padilla is a full-time student in the programme (I am part-time), and it was a pleasure to connect on Twitter and Skype. Mark Powell is a Chief Clerk in the Postgraduate Admissions Office, and his prompt resposive answers and guidance were appreciated. He assisted in painting a favourable picture of the Univeristy of Leicester.

I welcome you to follow me on my journey. The programme is distance, so there is no change to my business and desire to serve clients with their life and disability insurance needs. Thanks for reading.

Fees are paid and registration is complete! I’ve been welcomed by my two supervisors, Dr Alejandro Armellini and Dr Palitha Edirisingha. We have my first supervisory meeting set for February 1, and I will attend at least some of the ‘research day’ presentations later in the month. It is great to have met one of the other students in the program on Twitter, and we have have had a chance to chat. During my visit in October, I met my supervisors, researchers, one student, and the now departed (for Australia) department head, Gilly Salmon.

I can’t help but think that some entering a distance doctoral program may be apprehensive about doing it that way. Certainly, at the undergraduate and graduate levels the concerns are common. However, I consider this to be a way of life. My bachelor degree was very much self-study with the benefit of a telephone tutor, and my master’s was learning about distance education while taking it at a distance. Online conferencing had evolved for that program. Even looking back to when I obtained my first pilot licence in 1977 (I’m no longer licensed), the ground school was through filmstrips, audio cassettes, and texts. Yes, I did have an instructor for the flight training, and he was a very helpful tutor for the theory.

Skype and/or telephone will make communication easy, in addition to email and anything else we may use. For now, the work begins with me developing a draft research plan. I’ve ‘Googled’ for format ideas as well as asking for input on Twitter in our #phdchat group. In addition to other quick responses, it was pleasant to receive a response from someone else local, not a member of the group, whose skills and knowledge I respect.

One thing on my mind is how much to blog about the journey and how much to keep to my personal notes. My comfort level will develop, and you will see the results. In the meantime, as I get started, I will heed the advice to have lots of coffee and chocolate on hand!

Many who know me are aware that I have been considering doctoral studies over the past year or so. While I will have much more to write in January, here’s a little update. If you followed recent posts about my trip to the UK and Italy, it is no secret that my interest is in the University of Leicester. Their PhD in E-learning and Learning Technologies is offered through the Beyond Distance Research Alliance within the Centre for Labour Market Studies. Quite fitting, I believe, my research interest is in the use of technologies for informal and self-directed work-based learning.

At this point, I am gathering my references and transcripts intending to submit the application package next week for part-time and distance studies. Stayed tuned…more to come.