Progress on the Doctorate – Fall 2010

So the Fall 2010 semester is coming to an end and it looks like I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve got to actually write something longer than a few pages 🙂

This semester I took what I hope is my last course required for the program (it was an E-Commerce course). In addition to that course , I’ve been working on some of the underlying research for my dissertation topic.

Now…i’ve actually gotta prepare something for publication and begin the actual dissertation proposal.

BTW – one of my cohorts is preparing to defend his dissertation proposal next week. Cory Heidelberg will be defending his proposal titled “Effects of Narrative on Interpersonal Connection and Communication in Health Social Networks”. Looks like a really interesting topic…jump over and read more about what he’s working on.

My New Blog – Road to the Doctorate Blog

If you didn’t know, I’m working on my Doctor of Science degree in Information Systems at Dakota State University. In the past, I’ve posted updates to this blog about my status but have always felt a bit like those updates (and my journey through the doctorate program) deserved more than just an occasional post on this blog.

So…I started a new blog focused solely on my doctorate work and titled it “The Road to the Doctorate“. You can find the blog at http://eric.biblioref.com and you can subscribe to the RSS feed here. I’ll probably continue to post a few ‘big’ announcements about my progress here but the majority of the journey will be capture on The Road to the Doctorate.

If you’re observant, you’ll notice the ‘BiblioRef‘ domain…that’s a small project I’ve been working on over the last few months. The initial rollout is a community platform (blogging & discussions) for academics, researchers and students. I’ve got some interesting ideas for that community and will be working on grow it in the future. Stay tuned for more on BiblioRef…you can also follow BiblioRef updates via RSS or on Twitter.

Doctorate Pursuit – Year 1

The first year of my doctorate program is done!

Actually…I finished my last course about a month ago but with the Fall 2008 semester starting next week, I figured I should claim the First Year is complete.

During the first year I took five courses:

INFS 614 – Introduction to Research
INFS 720 – Systems Analysis and Design
INFS 724 – Project & Change Management
INFS 834 – Knowledge Management
INFS 730 – Programming for Ecommerce

The Project & Change Management course had me worried (joke!)….i was a little upset that I would have to take the course but it turned out ok…I got 45 PDU’s for my PMP continuing education out of it.

The Fall 2008 Semester finds me taking some interesting courses. They are:

INFS 805 – Design Research Methods

Summary: The course develops skills needed for conducting research whose aim is to invent methods and techniques that make information systems more effective and efficient. Students will also acquire skills in developing research proposals that follow the design research paradigm and will learn how to publish such research.

INFS 830 – Decision Support Systems

Summary: The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to the concepts, techniques and applications of computer-based decision support systems. The course covers issues pertaining to the design, history, theory, practice, methods and techniques, new developments, and applications of computing technologies to support decision processes and decision-making by individuals, groups and organizations

It should be fun! Look for more info from me as the semester unfolds. Feel free to check out my Academic page for more info on my progress and/or the Doctor of Science program at Dakota State University.