By Dr. Jarrod Sadulski
Faculty Member, Criminal Justice, American Public University
Serving as a dissertation chair for a student who is pursuing a doctorate at an online university is a rewarding and challenging opportunity. I have served as a dissertation chair and have also worked closely with a dissertation chair when I was a student.
Some universities appoint dissertation chairs for their students while others permit their students to select their dissertation chair. In either case, setting the proper tone in the first phase of the dissertation process is essential. From the start, it is important for the dissertation chair to appear approachable and to display a genuine interest in helping students reach their goal of successfully writing and then orally defending their dissertation and earning their Ph.D.
Start by Setting Up a Phone Call with the Student in the Beginning Phase
I have found it helpful to start by setting up a phone call with the student at the beginning of our relationship. I explain that since we are working as a partnership with the shared goal of seeing the student through the various dissertation phases, I invite the student to call me by my first name instead of using an official title. Both as a chair and student, I have found that this helps to build rapport and collaboration.
Next, I set up a plan with the student in terms of general milestones to ensure that he or she remains on track. I also set up a schedule for regular phone calls throughout the different phases of the dissertation process.
This schedule is important because the calls take the place of the in-person meetings that occur at brick-and-mortar university programs. So instead of the student spending hours on his or her own researching a university-specific policy or concept associated with the format of the dissertation, the calls save time and avoid frustration and possible errors.
Frequent Communication Provides Clear Guidance on Progress
Since one of the roles of the chair is to serve as a coach to the student, I believe it is important to have frequent communication to provide clear guidance on progress and to detect any major obstacles or frustrations that the student is experiencing. It is a sad fact, but 50% of students who start a Ph.D. program don’t successfully defend their dissertation.
It is equally essential that the chair has a firm understanding of the research design the student wishes to pursue and is fully familiar with the doctoral policies guiding the dissertation. A successful chair either has solutions to problems that occur during the dissertation or can assist the student in finding them.
As a Ph.D. candidate, I ran into problems not fully understanding all the intricacies of the Institutional Review Board and with my data sample. My chair was essential in helping me overcome these obstacles.
Additional responsibilities of an effective dissertation chair include:
- Ensuring the students are aware of the expectations of the dissertation.
- Becoming aware of student weaknesses in writing, researching or their personal lives. When these are observed, university-based resources should be provided to the student.
- Enabling the student to develop a dissertation concept paper that is manageable within the dissertation standards.
- Working with the student to develop a long-term plan for the physical research and data analysis.
- Helping students avoid unreasonable goals or expectations, especially as they relate to the time it will take to successfully complete the dissertation.
- Acting as an advocate for the student with the Institutional Review Board and other committee members.
- Monitoring data collection and the student’s research to ensure that no ethical issues arise.
- Ensuring that students understand how to complete associated dissertation forms.
- Assisting the student in obtaining funds if needed for the research, such as for travel, as applicable.
- Providing detailed and actionable feedback on the student’s work throughout the dissertation phases.
- Preparing the student for the oral defense and reducing associated anxiety by explaining exactly what are the expectations for the oral defense.
- Once the dissertation is approved, helping the student to get it published.
Serving as a dissertation chair is one of the most influential roles in assisting a student’s academic journey. So it is essential that chairs understand the time and commitment it will take to mentor their students to a successful complete of their dissertation and degree.
About the Author
Dr. Jarrod Sadulski is an associate professor at American Public University and has over two decades in the field of homeland security. His expertise includes human trafficking, maritime security, homeland security contraband interdiction, and intelligence gathering. Jarrod recently conducted in-country research in Central and South America on human trafficking and current trends in narcotics trafficking. He has served as a consultant and speaker to the key stakeholders in law enforcement, defense forces, and criminal justice in Belize on the topics of human trafficking and drug trafficking.
In late 2020, Jarrod served as a consultant for the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime on human trafficking and organized crime in Central America. His contributions will be reflected on the worldwide Organized Crime Index that will be published in 2021. His research on drug trafficking was published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report in 2019.
Most recently, Jarrod presented at the 2020 International Human Trafficking Conference where he presented his research on human trafficking in South America. He has engaged in speaking engagements in the United States, Central America, and Europe on the topics of human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, police responses to domestic terrorism, and various topics in policing. Jarrod can be reached through his website at www.Sadulski.com for consulting and speaking engagements.
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