Why are you considering a PhD thesis, when you are not sure of the title, or the area?
I had 3 PhD options, and each one was based on an extension of my first degree, and an extension of the thought processes and investigation undertaken during that initial 3-year period.
Please help me understand why you see this area as important enough to give over to the work required for a PhD, yet you do not have a specific "target" for your investigations.
Why are you considering a PhD thesis, when you are not sure of the title, or the area?
I had 3 PhD options, and each one was based on an extension of my first degree, and an extension of the thought processes and investigation undertaken during that initial 3-year period.
Please help me understand why you see this area as important enough to give over to the work required for a PhD, yet you do not have a specific "target" for your investigations.
I just do not "get it".
I've just started my interest in e-learning. Previously I dealt with EHR (MA in Public Health).
I am fascinated of EL and see the power and future of its using - especially in a high education (particulary in Poland). Generally, I would like to be an e-teacher.
I wish to make a course online for my students but I have some problem to do it (independetes from me). I this case I'd like to examine students attitude to e-learning before and afer course and compare it.
I have to do research, but I have problem what to exime - hence my request.
What do u think about "Student's attitudes towards traditionnal and e-learning education"? It isn't so trivial?
Your best bet is to have a very specific angle or point of view (something specific to the application of e-learning In public health, for example, since that's your background?) that you explore, and I'm sure your advisors would say the same.
Talking to advisors and becoming familiar with the existing research in your specific area of interest should help you start to narrow down the possibilities. It should also be a topic you're genuinely curious about too, since you're about to live and breathe it for awhile.
So that's my advice: Get specific, get familiar with the existing research in that area, and get curious.
Damian, are you still interested in public health? There are certainly ways to integrate that interest into e-learning.
I would be a lot more specific than "Student's attitudes towards traditional e-learning". That's something you can gather pretty quickly using a qualitative poll. As a Ph.D. candidate, you'll have access to a lot more resources. I would look into doing something more complex that will ultimately help more.
Some interesting ones would be accessibility in e-learning (what will make e-learning accessible to those with visual/auditory problems), applications of e-learning in public health, effective methods for mobile learning/usability (this is a big one right now), so forth.
I like Rachel's thoughts... to piggyback on them -
How about, "The Efficacy of eLearning on Improving Public Health?" - You could have a health initiative that you educate people about (HIV prevention or Diabetes, etc) and then create eLearning surrounding it. Make it available to your study group. Have a control group with the same messaging done via traditional methods (brochures/websites). Pre and post test the two audiences for level 1 and level 2 results... perhaps even do some longitudinal surveys regarding their use of the information they learned after say 30,60, 90 days of accessing the information? If you contain your study to a particular clinic for example, you could perhaps even evaluate if the incidence rate of treatment and financial impact changes based on how the content was delivered.
Or, to broaden Edie's comments, you could compare and contrast the methods of public health education in Poland versus the methods of public health education in another European country and then complete your study showing the efficacy of elearning to those methods, as I would assume that elearning is used to some extent in public health education in at least some European countries.
Due to your background reading in preparation for your dissertation, you will become THE expert in public health education in Europe. Your dissertation will then be able to show that properly designed and developed elearning will positively impact public health. Good luck!
6 Replies
@Damian...
Why are you considering a PhD thesis, when you are not sure of the title, or the area?
I had 3 PhD options, and each one was based on an extension of my first degree, and an extension of the thought processes and investigation undertaken during that initial 3-year period.
Please help me understand why you see this area as important enough to give over to the work required for a PhD, yet you do not have a specific "target" for your investigations.
I just do not "get it".
I've just started my interest in e-learning. Previously I dealt with EHR (MA in Public Health).
I am fascinated of EL and see the power and future of its using - especially in a high education (particulary in Poland). Generally, I would like to be an e-teacher.
I wish to make a course online for my students but I have some problem to do it (independetes from me). I this case I'd like to examine students attitude to e-learning before and afer course and compare it.
I have to do research, but I have problem what to exime - hence my request.
What do u think about "Student's attitudes towards traditionnal and e-learning education"? It isn't so trivial?
Hi Damian!
Your best bet is to have a very specific angle or point of view (something specific to the application of e-learning In public health, for example, since that's your background?) that you explore, and I'm sure your advisors would say the same.
Talking to advisors and becoming familiar with the existing research in your specific area of interest should help you start to narrow down the possibilities. It should also be a topic you're genuinely curious about too, since you're about to live and breathe it for awhile.
So that's my advice: Get specific, get familiar with the existing research in that area, and get curious.
Best of luck to you!
Damian, are you still interested in public health? There are certainly ways to integrate that interest into e-learning.
I would be a lot more specific than "Student's attitudes towards traditional e-learning". That's something you can gather pretty quickly using a qualitative poll. As a Ph.D. candidate, you'll have access to a lot more resources. I would look into doing something more complex that will ultimately help more.
Some interesting ones would be accessibility in e-learning (what will make e-learning accessible to those with visual/auditory problems), applications of e-learning in public health, effective methods for mobile learning/usability (this is a big one right now), so forth.
I like Rachel's thoughts... to piggyback on them -
How about, "The Efficacy of eLearning on Improving Public Health?" - You could have a health initiative that you educate people about (HIV prevention or Diabetes, etc) and then create eLearning surrounding it. Make it available to your study group. Have a control group with the same messaging done via traditional methods (brochures/websites). Pre and post test the two audiences for level 1 and level 2 results... perhaps even do some longitudinal surveys regarding their use of the information they learned after say 30,60, 90 days of accessing the information? If you contain your study to a particular clinic for example, you could perhaps even evaluate if the incidence rate of treatment and financial impact changes based on how the content was delivered.
Or, to broaden Edie's comments, you could compare and contrast the methods of public health education in Poland versus the methods of public health education in another European country and then complete your study showing the efficacy of elearning to those methods, as I would assume that elearning is used to some extent in public health education in at least some European countries.
Due to your background reading in preparation for your dissertation, you will become THE expert in public health education in Europe. Your dissertation will then be able to show that properly designed and developed elearning will positively impact public health. Good luck!
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.