Third Thesis Workshop Walks Students Through Thesis Proposal Systems

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Honors students gathered virtually for the third and final thesis workshop of the semester on November 29, learning how to navigate the online systems where they will submit their thesis proposals. 

Casey Krone, undergraduate research coordinator in the Honors College, led students through a step-by-step demonstration of the CHC PATHS online portal that allows students to complete multiple Honors-related functions, including submitting their thesis proposal. 

Students begin their thesis proposal submission process under the Independent Contracts section of the website by selecting “499Y: Part I of Honors Thesis.” They must fill out a form specifying whether they will complete a research manuscript or creative portfolio and how many credits/hours they will devote to their thesis, among other project details.

Krone pointed out the envelope icon in the top right corner of the PATHS interface, which allows students to submit questions, comments, or feedback directly to him. 

"If I can't answer your question, or it's more appropriate for someone like a CHC advisor, then I'll forward on or CC them in so that we can get your questions answered." — Casey Krone

Krone explained that there are questions in PATHS asking students to delve into the substance of their thesis. Questions include:

• What do you intend to discover or create during your Honors Thesis experience?
• How often will you meet with your Committee Chair?
• What are your Committee Chair’s expectations of such meetings?

Students must submit a timeline for their project, including plans for multiple graded assignments they will submit during their first semester of work. Krone noted that students can save their answers to these questions and return to the submission at any time.

When the time comes for students to submit a proposal for their second semester, they will select “499T/P: Part II of Honors Thesis” under “Independent Contracts.” Krone said the first section of the 499T/P proposal resembles the first semester proposal, “the main difference being in addition to your committee chair, you'll add one, or possibly two committee members.

As students continue with their second semester thesis proposal, they will answer questions on their literature review, research methods, and timeline, with more detail than in their first proposal, given the knowledge they gained from their first semester of work.

“Lots of students just copy and paste these questions into a document, so they don't have to have PATHS open all the time,” Krone said.

After Krone finished his overview of CHC PATHS, Joanna Boody led an overview of the Kuali online portal for thesis proposals. Boody, who is an an analyst with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UMass Amherst, introduced the portal after explaining the mission of the IRB.

“We're charged with protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects in research,” Boody said. “You'll find boards like this at any institution that engages in research with human subjects.”

Unlike the CHC PATHS thesis proposal forms, the Kuali interface is “basically one long form” of questions on the procedure students will follow for their study, their strategy for recruiting participants, and the risks and benefits of their research. 

Upon submission, the Human Research Protection Office (HRPO) will review the application and submit their comments for the student through Kuali; students may communicate with the HRPO until they receive an official letter of approval for their research. If the student conducts research deemed “very risky,” the IRB may vote on whether or not they approve the student’s research protocol as it stands.

Mary Dickman, who is the the Honors writing coach, talked next about their role working with Honors students on thesis proposals and the final thesis document.

"Some of the services that the writing coach offers that can be helpful during your thesis proposal writing is that I can help you working on drafts, giving you feedback and edits. Especially if you are still struggling with your citation styles, I can help you get those right, and get them formatted correctly. If you're working on your literature review and you're not quite sure what is a literature review, I can help you out with that." — Mary Dickman

Other writing coach services that Dickman mentioned include assistance understanding the research methods section of a thesis proposal, and helping students get started on their abstract. Besides the help for the Honors Thesis, Dickman mentioned that students can ask them for help with essays and papers for classes. Students can schedule an appointment to meet with the writing coach via Navigate, and Dickman also holds Drop-In Writing Sessions once a week during the semester.

The workshop ended with a question and answer session where Dominick Usher, director of advising, and Elena Carbone, associate dean for curriculum and academic oversight, both clarified aspects of the thesis process in the Honors College.