Individual Success Plan (ISP)

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College of Doctoral Studies

Individual Success Plan

Planning is the key to successful completion of the dissertation. In Individual Success Plan (ISP) assignments, you will collaborate with your chair to establish a plan for completing a reasonable amount of the dissertation during this course. It is important to show all of the intended deliverables, as negotiated with your chair, in your Individual Success Plan. You will submit these deliverables to your chair in the appropriate modules for the purpose of grading.

The time it will take to complete your final dissertation will depend upon the schedule you establish for completing each of the milestones. As such, it is important to review the milestones to ensure you are meeting each one along the Dissertation Journey.

Contact Information
	Learner Information
	Name:
	E-mail:	GCU:
		Personal:
	Phone Number:
Dissertation Committee	Chair Information
	Name:
	E-mail:	GCU:
		Personal:
	Phone Number:
	Methodologist Information
	Name:
	Content Expert Information
	Name:
	E-mail:	GCU:
		Personal:
Learner Signature By typing in his/her signature below, the learner agrees to have read, understood, and be accountable for the learner expectations shown below and for leading the dissertation process with the learner's Dissertation Committee providing guidance and support in this effort.
Typed Name:
Date:

Learner Expectations

As a doctoral learner at Grand Canyon University (GCU), and specifically during the dissertation phase of the journey, certain expectations must be met and dispositions displayed to make this journey successful.

During the dissertation phase GCU expects learners to:

· Provide the Chair with current contact information.

· Communicate regularly and effectively with the Chair.

· Establish a plan for regular communication with the Chair.

· Establish expectations with the Chair for the iterative process of writing. How will each of you mark your changes in the document?

· Establish and regularly update a time management and project plan, communicating to the Chair what, how, and where the learner will need assistance from the Chair.

· Use and embrace the feedback given by the Chair and committee.

· Access the DC Network at least once a week to be aware of changes and innovations in the doctoral program and to collaborate with learners and faculty who have similar dissertation interests.

· Check GCU email since this is the official source of email from the University.

· Use the tools provided by the Chair and available in the DC Network to ensure the dissertation meets all stated requirements.

· Take initiative in gathering and finding information located on the systems provided.

· Be responsible for and committed to a thorough review of the submitted manuscript in all versions, ensuring the committee and College will always read the learner's best work.

note: It is important that you spend significant time (2-4 hours) each day working on your dissertation in order to graduate by the time you have targeted in your Comprehensive Dissertation Project Plan (described below).

Instructions for Completing the ISP

The Dissertation Milestone Guide is a resource available on the DC Network (http://dc.gcu.edu). Use the Dissertation Milestone Guide to develop a Comprehensive Dissertation Project Plan . Consult the Milestone Guide when developing the Individual Success Plan (ISP), which is the project plan for an individual course .

The initial ISP is due in Week 1 of the course. Use the Week 1 ISP Table below.

Consult with your chair to develop a realistic ISP and to ensure that you understand all the deliverables and the assumptions you are making. Plan to discuss the following items with your chair as you develop the ISP:

· The expected quality standards

· Your roles and the roles of the committee members

· Additional resources you may need

· The level of your skills in writing, data analysis, etc.

· The reasonableness of the ISP based on your other commitments and available resources

· The requirements stated in the rubric to realize the various levels of performance.

When completing the initial ISP (due Week 1), reflect on what you accomplished in your previous class, and then identify what you need to complete your current class. There are several required items that must be accounted for in the initial ISP:

1) At least two conference calls with your chair or committee (As scheduled). You should speak with your chair at least twice during each dissertation class to review your progress and to discuss feedback on deliverables and resources you may find useful. Any change in date or deliverable specified on your ISP must be negotiated with your chair at least one week before the due date of the committed assignment. Not scheduling Zoom meetings with the chair can result in deduction in participation points.

2) Dissertation related deliverable(s) (Weeks 4 and 7). See list of acceptable deliverables below. As you complete your ISP, build in the number of revisions you may need for each deliverable based on reviews needed by your chair, committee, and Academic Quality Review (AQR) reviewers. Assume all deliverables will require a minimum of one revision. The number of revisions depends upon the quality of the initial document you produce.

3) Final dissertation prospectus (Week 6). This is a pass/fail assignment worth 500 points.

4) ISP status update and reflection for the course (Week 8). Use the Week 8 ISP Summary/Reflection Table below.

5) One posting for the weekly discussion question in the learning management system (Weeks 1-8)

6) Interaction in your Learner Dissertation Page (LDP) in the DC Network (Weeks 1-8). You must post a weekly message in the LDP that includes the following:

· What did I accomplish last week?

· What am I working on this week? (goal for the week)

· What am I struggling with this week?

7) Other ungraded deliverables or significant action items you need to complete (As scheduled)

The following are acceptable deliverables for your Week 4 and 7 assignments:

College of Doctoral Studies

· Approved Prospectus

· Chapter 1 Draft/Approval

· Chapter 2 Draft/Approval

· Chapter 3 Draft/Approval

· Full Proposal Draft/ Revisions/Approval

· Proposal AQR Submission/Revisions/Approval

· Proposal Defense

· IRB Submission

· IRB Approval

· Data Collection

· Data Analysis

· Chapter 4 Draft/Approval

· Chapter 5 Draft/Approval

· Full Dissertation Manuscript Draft/Revisions/Approval

· Final AQR Submission/Revisions/Approval

· Final Defense

· Form and Format Revisions/Approval

· Dean’s Signature

· Uploading of Manuscript to ProQuest

Note: In order to complete your dissertation by the end of the third dissertation class, you will need to meet the milestones as specified in the Dissertation Milestone Guide for each of the dissertation classes (DIS/DBA/PSY 955, 960, 965).

Your grade in each dissertation class is based on:

1. Week 1 ISP

1. Weekly posts to the discussion forum in the learning management system.

1. Weekly updates in the LDP (What am I working on this week? What am I struggling with this week? What did I accomplish last week?)

1. Weeks 4 and 7 dissertation deliverables

1. Week 8 ISP Summary/Reflection. Indicate in the Milestone/Deliverable column for each week how you met, partially met, or did not meet the indicated milestone or deliverable proposed in your Week 1 ISP. Reflect on what you did or did not accomplish and why, and also any approved adjustments to your initial Week 1 ISP plan.

You will be graded on the submission of each deliverable in addition to the quality of the deliverables. For dissertation deliverables, the grade is based on fully meeting each criterion in the template for the deliverable, quality of writing, and adherence to APA format. A grading rubric is available in the learning management system.

Week 1: ISP

Instructions:

1. Discuss with your chair to determine how you and your chair are going to communicate during this course. You and your chair must communicate within the online classroom. Discuss any additional communication strategies with your chair and write them in the first table below.

2. Use the Week 1 ISP table below to identify and track the deliverables to be completed for this class. These should be guided by the Instructions noted above.

3. Complete the following:

a. Communication strategy with my chair for this course:

b. ISP Table

DIS-955	Expected Milestone/Deliverable to be Completed:	Date Due:
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:

Week 8 ISP Summary/Reflection Table

Instructions: Provide a reflection for each week of how you met, partially met, or did not meet the indicated milestone or deliverable proposed at the beginning of the course in your Week 1 ISP.

Complete the following:

1. Reflect on your communication activities with your chair during this course (what worked/did not work/how might future communication change based on this course, etc.):

2. ISP Table:

DIS-955
Milestone/Deliverable (Copy from your Week 1 ISP)	Status (place X in appropriate box below)	Reflection (Provide reflection on the status of milestone /deliverable)
	Complete	Partially Complete	Not Complete
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8: