Current students should regularly consult the Trent Blackboard system for updated policy and guiding documentation
The Learning Plan is an approximately 3000-word document that communicates to the doctoral committee what a student intends to do for their Qualifying Examination Dossier (and the Dossier demonstrates the student’s readiness to begin their doctoral research). The Learning Plan should 1. Provide a clear and focused outline of a student’s proposed doctoral research; 2. Describe the academic and non-academic outputs a student intends to produce for their Dossier; and 3. Include an extensive bibliography.
The Learning Plan is used by students and their doctoral committee as a guiding document for the qualifying process – that is, the process through which the Qualifying Examination Dossier is produced for examination by the doctoral committee. It is normal for the Plan to change as a student’s work progresses with no requirement to resubmit the plan for approval; changes should be discussed with supervisor(s).
What is the purpose of a Learning Plan?
The Learning Plan communicates how a student intends to develop their Qualifying Examination Dossier. It serves to synthesize the students’ thinking to-date and sketch out how they intend to deepen and focus this thinking throughout their qualifying (or candidacy) process in preparation for their dissertation research. The Learning Plan thus serves as an important communicative tool for the supervisory committee. It should outline the proposed purpose, structure and foci of the artifacts the student intends to produce and defend during the Qualifying Examination process. It should also include an extensive working bibliography, which the committee should help the student to develop.
You can access the Learning Plan approval form here. Please submit it to the IDSR program when it is complete.
NOTE: Remember that the Learning Plan (like a Candidacy Plan in other graduate programs) simply sets the direction of the qualifying (or candidacy) process. It does not have to be perfect, and plans can always – and often do – change.
Learning Plan Timeline
By the end of course-work, IDSR students should be ready to solidify their doctoral committees and begin drafting their Learning Plans. Within four months of completing course work, IDSR students should have their doctoral committees confirmed and their Learning Plans approved. Typically, this would be the start of Year 2 for full-time students and Year 3 for part-time students.
What is the format of the Learning Plan?
The Learning Plan is a communicative document. As such, it should clearly and succinctly spell out the student’s learning to-date and the learning they intend to do as part of their qualifying process and in the production of their Qualifying Examination Dossier. The required components of the Learning Plan are:
1.0 Working Title of IDSR PhD Research
2.0 Background: Contextualization of the research problem(s)
3.0 Tentative Dissertation Research1 Topic
4.0 Plan for Qualifying Examination Dossier Components & References (please consult the Handbook for additional examples and information)
4.1 Interdisciplinary Scholarship Component (e.g., a systematic or scoping review of the literature in one’s topic area; the results of a pilot study written up for peer review; a synthesis of the theoretical literature pertinent to one’s proposed research; a synthesis of the methodological literature)
4.2 Research into action component (e.g., a written description of the “lunch and learn” session the student offered to colleagues in their workplace about their research topic; a foundation grant application that drew on a synthesis of relevant evidence for a non-profit partner; the synthesis and application of existing knowledge to develop a new research instrument or tool; an evidence-based program model; an evidence-based article for a news outlet like The Conversation; the documentation of a research-creation process)
4.3 Dissertation proposal component (i.e., a thorough explanation of the proposed research context, objectives, questions, relevant literature, theory/theories, methodology/methodological influences, methods, participants [where applicable], analytic strategies, and significance)
5.0 Bibliography of relevant multi-disciplinary sources student will draw on in preparation of the Dossier.
Section 4 of the Learning Plan outlines your plan for the Qualifying Examination Dossier Components and References. In crafting the Learning Plan, keep in mind the purpose and goals of the Qualifying Examination Dossier. The Qualifying Examination Dossier is a separate document, developed from the Learning Plan.