If you read my most recent blog post about the things you don’t know, you’ll be up to date about something I didn’t know concerning my dissertation. It turns out that if you want to ask someone for their anonymous opinion about something, and then include it in your research, you need to jump through a large number of hoops. I didn’t know this. I must admit, though, that while reading through the well-formed and thorough documentation on their website, it appears that this requirement is mostly concerned with medical studies, potential psychological dangers, and privacy issues. Those are all very worthwhile concerns. Unfortunately, it also means that what I intend to do needs to go through the process (in part to prove I don’t raise any of those issues). What I am doing really isn’t anything more invasive than a typical class period.
At any rate, the measures are in place and I will follow them. Luckily, the website is one of the best I’ve ever seen, and they clearly lay out what needs to be done to complete the task at hand. I’ve written many times about how I’m big into freewriting, and I don’t typically concern myself outlines (because I write worse with them). In this instance, though, it is important to follow an outline.
Sometimes students just need to make sure the execute each part of the project. I’ve often had students turn in some work on time, and excellently written, only to discover that they’d ignored (or simply forgotten) a major required section in their essay or paper. Sometimes outlines help us ensure that we’ve fulfilled the basic requirements. In cases like this, where requirements are more dictated and less fluid, I advise the use of an outline. Since I’ve gotten my outline together for this project I’ll know exactly when I’m done (and how much I have left). That’s a comforting feeling.