Thesis Seminar Recap for Week 8

1. What should Thesis Seminar students be focused on as they move into week 9 (following March 24th, 2025)?

By this stage, students should be actively engaged in data collection across various methods, including gathering documents and content, conducting interviews, facilitating focus groups and stimulated recall sessions, and performing classroom observations with detailed field notes and recordings. A primary focus should be ensuring that the collected data directly addresses their research questions and identifying any gaps in the data that might require further collection through additional documents, interviews, or observations.

2. What resources are being provided to students to support their thesis work?

Students will receive links to two primary AI-powered resources: Notebook LM and a podcast. Notebook LM is designed to provide AI-generated feedback based on the student's literature review, tutoring session summaries, and recordings. The podcast features an AI-generated discussion about the student's study, offering an external perspective on their work. Additionally, students will receive documents outlining briefing information, a timeline, and proposed options for presenting their findings later in the thesis process.

3. How should students utilize the Notebook LM resource?

The left-hand column of Notebook LM contains the inputs, primarily the student's literature review, tutoring session summaries, and recordings. Students should focus on the right-hand column, which provides the AI-generated outputs, including the podcast link and potentially other feedback. While the middle column might contain a general review, it is not the primary area of focus. Students should critically engage with the AI-generated podcast to see how others are discussing their study, identify potential inaccuracies, and consider different perspectives on their work.

4. What is the purpose of the AI-generated podcast provided to students?

The podcast offers an AI-generated conversation about the student's thesis research. The goal is to provide students with an opportunity to hear their study discussed from an external perspective, which can help them reflect on their progress, identify potential strengths and weaknesses, and consider different interpretations of their work. Students are encouraged to listen critically, noting areas of agreement and disagreement with the AI-generated commentary.

5. Why are students being provided with information about presentation options at this stage of the thesis process?

While students are not yet ready to write their findings due to ongoing data collection and the need for in-depth analysis, thinking about potential presentation formats at this stage can be beneficial. It allows students to consider different ways to communicate their research later on and can subtly influence how they collect and analyze their data to best suit their chosen presentation style.

6. What should students keep in mind when conducting classroom observations and taking field notes?

During classroom observations, students should aim to record as much observable behavior as possible, focusing on what participants are saying and doing. The goal is to capture a comprehensive record of the classroom activities. Later, students will review their field notes alongside their recordings to analyze the information, understand its relevance to their research questions, and determine what further data collection might be necessary.

7. How important is the literature review at this stage of the thesis process?

The literature review remains highly important. Students should regularly revisit their literature review, paying attention to key terms and concepts. When observing classes, they should actively look for instances where these key terms and concepts are evident, as well as noting instances where they are not. All observations should be linked back to the theoretical framework established in the literature review, ensuring that the data collected is relevant to the existing body of knowledge. Students who have pending comments on their literature review should address them and notify their instructor when it is ready for another review.

8. What should students do if they encounter challenges or have questions during their data collection process?

Students are strongly encouraged to reach out to their instructor immediately if they encounter any roadblocks, uncertainties about the next steps, or unexpected events that might affect their research. They should not wait until their next scheduled tutoring session to address these issues. Prompt communication ensures timely support and guidance to keep their thesis work on track.