Using an Online Virtual Metaverse to Help Graduate Students Select a Thesis Topic

Session Description

Many master’s degree programs require graduate students to complete a thesis paper in order to graduate. One of the biggest factors students face is finding a research topic that is focused, interesting, innovative, and relevant within their chosen field of study. Many graduate students view the research topic selection process as quite stressful and time-consuming, taking a year or longer. Ideally, students should start identifying a potential research topic during their first semester in graduate school. Writing a thesis is designed to measure the graduate students’ ability to integrate skills, knowledge, and research abilities to show their academic competencies as a final assessment for degree completion. The first step to research is developing a topic that is not too broad or narrow in scope. Finding a thesis topic is not an easy task. In this session, I will explain how I designed a four-part module course entitled Developing a Thesis Topic using Articulate Storyline in a fun 2D metaverse space called Gather Town for graduate students to successfully identify a thesis topic, a problem statement, a purpose of study, and conduct a mini literature review on the topic selected. I will also discuss the lessons I learned while transforming a traditional topic into a non-tradition virtual learning experience platform (LXP) using avatars and treasure islands for a non-traditional engaging classroom approach.

Presenter(s)

Tanya Spencer
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Tanya Spencer is a thesis writing mentor coach. In the last three years, she has helped over 70 students from 26 states and three countries complete their thesis papers to meet graduate program requirements. She was born and raised in Southern California and has a B.A. in Family & Consumer Sciences (Interior Design) with a minor in Marketing and an M.P.A. in Public Policy & Administration with honors from California State University, Long Beach. Living in Hawaii for five years, Tanya is currently working on her M.Ed. in Learning Design and Technology and a Certificate in Online Learning and Teaching (COLT) program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is on a two-year timeframe to graduate in May 2022. After completing the master’s program, Tanya welcomes opportunities in the Learning and Development space to help individuals and organizations strategically meet their goals. Her hope in this conference session is to learn together, grow together, and have fun on Gather Town to help master’s degree graduate students identify their thesis paper topics to write their papers. She looks forward to meeting you all. Connect through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-spencer-592735234/

tcc2022

Posted in Uncategorized.