The National Graduate School

of Quality ManagementNGS/U

Orientation for Incoming Students

All materials presented within the “Orientation for Incoming Students” is also contained within the Student Handbook. The following set of slides highlight some key points that every new student should

know. Refer to the Student Handbook for additional clarification and official policy statements.

Overview

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Topics to be Addressed

NGS/U Accreditation

Academic Tenets & Assessment

Student Responsibilities

General NGS/U Policies and Procedures

Financial Aid

Additional Resources and Information

The Doctor of Business Administration Program

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By the By the New England Association of New England Association of

Schools and Colleges Schools and Colleges (NEAS&C)(NEAS&C) through its through its

Commission on Institutions of Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE)Higher Education (CIHE)

209 Burlington Road209 Burlington RoadBedford, MA 01730-1433Bedford, MA 01730-1433

781-271-0022781-271-0022

Regionally AccreditedNationally Recognized

Academic Tenets & Assessment

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Tenets of the NGS/U Learning Community

The institution achieves its academic goals through the commitment and performance of its faculty and students

NGS/U promotes a learning environment that encourages– a cooperative spirit and teamwork

– respect for diversity and inclusiveness of people and their ideas

– intellectual curiosity and inquiry

– tangible and quantifiable outcomes for the customer

– concern for the customer’s goals, needs, and expectations

– continual learning and measurable improvements

– a balance between theory and practice

– sharing real-life experiences while adhering to the highest standards of confidentiality and ethical behavior

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Assessment Instruments

Assessment of educational outcomes is conducted at the course level, the semester level, and by the overall effectiveness of the DBA Curriculum

– Faculty assess individual and team outcomes against educational objectives in each course

– The Dissertation Project Supervisor and the faculty conduct Juried Reviews and assess student application of theory learned, semester-by-semester, for each doctoral dissertation project

– Overall program effectiveness is evaluated by analysis of the student Dissertation Project, wherein results are validated by sponsors

– The NGS/U administration assesses the results of the Program by monitoring cost savings achieved at sponsoring organizations; student promotions or advancements directly attributed to the attainment of the degree; and via surveys

Student Responsibilities

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Student Responsibilities

Honor all NGS/U academic tenets

Read the NGS/U Student Handbook

Download all course materials from Blackboard

Purchase required books and supplemental instructional aids as described in each course syllabus

Complete all assignments in a timely and professional manner

Report anticipated absences to NGS/U faculty

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Student Responsibilities

Confer with faculty on manner in which to make-up any missed course work or class-time as a result of deployment

Seek academic counseling from faculty at the first sign of a problem that will affect individual performance

Follow-up with faculty to remediate incomplete grades within the required time frame

Meet all program requirements

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Advance Absence Notification

Due to temporary duty, deployment, long-term illness, disability or extraordinary hardship

you must take the following Proactive steps:

Send written notification to faculty and studentservices123@ngs.edu

– making appropriate coordination for course completion Coordinate make-up work and a timeline for submission Submit assignments within the timeframe established by

the Professor or course syllabus Request an academic plan to meet course requirements and

the specific terms outlined in the academic plan– for more than one course, contact studentservices123@ngs.edu

While absent, maintain communication with your Professor, Dissertation Project Supervisor and team members

– continue to contribute to team presentations by providing input

– keep documentation and logs of all progress input Upon return, provide proper notification and reconnect

with your team

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Classroom Etiquette

Follow all rules of military installations and civilian facilities Be punctual Do not use tape recorders without permission from faculty

and consensus from class members Adjust communications equipment to “vibrate” mode Avoid disruptive class behaviors Do not perform other work while class is in session Return classroom to previous condition

General Policies & Procedures

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Admissions RequirementsStated in the Student Handbook (Section 5)NGS/U must receive by the end of Course One: Official Master’s Degree transcript

– Contact your college

– Have your transcript sent directly to NGS/U

– If your undergraduate degree is from outside of USA, you must submit a transcript request to The Center for Educational Documentation

Log into your Application account for the address & downloadable form Two letters of recommendation

– Reference letter forms are available

Log into your Application account for the downloadable Form

Have both sent to:Keeper of Records

The National Graduate School

186 Jones Road

Falmouth, MA 02540

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Student Council Representative

Chosen before or during course one

Primary liaison between the class and NGS/U

Assists in program administration and logistics

Acts as classroom facility manager (including equipment)

Assists with special events (such as graduation planning)

Every Cohort Group will select a class representative:

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Class Cancellation Policy

NGS/U will notify students in a timely fashion if class is cancelled or rescheduled for any reason

Notices are sent via email, phone and any other appropriate means to reach the student – by Faculty or other NGS/U employees only

Students may call the Inclement Weather and Special Notification Hotline @ 800-838-2580

NGS/U makes every attempt to maintain established schedules and reserves the right to make changes to the schedule when necessary

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Course Assessments

Completed at the end of each course Completed anonymously via on-line survey Helps NGS/U identify opportunities for improvement in

– courses

– faculty

– class logistics and facilities

Helps instructors improve learning outcomes NGS/U is committed to continuous improvement!

We appreciate your feedback!

Financial Assistance

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Student Accounts

Bursar’s Office 1-800-838-2580, Extension #509

– Tuition Assistance (TA) Form submission

– Corporate Voucher submission

– Handles all payments and account questions

– Access your Student Account information online

http://216 206 161 17 to check tuition account balance

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Student Responsibilities

Know your benefits & local Education Services Officer (ESO) policies

TA Forms– See ESO for approval procedure and send approved

form to NGS Bursar

VA – obtain your Certificate of Eligibility– NGS/U will provide instructions regarding authorized site

codes and NGS/U certifying official

– Visit www.gibill.va.gov

Corporate vouchers – Submit to Bursar

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NGS/U can help you with Financial Aid!

We Will: Tell you what’s available and how to combine

resources

Provide detailed guidelines to determine your cost of attendance ( www.ngs.edu/financialaid )

Offer support for “intelligent borrowing”

Explain the process for securing loans

Talk to a Financial Aid Counselor

financialaid@ngs.edu or 1-800-838-2580, Ext #509

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Stafford Loans and Bank of America

Private Loans

Visit: www.ngs.edu/admissions/financialaid

Or call: 1-800-838-2580, Ext. 509

for more information

Can be used for tuition, fees, books, computers,

and other school expenses!

Remember, loans must be repaid!

Additional Resources and Information

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Outlines all policies Can be accessed on-lineLog into the NGS/U site at www.ngs.edu

Go to Students/Current Students/Catalog and Current Student Handbook

http://www.ngs.edu/html/current_students.htm

The Student Handbook is also accessible from a link on the Orientation Course Module

It is the only source for NGS/U regulations concerning Students Services issues

The NGS/U Student Handbook

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Student ID Cards

– Student ID’s may get you discounts on books,

computers, etc.

– Visit www.studentdiscount.com

– Digital photo will be taken by NGS/U staff person at an orientation event held prior to the first class

– If you miss this event, then email an uploaded picture (head shot of yourself) to: photo@ngs.edu

– Your NGS/U student ID will be mailed to you or delivered to your class!

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program

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The DBA Degree

Emphasis on “applied research” versus “pure research”

What is the difference?– Applied Research: Designed to solve specific “practical

problems”

– Pure Research: Designed to acquire broad “basic” knowledge

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The DBA Degree~ continued ~

Prepares graduates to:– Lead & Manage organizational efforts related to

the various disciplines {Quality Systems Management; Homeland Security Policy & Quality Management; Environmental Quality Policy & Quality Management}

– Advance the body of knowledge and best practices

– Demonstrate measurable improvements in their sponsor organizations

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Graduation Requirements Complete 20, 3-credit doctoral courses

Maintain a 3.0 grade-point-average

Complete a senior-level Dissertation Project with enterprise-wide results

Demonstrate understanding through supervised teaching at the graduate level

Publish an article or text related to the dissertation project in a recognized and refereed medium

Orally present the results of your work during a Doctoral Dissertation Defense

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Curricula Overview Divided into four Semesters {“academic gates”} of

approximately six months each Formal summative assessment required at end of

each “gate” to assure achievement of designated learning

DBA Specialization Selection accomplished during First Semester because:– Dissertation Project has been designated & proposed

– Champions and Guiding Coalition have been selected

– Performance Measurement Agreement has been defined

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DBA Program Delivery Format Accelerated, low-residence

Courses & Dissertation Project completed simultaneously

Approximately half of courses completed

“in residence”

Remaining courses completed “virtually”(Substantive Internet access required)

NGS/U “cluster sites” located nationally and internationally

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Dissertation Project Requirements

Completed on an Individual Basis, each must include and/or address:– Organizational sponsorship

– A Senior-level Champion, pre-approved by the NGS/U Faculty

– Explicit links to organizational value stream, priorities and/or enterprise-wide objectives

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Dissertation Project RequirementsContinued

– Performance measures jointly pre-approved by the organizational Champion and NGS/U Faculty

– A schedule for in-progress reviews by the Candidate, Champion and Faculty

– Significant impact

– Measurable Financial benefits to the sponsor

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Electronic Coursework Submission

DBA students will submit assignments and Dissertation Project information into the student learning portal “BlackBoard.” Considered one of the best used in American doctoral programs today, “BlackBoard” allows students to:

- Electronically enter assignments into the BlackBoard ‘Digital Drop Box’

- Receive assignments directly from Professors

- Receive Email messages

- Chat with peers

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Additional “BlackBoard” Resources

BlackBoard provides:– Access to course materials (syllabi, slides, etc…)

– Announcements to students

– The “General Information Course” (training) for All Students

– Class schedule - date, time, and location of classes

– Book list (Buy books early. New courses begin every 5 weeks! Recommend you buy books a semester at a time)

– Additional Links to

Financial Aid

Student accounts

Student Handbook

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Sensitive & Proprietary Information

It is understandable that some Dissertation Projects will be sensitive in nature. For that reason, NGS/U has made available a “secure”

site in which project information is limited only to the Professors who require access to evaluate student progress toward the completion of degree requirements.

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Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA’s)

During the 16-year history of The National Graduate School, the institution has mentored students in the implementation of many highly-sensitive projects. As a result, it is very familiar with NDA’s and will, therefore, require any member of the Administration, Faculty or Staff to provide a signed copy whenever necessary to protect the confidentiality of proprietary information associated with any Doctoral Dissertation project

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Student Support Teams Dissertation Projects implemented in most

accredited doctoral programs across the nation are completed individually, therefore the same will occur at NGS/U.

Students will, however, be assigned to “Support Teams” in which they will benefit from personal and professional collegiality, academic support, as well as opportunities to apply and test the principles of “team dynamics” in relation to the myriad dissertations projects proposed by their peers.

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Faculty Teams NGS/U also employs the “team approach” in its

assignment of faculty. As a result, students receive instruction from a vast range of professionals who possess expertise in an array of appropriate, related fields.

All courses and dissertations will be taught and examined by:

- Faculty Content Teams that include subject-matter-experts qualified to teach specific courses

- Juried Review Teams who review DBA Projects

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The Doctoral Dissertation Process

~ Intensified “Quick Start” Approach ~ In Course 1 - begin to “conceptualize” your

prospective dissertation topic

No later than Course 3 - finalize selection of a topic and prepare a “Dissertation Problem Statement” as well as “Research Questions”

By end of First Semester (Course 4) - prepare and submit a DRAFT of the first three Chapters of your Dissertation

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The Dissertation Process- continued -

Conduct research while completing coursework

Present a “trial” version of your Dissertation Defense to the Doctoral Dissertation Committee during your “Initial Colloquium.”

Taking advantage of recommendations from your Dissertation Committee, make any necessary revisions to your document & presentation

Present your dissertation during the “Final Colloquium” commonly known as the “Doctoral Dissertation Defense.”

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The Colloquium{ko-loke-kwe-um}

- A traditional requirement of nearly every accredited doctoral program nationwide.

- Two-part process that requires both “Initial” and “Final” presentations of your Doctoral Dissertation.

- Both “colloquium” and “colloquia” (plural) are common terms, however the former is applied at NGS/U.

- Includes a detailed description of findings specified in your Five Chapter Dissertation DRAFT.

- Presented during Course 19, it serves as a valuable opportunity to receive feedback from the Dissertation Committee as you prepare for the “Final Colloquium” commonly known as the “Doctoral Dissertation Defense.”

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Doctoral Dissertations – In General

Technically, a “manuscript”

Several common formats used in the US

- American Psychological Association Style (APA)

- Modern Language Association of America (MLA)

- Chicago Style

- Turabian (variation of Chicago Style specifically used for student theses and dissertations)

- American Chemical Society Style (ACS Format)

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The NGS/U Dissertation Written in the Five-Chapter format of the APA

Style (Seven-Chapter format written for some Social & Behavioral Science dissertations at other institutions)

The Chapters are entitled:

- Introduction

- Review of Related Literature

- Methodology

- Results

- Conclusions and Summary

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Doctoral Candidacy A significant academic milestone!

“Doctoral Candidate” and “Doctoral Student” are often interchangeably used, however,

Doctoral Candidacy is “Official” ONLY following:

- Approval of Dissertation Project by sponsoring organization and Dissertation Project Supervisor

- Submission of a Signed Dissertation Project Charter

- Oral presentation of the Dissertation Project during the “Initial Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium”

- Maintenance of a 3.0gpa with no outstanding “I” grades

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Dissertation Preparation Resources

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Fifth Edition)

Includes format guidelines and instructions related to dissertation preparation, in general

NGS/U Doctoral Dissertation Guide

Provides instructions specific to NGS/U dissertations

NGS/U Doctor of Business Administration Programs Reference Manual

Your resource for nearly every other DBA Program issue

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Dissertation Project Support

You will be granted access and a training package during the first Dissertation Project class

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Research Databases NGS/U offers the following to assist doctoral-level

researchers acquire the information necessary to complete their dissertations:

- FirstSearch Online Database

- ProQuest Doctoral Dissertation Databases, Volumes A & B

- Web-of-Science (Michigan Library Consortium)

- Naval Postgraduate School Homeland Security Digital Library

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Research Databases- continued -

- ERIC- MEDLINE- ArticleFirst- GPO (WorldCat Dissertations & Theses)- Clase and Periodica- Electronic Collections Online- ProceedingsFirst- PapersFirst- The World Almanac- OALster- CAMIO- CONTENTdm- ArchieveGrid

And more

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EXAMPLEFirstSearch Online Database

Interactive Online Information system

It includes:– Books

– Journal Articles

– Films

– Computer Software

– Other Materials

http://firstsearch.oclc.org

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1 Access FirstSearch from Blackboard 00 GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS

Student Services

2 Click on “FirstSearch Link Database”

FirstSearch Online Database

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This is the FirstSearch Home Page. Enter the Authorization # and Password which is located on your Library Guide and listed below:

Login = PendingPassword = Pending

FirstSearch Online DatabaseGetting Started

http://firstsearch.oclc.org

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You can ask FirstSearch to list all the databases that are available for your research.

Or, you can search by topic, or check the recommended databases.

FirstSearch Online Database

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FirstSearch Online Database

FirstSearch will list the databases so you can choose the one that best fits your criteria.

If you experience any difficulties, please email: techsupport@ngs.edu

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DBA-Specific Grading Criteria

DBA Program students must complete 20 courses to graduate

In keeping with NGS/U grading requirements, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 throughout enrollment in the Program

A grade of “F” in any course will preclude the award of credit for that course.

All “I” grades must be remediated before a student can graduate

Only two “C’s” are permitted to remain as “final grades”

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Grading Criteria - Continued While the Doctoral Dissertation Project will be individually completed, DBA

students will occasionally work in Teams during classroom sessions. The following distinct, yet consistent areas are evaluated for grading in each course.

– Individual and “assigned support team” preparation for class

Readings, completion of assignments

– Individual and team analysis of data

Technical accuracy and relevance of analysis

– Individual and team contribution

Advancing knowledge, adding value to customers

– Individual and team presentations

Effective delivery of content, accurate display of visual information

– Overall class participation

Collaboration with classmates, contribution to class discussion, performance in assignments, assimilation and implementation of key concepts

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Grading Criteria Matrix

NGS/U uses the letter grade system (A,B,C,F,I,W)

Courses in which grades of “I”, “F” , and “W” are earned cannot be credited toward DBA degree requirements

A 4.00 C+ 2 30

A- 3.70 C 2 00

B+ 3.30 F 0

B 3.00 I Incomplete

B- 2.70 W Withdrawn

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The NGS/U Staff is here to help The NGS/U Staff is here to help you!you!

(800) 838 – 2580, Ext. 123Student Services studentservices123@ngs.edu

Financial Aid financialaid@ngs.edu

VA assistance vainfo@ngs.edu

Admission Status admissions@ngs.edu

Student Academic Records

Grades, Transcripts, etc keeperofrecords@ngs.edu

Technology Assistance

Web, Blackboard, passwords, etc techsupport@ngs.edu

Bursar bursar@ngs.edu

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Wishing You Success

Welcome to “The Team”!

Make the most of it. It’s a tremendous program!

The more you put into it, the more you get back.

You will find yourself applying what you learn long after graduation.

You will make friends for life

Have fun!!!

Join the NGS/U Alumni Association after graduation