You made it. Congratulations on making it to this year’s Dissertation Institute.

The Dissertation Institute provides a week-long opportunity for you to work on your dissertation or dissertation proposal. In this week-experience, you will be able to build new writing habits, work on your dissertation or dissertation proposal, enhance your motivation for your doctoral process, and learn skills that will help you make progress in your dissertation.

Welcome to your Dr. CV’s Writing Cluster Accountability Group

In the era of COVID 19 where we are all at home possibly sheltering in place, we still have goals that we want to accomplish. With the COVID-19 coronavirus wreaking havoc across the world, for instance, Ph.D. completion provides universities with the opportunity to participate in a virtual Dissertation Writing accountability writing space. As part of Dr. Carter’s Thesis and Dissertation Accomplished (TADA!) program and the Dissertation House at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), we have always had an online component for graduate students across the globe who could not participate face to face.

The goal of the Writing Clusters is to help you reflect on your writing experiences during the week. As a group, you will check in on Zoom Tues, and Thurs (A.M. & P.M.) and Fridays (A.M.).

I would also like to meet with each of you one on one. As a dissertation coach and Writing Cluster facilitator, I focus on helping students with:

• Creating strategies for writing

• Setting realistic goals

• Setting timelines

• Managing the relationships with their advisor, family, and friends

• Daily planning for writing activities

To participate in this blog, you will be asked to blog twice daily at the start of the day and the end of the day. On the first day, you will be asked to post answers to the following questions:

• What will you work on?

• How much time will you spend days working on it?

• Tell us how much progress you are making, or what challenges you are having.

• At the end of everyday plan what you want to accomplish the following day