Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is all thesis writing the same?
Yes, thesis writing is universal. Most universities use a five-chapter format, some six chapters, but what may be different are your department and university requirements—length of abstract, verb tenses, spacing, and formatting. If your department program or university does not use "official chapters" in the paper, the process is the same in context: Abstract, introduction, problem statement, purpose of study, literature review, theory, methodology, data research, findings, results and discussion, and conclusions. We train you how to write your paper in these universal targeted content sections. It's 100% all we do!
2. How does the workshop work?
We are glad you asked! We offer both All Inclusive and Specific Targeted Content Plans to help you write your paper while having fun in the Workshop Metaverse—a 2D virtual learning experience platform (LXP). Once joined, you can instantly enter—or spawn—on "The Hub" (center area) where you'll be greeted with an Information Board that provides a tutorial on navigating around. You receive training and write your thesis or project paper in a community of encouraging graduate students! We offer incentives and awards to recognize your writing progress. 😊 The Hub has Self Care, Games & Activities (e.g., if you need a break, talk over your paper, and brainstorm solutions with someone while playing a game), an Ambassador table and a Professors desk area for Q&A forums, Student Leaderboard, and Virtual Café. Simply find a location and work on your paper in any area as the "vibe" is really casual. Goal: Write your paper to graduate.
✓ Join a 6-Week, 6-Month, 9-Month, 1-Year, or 2-Year All Inclusive Workshop Plan based on your graduation date.
✓ New! Join a 30-day Specific Targeted Content Workshop Plan based on your individual writing needs.
✓ After selecting a plan, join us instantly on the Workshop Metaverse for "live" Monday-Friday training, on-demand training, incentives, & resources.
✓ No pressure! The workshop is flexible around your time schedule. 👍 Come and go as much as you want.
3. What if I have questions once I start my thesis?
Ask away!
✓ We are a community with one goal—write your paper to graduate. Questions and revisions are part of the writing process!
✓ There are live chats in the Workshop Metaverse—just like Zoom online chat (look for the chat button on the bottom right corner) to ask your questions at any time. This allows the workshop community—Professors, Ambassadors, and students—to participate in answering questions. It's how we learn.
✓ All Inclusive Workshop Plans include MS Teams to start "conversations" and ask questions 24/7. Fellow students, Ambassadors, and Professors can all answer.
✓ The Hub has a Professors desk and an Ambassador table for Q&A. Please stop by and say hello. 👋
✓ There is Q&A time at the end of each Monday-Friday "live" training at The Hub's Group Discussion/Q&A area.
✓ It's great to have Ambassadors where workshop-graduated students enthusiastically “pass along” their knowledge to help other students (you!) graduate. Welcome aboard, and feel free to ask them questions! They have been where you are in the writing process!🤓
4. Is there a time limit once I join?
✓ Yes. For All Inclusive Workshop Plans, graduate students can have 6-Weeks, 6-Months, 9-Months, 1-Year, and 2-Years from their start date to write their papers in the Workshop Metaverse. The co-creators with 34 years of experience have found that master's degree students do not need more than two years to graduate using our workshop writing system.
✓ Yes. For Specific Targeted Content Workshop Plans, graduate students have 30 days from the purchase date to access training on their specific content island and participate in all activities taking place on "The Hub" (center area).
What happens if I need more time?
If the amount of time you purchase to be with us on the Workshop Metaverse has expired, no problem! You can always purchase more time and keep writing. You will receive two email notices to remind you of your ending date before your end time—one week and one day in advance.
5. Is the price the same for all timelines? (6-Weeks, 6-Months, 9-Months, 1-Year, and 2-Years)
No. We have a different pricing schedule based on your graduation date—6-Weeks, 6-Months, 9-Months, 1-Year, and 2-Years. It is flexible and all based on your program's graduation date deadline. We provide you with a Thesis Writing Timeline Checklist to keep you "on track" in writing your thesis. All Inclusive Plans can change to a shorter or longer time in the first 30 days from purchase, depending on how you progress. Some students find that once started, they can finish quicker than anticipated while others may want more time, depending on life events—work, family, and other commitments. After 30 days, you will keep with the plan you purchased.
Extra Info
Based on our student survey, we have students—25% of our recent graduates—who wrote their thesis in 6 weeks and had a goal to graduate in meeting department and university deadlines. Writing their thesis was 100% of their focus for a short period of time, along with work and family commitments. Other students—20% of our recent graduates—were on a 2-year thesis timeline (e.g., Aris, Tanya, AJ, and Andrea) and developed their thesis over a longer period inside class assignments. This is the most optimal way to write your thesis in planning ahead to meet your graduation goal. The biggest percentage (33%) of graduated students were in the Workshop using a 1-Year Timeline Checklist, 12% at 6-months, and 10% at 9-months. Several students had a thesis draft written or almost completely done before taking their final Directed Research (thesis/project) class—easily completing their assignments in class because the work was done. Now that's planning ahead! 👍 Oh, and did you know that 35% of our recent graduates had lost hope of graduating but joined the workshop, re-enrolled in their program, finished their thesis, and graduated? Wow! 🎓 🎉
6. What if I enroll and I want to change from 6-weeks to a 6-month timeframe?
No problem! This self-paced system works around your time frame and thesis/project writing efforts. The Thesis Writing Timeline Checklists help you be accountable for deliverables to meet your graduation deadlines. You can purchase more when your current Workshop plan ends if you need more time, or if inside a 30-day purchase for All Inclusive plans, you can pay the difference between the two plans. This does not apply to Specific Targeted Content Plans. If you purchased a Specific Targeted Content Plan, you could upgrade and purchase an All Inclusive Workshop Plan. No matter your time frame, we are here to support your thesis writing efforts so you can graduate! Please touch base with Professor Spencer or Tanya Spencer inside the Workshop Metaverse should you have any questions.
7. What does Paper Types 1, 2 and 3 mean?
After 34 years of teaching in two master's degree programs, Professor Spencer identified three types of papers: Paper Types 1, 2, and 3. This is the Workshop's unique system to help you “identify” and “focus” on what type of thesis or project paper you will write. To make it fun, you will travel through all islands on the Workshop Metaverse with other graduate students from around the world. Knowing your paper type streamlines your writing, helps you narrow in on your topic, and works through the thesis writing system on each content island in the Workshop Metaverse.
What is Paper Type 1?
Paper Type 1 is called the Land of the Literature. This is where you know of a problem, concern, or issue, and research “the literature” for possible solutions and give recommendations for improvement. Our 55 completed paper examples on Point 7 Treasure Island include kidney disease, breast implants, morbidity rates among a particular population (e.g., Indian tribe), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership styles (e.g., command and control versus values-based). Your topic must correspond with your program of study.
What is Paper Type 2?
Paper Type 2 is called the Land of Proposing. This is where you want to solve a problem, issue, concern, or improve a process at work. You will be “proposing” solutions to the problem by investigating the problem. You “propose” recommendations as just that, recommendations. You do not need to “follow through” and implement any of the “proposed” recommendations for improvement—that would come in the “next” phase of research and follow-on study if someone chooses to do so. Paper Type 2 is widely popular and attractive because the majority of graduate students are working professionals in a chosen field and may already know about a specific topic, subject, or process improvement opportunity to research. This is a "short" version answer but there are many examples and topics to brainstorm inside the Workshop Metaverse with our specific training.
What is Paper Type 3?
Paper Type 3 is called the Land of Data Research. This is where you conduct a study—survey or use focus groups—to obtain data for your study. The difference here is that you may need to complete an Institutional Review Board (IRB) package under U.S. federal guidelines to protect the rights of humans participating in research studies. In the Land of Data Research, you will conduct research usually with human subjects but not always. Not all data collection and implementation to improve a process will require an IRB—Azra improved a process by analyzing data on container leaks that did not include human subjects. It depends on your topic and research methods. Paper Type 3 is used for data collection through avenues such as Survey Monkey and LinkedIn. Each paper is uniquely different, based on your program, field of study, and topic you are interested in. We give you details in training on how to work through each Paper Type: 1, 2, or 3.
8. Is there help if I have already started writing my paper since I am in my last class(es) or finished my classes?
Absolutely! Many students ask this question because they think to wait until they are already taking or have completed their final classes. Not true! Our recommendation is quite the opposite, as many students wait too long to get started in the writing process/topic selection—our student survey revealed that 78% of students wished they had started earlier in their program to work on their thesis! We suggest starting 9-months to 1-year before you begin your final class(es) and go in with confidence in having your thesis done or at least several content sections completed! Students are thrilled to have their papers 100% finished by the time final classes start and breeze through each assignment (e.g., this was exactly Jeff Stabell's experience once he re-enrolled in his program and joined us).
If you can, we highly recommend starting our Workshop at the beginning of your program so you can use our 2-Year Thesis Timeline Writing Checklist, like Aris and Tanya, and strategically develop your thesis during classwork or group assignments. It is a great way to explore topics and theories, and get instructor, advisor, and other faculty opinions and feedback. You will be strategically prepared to write and graduate on time.
Extra Info
If you are currently in your final semester/term and join the Workshop, the Abstract and Introduction sections are critical to achieving success for your entire paper. Every program manages its thesis writing process just a little differently. Some may have Chapters 1-5, like Aris' paper, and some programs may not have any chapters, like Tanya's project paper. Some programs teach you two areas of writing—usually Chapter 1 Introduction and some literature review content. Then, you are expected to work independently after completing one required class (e.g., Directed Research). Other programs work your paper for an entire year through two classes and scaffold some thesis or project content assignments in other classes. Some programs have no writing scaffolding approach and you are expected to write your thesis paper at the end.
The second master's degree program Professor Spencer taught in for 16 years had one Directed Research class (that he taught for 5 years), and then the students were expected to take an additional independent study class to complete their thesis or project with three committee member approvals. The students also had to undergo a separate university thesis and project paper approval process.
✓ Paper #20 of 55 completed paper examples: Jan Cruz (male) is a nurse and received department committee approval but his thesis was rejected twice by his university's Graduate Studies Office before joining our Workshop. One more university rejection and he would have been denied his master's degree. Thankfully, Jan joined our Workshop, focused on his thesis topic, and graduated. 🎓
✓ We offer help, support, confidence, and "know-how" with 55 exemplary completed paper examples to help you write your paper—we know because Professor Spencer gave the final approval before submission for their own committee approval.
✓ We help you navigate the rigorous writing process with confidence, encouragement, and success because thesis writing is a different type of academic writing.
9. What goes in Chapter 1 versus Chapter 5?
On the Workshop Metaverse, we call these Points 1-5 because each university may have different "format" guidelines. We train and focus on writing your paper’s content sections—an abstract, introduction, problem, purpose, literature review, theory, methodology, results, discussion of results, and conclusions. Each chapter, or point, is completely different and has a clearly defined set of requirements to complete. We cannot cover all the details here. However, we give you training and specific instructions for each content section. Plus, each content section will be color-coded with a "fillable" Thesis Writing Template to help you complete each chapter or point. Throughout the writing process, receive your faculty, advisor, chair, and/or committee approval so you can keep progressing to the next content section—each milestone is listed in the Thesis Writing Timeline Checklist. Again, each university has a slightly different way of organizing the content structure but what goes inside the thesis is the same. It’s 100% what we do! The goal is to graduate and we support that effort 100%!!
10. My thesis committee member told me I have a “term paper” and not a “thesis paper.” What can I do?
This is common. Some student’s papers have sat on a shelf for two years, and students did nothing before joining the Thesis Writing Workshop. Do not let this be you! Students who have been told they have a “term paper” have graduated with our step-by-step color-coded Thesis Writing Template document and training. The students join our Workshop, use their same topic and as much content from their “term paper” to rewrite an acceptable academically rigorous “thesis paper!” Yes, there are distinct academic writing differences between a term paper and a thesis paper.
✓Paper #8 of 55 completed paper examples: Raymond Hsu joined our Workshop because he was told he had a “term paper.” He reworked his paper using 80% of his written content, brought his paper up to academic thesis writing with our training, and his chair recommended that he submit his paper on kidney disease for a book because it was so well written and a topic that all adults needed to know! Now that's a great success story! 🥳
What is a term paper?
Term papers are “in-class” work assignments or essays that usually involve developing a greater understanding of a course topic to draw conclusions about primary areas of subject coverage and developing trends in knowledge development. Term papers are generally required in graduate courses and take the form of a series of reports of the state of knowledge on a particular topic. We suggest using “in-class” work assignments that are strategically planned to work toward developing your thesis topic. This streamlines the writing process greatly.
What is a thesis paper?
A thesis involves a statement of a problem, issue, or concern to be solved and a proposed investigation of research questions and hypotheses to provide a basis to justify a continuation of research to identify new knowledge about a research topic. A thesis requires students to conduct independent research of available literature and integrate theories, ideas, strategies, and methodological approaches that have been contributed by many authors. A thesis synthesizes collective knowledge on a topic and offers recommendations for further study to promote continued learning. The thesis and project papers are typically written to demonstrate academic research and writing proficiency and satisfy a capstone requirement in many master’s degree programs. Writing a thesis will be the most challenging paper you will ever write (aside from a dissertation). No need to spend time worrying about it. We have a 100% graduation rate with all students that complete their thesis in the Workshop. We are here to support you each step, from beginning to end! Are you ready to join our winning team and decrease the huge 57% non-graduated annual master's degree graduation rate? (see Home page) We are!
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eLearning Integrated Technologies Group
