NPS MOVES Thesis Guidelines for MS Degree Completion
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Understand the requirements and steps to complete your thesis and obtain your MS degree in MOVES program at NPS. Guidelines from course matrix to thesis presentation.
NPS MOVES Thesis Guidelines for MS Degree Completion
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Presentation Transcript
How Do You GetYour Green Sheet John Falby Senior Lecturer MV3923 Spring AY2011
The Goal:Obtain the Green Sheet • Means that your thesis is completed and accepted by the thesis processor for publication • Means that you will get your MS degree • Assuming you have met the course, GPA and MOVES requirements • Program Officer & Academic Associate track this via the MOVES Tracking Form
MOVES Requirements • Approved Matrix in Python • Enter all (or most) of second year classes by start of 4th quarter • Signed Thesis Proposal and IRB Student Research Checklist • By end of 4th quarter • Thesis presentation in graduating quarter • Normally given to Focus Group or Brown Bag • Signed thesis
MOVES Requirements • Maintain up-to-date "MOVES MS Degree Tracking Form" • Program Officer & Academic Associate use to help track your progress in degree program • Other requirements may be promulgated, and may include • Provide presentation materials • Provide a copy of software you developed • See Current Student Affairs page on MOVESInstitute.org under Education
Other NPS Requirement • Did your thesis involve human subjects? • Ensure you have an approved IRB BEFORE starting the experiment • The IRB Student Research Checklist does not suffice • Penalties for not following can be severe, including you not getting your degree
Can I Finish My ThesisAfter I Leave NPS? • Yes, but • Majority of those who leave without a completed thesis NEVER finish it • This means they do not get the MS degree • OK, what about an extension? • Yes, you can get up to three one-year extensions from your original graduation date • However, if you get an extension and don’t finish your degree in the approved extension period, you can never get a degree from NPS • So have a plan to enable you to finish your thesis before graduation
Your Time At NPSYear One • Get the basics • Learn about: • MOVES as a discipline • Enabling technologies • Areas of research • Develop your course matrix • Complete a thesis proposal
Your Time At NPSYear Two • Upper division courses • Interact with faculty, students, staff • In a Focus area (even if not related to thesis) • In MOVES at large • Brief your thesis plan • Do your thesis research • Write your thesis • Brief results of your thesis research
Quarter One: Attend MV-2921 • Introduction to MOVES • Survey of the major areas in MOVES • Answers the question: What is this thing called MOVES anyway? • Presentations, one on each of the MOVES Curriculum Blocks • Why is the area important to MOVES? • Courses in the block
Quarter One • Complete initial portion of the MOVES MS Degree Tracking Form • Other portions filled out later (see target dates) • Your are responsible to update and ensure you meet all the requirements for the degree • MOVES Chair and AA review to help identify challenges, but you are ultimately responsible for ensuring you meet the requirements • You should review with them periodically, especially when things change
Quarter Two: Attend MV-3922 • Introduction to Virtual Environment Technology • An introduction to the technology used in virtual environments and discusses applications which use Virtual Environments • An introduction to the items likely to be used in the MOVES master’s degree program
Quarter Three: Attend MV-3923 • Faculty and staff present • Current research • Possible thesis topics • Exposes you to • What is being done in MOVES today • Some of the people who are in MOVES and what they are doing • Possible topics for your thesis • Possible assets to tap later
By End of Quarter Three • Pick Three Concentration Blocks • See MOVES web page • Education -> Master of Science Program • At most two from Group A and at most two from Group B • Navy must take JPME (in Group B) • Army must take SE (in Group B)
By End of Quarter Three • Complete course matrix for entire program • Check with Thesis Advisor for help, guidance, and/or approval of plan • Do not sign up for a course in a quarter it is not being offered • See MOVES web page for • Listing of when MV courses are planned to be offered • Quarters when non-MV courses have historically been offered • Still able to make changes later • For instance, when pick thesis topic may need to revise
By End of Quarter Three • Complete course matrix for entire program (continued) • Program Officer and Academic Associate approve it • See them if you have questions or need help constructing your matrix • Sometimes courses are canceled (e.g. low enrollment), so you may need to update your matrix later, and they can help then as well • Update Tracking Form
By End of Quarter Four • Submit a Thesis Proposal • Template on MOVES web page • Approval required by • Primary Advisor • MOVES Academic Associate & Program Chair • MOVES Program Officer • Must also include IRB Student Reasearch Checklist • Maintained by the Program Officer's office • Goal: be able to give at least one full year to thesis research and writing your thesis
Advisor, Co-Advisor, andSecond Reader • Must have a (primary) advisor • MOVES faculty member with Ph.D. • Must have co-advisor or second reader • Must be a faculty member, whether in MOVES or not, and need not be on tenure track • What is difference between them? • Exceptions • If primary advisor does not have a Ph.D., must have a co-advisor with a Ph.D. • If primary advisor not in MOVES, then co-advisor must be in MOVES
Quarter Four: Attend MV-4924Focus Group • Currently have five • Agents & Combat Modeling • Augmented Reality • Human Factors and Training Systems • SEED • Web-based simulation (SAVAGE) • Interact with a subset of MOVES sharing common interests • Does not have to be a focus area of your thesis research
Quarters One through Four • Get out and see what is going on in MOVES outside of classes • Brown bag and focus groups • Labs • Scheduled demos • OR Research Seminar • Web pages
Visit Labs • Talk to students ahead of you • Visit during scheduled demos • Find out • What’s going on • What resources are available • Be a subject in an experiment
Year Two • Conduct Thesis research • Attend Brown Bag and Focus Group each quarter • Complete upper level courses • Write thesis • Get thesis signed • Get thesis approved by Thesis Processor • Get your Green Sheet • Get ready to move
All Quarters: Attend MV-4924Brown Bag Seminar • Presentations from faculty, research staff, students and invited speakers • Interact with MOVES at large
Quarter Five: Read, Read, Read • Background/Literature Search • Advisors give pointers to literature • Dudley Knox Library: 2004 Federal Library/ Information Center of the Year - Use it! • Workshops, research assistance, subject specialists, real-time "Ask a Librarian", etc. • CiteSeer at citeseer.ist.psu.edu • Things you read may reference other material you want to read • Keep notes, copies in a notebook
Quarter Five: Get Involved • Arrange to give a presentation of your Thesis plan to your Focus Group • Get some constructive feedback EARLY • Learn from other people's experiences • Establish times/days for periodic meetings with thesis advisor(s) • As able, do demos, attend demos, be in experiments, help run experiments
Quarter Five:Thesis Process Familiarization • NPS Research Thesis Process http://www.nps.edu/research/research1.html • General Workshop on thesis process • Students must attend in graduating quarter • Consider attending earlier (5th quarter is good) • Reviews the overall process • Lets you know what to expect • Template Workshop • Attend early so can be using the template throughout (5th quarter is good)
Quarter Five:Write Draft of First Part of Thesis A recommendation, not a requirement • Cover through Chapter 2 plus references • Format: see NPS Research site, Typing Your Thesis • Have one of the Thesis Processors check it for format • See Outlook Address Book for email, phone, and location • Have advisor read it
Quarter Five:Why Start Writing So Early? • Correct format problems early • Chapter One • Includes one or more of: Introduction, Overview, Motivation, Purpose, Goals • Includes Organization of Thesis (Chapter Summary) • This is your “contract” with thesis advisor(s) • Chapter Two, Background And Problem Statement, shows you have • The background required to do the thesis research • A clear direction • Keep on top of thesis vice under it
Quarter Five through Eight:Do the Research • When possible, leverage papers and projects for classes to support thesis • May be able to: • Have student(s) you’re following as resource • Recruit student(s) to follow you • Get a demo of your work as soon as possible and show it off often • No such thing as bad feedback
Quarter Five through Eight:Do the Research • If experiment involved in your thesis • Don't short-change any step (design, development, pilot study, feedback, redesign) • Get going earlier than later • If involves human subjects, your advisor must submit request to NPS Institutional Review Board (IRB) - See Bill Becker • Approval process takes some time • Advisor, not you, will be the one making IRB request • You will be draft the paperwork • Write chapters of thesis as you go • Advisor can review as you go • Get feedback earlier rather than later
Quarter Eight:Finish The Thesis • Attend the General Workshop if have not done so previously • Plan to finish writing early • Avoid the bow wave for • You • You will have other things going on • Advisor(s), second reader • Travel, leave, research, other students, class • Thesis Processor • Only so many hours in a day, so many appointments • Time to adjust to bumps
Quarter Eight:Finish The Thesis • Complete all thesis and submission requirements • NPS requirements • On Research web site • Reviewed in General Workshop • MOVES requirements • Education -> Current Student Affairs • Brief results of thesis research to Focus Group or Brown Bag
Resources • Funding for US students • SPAWAR $10,000 fellowships • See Research web page http://www.nps.edu/research/rspa.html#StudentFellowships • Funding for International students • Can get help editing (not writing) your thesis via the Thesis Processor • Send them an email (Thesis Processor in the Outlook Global Address book)
Resources • MOVES Curriculum • Program office signs you up for required courses • You sign up for non-core courses • See MOVES web page Education • NPS Library off main NPS page • BOSUN • Electronic journals • Visit the library • They are very helpful • Have classes to help you make use of library resources • CiteSeer http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/
Resources • Dean of Research • Thesis workshops beginning of every quarter • Research -> Research and Sponsored Programs Office -> Thesis Process • Slaying the Dragon www.cs.nps.navy.mil/people/masters/thesis.htm • Old link, may break anytime
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