Plan of Action Template

Contact Information:
Preferred e-mail: Work phone:
Wendell.stevens89@gmail.com 913-758-3491

Home/Cell phone: Best time to call and time zone:

913-240-7878 8:00am – 6:00pm M-F (Fri best) (Central)

What doctoral capstone progress did you make last quarter?

Questions to Consider: What did you accomplish? Did you meet the terms of your plan? Was
your plan realistic and appropriate? Did you spend the right amount of time on your doctoral
capstone? What would you have done differently?
In EDD8426 (April – June 2018), I prepared to begin the capstone process in July by submitting
the Doctoral Audit Request Form online, completing my Topic Approval Form for peer and
professor review, downloaded all forms available on the Capstone Resources webpage, and made
an initial request for a mentor. Because much of this plan was part of the prescribed curriculum
and sequenced in the syllabus, I was able to meet the terms of the plan on time. Since this course
was the final opportunity to prepare for the capstone, I intentionally chose topics that would help
me see the problem of my topic from different perspectives and potential capstone products
(change management, curriculum product, action research, and program evaluation). This helped
me review and rediscover prior peer-reviewed sources and artifacts I developed around the topic
of faculty professional development. I believe I spent about the right amount of time balanced
between the course requirements and desired capstone topic.
If I could go back, I would have drafted my Topic Approval Form in Unit 1 instead of Unit 8 so
that I could continually refine it. I also would have downloaded all the forms from the Capstone
Resources webpage earlier so that I could have more understanding and better questions to pose
to my professor and peers in Unit 10 than I did.

How will you communicate with your mentor this quarter?

Questions to Consider: How often will you communicate with your mentor via e-mail? Via
phone? What will be the purpose and agenda of your meetings with your mentor? What topics
will be covered? How will you prepare? What sorts of feedback, coaching, encouragement, or
reminders might you need?
My desired plan is to communicate with my mentor weekly by email in odd weeks (1, 3, etc) and
by phone or Capella Connect (per her schedule) in even weeks. Sometimes, there is too much to
cover in an email, and it will take multiple means of communication to understand each other’s
expectations in the first quarter. The agenda for email is for me to cover the progress and
products developed so far and what actions I took to address mentor feedback. The agenda for
the phone call or Connect meetings is to clarify expectations and items to address in the

1
Milestone product at hand, and to look forward 2-4 weeks. The topics would revolve around how
well am I addressing the problem of the chosen topic (Professional Development for online
instruction), such as: is the literature review broad and deep enough and where else I might look,
am I choosing proper theoretical frameworks, am I staying focused and narrow or beginning to
wander off-topic, and what advice do you have for the next Milestone’s process. If meeting by
phone, I will email a proposed agenda and questions the day prior.
Regarding support, I primarily desire timely feedback on the quality and completeness of the
products I’m working on and coaching on how to best work through the capstone process. I want
to go as fast as you, the mentor, can go. I’m a hard worker and usually well-organized. I also
plan to rearrange my work schedule (work 4x10s Mon-Thur) so that I have every Friday off to
work on the capstone.

What are your goals for the quarter?

Questions to Consider: What is your current milestone? What progress do you plan to make on
completing your current milestone during the quarter? How does your quarterly plan align with
your long-term plan for completing your doctoral capstone?
For this quarter, I am submitting the Topic Approval form for Milestone 1, drafting and
submitting Milestone 2, and drafting Milestone 3. I would like to have Milestone 2 near a final
draft by the end of this quarter so that it can be submitted for approval at the start of the Fall
quarter along with Milestone 3. This should keep me on track with drafting Milestone 4 in the
Fall quarter, then submitting and gaining its approval in the Winter quarter so I can complete
Milestone 5 and then gain its approval in the Spring of 2019 quarter (finish NLT June 2019).

What barriers or obstacles might you face this quarter?

Questions to Consider: What do you perceive to be the greatest obstacle to overcome for
completing this plan? What strategies have you considered for overcoming this obstacle?
The greatest obstacles I will be two significant personal events: travel out of country July 2-13
and my son and his wife having twins in August. The latter event has a great deal of
unpredictability and likely long days. Overall, I plan to continue my schedule of getting up
several mornings a week 2-3 hours before work and then also rearrange my weekly work
schedule to 4x10s so I can have Fridays off to just work on the capstone. I also plan to use the
three-week break leading up to EDD 9971 so I have a jump start on Milestone 2 and then again
work really hard in weeks 2-5 to get ahead as well. I may also have to take some personal leave
from work if necessary in weeks 6-8.

2
Work Plan How much time will What activities will you What outcomes will
you spend working on accomplish? you achieve?
your doctoral
capstone?

Week 1 6 hours Submit the Topic Milestone 1 submitted

(9-15 July) Approval Form for for approval.
(due to out-of-country
Milestone 1. Submit this
travel 9-13 July) Presented a
plan of action for mentor communication plan
review and approval. with the mentor.
Review the Doctoral Initiated the capstone
Capstone Deliverable process.
Guidebook.
Participate in Discussion
Board
EMAIL to Mentor
Week 2 16 hours Draft pages 1-6 of the Clarify “the problem”
(16-22 Proposal Section One of this capstone solves
July) M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
the Milestone 2
work Engage mentor
document.
Fri: 8 hrs
PHONE or CONNECT
Sat: 2 hrs interaction with mentor.
Week 3 16 hours Draft page 7, Conduct literature
(23-29 “Organizational Context” review.
July) M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
and “Theoretical
work Engage peers
Framework” of the
Fri: 8 hrs Proposal Section One of
Sat: 2 hrs the Milestone 2
document.
Participate in Discussion
Board
EMAIL to Mentor
Week 4 16 hours Draft pages 7-8, Conduct literature
(30 Jy-5 “Annotated review.
Aug) M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
Bibliography” and
work Engage mentor
“References” of the
Fri: 8 hrs Proposal Section One of
Sat: 2 hrs the Milestone 2
document.
PHONE or CONNECT
interaction with mentor.

3
Week 5 14 hours Complete Proposal Complete literature
(6-12 Aug) Section One of the review.
M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
Milestone 2 document
work Engage peers
and submit for review to
Fri: 4 hrs mentor.
Sat: 4 hrs Participate in Discussion
Board
EMAIL to Mentor
Week 6 14 hours Draft Proposal Section Determine theoretical
(13-19 Two of the Milestone 2 and practical approaches
Aug) M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
doc (pages 8-10). to conducting
work
professional
Participate in Discussion
Fri: 4 hrs development
Board
Sat: 4 hrs Engage mentor
PHONE or CONNECT
interaction with mentor.
Week 7 14 hours Finish draft Proposal Determine evaluation
(20-26 Section Two of the plan for conducting
Aug) M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
Milestone 2 doc (pages professional
work
8-10). Submit for Mentor development and
Fri: 4 hrs review. completed the draft of
Sat: 4 hrs Section Two.
Address feedback from
Mentor on Section One. Engage peers.
Participate in Discussion
Board
EMAIL to Mentor
Week 8 16 hours Draft Proposal Section Design the desired
(27 A – 2 Three of the Milestone 2 deliverable for
Sep) M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
doc (pages 10-11). professional
work
development.
PHONE or CONNECT
Fri: 8 hrs
interaction with mentor. Engage mentor
Sat: 2 hrs
Week 9 14 hours Finish draft Proposal Complete the description
(3-9 Sep) Section Three of the of the deliverable for
M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
Milestone 2 doc (pages professional
work
10-11). Submit for development.
Fri: 6 hrs Mentor review. Engage peers
Sat: 2 hrs Address feedback from
Mentor on Section Two.

4
 Participate in Discussion
Board
EMAIL to Mentor
Week 10 16 hours Draft Milestone 3 doc Initiate draft of
(10-15 (pages 10-11) and Milestone 3
Sep) M-Th: 1.5 hrs before
continue in 3 week
work Submit completed draft
break. of Milestone 2 to mentor
Fri: 10 hrs
PHONE or CONNECT Engage mentor
interaction with mentor.