The topic of the in-depth paper for 830 is open provided that the paper addresses the content and purpose of the 830 course. DEL 830 is a capstone course so you paper should reflect an integration of executive leadership as it relates to decision-making. While the topic for the paper is your choice, remember that the application for 830 is also an integrated application for all of the DEL program outcomes and papers should present a coherent assessment of the literature with respect to these outcomes. While it is not necessary for the in-depth paper to connect directly with the application, you may want to give some consideration to moving in this direction to provide a solid foundation for your application. There are a variety of ways to address program outcome and thus a variety of ways to think about the in-depth paper. Regardless of your focus, your in-depth paper should involve a synthesis of the literature (a “deep dive” into your subject area) in support of a thesis state statement for the paper. In addition to the five content items of the in-depth paper identified by the DEL Learning Guide, your paper should have a sixth content item: identify how the 830 course, including the in-depth paper, may inform your leadership model and application. The in-depth paper should be 14 to 16 pages in length excluding the table of contents and references pages and should use APA v7 style guide. Your submission should include a Title Page, Abstract, Body (Introduction, body and conclusion), and References. Be sure to use headings for themes in the body of your paper. Refer to the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines online for v7 updates. The in-depth paper assignment is worth 30% of the course grade. Please ensure that you are familiar with the DEL Learning Guide material on the in-depth paper.
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In-depth Paper The in-depth paper can be considered a “deep dive” into the conceptual/theoretical framework of a subject about which a cohort member wants to learn more about than what can be covered in the course introduction (first three units of class meetings). The paper is primarily a secondary research paper in which the significant majority of the material in the paper is based on scholarly material above and beyond the material covered in the course. The course material can certainly be included in the indepth paper but should be used as a foundation or context and be a minor portion of the paper. In selecting the topic for the in-depth paper a cohort member should (1) consider how research on the topic can produce the knowledge and information appropriate to developing the application assignment for the course – it is highly desirable, albeit not mandatory, that a cohort member use his or her in-depth research to help develop a conceptual / theoretical foundation for the application – and (2) view the topic of the in-depth paper as an exploration of a possible dissertation topic – producing two or more in-depth papers that relate to a possible dissertation topic may help a cohort member get a solid and early start to his or her dissertation. The in-depth paper, however, is NOT a practitioner look at a concrete problem. The topic of the paper should look at the conceptual / theoretical and DEL Learning Guide – Page 14 of 38 DOCTOR OF EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP abstraction of areas of interest. The in-depth paper is not an opinion piece authored by the cohort member. Rather, in the in-depth paper the cohort member should demonstrate his or her (1) ability to independently undertake secondary research, (2) sophisticated understanding of the topic, and (3) research thinking and writing habits of mind, such as precision, clarity, and coherence. More specifically, the in-depth paper should Identify the key points in the research material reviewed Synthesize the key points to the extent practicable by weaving elements together into one or more themes Provide his or her conclusions about the research in a clear and concise manner Point out his or her perspective on the stewardship elements of conserving, generating, and transforming as appropriate Provide suggestions for further research