Look what we’ve already got planned for 2012

January is the time when many of us set annual goals and often we even go so far as espousing a clutch of New Year resolutions. Many of our resolutions are akin to a cloud-likeness in the sky; simple to envisage but not that possible to manage. Just think, for instance, about the great number of people who earnestly declare their intention (yet again) to succeed in attempting to lose excess kilos. They vow to eat less, to exercise more and to ‘make that diet work!’ Gymnasia and fitness centres do well out of this but the irony is that the pattern of promises seldom fulfilled is just as cyclical as the Christmas season. Academic wish-lists can be like that too.

This, you see, is the time of year when academics, tertiary teachers and postgraduate candidates are especially prone to generating ideal output goals. They enthusiastically draw up lists which nominate, for example, scholarly presentations they wish to deliver. Their intention is clear: preparing and submitting an abstract will enable them to attend chosen conferences and symposia. And of course, when conferences and symposia have been scheduled at an exotic venue, the urge to participate becomes more potent. That’s the nature of the game…

Frequently, yet-to-be-written, scholarly papers are listed. They’re jotted down as addenda with the best of intentions. The espoused hope is that they’ll be produced at ‘some time or another’ but in reality, they’re not always forthcoming. This is so primarily because the simple trick of actually timetabling binding stints of writing time as a legitimate aspect of work-time, seldom accompanies the register of contemplated outputs.
At the Woodhill Park Research Retreat, we’re interested in changing this behaviour pattern. We want to help researchers, academics, and postgraduate students to convert their wish lists into achieved outputs. To accomplish this, we’re scheduling a workshop series at the Woodhill Park Research Retreat. Each workshop traverses crucial aspects of scholarship, thesis preparation and research methods and will benefit postgraduate candidates as well as researchers wanting to learn more about their craft. Our overall goal is to foster research and development by helping people to define and achieve their goals. So, please, put the dates we’ve listed below into your 2012 diary and tell others about the workshops. Spread the word by emailing others.

 

Scholarship and thesis preparation workshops

Number 

Workshop

Dates

Cost (ex GST)

1

The thesis process  All you wanted to find out about the thesis process but didn’t know how to ask

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen & Anna Jo Perry

Saturday 11 February, 9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.

$150.00 (full day)

2

Critiquing reviewed literature Constructing a critique of reviewed literature to ‘wow' the examiners

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Saturday 18 Feb., 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

Wednesday 29 Feb., 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

3

The thesis proposition justified  Formulating an achievable topic: creating a strong thesis statement and generating a sound justification for your topic

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Wednesday, 22 Feb., 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

4

The research procedures chapter  Presenting research procedures succinctly yet thoroughly for the examiners

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Saturday 24 March, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

Wednesday 28 March, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

5

Making theory work for you The revisionist approach to theory: applying a priori and a posteriori models to data analysis so that your examiners will understand

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Wednesday 4 April, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

Saturday 14 April, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

6

On discussions and conclusions  Formulating valid discussions and a potent conclusion for your thesis

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Saturday 2 June, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

Wednesday 6 June, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

7

The examination process, the oral exam and other matters What examiners look for, passing the oral exam (the voce viva) and dealing with emendations

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Saturday 16 June, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

Saturday 23 June, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

Qualitative Analysis Workshops

 

Workshop

Dates

Cost

8

Fieldwork for technophobes Doing effective fieldwork more efficiently by using technologies

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen & Anna Jo Perry

Saturday, 28 April, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

9

Introducing NVivo 9 as a thesis tool  Using QSR NVivo 9 for your research

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Saturday 3 March, 9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Saturday, 12 May, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$200.00 (full day)

10

NVivo 9 for literature  Using QSR NVivo 9 for managing and interrogating your literature

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Saturday 10 March, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

Wednesday 14 March, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

11

Visual analysis 101  Using QSR NVivo 9 and other software for visual data analysis

Wednesday workshop facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen and Saturday workshop jointly facilitated by Dr Hansen & Anna Jo Perry

Tuesday 17 April, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

Saturday, 21 April, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

12

Qualitative information management  Dealing with the data chaos: what to do with qualitative data

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Wednesday 23 May, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

Wednesday 30 May, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m

$90.00 (half day)

Writing Workshops

 

Workshop

Dates

Cost

13

A scholastic writing mantraUsing Hansen’s ‘APT’ approach to ensure more robust writing

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Wednesday 11 April, 9.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

14

Adding critique and precision to your writing  Constructing constructive but critical narratives whilst mastering academic writing

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Tuesday 24 April, 9.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

Tuesday 29 May, 9.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

15

The thesis writer’s software toolkit  Introducing various software programmes and operations which can facilitate writing for different learning styles

Facilitated by Dr Jens J. Hansen

Wednesday 7 March, 9.00 am. – 1.00 p.m.

$90.00 (half day)

MindJet Workshops

 

Workshop

Dates

Cost

16

Become a specialist in using MindManager 2012  Learn to use MindManager's inbuilt  functionality and how to apply productivity enhancing management techniques

Facilitated by Patrick Baker & Dr Jens J. Hansen

Mindjet workshops have been scheduled at the Woodhill Park Research Retreat on the third Wednesday of each month: 18 January, 15 February, 21 March, 18 April, 16 May, and 20 June. 

$250.00 (full day)

To enrol for any one or more of these workshops, contact Dr Jens Hansen at the Woodhill Park Research Retreat (09 411 7703 jens@woodhillpark.com) or call Patrick Baker of Mindlogik (09 817 1962 patrick@mindlogik.co.nz).  Just tell us the course number for which you wish to register.

Free parking is provided as is coffee on arrival.  Half day courses include morning tea and full day courses also include lunch.  Enrolments are restricted to a maximum of ten people per course.