1 credit
This course is the next part of the capstone journey. The community created here becomes part of the student's program for five quarters, and the goal is to prepare for the dissertation study—the culminating work in the program. In this community classroom, students meet their doctoral mentor and other students. They discuss ideas related to applied research, writing, and project planning. As a human services professional practitioner at the doctoral level, students are preparing to be leaders in applying research to practice in the field. This community of practice and research can prepare students to develop an applied study in a human services area important to them. Students become familiar with Walden's resources that support human services field research development, strategies to organize research, research methods and resources, and finding a research question for their study. In the fifth quarter, students draft their prospectus in preparation to conduct their study.
Note: Students are continuously registered in the Communities of Practice and Research course (1–5) for five terms.