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This article compares the process of earning a doctorate to running a marathon. It states that it is common practice for marathoners to join a community of practice. The task of running a marathon is typically too great to do alone, and support via the community of practice is needed to accomplish the task. With the length of time involved, one needs support to get through the doctorate. The article describes the challenges at 10 miles, 20 miles, and completion of a marathon and shows the parallels to earning a doctorate.

The authors springboard from a Cornell University study of the difficulties that humanities doctoral students have in finishing their degree to discuss the ways libraries can help improve student success. They show that the establishment of communities of practice are a necessary component of the success of doctoral students in the humanities. They then advocate for libraries to create and support these communities through providing designated space for doctoral students to collaborate and share information in the library and by offering discipline-specific research skills workshops.

My Doctor Games has some very cool interactive simulations and games for students to extend their experience with.

Rolin Moe provides explanations and skepticism about connetivism, its history and role in education. I anticipate he will help define what MOOCs are, how they are used, what they provide learners, and the outcomes of connectivism as he completes his doctorate and continues in the field.

I really like how the author questioned collectivism as a learning theory, I am not saying he is right, but that it offers other insights I hadn't been considering. Good post!

Rolin Moe discusses whether connectivism is truly a new and singularly applicable theory of learning, or if it is merely an appendage to earlier theories such as constructivism.

This article follows the progression of a group of doctoral students in their journey to become scholars. Students were to use Communities of Practice in their studies, ultimately trying to see if this will allow them to emerge from the program with a stronger self-identities as scholars. Students had to learn to rely on one another while also providing for one another. Using COP, students were guided to not sit back and take the role of the student, but to get involved in their own learning to reach the role of scholar.