College of Doctoral Studies
Office of Scholarship Support and Funding
Hinrich Eylers, Vice Provost for the College of Doctoral Studies
Rodney Luster, Sr. Director of Research Strategy, Innovation, and Development, and Committee on Research (COR) Administrator.
The Office of Scholarship Support (OSS) office is responsible for overseeing the aggregation of targeted, and helpful research aids for faculty and faculty-staff wishing to conduct research and seek support funding whether from conference presentations to publishing.
About scholarship and research
The University of Phoenix, College of Doctoral Studies is committed to supporting research that advances innovation in several areas from education to technology, business and industry, healthcare, diversity, and organizational workplace inclusion. Our commitment is a natural extension of our long tradition of supporting academic and scholarly pursuit. We encourage and advocate for research that adds value to the University’s core mission of teaching and learning in addition to other supporting fields.
Mission
The mission of the Office of Scholarship Support (OSS) is to serve as a supportive resource and adjunctive aid to faculty who seek to engage in research — inside and outside of the University. The OSS resources include financial, intellectual, and functional support, and ethical guidance. OSS may, at times, engage in additional institutional communications with other scholarly and research organizations, as well when it pertains to the advancement of research.
Office of Scholarship Support supports faculty across the full life cycle of scholarship in accord with the following ASE areas:
- Alignment: By developing an organizational awareness and culture of scholarship, the OSS office helps researchers stay aligned with research trajectories that foster their unique interests but also align with the (UOPX) University of Phoenix’ own educational mission.
- Support: University of Phoenix and the College of Doctoral Studies provides targeted financial support in the form of grants that not only supports research but also recognizes research accomplished through top-tiered professional conferences and publications.
- Execution: The Committee on Research helps researchers interested in conducting research that may involve students, faculty, and staff of the university. This entity helps researchers move through a formal process that enables the potential for advancing the execution of their research.
OSS views scholarship, as defined by the knowledge developed, integrated, and taught through faculty activities, can help change students’ lives and improve organizations. Faculty scholarship also sharpens the instructors’ contribution to the classroom and student engagement with coursework. UOPX subscribes to the teacher-scholar approach advocated by the Boyer Model. The formal definition, adopted by OSS is:
Scholarship is the result of engaged scholar-practitioner-leaders putting to work their discipline knowledge and skills across a wide range of academic or professional activities to advance the body of knowledge and add value to teaching and learning, or the field.
The definition places value in the variety of pathways our faculty contribute scholarship. This is also where our adoption of Boyer's model becomes applicable.
The University encourages a culture of research, scholarship, and professional currency among its faculty. The University recognizes the role and value that practitioner-scholars bring to the classroom, providing a connection between teaching and the professional activities of a practitioner-scholar. The University has adopted and adapted Boyer’s Model as the University of Phoenix faculty scholarship model. The model recognizes scholarship across four domains including: discovery, application, integration, and teaching and learning (Boyer, 1990, and Boyer, 2016).
Boyer’s Model Domains
- Discovery: building new knowledge through traditional forms of academic research – Research contributes to the intellectual climate of the University.
- Application: aiding society and professions in addressing problems – Connecting practice to academics contributes to the greater community and informs theory. Scholarship of application fulfills the University’s mission by bridging the gap between theory and practice.
- Integration: interpreting the use of knowledge across disciplines – Integrating findings within the larger picture and across fields contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of knowledge. Scholarship of integrations fulfills the University’s mission by developing competencies in critical thinking and collaboration.
- Teaching and Learning: studying and improving teaching models and practices to achieve optimal learning – Tested and improved teaching and learning innovations enrich the education of future scholars and cultivates critical thinking. Scholarship of teaching and learning fulfills the University’s mission through the pursuit of optimal teaching and learning strategies (Boyer, 1990, and Boyer, 2016).
It is important that these terms are clearly distinguished. For many, the two terms may seems synonymous, but scholarship is different from research.
- Scholarship is typically viewed as the acquisition of knowledge and how one uses that knowledge in a scholarly manner, which for many, is also used in activities that authenticate or add to the knowledge of an individual; in addition to their current credentials relative to skills and experience. Scholarship can be seen as a vehicle for seeking knowledge.
- Research on the other hand, can be seen as a form of “practice” with specific objectives, where such practice undertakes a measured and calculated study designed to inquire, investigate and report out on new knowledge about a specific body of research and is typically hypothesis-driven. Research can be viewed as generating knowledge.
Research funding
The College of Doctoral Studies allocates a percentage of funds to help researchers continue their research and to recognize researchers for their professional acumen as carried out in top-tiered conferences and published works. Funding calculations may change from year to year in accord with budgets, but researchers are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities like grants that may help encourage their scholarly journey.
The College of Doctoral Studies offers four specific grant types:
Funding appropriation is at the discretion of the discretion of CDS and is based on the qualifying potentials and scope of the proposed project. This award requires a formal first layer approval letter, and formally stated "RSE need" from the RSE Chair to be attached to the application.
Who may apply: UOPX Faculty
The purpose of the University of Phoenix project research grant is to assist research center chairs in the executuion of specific projects related to their respective centers. The expectation is that findings from this research will be utilized by the centers and reported in scholarly and/or professional channels. As such, this is a highly specialized grant driven by the needs of each research center.
An example of such a grant might be a need by a particular center who has publicized a “call” for projects relative to the center’s yearly research objectives. OSS recommends that those seeking the project research grant schedule a time to talk to one of the three prospective Chairs, and address areas the centers may have an interest in focusing on, in tandem, also gaining the chair’s approval before submitting the application.
*Note-please do not fill out an application for this until:
1-You have spoken to the respective chair of the center and they have approved the funding at level one [such awards are contingent on Vice Provost approval]
2-You have a formal letter approving the need, alongside a justification to pursue the project.
How to apply
Go to PhoenixView Faculty
From the top-level menu, click on Faculty Credentials
Click View or Update Your Credentials
From the menu on the left, click University Awards and Grants
Funding appropriation: The award range is up to $200.00.
Who may apply: Faculty
This award is designed to recognize those active University of Phoenix faculty who have presented original research at selected peer-reviewed conferences while representing the University of Phoenix. The peer-reviewed research conference presentations we may award are as follows: AERA, TQR, ILA , AOM, AECT, SHRM, APA, ASHE.
Note: Individuals may only apply for this award after they have presented, substantiating their role by submitting additional requested documents such as conference proceedings or plenary from the conference. If an individual is awarded, funds are only disbursed after verification of the conference presentation. For group submissions, each individual will need to submit their own application. We will hold applications for 45 days from the first submission or presentation date (whichever is the later date). Any submissions after that will not be accepted if requests for payment has already been submitted to faculty payroll for processing. The total of payment will be divided equally among all those that submitted the application according to requirements. All applicants additionally must also designate Unversity of Phoenix as their primary institution of affiliation.
How to apply
Go to PhoenixView Faculty
From the top-level menu, click on Faculty Credentials
Click View or Update Your Credentials
From the menu on the left, click University Awards and Grants
Funding appropriation: The award range is up to $200.00.
Who may apply: Faculty
The College of Doctoral Studies supports this endeavor as a primary way to encourage researchers to build a repository of scholarly work within the institution and without (external community). The award recognizes “published” works by faculty and staff who have submitted their work to highly recognized journals, and publishing houses and have been published in such works. Only works produced through those journals and publishing houses that are deemed appropriate to a highly rigorous peer-reviewed process and standards will be considered.
Note: Individuals may only apply for this award after they have presented, substantiating their role by submitting additional requested documents such as the journal or publishing house where the work was produced and/or the location of the work (internet address). If an individual is awarded, funds are only disbursed after verification of the publication. For group submissions, each individual will need to submit their own application. We will hold applications for 45 days from the first submission or presentation date (whichever is the later date). Any submissions after that will not be accepted if requests for payment has already been submitted to faculty payroll for processing. The total of payment will be divided equally among all those that submitted a timely application. For publications, we need to ensure that the publication date is no more than 90 days from the date of application submission and the publication must show affiliation with the University of Phoenix.
Additionally, we do not accept submittals from prior years. Must be the current year.
How to apply
Go to PhoenixView Faculty
From the top-level menu, click on Faculty Credentials
Click View or Update Your Credentials
From the menu on the left, click University Awards and Grants
Funding appropriation: $200.00
Who may apply:
The Faculty Honorarium program is designed for active faculty members who have presented at regional, national, or international professional or academic conferences or who have published scholarship in a professional or scholarly venue. Faculty applying for this program must have visibly demonstrated their affiliation with University of Phoenix within their presentation, the program, or in their publication.
Faculty scholarship must be unique (faculty cannot receive multiple Honorarium payments if they publish or present the same material at multiple venues) and align to the University of Phoenix's adoption of Boyer's Model of Scholarship: unique contributions to discovery, integration, application, or teaching.
Staff, Full-time, or Part-time members who are also faculty but complete the research and writing or give the presentation as a part of their normal staff duties or during their staff time are not eligible.
How Often You Can Apply?
Faculty may have up to four approved Honoraria per the calendar year.
Exclusions
We do NOT award for items published in journals that are considered predatory or vanity presses. To learn more about these types of publications, please review the articles below before submitting.
Deadlines
Submission to the Faculty Honorarium program must take place no later than 3 months after publication or presentation. Faculty cannot submit for an honorarium payment in advance of their publication or presentation. Faculty must be active with the University at the time the Honorarium is awarded.
How to apply
Go to PhoenixView Faculty
From the top-level menu, click on Faculty Credentials
Click View or Update Your Credentials
From the menu on the left, click University Awards and Grants
Committee on Research (COR)
Researchers interested in conducting research on or with UOPX samples, topics, or data must submit an application to the Committee on Research. COR was established in 2009, and the initial mission has remained the same, however, the application process was recently revised in accord with the growth of the University as an institution engaged in applied and online education research, and to accommodate researchers in a better-aligned and efficient process. Below are some accented areas for those new to the COR process and how this component of the college works. Please take a moment to read through some of these highlighted areas to gain a better understanding of what is required if you are interested in conducting research that utilizes any constituents of the university.
Frequently asked questions
Members: The Committee on Research is led by Chair, Dr. Rodney Luster, Director of Research Communications and Chair of the Center for Leadership Studies and Organizational Research. Committee members include all active University Research Center Chairs and a representative from UOPX legal as needed. Additional internal stakeholders when required, may also asked to provide insight and/or guidance.
Contact: Review the FAQs before emailing. For all other questions regarding COR, email the support inbox at: rodney.luster@phoenix.edu.
In general, UOPX is a subject when we have a targeted sample within our population that matches your study population (e.g., online education undergraduates) or you are examining a research question related to UOPX environments, practices, or classrooms (e.g., how does an online learning tool increase online learning outcomes). We are also interested in research that can contribute insight into to our overall mission and vision.
Sampling sizes differ across research methods and the research methods will guide the needed sampling size. Typically, sample sizes are based on the necessary sample size for your data analysis and we do not assume a 100% response rate. We try to avoid sampling the entire UOPX population that matches your sample in order to reduce oversampling our constituents. The yield as well for such endeavors has proven to be less than adequate so we discourage such requests on the front end. We would however encourage that you work with your site permissions contact to truly identify the sampling parameters that are appropriate and realistic for your study and our constituents.
Conveniences samples are sometimes accepted but keep in mind they are hard to support logistically and raise concerns about generalizability. You must have a clear rationale for selecting UOPX as a sampling site that aligns to your research problem. Although we are a large online university and our constituents are diverse, sometimes a study is more likely to be declined when UOPX becomes the sole data collection site and the sample is not unique to us. In rare cases, a convenience sample might be approved if the research problem and questions have a clear and direct benefit to the University or the study demonstrates exceptional contribution to the field.
An approval from COR demonstrates University of Phoenix’s approval and support of research on the University. It is a prerequisite for most Internal Review Boards’ approval in order to demonstrate site permissions. COR approval must be obtained before data collection or sharing can begin.
Any researcher, internal or external to the University, using the University of Phoenix as a subject (i.e. using UOPX students, faculty, staff, or data) for their research must submit a formal request to the Committee on Research (COR) for approval.
Applications are permissable all year. We encourage all researchers to complete an application as soon as the research questions have been developed and UOPX has been identified as a feasible topic, sampling site, or data source.
If the researcher is internal to UOPX they need to have an accepted COR study plan prior to IRB submission; if external to UOPX it will be at the discretion of the overseeing IRB board for when site permissions need to be submitted.
No, if you are NOT using University of Phoenix students, faculty, staff, or data in your study, you should proceed directly to IRB for study approval.
Secondary data analysis is difficult if you are not staff at the Univerity, due to demands in accessing and cleaning the data. However, there are two options. Review the University Research Centers, identify one that is related to your research area, and contact the center chair. You can also reach out to us at rodney.luster@phoenix.edu. We can discuss your needs and network to find what is available.
Site permissions identify who at the University can access the data or sample that you need to complete your study, and the process in place to be able to complete the data collection. If UOPX personnel who oversee sample or data decline to participate as a research site, or if you are unable to develop a manageable data collection plan, you will need to redesign your study.
In the past, the study plan was part of a two-step process, but, it is no longer required as part of the review process. However, you should aggregate the necessary materials for your study should it be requested by COR or IRB and have it saved where you can access them easily. Such documents will only serve to inform your application.
Good study plan docments to have on hand:
- Your iteration of data collection instruments (e.g., surveys, interview schedule/questionnaire, and so on). If you are requesting existing data, outline the surveys used to collect the data as best you can.
- Any recruitment materials, informed consent forms, study materials, or other materials which support the proposed research
- Letter of support from the personnel at UOPX that will be managing your site permissions during data collection.
In addition, depending on the nature of your project, the following documentation should also be kept on hand:
- If your project requires IRB approval from other institutions or organizations, you may be asked to include their letter of approval or conditional approval.
- For dissertation research, you may be aslkd to submit a letter of support from your dissertation committee chair (if non-UOPX student, a copy of your proposal approval) and QRM approval (Part 2)
- For UOPX employees seeking to publish research that occurred as part of their normal responsibilities, a letter of support from your manager shoud be kept on hand.
Yes, they are not publicly shared and feedback will be returned. However, several internal stakeholders will review each submission.
Processing usualy takes1-3 weeks, depending on staff demands.
You will receive an automated notice at the email address that you provided in your application.
Following COR approval, research should not begin until the University of Phoenix Institutional Review Board (IRB) has approved your study.
Common reasons for denial include mismatch between study needs and UOPX availability, inability to share requested data or gather necessary permissions, concerns about current sampling demands on population of interest, lack of rationale for UOPX or for impact on the literature, the study not being in the best interest of the University, convenience sampling, and a poor/unimproved design.
Poorly designed studies typically result in incomplete applications, poorly written or confusing language, demonstration of a bias and/or uninformed assumptions, a poorly framed topic; omitting important data collection instruments; lack of clear discussion about data privacy and protection; and/or poor alignment within the studies sampling and method design.
If a project is denied by the committee, applicants may still reapply only if recommended by COR based on doable modifications to the application.
Additional details
COR is simply a potential first gate, as IRB may be required. What an approval from COR does do is to provide the researcher with a review and confirmation that the research population or data is available and the research study is aligned with the University and has been approved from this aspect of the process. A fully approved study is dependent on the researcher(s)' ability to submit a competent, quality application for review and can secure the necessary site permissions.
A COR review examines three key aspects of the study:
- Oversampling or research area saturation based on current projects at the University,
- quality and appropriateness of the research questions, and
- the benefit of the study to the University, including alignment to current initiatives and research agendas.
Additional Important Details: COR does not manage data collection. The researcher is responsible for working to secure site permissions and contacting the staff who oversee the necessary population sample or data set, who have the right to choose to decline participation in your study.