Course Syllabus

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ORG892: Action Research Project Preparation 

Instructor & Contact Information

The People tab in Canvas provides information on the course instructor and you can  send a message to your instructor following these instructions. Faculty are expected to: 1) grade and return assignments, with feedback, within 7 days from the date of submission; 2) reply to your Canvas messages within 72 hours; 3) reply several times each week in total in the discussion forums (not to each individual student); and 4) demonstrate the core values of City Vision University.

Course Description

Candidates start their project to make an original contribution to their professional field. This is the second of three culminating courses in the Doctor of Organizational Leadership and Innovation program, where the candidate works under the supervision of their chair to draft, develop, and refine their doctoral project. This course builds upon work they have previously done, including their proposal, their literature review, their completion plan, and substantial writing to date. Throughout this course, candidates meet set progress milestones, ranging from 50% to 90% completion of their doctoral project. Students complete this course by submitting a fully refined rough draft of their doctoral project.

Prerequisites: ORG891

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, you will be able to:

    1. Demonstrate consistent progress on the Doctoral Project by meeting key milestones set by the Chair.
    2. Integrate feedback from the Chair to refine and strengthen the content and structure of the Doctoral Project.
    3. Formulate research, analysis, and revisions to refine the Doctoral Project to at least 80% completion.
    4. Assemble all major parts of the Doctoral Project into a substantial draft (90% complete) that meets program expectations.

Degree Program Outcomes

This course supports the following program outcomes, marked with an (I) for Introduce, (D) for Develop and an (M) for Mastery.

  1. Research methods. Apply action research methods to practical research topics in the field. (D)
  2. Diffusion of Innovation. Utilize technology and relational networking to help diffuse innovations within a community of practice. (D)
  3. Values Alignment. To develop a theological vision and to align your organization's strategy, culture and systems with that vision to avoid secularization and mission drift. (D)
  4. Strategy. To develop a synthesis to integrate a wide range of business skills into a strategic plan for starting or growing an organization. (D)
  5. Social Entrepreneurship. Develop strategies and plans to effectively use technology and innovation to achieve organizational goals. (D) 
  6. Action Research Project. Synthesize action research with theory and practice to solve a practical challenge facing your organization and/or the larger field. (D)

Concentration Outcomes

  • 7a. Executive Leadership & Fundraising. Develop and implement plans to grow an organization in its impact, financial health, and relational health (D)
  • 7b. Nonprofit Program Leadership & Social Entrepreneurship. Improve the effectiveness of nonprofit programs by implementing best practices (D)
  • 7c. Education Leadership and Innovation. Apply disruptive and continuous innovation principles to designing courses and programs to provide radically affordable and practical online education (D)
  • 7d. Organizational Culture and Change Management. Develop and implement plans to improve organizational health and adapt to change (D)
  • 7e. Trauma-Informed Counseling Management. Develop and implement plans to establish a trauma-informed culture of health throughout an organization (D)

Broad Institutional Outcomes

  • I1. Knowledge (Head). Apply a wide range of tools to help solve society’s great problems by shifting from a single lens/tool/discipline to a multiple lens, multifaceted Biblical understanding of reality. (D)
  • I2. Skills (Hands). Develop the skills you need for the next position in your development as a leader by shifting from mastery & understanding of a division in an organization to a comprehensive systemic mastery/understanding needed to lead across the organization. (D)
  • I3. Attitudes/Character (Heart). Develop the character and discipline needed to step into greater leadership roles by losing the bias of your old position to gain a broader perspective and intellectual humility needed to accelerate your commitment to lifelong learning. (D)

Required Texts

Students are required to purchase these texts before the first day of classes. 

  • There are no required textbooks for this course.

Guidelines for Written Work

All written work must follow our Writing Format and Forum Requirements. You must read these to understand how to cite sources appropriately.

Critical Policies to Read for This Course

Note: These policies are critical for all students to read. In case of change, we have linked to the versions on our website to make sure you have the latest version.

Additional Policies:

This syllabus is subject to change without notice up until the first day of the semester. Last updated: November 25, 2025

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due