Welcome course message to students in the University of Liverpool / Laureate DBA Programme.

1. DBA Student Welcome Note
Andreas Meiszner, PhD

2. A warm welcome and independently where
we might meet in the DBA Programme!!!

3. In the Core Modules
In the Core Modules I am looking forward in providing you with:
• Guidance, facilitation, and where needed (re-)direction along your Core
Module journey.
• Support and encouragement in using Critical Action Learning and Action
Research using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods.

4. The two learning dimensions of a module
Through the Core Modules I attempt to provide you with guidance, facilitation,
and other type of support requests that you might have within one of the two
dimensions of each of the Core Modules:
• Dimension One: the subject matter of the module.
• Dimension Two: to develop a doctoral skillset and with support of the Critical
Action Learning and Action Research process.

5. Dimension One – The subject matter
This is perhaps the more well known dimension, and:
• In the module syllabus you will be finding all important information such as
module learning outcomes, module resources, an assignment overview and
schedule, grading criteria and university policies.
• I thus like to encourage you to make sure that you have read the module
syllabus.

6. Dimension Two – The doctoral skillset (1 / 4)
• Doctoral-level thinking and research skills that are to be trained alongside the core
modules include inter-alia identifying, seeing through and articulating a research
problem, a research question, or hypotheses; searching for relevant literature, to
evaluate, assess and analyze what stands in the literature; critically and logically
evaluate the validity of research outcomes presented in the literature and based upon
the evidence provided in it; to use the literature to define, identify and/or apply
conceptual frameworks; to understand how the literature relates to your research
problem, research question, or hypotheses; research design and execution, including
possible methods and methodologies for data collection, analysis and evaluations; data
collection and sampling techniques, analysis and evaluation of research outcomes and
to derive conclusions from it; or presenting and communicating your work, and
techniques to discuss or defend it – to just name a few core skills.
• Beside such skills other doctoral level skills that might be trained along the side likely
include things like to understand what is relevant and what not, and to let go of not
relevant things; to establish and comply to boundaries; to handle self-doubt, anxiety,
and feelings of being overwhelmed; to overcome frustrations and feelings of not being
capable to perform as expected, understand and overcome procrastination, and alikes.

7. Dimension Two – The doctoral skillset (2 / 4)
• Doctoral-level thinking and research skills
will be trained alongside the entire DBA journey
starting in the Core Modules up till
the final thesis and the viva, and you can expect
to be pushed to the boundary.
Image source: "Piled Higher and Deeper"
by Jorge Cham, ww.phdcomics.com

8. Dimension Two – The doctoral skillset (3 / 4)
• … and in this continuing DBA journey in the next ten weeks ahead I like to support you
in pushing at this boundary.
Image source: "The Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.” by http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/
Your research
contributions
Reading research papers
will take you to the edge
of human knowledge.
Once you're at the boundary,
you will start to focus and push
at the boundary for some time.
Until one day the boundary
gives way. And, that dent that
you've made is your doctorate.

9. Dimension Two – The doctoral skillset (4 / 4)
• If you are still more in the early stage of Doctoral-level thinking and research skills, be
welcome to use this module as a safe sandbox environment.
• If you are already at the more advanced stage of Doctoral-level thinking and research
skills, be welcome to use this module so to experiment and tinker with the respective
skills that you want to develop further.
• But independently of the two, please
do not forget the bigger picture.
• And understand that this will be only ten
weeks of training for something bigger.
• Thus be realistic of what you would want to
achieve and get out in the next ten weeks.
• And keep pushing!
Your research
contributions
Image source: "The Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.” by http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/

10. With this:
Continued good learning!
Andreas