one last question about Signature Sheets

[Sally R. Evans]

I've asked this before, and I think I know the answers I'll get, but I thought I'd try one more time, as I keep getting this question from various sources (including my supervisor).

Have any schools (that you're either directly involved with, or that you know of) stopped using Signature Sheets in favor of some method of online approvals of theses and dissertations?

In other words, instead of committee members, deans, etc. having to affix their signatures to a traditional Signature Sheet, they instead sign into a secure site (in Blackboard or Banner or whatever) and click a button that says "I approve this document"?

If so, could you share with me what your school (or the school) is doing, what you're using, and how you got to this point?

If not, would you be willing to share with me answers to the following:

~ If such a method became available, would you use it?

~ If a method IS available, and you've chosen not to use it, why or why not?

I thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer.

Thank you,

Sally

Sally Evans

Coordinator

University Dissertation & Thesis Services

George Mason University

[Jason Skoog]

Hi Sally,

Since this post is a year old, I am not sure if you will see this.   I am researching if we need to generate signature pages.  Faculty submit papers to us rather than students.  If the purpose of the signature is to verify the paper, then maybe it's not necessary in our case.  I don't want to stop collecting signature pages, though, if there is another reason to collect them.  I've had difficulty finding information on this.

Thanks,

Jason Skoog

[Shari Hill Sweet]

In our case, the signatures originally served as the advisor's statement that s/he had seen and approved the final version of the dissertation prior to submission to the Graduate School. We retained printed signed title pages for a few years after we went to ETD-only submissions, and then finally phased those out last year. Now, advisors can review and approve the submission from anywhere they have an internet connection, and it saves everyone involved a great deal of time and effort — the new approval serves the same purpose, we just capture the advisor's unique login and approval date instead of chasing down signed papers. 

Shari Hill Sweet

University of Notre Dame