EDD-THD   Thesis DefenseCredits: None   

Term Offered: All Terms

Course Type(s): None

Education Doctorate Thesis Defense

EDD-702   Adult Development and Transformative LearningCredits: 3   

Course Type(s): None

Analyzes the foundational learning theories, adult development, and transformative learning for school administrators. It examines the techniques of motivation, methodology, and evaluation in adult learning. An emphasis on social justice and advocacy for transformative learning will also be incorporated in the pedagogical structure of the course. The course further examines the transformative learning process for adults considering the socio-political, cultural, school and other factors. These influential paradigm shifts in adult learning include barriers to and motivation for transformative learning. Designed to contribute to the professional development of those individuals who work with adults and young adults in a variety of educational contexts, in either instructional or leadership capacities.

EDD-706   Learning Through Experience: Individuals and OrganizationsCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Summer Term

Course Type(s): None

The purpose of this course is to explore the nature of experiential learning processes in promoting change and growth in both professionals and the professions. The research literature associated with experiential learning will be used to explore the nature of experiential learning, where it occurs, how we experience it, how we think about it, and how we can use the environment to enhance it. Course content includes 1) readings related to action in the professionals, such as improvement science, network improvement communities, action research, and participatory action research; 2) a survey of topics associated with the thinking processes associated with active approaches to learning, such as reflection, design thinking, creativity, innovation, and semiotics. Activities and assignments will include group discussions, individual and group presentations, action research, and classroom observation and analysis.

EDD-710   Leadership, Diversity and EquityCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Spring Term

Course Type(s): None

American and international institutions of education continue to face the challenge of promoting access and equity for a diverse educational community of stakeholders. The increase in diversity throughout the world requires educational leaders to explore and understand the issues and learn how to advance diversity and equity. Race and ethnicity, social class, and gender will serve as initial topics for the course. Students will learn how their local, national and international colleagues have struggled (and succeeded or not succeeded) in advancing equity and inclusion. Students also will be given an opportunity to explore other dimensions of diversity. Class discussions will center on current and world situations regarding educating a diverse population, and the efforts aimed at improving equity throughout the world.

EDD-712   International Leadership ModelsCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Spring Term

Course Type(s): None

Compares leadership practices in different parts of the world by comparing the performance of different countries. Doctoral candidates will compare and contrast the characteristics of successful leadership models and if those concepts are transferable to areas of leadership.

EDD-714   Leadership and ChangeCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Summer Term

Course Type(s): None

Addresses leadership during the change process with a focus on building a climate for innovation and change while developing critical skills related to leading and managing a learning organization through change. Practical approaches to decision-making, authority, power and influence, school culture, communication, problem solving and dilemma management will be addressed. Management of personnel and facilities will also be covered. This course addresses the 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (6-8; 10) and the 2011 ELCC Standards (1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 3.4, and 4.1). This course will engage students in applying fundamental leadership and management knowledge and skills which will support and enhance their Transformative Leadership Project. Students will discuss and analyze a broad range of "real world" problems and dilemmas using current case studies, in basket challenges, and information from the students' individual schools/districts.

EDD-716   Practicum in Executive LeadershipCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Summer Term

Course Type(s): None

Issues, principles, and responsibilities of the executive leader at the district level are the focus of this course. Using the 2011 ELCC Standards, ISLLC Standards and the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders as a guide, this course will explore the practical applications of contemporary principles of educational leadership and further development of the candidates Transformative Leadership Project through a 150-hour internship course. If completed at the building level, the hours will be applied toward the Principal certification and will require EDD-717 to complete the 300 hours. If completed at the district level, the hours will be applied toward the full 150-hour school administrator certification.

EDD-717   Internship for School Leadership P-12Credits: 1   

Term Offered: Summer Term

Course Type(s): OL

This course is designed to occur over one semester and culminate in the accruing of 150 internship hours out of the required 300 internship hours required for certification. These hours must be done under the guidance of a building principal and involve the day-to-day responsibilities and activities of building principal. The first 150 hours may be done in the candidates own building. The second 150 hours must be done in a diverse school setting different from the candidates previous setting (different grade configuration). Candidates will provide weekly logs and reflections. This class is only for those candidates seeking a principal endorsement.

EDD-718   Internship for District Level Leadership, P-12Credits: 1   

Prerequisite(s): EDD-716 and EDD-717

Term Offered: All Terms

Course Type(s): OL

The course is designed to occur over 1 semester and culminate in the accruing of 150 internship hours required for certification. These hours must be done under the guidance of a district level administrator holding a school administrator certificate and involve the day-to-day responsibilities and activities of a Superintendent. Candidates will provide weekly logs and reflections.

EDD-720   Contemporary Issues in EducationCredits: 3   

Term Offered: All Terms

Course Type(s): None

Designed to extend the doctoral learner's' understanding of contemporary issues in education. Learners will examine current and emerging issues in education as well as trending topics impacting teaching, leadership and learning. Learners will analyze the following topics: a) inclusion of diverse learners in American schools; b) demographic shifts; c) poverty and affluence; d) globalization; e) technology and social media; f) data-based decision making; and g) recent research on student achievement with specific emphasis on subgroup performance.

EDD-721   Education Law and Policy P-12Credits: 3   

Course Type(s): None

Provides legal foundations of U.S. public schools (Federal and State) examines general principles of statutory and case law and applies judicial decisions to educational environments. This course will examine many current legal policy issues in local and national elementary and secondary education, including school finance litigation; school discipline and the rise of "Zero Tolerance" policies (Casella 2003); bullying prevention and intervention; cyber-bulling; LGBT bias; educator evaluation systems; and special education; in addition to other topics that may arise during the course. Students will be able to use current education law and legal precedents to make effective educational leadership decisions in the areas of student's rights, academic freedom, religion and education, discipline, discrimination, negotiations and special education. This course is designed to provide current and future school leaders with the knowledge and skills they will need to make sound decisions, advance important educational objectives, and minimize legal problems.

EDD-722   Leading Digital Learning and Innovation in Education: Empowered Learners and OrganizationsCredits: 3   

Term Offered: All Terms

Course Type(s): None

Investigates and analyzes the theories of disruptive innovation in leading continuous school transformation. Additionally, this course will enable students to practice systemic solution, evaluation, design and development associated with integrating emerging innovations in education. The research literature associated with digital learning will be used to explore the nature of digital learning, where it occurs, how we experience it, how we think about it, and how we can use digital tools to enhance learning. Course content includes 1) readings related to action in the profession, such as disruptive innovation, leading change in self-organized networks, action research, and participatory action research; and 2) a survey of topics associated with the thinking process associated with active approaches to learning, such as reflection, design thinking, creativity, and school innovation. Activities and assignments will include group discussions, individual and group presentations, action research, and classroom observation and analysis.

EDD-724   Organizational Leadership Theory and ResearchCredits: 3   

Course Type(s): None

Organizational Leadership Theory and Research in education will examine the study, practice, and theory of educational leadership by exploring organizational change theories and analyzing tools necessary for leading system wide change. Students will explore systems within organizations that promote or hinder the change process. With this course, students will enhance their understanding of educational organizations and construct an organizational change project within his/her own school or district.

EDD-750   Advanced Program AnalysisCredits: 3   

Course Type(s): None

This course examines the key concepts, methods, and approaches in the field of evaluation research, and program development. It is designed to be taken in conjunction with Transformative Leadership Dissertation for doctoral students and will support the candidate's plan development. Students will be exposed to the basic principles and best practices in educational program evaluation as well as the process of using evaluations and data driven assessment, that is unique to their district, to make decisions on the implementation of new programs or on the continuation of existing programs. Some statistical analysis, combined with a comprehensive range of activities involved in designing and implementing educational programs will be the primary focus of the course. This course will also present students with the larger political, administrative, and financial issues that occur in program evaluation.

EDD-752   Advanced Quantitative ResearchCredits: 3   

Course Type(s): None

Introduces educational leaders to concepts in quantitative research in preparation for conducting independent research. There is a focus on critically understanding quantitative research methodology and the ability to apply it appropriately to various education issues. In addition, students will become familiar with the statistical program SPSS, as well as, how statistics can be utilized to address relevant educational issues.

EDD-754   Leadership and AssessmentCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Fall Term

Course Type(s): None

Designed to focus on student achievement and service to diverse student populations, implementation of the Standards, research-based pedagogical innovations, and successful use of summative and formative assessment measures. Current models used to assess students' learning will be examined, including the use of performance criteria. Students will develop instruction and development plans to be implemented in their own organizational settings. These plans must show the alignment of instruction and assessment to student learning outcomes.

EDD-756   Advanced Qualitative ResearchCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Spring Term

Course Type(s): None

Designed to provide a general understanding of qualitative research methods and issues related to the design and conduct of qualitative studies. The course emphasizes experiential learning. You will have opportunities, both in class/lab and outside class, to learn by doing. Throughout the course you will be asked to reflect on what you are learning; this reflection on the practice of research will enhance your capacity to read, evaluate, design, and conduct qualitative studies. If you wish to pursue qualitative research projects, this course will provide you with the basic knowledge and skills you will need, but it is not a substitute for extensive reading and thinking about specific methods and their use, and additional learning through courses and supervised research experiences. The general aim of the course is to facilitate understandings of the following questions: 1. What is qualitative research? 2. What constitutes quality qualitative research? 3. What are the various tools/methods of a qualitative researcher? 4. What are the critical components of a qualitative research proposal?

EDD-760   Dynamic Leadership in Higher EducationCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Spring Term

Course Type(s): None

This course is intended to give you an understanding of the various theories that inform leadership education and practice in colleges and universities. In this course, you are invited to see leadership as discipline that transcends functional area, serving as a framework to lead and guide within higher education and beyond. As a participant in this class, you are asked to not only look at the leadership theories presented in class to formulate your approach as an educator, but also how you see these theories inform the ways in which you move and engage with the world around you.

EDD-762   Governance in Higher EducationCredits: 3   

Term Offered: All Terms

Course Type(s): None

This course is planned for current and prospective higher education faculty, staff and administrators who seek to learn more about America's comprehensive higher education institutions and their role in the post-secondary knowledge industry. The course topics this semester will deal with the several major issues/topics that are critically important to higher education institutions. Institutes of higher education offer vast new opportunities in leadership. By engaging in intensive research, interactive discussions, continuous reading and writing, and creating new digital platforms for students and faculty, the participants in this course will develop the skills necessary to redefine the first steps of tertiary education in the twenty-first century.

EDD-764   Higher Education Law and PolicyCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Fall Term

Course Type(s): None

This course examines legal issues relevant to American colleges and universities to provide students with the fundamental knowledge of higher education law for administrators. The law provides for a supporting role to the overall mission of a college or university, and without its adherence, the mission may be negatively affected, if not unaccomplished. EDD-764 Higher Education Law and Policy provides students with an overview of the major aspects of the legal environment that specifically impact institutions of higher education. Institutions of higher education are affected by laws that range from privacy and reporting to admissions and financial aid practices. This course offers students an opportunity to use legal resources, to learn strategies for addressing these legal requirements and for staying abreast of emerging legal concerns in higher education. Topics include the legal governance of higher education, academic freedom, affirmative action, and legal issues pertinent to faculty and students.

EDD-766   Higher Education in the United StatesCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Summer Term

Course Type(s): None

This course is designed to help you think about colleges and universities and the historical and social forces that have affected their development in the United States. Since education is an issue we often think about in personal terms, especially higher education, the course is intended to use our own knowledge and insights as a starting point, and to expand upon our reasoning skills as we study these issues historically. We will do this by reading, discussing and thinking about colleges and universities and the students that attended them in the past. Through this, the aim of this course is to provide everyone with a sound framework for using historical analysis to interpret problems in higher education, and in the development of American society. In the course of doing this you will be asked to offer evidence of your learning, particularly with regard to your historical reasoning abilities. You will do this through discussion of readings, in class presentations and exploration of key issues, and through your written work. It is critical, in that case, that you attend every class, complete assigned readings on schedule, and submit written work when expected.

EDD-768   Higher Education FinanceCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Spring Term

Course Type(s): None

The purpose of this course is to understand the concepts related to Higher Education Finance and it's impact upon the Higher Education system in the United States. The course will provide an introductory examination of financial, economic, and budgetary issues within higher education. Focusing on not-for-profit postsecondary schools, students will review the primary political, economic, and social issues influencing higher education finance, examine revenue streams and expenditure patterns, survey tuition and financial aid policies, develop the ability to examine and analyze financial information, and assess the budget as an instrument of strategic planning, resource allocation, and control. The course is grounded in literature, theories, and examples specific to higher education. The goal is to provide students with the knowledge and abilities that empower them to make appropriate decisions as higher education leaders. Course Goals: This course aims at a working understanding of the economics of higher education finance. Thus, students at the end of the course should be able to: 1) Understand key economic concepts bearing on higher education finance in the United States and abroad; 2) Understand the logic of financial decisions in higher education; and 3) Apply such concepts and logic to various finance projects of their choosing.

EDD-799   Independent Study Education (DOC)Credits: 3   

Term Offered: All Terms

Course Type(s): None

Independent Study in Education Doctorate Level. Prior permission of the directing professor and department chair is required to take this course.

EDD-801   Research DesignCredits: 3   

Term Offered: All Terms

Course Type(s): None

Focus will be on the development of a theme for the student's transformative leadership project. The Transformative Leadership Project provides opportunities for doctoral candidates to engage in leadership-related, authentic, action-research experiences in approved settings. Balancing theory with practice, working under the mentorship of an Ed Leadership Professor in collaboration with a superintendent or assistant superintendent, candidates will be immersed in the realities of practice and hone their research skills while solving relevant, school-based challenges. After a detailed needs assessment, the students will be required to decide on one program in their school district that needs to be improved. Doctoral candidates will utilize the design process in order to identify an organizational challenge, create a solution, implement, measure, and redesign as appropriate. Sessions will encompass a blended learning model where candidates will have the opportunity for face to face experiences with peers as well as virtual sessions and ongoing support. Learning activities are experiential and research driven, reflect the School of Education's Conceptual Framework, and are linked to the leadership paradigm advocated by the 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (Standards 1-10) and 2011 ELCC Standards (1-7). In addition to guiding students through an action research project, this course will address theoretical, philosophical, and epistemological questions around action research. We will discuss the tradeoff's that come with action research compared to more traditional research-how can insider status better inform research, and what might we lose compared to traditional research methods? How can the actions research framework better solve organizational problems, and on the other hand what insights may be lost by focusing on a single organization's questions or problems? This seminar will meet once a month for the fall and spring semesters. In addition to being a research design class, the class will also guide students through the actions research process that they can employ in other research, as well.

EDD-802   Writing for Professional PublicationCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Summer Term

Course Type(s): None

The Transformative Leadership project classes provide opportunities for doctoral candidates to engage in leadership-related, authentic, action-research experiences in approved settings. Balancing theory with practice, working under the mentorship of an Ed Leadership Professor and in collaboration with a superintendent or assistant superintendent, candidates will be immersed in the realities of practice and hone their research skills while solving relevant, school-based challenges. Doctoral candidates will utilize the design process in order to identify an organizational challenge, create a solution, implement, measure, and redesign as appropriate. Sessions will encompass a blended learning model where candidates will have the opportunity for face to face experiences with peers as well as virtual sessions and ongoing support. Learning activities are experiential and research driven, reflect the School of Education's Conceptual Framework, and are linked to the leadership paradigm advocated by the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (formerly ISLLC). This course is designed to introduce doctoral students to the professional publication process. Students will engage in two major activities during the course: 1) learning how to organize a dissertation to fulfill the program requirements for the transformative learning project and 2) to write an article for professional publication. To meet the first requirement, you will revise your three-chapter project proposal created during EDD-801 Research Design, make a formal project proposal for the second year of the program to your dissertation committee, and learn how to write chapters 4 and 5 of the dissertation. To meet the second requirement, you will become familiar with editorial policies of relevant periodicals, identify various professional publication outlets, and review manuscripts using professional editorial criteria. The course will culminate in a finished manuscript submitted for publication.

EDD-803   Design-Based ResearchCredits: 3   

Term Offered: Fall Term

Course Type(s): None

The Transformative Leadership project classes provide opportunities for doctorial candidates to engage in leadership-related, authentic, action-research experiences in approved settings. Balancing theory with practice, working under the mentorship of an Ed Leadership Professor and in collaboration with a superintendent or assistant superintendent, candidates will be immersed in the realities of practice and hone their research skills while solving relevant, school-based challenges. Doctoral candidates will utilize the design process in order to identify an organizational challenge, create a solution, implement, measure, and redesign as appropriate. This course has two main purposes. First, it introduces students to different design-based research methods in educational research. Second, it provides students with an intensive experience in carrying out their own design-based research studies. Through a combination of readings, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, site visits and class exercises, students will be introduced to the issues and practices associated with design-based research and how different researchers engage in this kind of work. By learning about the work of different researchers, students will also be introduced to distinct forms of design-based research in education. In their transformative learning project, students will apply what they have learned to the design and conduct of their own design-based research studies. Design-bases research is a research approach that systematically investigates teaching, learning and/or training phenomena through multiple cycles of design, development, evaluation and implementation of educational interventions (which may consist of curriculum/training interventions, systemic school programs, informal or formal teaching-learning strategies and materials, technology-based products and systems, etc.). This course will examine the history of this research approach along with related current literature, commentary and research. This form of inquiry necessarily involves foundational features of design practice as well as quantitative and qualitative research as appropriate. This course is not a substitute for coursework on quantitative or qualitative methods. It is actually intended to complement such courses. The purposes a scholar intends to achieve determine the appropriate form of inquiry.

EDD-804   Analyzing and Interpreting DataCredits: 1-3   

Prerequisite(s): EDD-801, EDD-802, and EDD-803

Term Offered: All Terms

Course Type(s): None

The Transformative Leadership project classes provide opportunities for doctoral candidates to engage in leadership-related, authentic, action-research experiences in approved settings. Balancing theory with practice, working under the mentorship of an Ed Leadership Professor and in collaboration with a superintendent or assistant superintendent, candidates will be immersed in the realities of practice and hone their research skills while solving relevant, school-based challenges. Doctoral candidates will utilize the design process in order to identify an organizational challenge, create a solution, implement, measure, and redesign as appropriate. Sessions will encompass a blended learning model where candidates will have the opportunity for face-to-face experiences with peers as well as virtual sessions and ongoing support. Learning activities are experiential and research driven, reflect the School of Education's Conceptual Framework, and are linked to the leadership paradigm advocated by the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (formerly ISLLC). This course is designed to immerse doctoral students in the analysis of interpretation of data. You will engage in the examination of data reflected to your transformative learning project. During the course, you will present and explain your research findings, outline chapters 4 and 5 of your dissertation, and write a preliminary and then final draft for chapters 4 and 5 of your dissertation. You will also give a PowerPoint presentation of your defense in preparation for your oral dissertation defense. The primary outcome of the course will be the completion of chapters 4 and 5 of your dissertation.

EDD-899   Independent Study in Education 800 Level DoctorateCredits: 3   

Course Type(s): None

Independent Study in Education (800 level) Doctorate. Prior permission of the directing professor and department chair is required to take this course.