Online EdD Degree

The course provides an introduction to education administration for doctoral students entering the Doctor of Education - Educational Leadership program who do not have prior academic experience in this area.

In this course students explore their role as a scholar, practitioner, and leader from historical, theoretical, and applications-based content and framework—all within the context of critical reasoning, writing, and research. Students will develop doctoral-level critical analysis, evaluation, and synthesis skills as these apply in leadership practices within their organizations. Competency A: Analyze historical leadership concepts through doctoral-level research. Competency B: Contextualize leadership models through critical thinking. Competency C: Compare and contrast the relationship between leadership theory and the role of a practitioner. Competency D: Evaluate the role of leadership in fostering organizational development. Competency E: Integrate personal experience, scholarly inquiry, and reflexive approaches to learning and development.

This course provides an overview of social science research methodologies and their application in context to the student's degree program. Foundational concepts include the examination and application of theoretical frameworks, critical analysis of scholarly literature and interpretation of data through a theoretical lens. Students also explore quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods and the core elements of an effective research plan. Competencies: Describe how conceptual and theoretical frameworks provide the foundational elements of social science research and inform the interpretation of data and other research findings. Identify the significance of scholarly literature and how gaps in extant literature provide a direction for new research. Summarize the ethical issues of research involving human subjects. Identify and explain quantitative and qualitative research methods and assess their appropriateness for different research problems Assess quantitative and qualitative research studies and discuss the concepts of methodological rigor, credibility, validity and reliability. Evaluate the research topic, research question, and purpose and problem statements for methodological and theoretical alignment. Establish strategies for formulating clear, concise research questions that are methodologically sound, theoretically grounded and researchable.

During this course you will be working on the initial dissertation milestone, the prospectus, which is a formal outline of the research project that outlines information to convey that the research can be completed and will provide meaningful results that contribute to the academic and practitioner communities. The prospectus should be iteratively updated until the beginning of DOC/723 when a Dissertation Chair is assigned to assist with development of the proposal. You may use previous course work when developing Dissertation Phase deliverables.

This class presumes some basic understanding of the foundations and underlying assumptions in the field of qualitative research as well as examples of practice. Building upon this preexisting foundational understanding, the purpose of the class is to enhance students’ understanding and craft through reading, writing, and reflecting on the practice of qualitative inquiry. Specific focus is on the design and development of qualitative research studies. Competency A: Differentiate between the various qualitative designs i.e. phenomenological, case study, ethnographic, grounded theory, and content analysis. Competency B: Evaluate the alignment of the qualitative designs to identified problems. Competency C: Evaluate the components of qualitative data collection and the appropriateness of each approach to an expressed conceptual framework. Competency D: Analyze the limitations of qualitative research and approaches for overcoming research challenges. Competency E: Analyze issues and concerns regarding the concepts of reliability and validity as they relate to qualitative research. Competency F: Address ethical issues that are inherent in qualitative research. Competency G: Develop a research methodology for a study incorporating best practices of the qualitative design chosen.

Doctoral practitioners are resolute in their commitment to identifying, informing, and affecting both individual and organizational change and innovation. Generating actionable interventions requires an extensive investigation of situational factors and a foundational understanding of research methodology. In this course, students explore the foundations of statistics used in quantitative research by actively engaging in processes focused on evaluation, appraisal, and application.

In this course, students analyze the impact of change on the process of instruction and curriculum development. Effective teaching and learning strategies are explored as they relate to the use of technology, motivating faculty, staff, and students, and creating dynamic learning environments. Leading change in learning environments and also counterbalancing resistance to change for faculty, staff, and students are addressed. The importance of fostering faculty development and building professional learning communities are of special focus. Competency A: Examine the frameworks of change, current change theories, historical progression of change models, and influences on change within contemporary organizations Competency B: Analyze strategies that influence data-driven change processes within an educational organization. Competency C: Analyze curriculum structure, articulation, and alignment critically throughout the educational continuum. Competency D: Evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in instructional programs for contemporary organizations. Competency E: Formulate change management plans to improve identified issues within curriculum.

In this course, students examine existing and emerging legal contexts that govern American education systems. Weekly topics provide a progressive exploration of foundational sources of law that impact education--from the Constitution of the United States to landmark legal cases--to affirm the legal rights and responsibilities of educators and students. Other course topics establish a platform to assess the legalities of educational governance and leadership in addition to emerging and contemporary legal issues. Course Competencies: Differentiate the legal aspects that govern the American educational system. Assess the legal implications that influence personnel management in education. Analyze the legalities that regulate the rights and responsibilities of educators and students. Evaluate laws and regulatory processes to address emerging issues and trends in education.

This course deals with the theoretical and practical aspects of research and dissertation development in a practice doctorate context. In this course, students begin to examine relevant industry and academic literature and move toward creation of a robust, cogent review of scholarship aligned with designing Chapter 2 of an applied doctoral dissertation.

The principles and theories of the economics of education are examined. The role that federal, state, and local governments play in the economics of education is explored in-depth. Key topics include budget management, grants, financial aid, expenditures and revenues, and the rising cost of education. Economic policy analysis is a focus in this course. Competency A: Analyze the historical and theoretical foundations of financing education. Competency B: Evaluate sources of revenue and their influence on educational outcomes. Competency C: Distinguish capital and general expenditures of educational institutions. Competency D: Examine the role of ethics in making financial decisions for educational institutions. Competency E: Develop strategic approaches for presenting a budget.

Theories and models of leadership and adult learning are compared and applied to a variety of organizations, cultures, and work environments. The focus is on preparing educational leaders to enhance their leadership skills and styles to promote success in evolving organizations. Competency A: Analyze traditional and contemporary practices of educational leadership. Competency B: Examine the adaptability of theoretical leadership models in a variety of educational settings. Competency C: Analyze leadership strategies to motivate employees during times of organizational change. Competency D: Evaluate educational leadership strategies that align to organizational goals. Competency E: Develop a vision to promote organizational success.

In this course students refine the requisite skills necessary to further their dissertation concept for review and approval. Students expand their work from Second-Year Residency by applying critical analysis to refine the research method, inform the selection of a research design, and to develop a focused literature review. Competencies: Articulate knowledge gaps in a selected field by synthesizing relevant literature in content, theoretical/conceptual framework, and research methodology and design. Define appropriate research methodology and design for a research study. Describe the scope, limitations and delimitations, population, sample, and possible instrument(s) used in a research study. Evaluate the relevance of research studies related to the selected research topic. Synthesize historical and current sources of literature plus theoretical/conceptual and methodological/ design literature relevant to the selected research topic.

This course examines the various models of educational environments available to students today. Discussion topics range from the wealth of options available for P-12 school students to adult learners to alternative learning environments. Specific focus is placed on distance education modalities for learners of all ages. Competency A: Analyze the influences of foundational structures and philosophies in different types of educational institutions. Competency B: Develop a global awareness of educational structures including belief, value systems, and culture. Competency C: Evaluate alternative delivery modalities within educational environments. Competency D: Examine existing educational models to identify possible improvement in educational institutions. Competency E: Determine the impact of emerging issues on the restructuring and reforming of educational institutions

The ethics and values-based decisions that learning organizations are faced with are explored in-depth. Case studies on access, diversity, plagiarism, technology, confidentiality, student-faculty relationships, and harassment are discussed. The roles of value education, codes of conduct, and codes of ethics are debated. Competency A: Compare various ethical theories and their philosophical underpinnings. Competency B: Evaluate the relationship between personal values and professional ethical standards. Competency C: Evaluate factors involved in making ethical decisions in global learning organizations. Competency D: Examine trends of ethical decision making in educational leadership. Competency E: Assess strategies that address ethical issues to improve educational leadership decisions. Competency F: Analyze organizational values in effective learning organizations.

In this course, students will finalize their dissertation proposal. Students receive continued support in assessing and improving their readiness and skill preparation for completion of the dissertation proposal. Additionally, students explore communities of scholarship to engage with scholars in their area of practice and to share their future research.

This course explores the strengths and weaknesses of evaluation and assessment methods utilized in learning organizations. Accreditation issues, outcomes-based assessment, institutional research, and student and faculty evaluation are key topics. The influence of leadership styles on evaluation and assessment methods is also examined. Competency A: Examine the components of assessment and the roles assessments play in learning organizations. Competency B: Evaluate the purpose, strengths, and weaknesses of various assessment methods. Competency C: Analyze the reliability and validity of various assessment methods. Competency D: Interpret assessment results to make leadership decisions. Competency E: Utilize professional standards to align instruction, assessment, and evaluation.

This course serves as the second of two online immersive experiences for University of Phoenix doctoral students. The second covers advanced tenets of doctoral socialization and issues in higher education. Students will focus on currency in their respective disciplines.

In this chair-guided course, doctoral candidates finalize their dissertation as a significant contribution to the body of knowledge. The chair and committee members work with the candidate to complete the dissertation in preparation for University approval, followed by the oral defense. Additionally, this course focuses on engagement in communities of scholarship and practice. Competencies: Articulate strategies for effective dissertation completion. Analyze research data to develop dissertation results. Synthesize study results and relevant, current literature to develop recommendations and conclusions that add to the body of knowledge. Employ engagement strategies for continued discourse in scholarly communities. Synthesize all chapters to create a comprehensive dissertation that contributes to the body of knowledge.