Doctoral Course Descriptions
EDAD 8030 Strategic Leadership for Technology in Education (3-credits)
Students will explore how information technologies can be effectively used in educational
settings and how leaders can support technology integration in schools. Students will
investigate the use of technology to support student-centered teaching and learning
and to support educational planning and evaluation.
EDAD 8035 Theories of Social Capital (3-credits)
This course will focus on the social and political forces within groups and organizations
that shape individual behavior using the lens of Social Capital theory, as espoused
and developed by Pierre Bourdieu, James S. Coleman, and Robert Putnam. The course
will specifically focus on the implications of Social Capital for such issues as:
1) the causes of the racial/ethnic achievement gap, and which school organizational
strategies are more or less likely to reduce the gap, 2) the organization of schooling
for the instruction of English Language Learners and school discipline, and 3) understanding
social interaction dynamics in families, schools and communities. The course is essentially
a readings and discussion course designed to expose students to in-depth research
related to various dimensions of social capital.
EDAD 8050 Leadership: Self Assessment & Self Management (3-credits)
Examine your own beliefs, patterns of behavior, and preferred leadership models. Investigate
your leadership effectiveness and soft skills. Develop / perfect a vision that can
guide an approach to leadership, and begin to explore and develop an ethical and moral
?compass? for decision making. The experience involves discussions, readings, case
studies, use of selected tools for self assessment, analysis, planning, and management.
A major leadership assessment center activity will help each participant formulate
a professional growth plan.
EDAD 8051 Developing & Influencing Education Policy (3-credits)
Use case studies to explore the education policy landscape of contemporary America
on three levels. At the national/international level we will look at the debates,
issues, and efforts to change education policy using case studies that reflect proposals
from differing political and influence groups. At the state level, we will explore
the effectiveness of varied approaches to bring about change in public policy within
the state. At the local level we will again explore ways of changing policy and reforming
education.
EDAD 8054 Human Resources and Teams (3-credits)
This is an advanced doctoral course on human resource development (HRD) in education.
The primary goal is to extend knowledge and experience in four aspects of HRD: (1)
recruiting and selecting quality leaders and teachers, (2) creating/changing the culture/climate
of a school, district, or agency to better support the mission of educating a diverse
student body to successfully live in and contribute to a diverse, pluralistic, and
democratic society, (3) creating and deploying innovative and successful staff support
and development activities, and (4) using participatory methods of development in
education (e.g., participatory action research). Students will study competing theories
of HRD as well as look at theories, models, and case studies of HRD and professional
development in education. Students will learn a range of development activities including
team development, collaboration, conflict resolution, effective communication, effective
feedback systems, and professional development methods. Cases and examples will be
drawn from education, business and industry, and agencies/NGOs with a focus on real
world issues and problems presented by education organizations in the region.
EDAD 8056 Leading Educational Change: Critical Issues (3-credits)
In this course, we will explore both reflective approaches to leadership and the theoretical
foundations that support a mission of social justice. This exploration will include
the question of what constitutes ethical behavior and policy making in American education.
Because all teaching and learning contexts are complex and ill-structured, solutions
to problems must be modified and adapted before they can support and serve the local
context. One of the projects associated with this course is the development of local
knowledge about a school or community.
EDAD 8053 Intro to Quantitative Research (3-credits)
The purpose of this course is to prepare leaders to collect, manipulate, analyze and
interpret data. The students will learn how to interpret and apply the descriptive
and inferential statistics often used in the field of education. The students will
also learn to analyze data using the popular statistical software package SPSS. The
students will apply the techniques and skills they learn in the course by designing
and implementing a mini, empirical research project. These projects will include the
construction and administration of a survey instrument, the statistical analysis of
the collected survey data, and the compilation of a research paper which incorporates
the essential elements of a self-contained research project.
EDAD 8057 Intro to Qualitative Research (3-credits)
This course is designed to provide doctoral students with an introduction to qualitative
research with an emphasis on its uses in educational settings. Qualitative research
is characterized by the study of natural settings (as opposed to controlled or contrived
settings as in experimental research) in which the researcher—the data-gathering instrument—collects
data through forms of observation and/or interview (among other data sources).
EDAD 8055 Advanced Qualitative Research (3-credits)
This course is designed to provide doctoral students with further depth in qualitative
research with an emphasis on its uses in educational settings. As a follow-up to the
introductory course, we will consider theoretical foundations, methodologies, methods,
and writing as they relate to qualitative inquiry.
EDAD 8059 Advanced Quantitative Research (3-credits)
In this course students will become familiar with common quantitative research methodology,
data collection, and data analysis procedures. Emphasis will be placed on interpreting
quantitative dissertations and scholarly research, and how these may be useful to
school practitioners. Additionally, students will be expected to make significant
progress on their dissertation work.
EDAD 8058 Community Relations (3-credits)
What role should school leaders play in community leadership? In what ways should
school leaders endeavor to bring community agencies together to coordinate their work
in order to enhance the quality of life for children and all residents? To what extent
has there been a "disconnect" between what educators and the general public perceive
as the purpose of public education? What strategies can leaders employ to reconnect
schools to the communities they serve? How should leaders shape the mission of the
school given the public's "mixed messages" about its purposes and priorities? This
course will engage students in readings, discussion, and a field-based community project
to answer these questions.
EDAD 8052 & 8152 Professional and Scholarly Communication 1 & 2 (2-credits each)
Develop strong written, spoken, and presentation skills in both professional and scholarly
contexts. This course will support tasks and assignments that are required in other
courses. Master the skills needed to write and present professional and scholarly
personal narratives; write and present scholarly and professional papers (e.g., 5-chapter
dissertations). This course can be repeated.
EDAD 8170 Capstone 1 Experience (1-credit)
EDAD 8171 Capstone 2 Experience (1-credit)
A major focus of the doctoral program in educational leadership involves linking theories,
ideologies, and applied research to professional practice in changing suburbs and
small cities. This course is one of the experiences that focuses on the linking process
and provides students with an opportunity to learn about contemporary problems and
solutions. Doctoral students engage in individual and group projects based on their
applied research and field work (need prior approval of the instructor). Two credits
(part 1 and part 2) are required.
EDAD 8180 Fieldwork (3 cr)
The purpose of this course is to prepare doctoral level education leaders to appreciate
the relationship between theory, research, and leadership practice and be able to
transfer this learning to new problems and situations. Through independently developed
research projects, students will apply the knowledge and practice the fieldwork skills
and strategies that they acquired in previous coursework, including but not limited
to the following: sampling, observation, interviewing, artifact analysis, and data
analysis, interpretation, and display. This course is intended for those students
who have completed their first year of the doctoral program, have identified a research
topic, and are preparing to develop their research plan. This course will provide
students with an opportunity to utilize the introductory research methods learned
in prior coursework.
EDAD 8181 Dissertation Pro-seminar (1-credit)
The primary purpose of this course is dissertation support, ranging from helping doctoral
candidates develop a solid dissertation research agenda and complete the introduction
chapter of the dissertation, to understanding dissertation formatting and APA compliance,
as well as continuing to refine and develop research skills as a practitioner-scholar,
and conceptualize how one will frame and design applied research. This course may
be repeated.
EDAD 8183 Dissertation Seminar (3-credits)
This seminar is designed specifically for advanced doctoral students to coach and
support them in the completion of the dissertation proposal toward advancement to
candidacy. The Seminar is open to doctoral students who have developed a prospectus
for their dissertation and have identified a faculty dissertation adviser who has
made a commitment to serve in that role for the student. Students may enroll in this
seminar more than once.
EDAD 8195 Financial Issues in Education (3-credits)
Financial issues in education now assume a central and crucial stance in the scope
of every school district administrator's responsibility and success. Much can be learned
from examining the principles and problem solving approaches that underlie certain
of today's controversies, in preparation for the continuing challenges that inevitably
will unfold. With the expectation that the doctoral student has an established foundation
in the fundamentals of finance, this class will provide for in-depth study of broad-based
economic issues, as designated by the class and instructor in the first session. Our
focus will be on the processes through which the leader can best address such issues,
beginning with research and analysis, then followed by the development of a response
that is aligned with one's own particular organizational context and theory of action.
EDAD 8200 The History of U.S. Higher Education (3-credits)
The History of U.S. Higher Education explores the history of American higher education.
Two primary themes are examined: 1) the changing relationship between higher education
and the larger social, political, and economic order in which it resides; and 2) the
ways in which higher education has shaped, and been shaped by this complex and historically
contingent web of relationships. Students will develop a historically grounded conception
of the institution, a deeper understanding of the key policies and policy makers that
created it, and a richer map of the ways in which going to college has evolved-and,
in many cases, stayed the same-over the last four hundred years.
EDAD 8210 The Administration of Colleges/University (3-credits)
The Administration of Colleges and Universities addresses the organizational governmental,
administrative, and financial underpinnings of colleges and universities in the United
States. The course examines how colleges and universities emerged as one of the nation's
most respected societal institutions; why decisions are made, and by whom; what challenges
confront institutions and organization; and how colleges and universities can be made
more effective and productive. Students learn about the core governance structures
and processes of postsecondary education institutions, as well as classical and contemporary
theories on higher education governance.
EDAD 8220 The Professoriate (3-credits)
The Professoriate focuses on the structure of the American academic profession with
particular attention concentrating on institutional and disciplinary differences among
college and university faculty. The teaching and research role performance of college
and university faculty as well as the various psychological, sociological, and organizational
forces that shape the performance of these professional roles are also examined. Additional
topics include the assessment of teaching and research activities of college and university
faculty members.
EDAD 8230 The College Student Experience (3-credits)
The College Student Experience studies the college student in contemporary society
with a focus on characteristics of students admitted and retained, the impact of college
on the student, student values, and peer group influence. A theoretical and research-based
understanding of this experience is fundamental to effective leadership and day-to-day
practice in colleges and universities.
EDAD 8240 Financing Higher Education (3-credits)
Financing Higher Education provides an introduction to the economics and finance of
higher education, presents an overview of federal and state policies related to the
funding of colleges and universities, and provides an introduction to finance and
budgeting issues at the institutional level. Current issues such as privatization,
ratio analysis, and federal and institutional financial aid policies are also examined
so that campus administrators are able to understand and appreciate issues of budgeting
and finance.
EDAD 8250 Legal Issues in Higher Education (3-credits)
Legal Issues in Higher Education provides an overview of areas of law that are particularly
relevant to higher education and the leadership of higher education institutions.
This course introduces methods of legal analysis and decision-making so that students
can identify and anticipate legal problems as higher education administrators. Students
will also learn to access court cases, regulations, and statutes to understand the
legal relationships among these various sources of law.
EDAD 8295 Legal Issues in Education (3-credits)
Legal issues in education now assume a central and crucial stance in the scope of
every school district administrator's responsibility and success. Much can be learned
from examining the principles and problem solving approaches that underlie certain
of today's controversies, in preparation for the continuing challenges that inevitably
will unfold. With the expectation that the doctoral student has an established foundation
in the fundamentals of law, this class will provide for in-depth study of broad-based
legal issues, as designated by the class and instructor in the first session. Our
focus will be on the processes through which the leader can best address such issues,
beginning with research and analysis, then followed by the development of a response
that is aligned with one's own particular organizational context and theory of action.
EDAD 8190 Dissertation Supervision (variable credit)
In this course doctoral candidates will explore and then work through the steps in
the process of doing dissertation research on a topic relevant to educational leadership
and approved by the dissertation supervision committee. The process includes selecting
a topic, assuring that the research work meets ethical and professional standards,
preparing a proposal, conducting and writing a literature review, collecting and analyzing
data, developing conclusions and implications, selecting a format for your dissertation
(e.g., traditional 5-chapter empirical, modified 5-chapter qualitative, or an innovative
format such as the three-article dissertation). This course may be repeated as needed.
EDAD 8300 Professional and Scholarly Communication: Writing the Literature Review
(3-credits)
This course is designed specifically for advanced doctoral students to support them
in the completion of an integrative review of the literature on a proposed dissertation
topic and research question.
