EDOC - Doctor of Education

Course Descriptions

EDOC 7000 Doctoral Module (1-3)

This course is designed for instructors to cross-list with the content courses in the doctoral emphasis areas. The course is to be added to a content course in order to ensure academic rigor in the doctoral program. Students will develop academic reading and writing competence in preparation for doctoral level research. The course will ensure that students read extensively, understand the epistemological and ontological assumptions of a theory or empirical research, be able to negotiate for the positionality of their own writing, gain synthetical and analytical competence in reading and writing, lead class discussion with multimodal or digital representations and write succinctly and precisely as a doctoral student. Students who want to register in this course without cross-listing with a content area course will need an approval from the EdD director. The course can be repeated with a different section number. 

EDOC 7001 Doctoral Writing Seminar (3)

This course is for increasing the doctoral students' academic writing competence and to prepare them for dissertation and/or research paper writing. The course will prepare students for reading and writing academic texts extensively. It offers hands-on experience for using research databases, creating in-text citations and references with relevant software and educating students about citation format (APA, MLA or Chicago Style). In this course, logic-of-inquiry or systematic consistency will be emphasized. Doctoral students will read examples of dissertation, dissertation in practice, and/or other doctoral final projects and portfolios, as well as understand the role of the literature review in context. Epistemological and ontological assumptions will be explored. In addition, doctoral students will learn about the skills and strategies for writing a literature review with relevant synthetical and analytical competence. 

EDOC 7002 Quantitative Research Methods (3)

This is a doctoral level quantitative research methods course. The course focuses on identifying the logic-of-inquiry, epistemological and ontological stances of research studies using quantitative methods. Students will learn about human subjects research, obtain the training required by the IRB, read extensively about quantitative studies published in academic research databases, What Works Clearing House and ProQuest. Students are required to be competent in determining sample size, statistical power, generalizability, validity and reliability upon completion of the course. Students will have hands-on experience with SPSS, understand the rationale and logic behind the statistical results and know how to determine if a study yields significant results. 

EDOC 7003 Qualitative Research Methods (3)

This is a doctoral level qualitative research methods course. The course focuses on identifying the logic-of-inquiry, epistemological and ontological stances of research studies using qualitative methods. Students will be able to understand a variety of qualitative research methods, focus on case studies, ethnography, narrative studies and grounded theory research. Students will utilize a variety of data analytical approaches such as narrative analysis and discourse analysis as well as understand the systematicity required for data collection (triangulation) and analysis. Students will develop competence in determining the credibility and trustworthiness of a study. Data collection methods will be explored and Nvivo data analysis will be applied. 

EDOC 7004 Prospectus and Dissertation Writing (3)

This is a one-on-one course between a prospective dissertation chair and a doctoral student. The objective is to prepare the student to write the prospectus, which is the first three chapters of the dissertation, so that the student will be ready to defend the prospectus in the subsequent term. The student should identify the rest of the dissertation committee and obtain comments and feedback from all members regarding their prospectus before the end of the term. IRB approvals for dissertation projects which involve human subjects should be submitted by the end of the term. A final draft of the prospectus should be submitted as the final deliverable for the course. Doctoral students are recommended to work closely with the Writing Center for improving their academic writing quality. Students need to ensure that their writing will not require major editing towards the later stage of dissertation writing. 

EDOC 7005 Research Design for Doctoral Digital Portfolio (DDP) (3)

This course is to prepare doctoral students in designing their Doctoral Digital Portfolio (DDP) with appropriate research methods. Students would have already made the decision to pursue a DDP in lieu of a dissertation. Doctoral students will explore the scholar-practitioner model in Ed.D., and the inquiry of practice that is relevant. Research design that is aligned with the inquiry of practice is examined. Upon taking the quantitative and qualitative research methods courses, doctoral students explored the foundational knowledge regarding the philosophical framing of research studies with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods. Doctoral students will further develop the required skills for using quantitative data analysis software such as SPSS, JASP, and R, as well as qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo, MAXQDA, or Dedoose. Students will submit an IRB draft (if applicable) and a DDP proposal by the end of the course. Prerequisite: EDOC 7001, EDOC 7002, EDOC 7003.

EDOC 7120 Global Histories and Politics in Education (3)

This course is a review of modern educational systems and learning experiences in the U.S. and in different countries. Candidates discuss the ways in which educational systems have been influenced by industrialization, global capitalism and contemporary social movements. The rise of globalization and information economy and their effect on modern education theory as well as educational systems will be viewed as an important backdrop. More recent attempts to reshape schooling in the light of emergent educational philosophies, critical theories and social movements will be explored. Prerequisite: Admission to doctoral program; to be taken the first semester in the program (unless the director of the EdD program grants permission due to unusual circumstances).

EDOC 7130 Transformative Lens in Educational Technologies (3)

This course examines a wide variety of issues related to the roles of information communication technologies (ICTs) in the transformation of learning environments, both physical and virtual. Using a transformative lens, the course reviews technological advancements in education settings, including social media and mobile technologies, and how the digitalization of information poses challenges to educators in the global contexts. It spans critical issues such as local and global tensions around ICT adoption in learning and the design for new learning environments for the information age. Emphasis is on proposing a critical perspective so that students will engage in discourses and rhetorics on media literacy and social media literacy. The course requires students to engage in critical dialogues about the digital divide, intersectionality and critical theories in communication technologies. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDOC 7140 Transformative Leadership in Education: Equity and Ethics (3)

This course focuses on transformative leadership, as well as the proposition and implementation of equitable and ethical values and decisions in educational settings. Students examine ethical theories for understanding, evaluating and developing standards and policies for ethical practice as educational leaders and visionaries. The equitable and ethical policies will be applicable to educational organizations, school districts, school buildings, government and non-government organizations. Students develop ethical and equitable policies and practices for social justice reasons. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDOC 7150 Social Justice and Transformative Learning in Global Education (3)

This seminar is a collection of classical and contemporary theories and philosophies that pertain to social justice, transformative learning and global education. The academic focus of this course is to examine global education issues and theories that transform the lives of learners, as well as the educational system and learning communities. Candidates will study the intersection of theory and practice and its role in pedagogy and social change. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDOC 7500 Service Learning Practicum (3)

This course is a comparative review of modern educational systems and learning experiences in different countries. Candidates discuss the ways in which educational systems have been influenced by industrialization and global capitalism. The rise of globalization and the information economy and their effect on modern educational theory as well as educational systems will be viewed as an important backdrop. More recent attempts to reshape schooling in the light of emergent educational philosophies will also be explored. Students will take this course twice. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDOC 7505 Second Service Learning Internship (3)

EDOC 7505 is designed for students who have taken EDOC 7500 and passed the comprehensive exams. Students will inquire into issues of professional and personal interest within the field and relate service learning to transformative learning. The course may be taken in a group with a shared learning and service experience or as an individualized designed learning and service experience with the approval of the course instructor of record and the director of the EdD.

EDOC 7510 Interdisciplinary Pro-Seminar I (2)

This course will introduce the candidate to the increasingly complex world of educational research; the doctoral process; allow the candidate to refine his/her 'burning question'/dissertation inquiry; begin the annotated bibliography and literature review as foundation for future educational research in preparation for the dissertation document; and develop a first draft of the organization of the dissertation. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDOC 7520 Interdisciplinary Pro-Seminar II (2)

In this course, the candidate will refine the 'burning question' and continue to develop the annotated bibliography. the focus of the second seminar is to write a draft of Chapter 1 of the dissertation. In this course the candidate will continue the doctoral process; refine his/her 'burning question/dissertation inquiry; continue the annotated bibliography and literature review as foundation for future educational research in preparation for the final dissertation document. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDOC 7530 Interdisciplinary Pro-Seminar III (2)

In this course, the student will: (1) review at least 4 (four) types of educational research and apply each to his/her research interest/burning question; develop a rationale for a specific choice of research; (2) continue to perfect the literature review; and (3) write the first draft of the Dissertation Chapter 2: Literature Review. This product will be a living document. The Draft Literature Review may be added to and/or revised until entire dissertation is completed. This will be Key Assessment 4. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDOC 7540 Interdisciplinary Pro-Seminar IV (2)

This course will provide methods to develop the skills to apply inquiry and research to identify and support transformative learning for individuals, organizations, and communities. The student will write the first draft of Chapter 3 of the dissertation, Research Design and Methods. The student will begin to develop a draft of the final chapter of dissertation: Proposed Application to Study to Support Transformational Learning in the Global Community and secure IRB approval for this final project. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program.

EDOC 7901 Doctoral Apprenticeship (3)

The doctoral apprenticeship is for doctoral students to accumulate research, teaching, leadership, and/or service experience in academic and social settings, while working one-on-one with a faculty mentor. The course is facilitated by an instructor, who will assist in pairing up the mentor and mentee. Students in dissertation route are encouraged to work with faculty mentors who will be their dissertation chairs or committee members. Students in doctoral digital portfolio route are encouraged to work with faculty mentors who have similar research interest and professional experiences. The apprenticeship consists of four options: Option One allows the doctoral student to assist a faculty mentor in research and publication; Option Two allows the doctoral student to assist a faculty mentor with conference proposal writing and presentation; Option Three allows the doctoral student to assist a faculty mentor with coursework development; Option Four allows the doctoral student to provide volunteer service at a local community or global location through teleconferencing. The objective is to make the apprenticeship a mutually beneficial experience for both the faculty mentor and the doctoral student. 

EDOC 7902 Comprehensive Exam and Project Proposal (3)

This course is designed for students to complete the comprehensive exam and project proposal. Students who pass the comprehensive exam will make advancement to doctoral candidacy. The comprehensive exam is credit-bearing (3 credits) and it will happen in the Summer; i) for dissertation route: the prospectus defense should happen after the student passes the comprehensive exam and it is non-credit bearing, ii) for doctoral digital portfolio (DDP) route: the proposal should have been submitted in EDOC 7005 and approved by the instructor of this course. This is a CR or NC course. Students who pass the comprehensive exam will earn the credits with CR. Students who fail the comprehensive exam on the second attempt will fail the course with NC. The course creates a streamline process for students to enter the dissertation writing phase or DDP phase in the subsequent term or semester. Students who cannot complete the prospectus defense due to scheduling difficulty can attempt the prospectus defense in the subsequent term or semester. Prerequisite: EDOC 7001, 7002, 7003, and 7004 or 7005.

EDOC 7903 Residency for Online Program (0) 

This is a two-day residency requirement for the online doctoral program. Doctoral students in the online program participate in the first day (or two half-days) in Year One, and the second day (or two half-days) in Year Two. Day One focuses on orientation meetings, virtual campus tour, and rapport building among the faculty, staff, and students at the School of Education. Day Two focuses on the program milestones completion. The residency allows doctoral students to interact with faculty, staff, and peers, as well as peer mentors, at the School of Education. Doctoral students may participate via Zoom. Online doctoral students must complete the residency requirements before graduation.

EDOC 8000 Doctoral Dissertation Research and Writing (1-5)

The student works to complete the doctoral dissertation research and write the dissertation. Candidates may register for 1-5 credit hours at a time per individual need. Candidates are required to complete 10 dissertation research credit hours. Prerequisite: The student must have successfully completed all other doctoral course work, passed comprehensive exams and achieved status of doctoral candidate.

EDOC 8001 Doctoral Digital Portfolio (DDP) I (5) 

This course is part of a two-course sequence, EDOC 8001 and 8002, which offers scholar-practitioners guidance for completing the Doctoral Digital Portfolio (DDP). DDP is a culmination of knowledge on educational theories, research, and applications in the field. The semester-long course offers lectures, seminar discussions, and learning exchange forums. During the semester-long course, doctoral candidates begin their research, data collection (if applicable), and analysis of their DDP projects. Doctoral candidates may choose to complete an individual DDP or group DDP. All DDP topics and methods need to be approved by the instructor. This course is a credit (CR) or no credit (NC) course. Students must have passed the comprehensive exam before taking this course. Prerequisite: EDOC 7005.

EDOC 8002 Doctoral Digital Portfolio (DDP) II (5)

This course is the sequel of EDOC 8001, which offers scholar-practitioners guidance for completing the Doctoral Digital Portfolio (DDP). DDP is a culmination of knowledge on educational theories, research, and applications in the field. The semester-long course offers lectures, seminar discussions, and learning exchange forums. During the semester-long course, doctoral candidates continue on their research, data collection (if applicable), analysis of their DDP projects, and completion of the DDPs. Doctoral candidates may choose to complete an individual DDP or group DDP. All changes in DDP topics and/or methods need to be approved by the instructor. This course is a credit (CR) or no credit (NC) course. Prerequisite: EDOC 8001.

EDOC 8010 Doctoral Project Completion (1)

This doctoral project completion credit (semester long registration) is for students who have completed the ten credit hours of EDOC 8000 or EDOC 8001-8002 sequence and are still making reasonable progress in their dissertation or doctoral digital portfolio. The course will keep the students active in the system and it can be repeated during the seven years' program window. The course will be registered with the dissertation chair or the Ed.D. director. The instructor(s) will assess the student's performance with CR/NC. Prerequisite: The student has completed 10 credits of EDOC 8000 or the two-course EDOC 8001-8002 sequence.

EDOC 8020 Publication of Doctoral Project (0)

EDOC 8020 is a 0-Credit course for the completion and publication of the EdD dissertation. This is to ensure that doctoral students will complete the submission to ProQuest after the Oral Defense. This is a crucial step in the dissertation process and it is mandatory for completing the doctoral degree. This is a pass (CR) or fail (NC) course. The completion will be marked by the EdD director. For the dissertation route, students submit to ProQuest, and for the DDP, students upload their portfolio to an alternative designated repository. This allows the EdD program to be more inclusive, potentially increase graduation rates, and incorporate more elements of student choice.