Prospectus of the Ed. D. in Curriculum and Instruction Delivered in an Executive Format February 28, 2011

Transcription

1 Prospectus of the Ed. D. in Curriculum and Instruction Delivered in an Executive Format February 28, 2011 Table of Contents Pages I. Perspectives 1-2 A. Program Goal B. Recruitment Goal II. Program Admission 2 4 A. Minimum Criteria for Admission B. Administration of Admissions III. Components of Ed. D. Program 4 7 A. Curriculum B. Qualifying Audit Assessment and Preliminary Examination C. Professional Internship D. Record of Study IV. Program Cost and Financial Services 7 A. Cost of Program B. Financial Services for Online Students V. Application Forms 7 I. Perspectives The online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction is a graduate degree offered by the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University. This program has been developed to meet a substantial need for leaders in P-16 public and private education who are accomplished in providing direction in curriculum, instruction and instructional assessment. A. Program Goal: To provide the Doctor of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction as the terminal professional degree for educational leaders serving in various roles in P-16 public and private education. Faculty members providing this program place emphasis on developing educational leadership knowledge and skills by applying the individual s expertise about teaching and learning to enhance organizational leadership and management of instructional programs in schools and other educational organizations. Major themes presented across the college s mission statement, vision, and the goal of this Ed.D. Program are leadership, discovery and application of knowledge. B. Recruitment Goal: To recruit expert mid-career individuals in various educational arenas who have significant teaching experience, who are highly respected by their peers, and who aspire to have leadership roles in one or more of the following domains of practice: leadership and coordination roles in school change and improvement initiatives involving technology integration school or district curriculum leadership professional development of colleagues - 1 -

2 parent and community involvement pre-service teacher preparation contributions to the teaching profession through service to professional organizations, school districts, and state government steering committees successful experiences with external funding efforts organizational management II. Program Admission All applicants must meet minimum entrance requirements as set by Texas A&M University. While satisfying the minimum admission criteria qualifies the applicant to be considered, meeting minimum criteria for admission does not guarantee admission to the program. A departmental admission committee will consider all criteria with emphasis on prior professional experiences that have prepared the individual for professional leadership roles in educational organizations. A. Minimum Criteria for Admission: The following four criteria are considered to be essential for the successful applicant to the online Ed. D. in Curriculum and Instruction program: Minimum of 5 years of successful teaching experience or its equivalent; Earned masters degree; Three professional references attesting to the applicant s teaching expertise, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills; Strong performance in a synchronous interview with departmental admission committee regarding personal assessments of applicant's individual skill levels of self-awareness, selfmanagement, social awareness, and relationship management. In addition, the following will be included as part of the online departmental application: Four writing samples, addressing various educational and instructional issues. These writing samples will be assessed in terms of the organization and clarity of the text and the extent to which the writer addresses the writing prompt. Furthermore, these textual offerings should contain no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Digital curricular/instructional artifact (PowerPoint) created for use in an instructional situation. The presentation should (a) illustrate the curricular content of the lesson and (b) demonstrate an understanding of how to use PowerPoint as an electronic resource to enhance and communicate subject matter. A word document that (a) provides an instructional framework for the PowerPoint presentation and delineates key points in detail and depth, (b) describes the context for use of the materials, and (c) explains whether or not these materials were developed with professional colleagues as a collaborative effort. The following rubric will be used to assess applicant responses to the essay prompts on the departmental application: - 2 -

3 Written Expression - Applicant s presentation of ideas tells others how well she/he understands what is being considered and this presentation serves as a record of her/his thinking. Clearly Exceptional Applicant s written work is presented in a novel, interesting, and original way. Mistakes (spelling, grammatical, reasoning) are non-existent. Applicant expresses positions in novel ways in making compelling arguments and presentations. Very Proficient Applicant s written work is appealing and accurate and creates a positive impression. Presentations are clear, logical, and easily interpreted. Few mistakes (1 miscue/500 words) are evident in applicant s written work. Borderline Proficient Applicant s written work is organized and generally communicates the author s intent in a logical manner with some unclear phrases/statements. Occasional mistakes (2 or 3 miscues in spelling, grammatical, calculations/500 words) occur and the presentations usually lack depth and completeness. Not Sufficiently Proficient Applicant s written work is difficult to understand and it makes a poor impression. Response is characterized by a lack of attention to detail (not attending to format and appearance of paper, not correcting errors (mistakes in spelling, grammar, computations, and citations that are not corrected), incomplete presentation of ideas, and poor organization of thoughts and ideas. Applicant s ideas are often presented as fragmented and incomplete thoughts (sentence fragments). Interview Performance - Scoring Rubric for assessing applicant s participation in formal interview will be as follows: Understanding and using pedagogical ideas in an interpersonal setting This rubric is presented to assess the applicant s use of key concepts and principles in solving educational issues, framing projects, and discussing current issues in education from the frame of reference of her/his professional experiences. Clearly Exceptional Applicant s insights show a high degree of originality and understanding about an educational leader s characteristics that influence curriculum planning, instructional activity development, professional development efforts, and cultural responsiveness. Applicant thinks abstractly with relative ease in discussing educational issues. Very Proficient Applicant communicates how characteristics of educational leaders affect curricular planning, instructional planning, and professional development efforts. Applicant suggests activities and approaches that are different from those typically presented. Borderline Proficient Applicant articulates how developing and accomplishing curricular and instructional planning should occur by educational leaders with different professional and personal characteristics from what they have studied, but not from actual experience. Not Sufficiently Proficient Applicant demonstrates she/he can recognize key concepts, principles, and characteristics when reminded or given cues, yet applicant has difficulty in - 3 -

4 expressing himself or herself in the interview and seems unable to grasp the nature of the question or situation being posed. B. Administration of Admissions: The admission protocols for the online Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction degree will be administered at the departmental level. Formal applications will be submitted electronically to the Coordinator of the Ed.D. Program in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture. Admission will be by cohort and will require an interview and submission of a professional resume, a digital artifact, and four writing samples. Task Deadline for Submitting Electronic Application Phase I of Application Review Completed Applicants selected for Phase II Review (interview) notified and interviews scheduled Phase II Review Completed Applicants Selected for Cohort I Contacted Orientation for Cohort Members via Centra Online Program Courses Begin Date August 1 Mid-September Early October Late October Mid-November Mid-January Spring semester of the academic year The admission process will consist of a two-step process. First, the written application materials will be reviewed and a decision rendered for the applicant by an admissions committee of graduate faculty members about whether to invite the applicant to participate in an interview. Second, assuming a favorable decision by the admissions committee, the applicant will be invited to participate in a synchronous interview with the admissions committee. III. Components of Ed.D Program Key elements of the program (i.e. curriculum, qualifying assessment audit, preliminary examinations, professional internship, record of study, and trial schedule of courses) are listed and briefly described in this section. A. Curriculum: The degree program of the Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction will include a minimum of 64 semester credit hours in the following areas. The following course grids provide required courses for this program. Seminars (3 semester hours-required) EDCI 680 Pro-Seminar in Content Domain of Curriculum and Instruction EDCI 680 Pro-Seminar in Reviewing for Qualifying Assessment EDCI 680 Pro-Seminar in Assessing and Reporting Internship Experience - 4 -

5 Content Specialization, advanced courses in Curriculum and Instruction (15 semester hours-required) EDCI 646 Instruction Theory EDCI 647 Curriculum Theory EDCI 675 Teaching Strategies: Patterns of learning EDCI 628 Analyzing and Reporting Field Based Research EDCI 636 Educator as Researcher Methods of Research (9 semester hours-required) Research Methods, Statistical Analyses, and Data Interpretation. EDCI 627 Teaching and Learning Data Analysis and Uncertainty Concepts EPSY 635 Educational Statistics EDCI 689 Research Design Qualitative Methods Professional development concentration (15 semester hours)-five courses in designing and providing professional development programs for students who choose not to pursue principal certification. EDCI 603 Professional Development Strategies for Teachers EDCI 631 Mentoring the Novice Educator EDCI 676 Evaluation and Implementation of Electronic Learning Materials EDCI 689 EDCI 689 Grant Writing for Professional Development Special Topics Program Evaluation in Curriculum & Instruction Electives (3 semester hours) One course to be selected from the following areas that are offered online: professional development, educational technology, multicultural education, mentoring, reading, or social studies/language emphasis. Professional Internship (6 semester hours-required) Course Prefix & EDCI 684 Professional Internship Record of Study (13 semester hours-required) EDCI 692 Professional Study - 5 -

6 B. Qualifying Status Assessment Audit and Preliminary Examinations: Each Ed.D. student will be required to complete a qualifying status assessment audit at the completion of semester hours of doctoral work. Continuation in the program will depend on the audit report providing evidence the student is making satisfactory progress with minimal end-of-course delays (not exceeding 2 incomplete course grades), maintaining a 3.30 or higher cumulative Grade Point Average, posting all required entries in eportfolio digital document, and providing a preliminary plan for the internship experience during year 3. The chair of the student s advisory committee will report in writing to the Office of Graduate Studies the results of the qualifying status assessment. A positive vote by members of the committee with no more than one dissension will be required for the student to pass the qualifying status assessment. In addition, each student must successfully complete a written preliminary examination prior to admission to candidacy and an oral final defense upon completion of the record of study. Both of these examinations will conform to the requirements of the PhD preliminary examination and final defense. C. Professional Internship: Six semester hours of EDCI 684 Professional Internship will provide supervised application experiences in educational leadership, administration, and mentoring the professional development of public school educators. The internship will provide an opportunity for integration of theory, context, and practice where the candidate gains first hand experiences and deeper understandings of the important role educational leaders play in creating and sustaining high quality learning environments for all students and teachers. Collaboratively planned field based experiences under the guidance of faculty and on-site mentors will provide interns with opportunities to engage in relevant professional work that integrate theoretical foundations of the Executive Ed. D. in Curriculum & Instruction program courses with field practice. This field experience will culminate in an internship report/analytic paper that will be examined in the first semester of the professional study. This analytic paper will provide an opportunity for reflection and critical analysis of the internship and sharing of experiences. Candidates will further clarify their vision for creating and sustaining learning environments that result in high student academic performance. It is hoped the analytic paper of the internship will serve to inform and connect theories, observations, practice, and data collected during the internship regarding how the organizational goals of effectiveness, equity, and efficiency are being served. D. Record of Study: Thirteen (13) semester hours of EDCI 692 Professional Study will be successfully completed by students during the final phase of their programs. It is anticipated the Professional Internship will be aligned with successfully completing the Record of Study. A Record of Study is defined in the Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog as a major research document that may involve such topics as the following: (a) a field study on a problem of major proportions in time or extent; (b) a curriculum development project validated through pilot and field testing; or (c) action research on a curricular, instructional, supervisory, or administrative problem based on empirical data. The Ed.D. student must have primary responsibility for the design and - 6 -

7 development of the research and the Record of Study must be the sole and original work of the candidate. Regardless of the nature of the research projects undertaken by the candidates, they will be required to prepare a record of study that explains and supports the activities undertaken in their projects and support the conclusions with adequate investigations, supporting data, and a comprehensive listing of references (TAMU, 2007, page 164). As a final component of the program, students may be asked to come to the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas, to orally present their Record of Study to their committee and their colleagues. It is anticipated that this will take place in the last semester of the program. VI. Program Cost and Financial Services A. Cost of Program: Information regarding tuition and fee estimates can be found at the following URL: B. Financial Services for Online Students at TAMU: Online Financial Planning resources available to Texas A&M University students can be found at the following URLs: VII. APPLICATION FORMS The TLAC Department application for the Executive Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction is available at the following URL: