Old Dominion University Department of Educational Foundations & Leadership Higher Education Program Comprehensive Exam

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1 Old Dominion University Department of Educational Foundations & Leadership Higher Education Program Comprehensive Exam The comprehensive examination is designed to allow students to synthesize and apply the information and skills learned and discussed in coursework throughout the program of study. The case study format of the examination encourages students to apply what they have learned in coursework to a real-world situation. Your response should be based on assigned course readings, as well as literature from your own self-directed research on a course-related paper, project, or presentation. The exam may be written anywhere. Students are permitted the use of any materials in writing their responses. The responses should not include work previously submitted for academic credit. All exam work is to be done individually. Students may not receive any assistance regarding content or editing during the exam period. Format Papers should be prepared according to the APA style manual (6th edition), including cover page, in-text citations, pagination, headings, and reference list. An abstract and list of keywords are not required. Papers should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and use 12-point Times New Roman. Cover page, references, tables, and figures are not included in the page limit. All papers should be clear, succinct, free of grammatical mistakes, and free of jargon and genderbiased language. Proofread all written work and always cite your sources. Put the last three digits of your UIN in the lower right-hand corner of every page. Do not put your name on any page of the exam. Ph.D. students should use a separate title page and reference page(s) for the essay and research proposal respectively. Submitting Exam Essays Responses must be submitted via no later than Monday, May 18, 2015 at noon. Submit all responses to Dawn Hall at dhall@odu.edu Oral Defense (Ph.D. only) Students who pass the written component will be contacted about a time to schedule a 20-minute oral defense on Monday, June 22, All students should make arrangements now to ensure all potential scheduling conflicts are minimized.

2 Exam Evaluation A grade of pass or fail will be awarded. Criteria the faculty will use to evaluate your exam are: 1. Answers the questions asked: Addresses all parts of all questions comprehensively. 2. Strength of argument and analysis: Takes clear position, using a strong, independent voice to effectively organize and synthesize evidence to develop a coherent analysis/argument. 3. Knowledge of core literature: Demonstrates in-depth understanding of core literature from all/most coursework. 4. Integration of scholarly literature: Demonstrates skillful integration of high-quality, credible, relevant literature; entire analysis synthesizes multiple sources in support of ideas. 5. APA: Follows APA 6 guidelines for cover page, in-text citations, quotations, reference list; clear and concise writing style; free of errors in syntax and grammar. The response will be reviewed by one faculty member. If the exam is deemed acceptable, a grade of pass will be awarded. However, if the exam is deemed not acceptable by the first reviewer, a second faculty member will review the exam. If both reviewers deem the exam not acceptable, a grade of fail will be awarded. If there is disagreement between the first and second reviewers, a third faculty member will serve as a tie breaker. Exam Results Exam results will be made known approximately 3-5 weeks after the exams are submitted.

3 Higher Education Program Comprehensive Exam The Provost has invited you to participate in the steering committee for the institution s strategic planning process. At the inaugural committee meeting, the Provost provides handouts about several trends that the new strategic plan must address (see Appendix A). The Provost invites you to select one trend and propose one new policy or initiative for consideration. Choose one of the trends outlined in Appendix A, then select one actual U.S. higher education institution to use as a case example in your essay. To ensure anonymity, do not select an institution where you are currently employed or any institution that you have a known affiliation. Use the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) College Navigator ( to view statistics and trends on demographics, selectivity, full/part time status, tuition, financial aid, cost, enrollment, admissions, transfer rates, graduation rates, default rates, etc. from the specific institution that you select. You have been asked by the Provost of your institution to develop an 8-10 page report about one trend and propose one new policy or initiative for consideration. The Provost has asked you to: 1. Identify the trend you selected, then briefly provide relevant context and background. 2. Specify how this trend affects the sector of postsecondary education (i.e., research universities, comprehensive universities, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, minority serving institutions, or corporate and/or institutional training programs) in which the institution you selected is classified. 3. Propose one policy or initiative that you think is necessary for the institution you selected to respond to the short- and long-term implications of the trend in the years ahead. 4. Anticipate the arguments for and against your proposal by institutional leaders, faculty members, and students. 5. Specify three evidence-based reasons why you believe your proposal would be an effective response to the trend for the institution you selected. 6. Identify at least one example of a statistic collected by the National Center for Educational Statistics that could be used as evidence for the effectiveness of the proposal. State what the statistic is today as well as a specific realistic five-year target for the proposal to be considered successful. The Provost has requested that you support all assertions with evidence from research-based literature.

4 Research Component (Ph.D. only) In addition to the essay, write a proposal for a research study. The proposal will focus on a brief statement of a problem that could be addressed with a research study, specific researchable question(s), and the methodology. Do not include a literature review section since you have already provided background information in the essay portion of the exam. Write an 8-10 page proposal for the design of a research study. The proposal should build on your essay and include the following: 1. Briefly state a problem that could be addressed with a research study. 2. Clearly state a specific researchable question(s) that you could answer with a study. 3. Briefly state the potential significance of the results to inform practice, including but not limited to the specific institution you discussed in the essay portion of the exam. 4. Select a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed method research design, as well as state the specific method by which you would go about answering the research question. Include a clearly stated rationale for the design you select, and cite scholarly literature relevant to the research design you propose. 5. Describe how you would go about conducting this research study, concretely addressing how you will select participants and site(s) for research, collect data, analyze data, and ensure your analysis meets established criteria for quality within your selected research design. 6. Briefly state the limitations and delimitations of the proposed research design. Note: If you select a mixed methods design, please explain in detail both the qualitative and quantitative components of your proposed study, as well as a detailed explanation of the relationship between the quantitative and qualitative designs.

5 Appendix A Trends for Community Colleges Developmental Education. Many factors contribute to low rates of college completion among community college students assigned to remedial coursework. Institutions must identify these factors and evaluates reform efforts aimed at helping underprepared students achieve greater college success. They must determine the role of developmental education in community colleges, its fit with the access mission of the traditionally open-door community college, and how it can be improved to achieve better results for students and institutions. Student Services and Support. Success in college requires more than academic skills. Nonacademic factors influence success as well as student support services such as counseling, student success courses, and online registration and advising systems. Institutions must consider the nonacademic aspects of the student experience such as student engagement and relationships with peers and instructors that are vital to academic success. Online Education and Instructional Technology. Technology is playing a growing role in postsecondary education. Institutions must examine the structure and design of online instruction and its impact on the persistence and completion rates of community college students. Student Persistence, Completion, and Transfer. Student persistence and completion rates at community colleges are low, particularly among low-income students, students of color, and first-generation students. Institutions must determine how underrepresented student populations progress through college and how the structure of college programs and pathways affects rates of completion and transfer. Workforce Education. Preparing students for the workforce is a central mission of community colleges. Institutions must determine how well they fulfill this mission, and what policies and practices can help them achieve it more effectively. They must develop workforce training programs and classroom practices that integrate vocational and academic skill development. Improving Institutional Performance. Institutions must use data to implement significant institutional changes in order to improve student outcomes via major initiatives such as Achieving the Dream and Completion by Design. Institutions must be responsive to systemwide reform models, including performance funding, and identify practices that increase student success across colleges. Leaders must analyze data to develop a clear understanding of student progress and institutional performance. Source: Community College Research Center