This essay discusses the emergence of the program evaluation dissertation in our doctoral program as the preferred dissertation in practice (DiP) option. We also outline important considerations that must be reviewed with students when considering this approach. Our students are professional educational leaders in the settings where they conduct…

Doctoral education is a time of profound identity shaping. Educational leadership continues to be dominated by assumptions about Whiteness and maleness as well as calls to center social justice in the educational leadership curriculum. In this paper, I describe the critical pedagogical approaches and underpinnings I used in the genesis,…

A multitude of global challenges that society grapples with, including climate change, social injustices, and economic disparities, persist largely due to the shortcomings of effectively responding to complex systems. In this article, we consider adopting systems literacy as a comprehensive educational approach to navigate in complex systems. We…

Given the current tumultuous education climate, we as EdD faculty seek to engage in critical reflection and reimagine the affordances--opportunities for action (Gee, 2008; Gibson, 2014)--provided by our program structures and our teaching practices. In this article, three faculty members (including one department chair and one interim program…

This essay describes the pedagogical practices and learning activities of an EdD course redesigned to help students develop scholarly practitioner identities by weaving together the program's previously disparate strands of educational leadership, theory, practice, research, and social justice. We particularly focus on how students can learn to…

Before the EdD program through UC Davis, my own decisions and thinking process perpetuated an inequitable system that seemed to be working to support and uplift marginalized communities. When beginning my personal journey through the doctoral program and throughout the pandemic, there were epiphanies that awakened me to new institutional versions…

This essay documents the lessons learned from the transition to teaching research methods courses and advising EdD doctoral students online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This discussion is set against the backdrop of developing a new fully online EdD Program in educational leadership for social justice at the institution, wherein the online…

The purpose of this article is to provide an example of how an EdD in Community College Leadership program is offered in an online format. First, the benefits of online programs, including increased access and flexibility for working professionals and higher levels of diversity among the student body are discussed. Then, several strategies to…

Although clinical supervision is widely viewed as an educational process, counseling doctoral students may lack relevant background in pedagogy. In response to calls to incorporate learning theories and principles into supervision instruction, 7 evidence-based science of learning principles as well as examples from 1 doctoral supervision course…

The ability to tell stories can be an important leadership attribute and skill to master in order to be a successful leader (Baldoni, 2003; Denning, 2004; Kouzes & Posner, 2012). Storytelling is a central component of effective communication for leaders and a skill to master for future leadership success. This paper supports active learning,…

A wide range of opinions exist regarding the science of social work, yielding a challenging discourse to navigate in its entirety. Yet understanding the diverse perspectives and contributions is critical for doctoral students of social work. This teaching note describes the use of concept mapping as a pedagogical method employed by a class of…

Early online course materials were text-based and relied heavily on discussion forums as the de facto tool for interactions. Faculty members today, however, have many other choices for course design and course materials. There is not consensus for online course design guidelines or principles, though. Choices in course design by faculty members…

This chapter explains that the core principles and practices of social and emotional learning should be used to support doctoral students and enhance their personal welfare and academic performance in graduate school.

Most tenure-line professors have heard and experienced the anxiety-causing "publish or perish" initiation rites in the world of higher education. Fresh Ph.D. graduates going into the professoriate often worry and agonize over this grueling process. However, one of the most central missions of many Tier 2 universities in the U.S. isn't…

Purdue University's commitments as a public land grant institution that purposefully integrates education, research, and service has enabled the university to develop as a site of innovation and impact at scale, making strategic investments and taking bold risks that produce benefits within wider social, political, and economic systems. We present…