Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership Ed.S.
The Ed.S. and Ed.D. degrees in Teaching and Learning with a major in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership is an advanced professional practitioner program for college and university faculty. This program serves postsecondary educators who seek to deepen their professional teaching practice, expand knowledge of instructional approaches that help college students learn, adopt a critically reflective approach to teaching, and strengthen capacities to approach college students as adult learners. With emphasis on teaching and learning processes, this major prepares educators for a variety of academic roles related to instructional leadership in postsecondary institutions.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
PLO1. Demonstrate depth of knowledge in a primary teaching area.
PLO2. Apply knowledge of adult learning theory and cultural proficiency to create stimulating, inclusionary learning environments aligned with diverse attributes of the specific learners in the teaching environment.
PLO3. Apply knowledge of curriculum theory and educational research to selection of effective instructional practices and methods at the postsecondary level.
PLO4. Design effective instructional plans to set measurable learning objectives, create relevant and authentic student learning activities, and assess student outcomes with validity and reliability.
PLO5. Create stimulating classroom-based, blended, and online learning environments using instructional design principles and appropriate technology.
PLO6. Assess cognitive and dispositional outcomes of student learning to improve quality of instruction.
PLO7. Utilize knowledge of higher education governance and organizational theory to foster effectiveness in academic leadership roles and institutional improvement.
PLO8. Create a doctoral research project framed by a curricular problem of instructional practice, contributing new knowledge to the professional field.
In addition to National College of Education Doctoral Admissions Requirements, applicants must:
- Submit two letters of recommendation. On the required letters should be completed by a person who can attest to the candidate’s capacity to complete rigorous graduate studies and one by a person supervising the applicant's professional work.
- Submit written responses to the following three questions:
- What professional and/or scholarly interests, experiences and goals have led you to apply to this doctoral program? How do you envision doctoral study supporting and/or relevant to achieving those goals?
- Please describe your personal engagement in a community that has had a substantial impression on you (can be a cultural, religious, service-oriented, educational, or neighborhood group of people united by common values and a cause). Describe the role you play(ed) in that community and the nature of your participation and learning.
- What is an area in which you are passionate about advocating and working towards social and/or educational change? What is the source of your passion and your hope for enacting change?
- Note: The admission process occurs in two stages:
- First, the applicant submits the application and supporting documentation to the Office of Admissions by the published deadlines. The Office of Admissions will forward to the doctoral committee the completed application form once all documentation is received. A faculty committee will review the documents and decide if and when to invite the applicant for the second stage of the admissions process.
- The second stage will consist of an individual interview in which the applicant’s goals for doctoral study and the fit with the program is discussed. Next, all applicants who appear to be a good match for the program are invited to campus for a group interview, which will be followed by a written response.
- The group interview consists of a faculty committee interviewing several applicants together. This will include a discussion/conversation among the candidates and the committee members, focusing on an article, selected by faculty and sent to the applicants in advance.
- After the group discussion, applicants will write a reflective essay on the ideas provoked by the discussion. Faculty will later review the essays to assess the applicant's ability to construct a written document.
Program Details:
- Requires 48 SH for completion
Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership Major - 48 SH
Electives - 9 SH
Students select 9 semester hours of graduate level coursework with the Program Director consultation.
Required Courses
| CCD 604 | Data Analysis, Interpretation, and Presentation | 3 |
| EDL 605 | Leading Change | 3 |
| EDL 622 | Developing Curriculum and Evaluating Programs | 3 |
| EDL 630 | Understanding and Using Educational Research | 3 |
| EDL 632 | Utilizing Data to Inform Decision Making | 3 |
| HED 600 | Higher Education in the United States | 3 |
| HED 626 | Legal Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 630 | Academic Affairs: Faculty, Curriculum, and Assessment | 3 |
| HED 632 | Student Development Theory | 3 |
| PTIL 601 | Instructional Design in Higher Education | 3 |
| PTIL 605 | Postsecondary Teaching in Content Specializations | 3 |
| PTIL 625 | Scholarly Writing for Postsecondary Teaching | 1 |
| PTIL 691 | Internship in Postsecondary Teaching in the Content Area | 1 TO 8 |
Note: PTIL 625 must be taken for a total of 2 SH and PTIL 691 must be taken for 4 SH.