In this course, candidates will study various educational leaders in the context of their organizational environments, in order to understand the internal and external processes that promote and inhibit educational change.  The focus is the essential role that educational leaders play in identifying and guiding change, and different ways they can promote feedback loops and other processes to increase the flow of information so that better decisions can be made.  A range of contemporary leadership theories and related practices will be explored. 

This course provides a review of designing and conducting applied educational research, including potential ethical issues. Students will examine qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research in the field of educational leadership, including action research and research for evaluation purposes. This course will introduce students to critical aspects of research, including research questions, sampling, data collection, reliability, validity, trustworthiness, data analysis, and ethical implications of research.

This course is designed to provide the candidate with an understanding of the current research on the reciprocal relationship between diversity among stakeholders and the educational organization. Using a range of theories and approaches, including critical theories, students will analyze the strategies, techniques and programs that are currently used by educational organizations in order to create and sustain institutions reflective of contemporary diversity.  Specific attention will be paid to the relationship between diversity-oriented policies and practices, the people impacted by these policies, and organizational and community growth.

This program signature course will have candidates explore educational organizations as complex adaptive systems, and the role of educational leaders in promoting growth-oriented processes while increasing the flow of information throughout the system.  Specific topics will include varied contemporary models for educator collaboration, distributed leadership, feedback loops, and information sharing.  Additional focus will be placed on ways educational leaders can navigate increasingly complex times to promote co-evolutionary environments where people and systems can grow in tandem.  Systems thinking, the concept of nested systems, networks, and complexity theory will be highlighted.

This course is the foundation of the Problem-Based Dissertation (PBD). Students will determine their focus, review relevant literature, and develop appropriate research methodology and tools. The student will obtain IRB approval, if required, and prepare and defend the foundation of the manuscript for the Problem-Based Dissertation (PBD).

This course is the culmination of the Ed. D. program. Students will complete data collection and analysis, develop a final product, and defend their final product to a faculty panel.

This course is the culmination of the Ed. D. program. Students will complete data collection and analysis, develop a final product, and defend their final product to a faculty panel. 

This course is the continuation of the culmination of the Ed. D. program. Students will complete data collection and analysis, develop a final product, and defend their final product to a faculty panel. Registration in this course is required if a candidate needs time beyond DEL 898 and DEL 899 to complete the Problem Based Dissertation (PBD).