Adapting and Advocating for an Online EdD Program in Changing Times and “Sacred” Cultures

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to underscore the importance of recognizing how complex cultural and structural forces shape the design and delivery of a fully online professional doctorate (EdD) program. This chapter considers various challenges and opportunities of a new distance-delivery EdD program in Educational Leadership offered by a leading Canadian university in order to examine how the pressures of educational reform and academic cultural norms shape professional doctorate programs and their components. Ultimately, this chapter calls for promoting greater adaptability within EdD program designs and stronger championing of the program's value and distinctiveness, especially its capacity to be adaptable to the expectations of student stakeholders.

Portfolios and assessment of competence: a review of the literature

“…Because of their continuous nature and structure of active involvement, portfolios ideally encourage students to develop self-reflection and take charge of their own lifelong learning Integrative literature reviews and meta-analyses Portfolios and assessment of competence (Paulson et al 1991, Redman 1994, Wenzel et al 1998, Harris et al 2001. They allow students to assume ownership and thus promote a sense of responsibility (Paulson et al 1991, Wenzel et al 1998. This might create anxiety in some students, but it will encourage them to accept accountability and thus help prepare them for working practice (Harris et al 2001).…”

“…Advice on the use of portfolios For the use of portfolios to be successful it is important that students receive clear guidelines on their purpose, content and structure (Gibbs 1995, Crandall 1998, Gannon et al 2001. To get learners started it might be useful to have a clear portfolio template and to show them examples of portfolios to give them an idea of what is expected (Paulson et al 1991, Grant & Dornan 2001. Good assessor preparation, by providing clear guidelines and criteria for assessment, together with regular feedback and updating and facilitating sessions, is also essential (Glen & Hight 1992, Cayne 1995, Young 1999.…”

digital career portfolios: expanding institutional opportunities

“…Students display creativity with portfolios that feature credentials, accomplishments, and community service, in addition to the presentations, reports, and other materials that are garnered from completed class assignments (Amirian & Flanigan, 2006;Foster et al ., 2007) . Portfolios have been widely used as an integrated learning and assessment tool in teacher education programs (Barrett & Carney, 2005;Paulson, Paulson, & Meyer, 1991;Pearlman, 1991), and their use has expanded into other discipline areas (Duffy, Duffy, & McKean, 2004;Skiba, 2005) .…”

Reflecting, Reconceptualizing, and Revising

“…For example, the current literature about alternative assignments or assessment tools (e.g., journals, portfolios) in teacher education courses-including multicultural education-reveals an array of ideas about their use (Baker, 1993;Mitchell, 1992;Paulson, Paulson, & Meyer, 1991;Pleasants & Johnson, 1996). First, there is a need to develop assessments that provide more opportunities for attitude change, reflection, and organization of new knowledge on the part of preservice teachers.…”