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Doctoral Program Assessment

Ph.D.

Assessable Outcomes for the Ph.D.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education with a Curriculum & Instruction Specialization in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership (TEAL) doctoral degree program has six objectives measured across two domains. The focus of the Ph.D. is theoretical and methodological research.

Students will be able to:

  1. Communicate how interrelationships among education, schooling, and society can support learning among all students.
  2. Analyze how the constructs of teaching and learning have been conceptualized by major scholars and applied in educational contexts over the past century.
  3. Investigate the relationships between and among curricula, teachers, students, and educational contexts to propose more equitable and efficient learning opportunities for contemporary students.
  4. Develop research skills using qualitative and quantitative methods that can contribute to the extant scholarship influencing education.
  5. Design, conduct, and communicate research that examines significant problems or issues in education.
  6. Develop an emerging expertise in a selected field of education that has the potential to improve educational outcomes.

Domains

  1. Domain 1: Use of the Comprehensive Exam to evaluate student learning of course content and readiness to design and conduct ethical, rigorous, and independent research. Students must address three questions that target the three areas of instructional content: curriculum and instruction, research methods, and area of concentration. (Supervisory Committee Members measure Objectives 1-4 during the Comprehensive Exam.)
  2. Domain 2: Use of assessments to evaluate the dissertation research study as specified by the student's Supervisory Committee and the doctoral program expectations as agreed upon by the TEAL graduate faculty. (Supervisory Committee Members measure Objectives 5-6 during the dissertation defense.)

Assessment Planning and Data Collected

There is a four-phase process for assessment planning and data collection.

  1. Students maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a total of 48 credits of coursework, including a minimum of 10 credits of Curriculum & Instruction courses, a minimum of 12 credits of Research Methods courses, and variable credits ranging from 12-23 depending on the student's concentration area within the doctoral program.
  2. Students Pass the Comprehensive Exam with a majority Pass on each of the three question responses. If student's Supervisory Committee scores a Revise and Resubmit or a Fail on two of the three responses, the student has one additional opportunity to take the Comprehensive Exam and Pass each question.
  3. Students successfully propose their dissertation research study, conduct their dissertation research study, write their dissertation research study aligned with the selected format in the USU Publication Guide, and then defend their dissertation research study, evaluated by their Supervisory Committee to earn a Pass in 12 credits of TEAL 7970: Dissertation Research in Curriculum & Instruction.

Students receive approval of their dissertation research publication to publish in ProQuest along with approval of required documents to graduate with their Ph.D. in Education.

Analyze Assessment Results to Improve Program Supports and Research Mentorship

TEAL Graduate Faculty review doctoral program data monthly to inform program improvement and supports for faculty and students. Specifically, faculty review student performance data and program outcome data to inform decision-making on admissions, program advisement, courses, faculty and student supports, professional opportunities, comprehensive exam, research mentorship, and evaluation of dissertation research.

Annual Feedback on Assessment

TEAL Graduate Faculty regularly review student performance data on meeting program milestones and program objectives and discuss progress with advisees annually, at minimum. TEAL Graduate Faculty regularly review program outcome data to identify additional supports for faculty and students to successfully meet program objectives.

Ed.D.

Assessable Outcomes for the Ed.D

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) with a Curriculum & Instruction Specialization in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership (TEAL) doctoral degree program has six objectives measured across two domains. The focus of the Ed.D. program is practical and applied research.

Students will be able to:

  1. Communicate how interrelationships among education, schooling, and society can support learning among all students.
  2. Analyze how the constructs of teaching and learning have been conceptualized by major scholars and applied in educational contexts over the past century.
  3. Investigate the relationships between and among curricula, teachers, students, and educational contexts to propose more equitable and efficient learning opportunities for contemporary students.
  4. Develop research skills using qualitative and quantitative methods that can contribute to the extant scholarship influencing education.
  5. Design, conduct, and communicate research that examines significant problems or issues in education.
  6. Develop an emerging expertise in a selected field of education that has the potential to improve educational outcomes.

Domains

  1. Domain 1: Use of the Comprehensive Exam, combined with the Ed.D. proposal defense, to evaluate student learning of course content and readiness to design and conduct ethical, rigorous, and independent research. Students must Pass a proposal defense of a 5–7-page concurrent doctoral capstone project 5-chapter proposal with the chapter 6 disseminatable product idea prior to the collection of data and prior to taking TEAL 7810. (Supervisory Committee Members measure Objectives 1-4 during the Comprehensive Exam.)
  2. Domain 2: Use of assessments to evaluate the concurrent doctoral capstone project as specified by the student’s Supervisory Committee and the doctoral program expectations as agreed upon by the TEAL graduate faculty. (Supervisory Committee Members measure Objectives 5-6 during the concurrent doctoral capstone project defense.)

Assessment Planning and Data Collected

There is a four-phase process for assessment planning and data collection.

  1. Students maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a total of 40 credits of coursework, including a minimum of 13 credits of Curriculum & Instruction courses, a minimum of 12 credits of Research Methods courses, and 15 elective credits within the doctoral program.
  2. Students Pass the Comprehensive Exam and Proposal Defense with a majority Pass on the concurrent doctoral capstone project 5-chapter proposal with chapter 6 product idea. If student’s Supervisory Committee scores a Fail with Retake, the student has one additional opportunity to revise the proposal. If the student scores a Fail, the student is dismissed from the program.
  3. Students successfully conduct their approved concurrent doctoral capstone project, write their concurrent doctoral capstone project aligned with the expected format in the TEAL Doctoral Handbook, and then defend their concurrent doctoral capstone project inclusive of the disseminatable product (chapter 6), evaluated by their Supervisory Committee to earn a Pass in 3 credits of TEAL 7810: Research Seminar and 3 credits of TEAL 7970: Dissertation Research in Curriculum & Instruction
  4. Students receive approval of the disseminatable product (Chapter 6) with approval of required documents to graduate with their Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction.

Analyze Assessment Results to Improve Program Supports and Research Mentorship

TEAL Graduate Faculty review doctoral program data monthly to inform program improvement and supports for faculty and students. Specifically, faculty review student performance data and program outcome data to inform decision-making on admissions, program advisement, courses, faculty and student supports, professional opportunities, comprehensive exam, research mentorship, and evaluation of dissertation research.

Annual Feedback on Assessment

TEAL Graduate Faculty regularly review student performance data on meeting program milestones and program objectives and discuss progress with advisees annually, at minimum. TEAL Graduate Faculty regularly review program outcome data to identify additional supports for faculty and students to successfully meet program objectives.