Indiana University School of Education Key Ideas for the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate Project

Overview  Our school and our project  Developing cornerstone ideas  Program-level investigations

IU’s School of Education in brief  Large institution –Undergraduate: 3 rd Largest Teacher Education program in U.S. –Graduate: 1,197  Within the doctorate: –505 students  59% female  12% underrepresented populations  30% international  93% of students doctoral students are funded (~70% fully)  5 Departments with 17 program areas –Curriculum and Instruction –Instructional Systems Technology –Language Education –Counseling and Educational Psychology –Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Cornerstone Ideas  The Leadership Team’s Challenge: to identify aspects of the doctorate which unite the diverse program areas of the school of education  Methods of discovery –Faculty leadership team discussions –Student leadership team discussions –Focus groups with students –Departmental meeting discussions –Data collection (on-going) –Participation in Graduate Women Education Network’s (GWEN) Mentoring Award process

Cornerstone Ideas  Ed.D. vs. Ph.D  Inquiry/Research training in the Doctorate  Relationship between M.S. and Ph.D. degrees  Mentoring  First-year student experience

Ed.D versus Ph.D  Is the Ed.D: –More practice-focused? –A so-called ‘fall-back’ degree?  What does School of Education control of the Ed.D. mean?  What does the Ed.D/Ph.D distinction mean for international students?  Should there be two degrees?  Identified goal: Ensure that the Ed.D. and Ph.D. are substantively different degrees

Inquiry and Research Training  Research training is central to the doctorate –Where should the inquiry faculty be located? –How can students best be exposed to early research experience? –Depth versus breadth –Can a modified apprenticeship model be adopted in a large school? –What do students understand the apprenticeship model to be?  Identified goal: Create an inquiry program which more deliberately reflects its place at the center of the doctorate.

Continuity from M.S. to Ph.D  What should a master’s degree look like if it is preparing for a doctorate degree?  Do we need to develop a different set of expectations and/or course work for M.S. students who do not plan to continue for a Ph.D?  Do we want to require a larger research project or master’s thesis as a prerequisite for the doctorate?  What kind of professional experience do we value as preparation for the doctorate?  Identified goal: Distinguish expectations for different skills, experiences, and preparation signified by each degree.

Mentoring  Does mentoring remain integral to success in the doctorate?  How do perceptions of ‘good’ mentoring differ from students to faculty?  Can good mentoring be institutionalized?  What policies promote or hinder good mentoring?  Identified goal: This project is a more formal research inquiry involving continuing focus groups, interviews, policy evaluation and 2 surveys. We have submitted presentation proposals to several professional societies. Describe mentoring as it is currently practiced in the School of Education from multiple perspectives.

First-year student experience  How do students perceive current recruitment and admissions processes?  How does the first-year student experience vary between departments, programs, ethnicities, and advisors?  How can we increase opportunities for sharing between students across different programs?  What kind of introduction to the literature do first-year students receive?  How do international and underrepresented students experience their first-year?  Identified goal: Investigate the first-year experience through cross- disciplinary systematic inquiry.

Program-area Inquiries  Program-level investigations –Special Education’s investigation in the preparation of the future professoriate –Instructional System Technology’s focus on milestones –Educational Policy Studies’ examination of research opportunities

The Future  Small mixed discussion groups on key issues  Expand data collection and analysis to inform departmental and school-wide decisions  Complete Ed.D. review by Dec  Discuss CID projects at faculty retreat  Continue mentoring research and present at professional meetings  Develop comprehensive first-year student program  Review inquiry and milestones requirements  Start/continue departmental review of doctorate