Faculty members’ responses to implementing re-envisioned EdD programs

Abstract

Limitations of the education doctorate (EdD) and the emergence of professional practice doctorates have influenced those offering the EdD to re-envision, re-define, and reclaim the EdD as the degree of choice for the next generation of educational leaders. Colleges of education faculty members have used the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate's (CPED) working principles to redesign EdD programs to make them more relevant to educational leaders. Faculty members’ perceptions of program revisions, participation in CPED, implementation of redesign efforts, factors influencing revision, and so on were assessed using closed- and open-ended items in an online survey. Results indicated variables from Rogers’ theory of diffusion and adoption of an innovation and CPED working principles were useful in understanding program redesign efforts, changes, implementation efforts, and outcomes. Moreover, quantitative and qualitative data were complementary. This work has implications for EdD program design, program leaders, faculty members, and students participating in such programs.