Sustainability of Fully Online and Rapidly Growing EdD Programs: Using Student Demographics to Improve Program Outcomes

Abstract

The phenomena of small Doctor of Education (EdD) cohorts and in-person communities of inquiry have been replaced by larger scale, fully online programs. Faculty must engage in deep reflection on their new realities to ensure that their curricular, programmatic, and other practices are evidence-based and developed to account for diverse factors guiding students’ academic performance, motivation, and career aspirations. The current study utilized descriptive research to provide a comprehensive description of educational phenomena. The study was conducted at a large, public research university in the southern United States. A total of 316 students enrolled in an online program were invited to complete the survey, of which 131 responses were analyzed. Results revealed statistically significant differences in students’ attitudes based on their academic level and master’s degree focus. Further, students were more likely to benefit from their online EdD programs based on motivation, self-efficacy, and interest in professional development opportunities. The most notable implications of this research stem from the discovery that online EdD program outcomes can be significantly moderated by student demographic and background variables. The findings offer practical recommendations for all EdD programs challenged with navigating the three phenomena becoming the norm in EdD education in the US – increased enrollments, student diversity, and online modality.