Doctorate in Education Organizational Leadership (EDOL)

EDOL 700 Transformational Leadership

In this foundational course, the relationship between personal transformation and organizational transformation will be explored. Students will analyze their emotional intelligence, personal values, beliefs, personality type and leadership style and engage in a 360 degree assessment to identify strengths and growth areas, which will be incorporated into a comprehensive Transformational Leadership Development Plan which becomes part of their Transformational Leadership Portfolio. The latest leadership theories and best practices will be used in developing a personal leadership philosophy and vision statement. Students will explore potential areas of transformational change and what drives them. 3 credits.

EDOL 705 Organizational Communication and Conflict Management

This course examines the theories, structure, and processes of communication and conflict management found in effective organizations. Students will reflect on their own communication behaviors and learn strategies for engaging others in crucial conversations and coaching conversations as a means to manage conflict and improve relationships, accountability, performance, and morale. A communication audit and plan will be developed based on a selected organization and will be included as part of their Transformational Change Project. 3 credits.

EDOL 706 Team and Group Dynamics

This course explores the characteristics of effective teams, special considerations for virtual teams, the stages of group development and team processes such as motivation, group cohesion, role assignment, and norms. The importance of the task and relationship continuum and the role of conflict will be examined. Students will analyze team behaviors and evaluate team effectiveness based on these concepts. Students will apply the principles of group development and team building as they begin to build the leadership team for their Transformational Change Project. 3 credits.

EDOL 707 Organizational Theory and Development

This course examines the body of organizational concepts and theories to build the students’ capacity to discover or invent effective means for creating transformational change. Major Organizational Development (OD) themes such as planned change, consultation, organizational culture, and action research will be explored. During this course, students must complete an application that identifies the organization in which they will be conducting their TCP and have it signed off by the cohort mentor and the organization’s representative. 3 credits.

EDOL 708 Strategic Thinking

Each student works with a selected organization, and the respective leadership team, to develop a strategic implementation plan for their Transformational Change Project. Development of the plan is based on systematic assessment of external and internal environments, future trends, input from stakeholders throughout the organization, development of goals, strategies and implementation plans in a collaborative environment built on trust. Additionally, this course requires the student to examine their strategic thinking skills, to apply strategic leadership principles, and gain insights for improvement. 3 credits.

EDOL 709 Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability

Students will examine methods to develop, implement, and support a variety of evaluation plans and assessment efforts to determine the degree to which initiatives, programs, strategies, and interventions are implemented effectively and as intended. The influences of culture, political interests, stakeholder needs, organizational resources and ethical considerations will be explored. In addition factors associated with plan implementation and accountability will be addressed. Students will focus on developing an Evaluation Plan based on the Transformational Change Project. 3 credits.

EDOL 720 Creativity, Innovation, and Sustainable Change

Theories of innovation and creativity will be explored to initiate new forms of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. Case studies and other readings offer an examination of how creativity, insight and innovation work together to create and sustain authentic change. Students will learn strategies to harness the power of meaningful innovation through collaboration, divergent and convergent thinking, planning, and action. 3 credits.

EDOL 721 The Ethics and Politics of Decision Making

This course explores the role of organizational politics, power, values and ethical standards in decision-making. Significant focus is placed on various contemporary theories and practices for effective decision-making. Various models and frameworks for analyzing problems are examined in depth. 3 credits.

EDOL 722 Intercultural Aspects of Leadership and Diversity

The role that leadership plays in addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace will be examined in depth. Topics include social equity, theoretical frameworks for diversity leadership, power dynamics, and social justice. A personal philosophy of diversity and intercultural aspects of leadership will be designed along with an action plan that leads to transforming an organization into one that is equitable, respectful, inclusive and responsive to diversity. 3 credits.

EDOL 723 Innovation in Resource Management

Students will survey innovative strategies in Human Resources (workforce development and training, management, motivation and creativity, assessing performance/compensation, and collective bargaining/labor-management relations) and Financial Resources (budgeting strategies, reallocation of resources to achieve strategic balance, maximizing assets/limiting liabilities). Students will explore, develop, and present an entrepreneurial plan for expanding resources within their organization. 3 credits.

EDOL 724 The Leader as Change Agent

Prerequisite: Successful completion of EDOL 780.

In this course, students will use their experience with the implementation of their Transformational Change Project (TCP) as the basis for a seminar on transformational change and the role of the leader as a change agent. Change models and organizational development (OD) intervention strategies will be analyzed in the context of the TCP experience to determine best practices. The course will emphasize the importance of individual leadership development and reflection as a tool for continuous improvement. Students will examine their experiences with transformational change. Students will develop findings, conclusions, recommendations for further change efforts related to their TCP and share those in a scholarly manner. A final analytical paper, and creation of a Portfolio documenting the student’s growth, is required for Advancement to Candidacy. 3 credits.

EDOL 750 Writing for Research and Publication I

This course introduces students to the dissertation process early in their program. It will focus on academic writing, APA guidelines, topic selection strategies and advanced research skills necessary for designing and crafting a dissertation. Students will engage in library research and will learn how to critique research. 2 credits.

EDOL 751 Writing for Research and Publication II

Building on the material presented in EDOL 750, students will continue to work on developing their academic writing skills and develop a brief Review of the Literature. Students will also examine multiple routes for developing a dissertation focus and strategies for successful completion. 2 credits.

EDOL 752 Quantitative Research Methods I

The purpose of Quantitative Methods I & II is to develop students into informed users and consumers of scholarly quantitative research and statistics. The focus of these courses is upon the development of an understanding of the elements and structure of quantitative research, the statistical methods and processes that support it, and the development of basic skills necessary to analyze, develop, and complete quantitative research projects. This course will specifically focus on the types of quantitative methodologies, research design, types of data, research question development, population and sample. Critical research evaluation and analysis will also be presented. 2 credits.

EDOL 753 Quantitative Research Methods II

This course builds on the learning from Part I and moves more deeply into descriptive and inferential statistics, understanding and use of tools for statistical tests of difference and correlation. Matching statistical tests to data and research design will also be presented culminating in a quantitative Chapter III Methodology Chapter draft. 2 credits.

EDOL 754 Qualitative Research Methods I

This course will provide an introduction to qualitative methods of research. Theoretical foundations for qualitative research will be reviewed such as case study, grounded theory, phenomenology, and ethnography. Methods for qualitative data collection such as interviews, observation, document analysis, and Internet research will be covered. 2 credits.

EDOL 755 Qualitative Research Methods II

This course will provide a continued introduction to qualitative methods of research. Qualitative data analysis procedures such as coding data, generating themes, triangulation of data, and use of technology will be introduced and applied. Reliability, validity, and generalizability of qualitative data will be evaluated. 2 credits.

EDOL 780 Transformational Change Field Experiences

This project presents an opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery of competencies in program-wide learning objectives through field experience. Students implement their Transformational Change Project (TCP) within a specific organization. Students will apply theory learned in all coursework to date in the implementation of their TCP in a real world setting. This clinical practice will be conducted under the supervision of a Cohort Mentor. The TCP is a comprehensive, culminating experience that must be successfully completed in order to Advance to Candidacy. This course is a prerequisite for EDOL 724. Graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. 3 credits.

EDOL 790 Developing the Dissertation Prospectus

This course will guide students in developing a dissertation prospectus. Based on a review of literature, students will develop a proposed Chapter 1 and a tentative plan for methodology of their proposed dissertation. This is a prerequisite for Advancement to Candidacy. Graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. 3 credits.

EDOL 791 Dissertation I

After successfully completing the requirements for Advancement to Candidacy, students are eligible to secure a Dissertation Chair to guide their progress in developing an original research project. Building on the prospectus they produced in an earlier class, students will create a dissertation proposal that includes the purpose and research questions in Chapter I, synthesize a review of the literature in Chapter II, and a proposed plan for the methodology in Chapter III. The student’s Chapters I-III must be approved by Quality Review prior to receiving approval to schedule the Proposal Defense. Students will prepare for the proposal defense, and successfully defend the proposal. This course is graded with an SP grading option until successful completion of EDOL 791. Upon successful completion, grading is on a Pass/No Pass basis. 3 credits.

EDOL 792 Dissertation II

In this course, students will complete and submit BUIRB application and implement the research methodology. They will complete Chapters IV and V of the dissertation through the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, write up their findings, develop conclusions, recommendations for further research and implications for practice based on results of the study. They will defend their dissertation in an oral defense and make all revisions required by their Dissertation Chair in consultation with their committee. Following the oral defense, students will send the dissertation to the University of Massachusetts Global Library for publication. This course is graded with an SP grading option until successful completion of EDOL 792. Upon successful completion, grading is on a Pass/No Pass basis. 3 credits.

EDOL 799 Dissertation Extension

This course allows students additional time to complete the dissertation elements beyond EDOL 792. Students will continue to be enrolled in this course each session until successful completion of EDOL 792. Please see Tuition and Fees section of the catalog for the corresponding Ed.D. Continuing Candidacy fee. Graded on a Pass/No Pass Basis. 0 credits.