Fielding Graduate University

New student orientation to the ELC doctoral program is an in-person session between in-coming classes and doctoral program faculty. At the orientation, the faculty works with you to: assess your academic readiness; evaluate your research, personal skills and learning resources; facilitate your understanding of Fielding's learning model and delivery method, set your academic and professional goals; and develop your support group of faculty and peers. At orientation, students choose a faculty mentor and begin work on their learning plan - a personal map through the learning process. The learning plan takes into account each student's previous academic accomplishments as well as personal, professional, and academic goals. It includes a preliminary outline for the action- oriented research project that will ultimately become a dissertation. The learning plan should be submitted for approval within 30 days after the conclusion of the in-person orientation. However, the learning plan is a living document that students and their faculty mentors review on a regular basis.

Faculty/Instructor(s): 

Each course represents one of two required comprehensive assessment essays. In the comprehensive essays, the student is expected to demonstrate the ability to integrate work done in the previous course areas. Students are expected to compare and synthesize theories, critique them, and provide examples of current research being done in the particular area.

Faculty/Instructor(s): 

Each course represents one of two required comprehensive assessment essays. In the comprehensive essays, the student is expected to demonstrate the ability to integrate work done in the previous course areas. Students are expected to compare and synthesize theories, critique them, and provide examples of current research being done in the particular area.

Faculty/Instructor(s): 

Signifies completion of the public defense of the dissertation.

Pre-requisites: Dissertation Proposal Approval

This course signifies the student has begun work on the dissertation, including an approved concept paper and full committee membership.

Completion of this course signifies the student has submitted a final copy of the approved dissertation for proofreading.

Pre-requisites: Dissertation Proposal Approval

Introduction to research from an action-oriented perspective. The overview of this course focuses on an examination of the dimensions of research and the culture of inquiry. The depth explores the principles of research design and the applied is the application of research design principles to a research project or other learning opportunity that allows for practice in research design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Role of leaders and managers, and theories and concepts of leadership. This course explores fundamental values, beliefs, and attitudes in a changing society. Students investigate durable coalitions of people organized around common goals, like the art of leadership to the concept of change, and investigate the "what" and the "how" of change - how it evolves and how it can be accomplished.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Analysis of systems thinking: what it is, how it evolved, and current approaches. This course examines how to apply systems thinking to education issues; how a system relates to other systems, large and small; the dynamics and flow of information within the system; and the use of systems thinking to understand the interconnectedness of actions, organizations, and social systems.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Examination and critical analysis of the educational system to determine the conditions that create and maintain social stratification and disproportionality. This course explores how inequality is constructed in society, how it functions in social institutions, and how schools can become equitable and just places for all students to learn.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

This course represents student engagement in the dissertation process from concept to the final dissertation as planned with and evaluated by the chairperson.

Faculty/Instructor(s): 

Students designate an area in which they have a special interest or expertise for this course. It can be used to acquire new knowledge or to deepen existing knowledge in a specific area in which students expect to build or advance professional careers.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Students designate a specific research practice (culture and methodology) as a topic they wish to study. A faculty member with expertise in the chosen methodology works with the student to design a full course of study including overview, depth and applied sections guiding the student to explore and practice the research methodology chosen.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Educational law and morality. This course examines theories of law and its relationship to social and ethical values. Students explore how leaders can help others working through moral dilemmas associated with the law.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Functions of theory: interrelationships among theory, science, practice and research. This course presents classic and contemporary organization theories and how they relate to trends in education and other institutions. Students develop a theoretical perspective associated with leadership and becoming a change agent.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Understanding literature that focuses on public policy, pedagogy, and leadership. This course covers contemporary urban educational reform movements, related policy issues, and the role of major players in setting policy. Students evaluate the effects of policy on change in public education and other settings.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Improving educational institutions and other organizations through improved management practices. This course examines how to avoid old mistakes and face problems and challenges with confidence. Topics include government intervention in education, the organization as a target of legislative reform, solving problems before they become unsolvable, and improving management strategies.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Roles of school, business, and community partners in providing best educational practices for students. This course emphasizes working with the power structure and applying techniques to improve community relationships. Students learn to recognize and build symbols of group identity and achieve social cohesion.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Students learn how to lead educational financing and understand budgets at every level: department, school, district/institution and state/federal. This course includes school finance, aspects of school business administration and legal issues.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Understanding organizational, educational, and developmental dimensions. This course examines staff development, mentoring, group dynamics, the psychology of professional/personal development, institution building, and personal dimensions in education. It also covers the effects of social change and the relationship of research to theory and practice.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Effective development and lifelong learning for leaders. This course covers intellectual honesty and humility, ethical behaviors associated with leadership, and the articulation of purpose and practice. Students develop transformational and transactional leadership skills that contribute to their educational and human progress as whole persons.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Competencies in self-reflection, critical consciousness, vision, and creativity. This course covers cross-disciplinary historical influences on adult learning theory, current trends in adult learning, and the psychology of motivation. Students apply the principles of lifelong learning to personal and educational systems.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Theory and process of interpersonal communication for effective listening, sending, confrontation, problem solving, and conflict resolution. This course examines cybernetics, information theory, linguistics, nonverbal communication, written communication, and gender and cross-cultural differences.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Critical pedagogical approach to creating systemic change in schools and applying dynamics to fit students' distinctive needs. This course presents homeostatic forces versus innovative forces to promote change, as well as stages for school improvement including climate, technology, curriculum, and organization. Students develop synergistic insights on schooling and the ecology of good schools.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Recent advances in cognitive sciences: theories and practices underlying creativity and problem solving. This course encourages students to use critical thinking, imagination, and knowledge to create visions of the future, solve complex problems, and examine the challenges of effective teaching through innovation and critical thinking.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Feminist, multicultural, neo-Marxist, and postmodern educational theories. This course concentrates on positive change as it generates new learning, new commitments, new accomplishments and greater meaning. Students evaluate theories related to educational change and identify new paradigms for educational change.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Structure, function, and procedures for developing information systems associated with change. This course covers selecting appropriate equipment and interfacing with instructional information systems. Students explore the power and influence of information systems as well as their relationship to the history of change.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Curriculum planning, implementation and evaluation. This course explores how to meet the needs of a diverse learning community. Students become familiar with current movements in curriculum; appropriate use of technology; hands-on and theoretical aspects of redefining curriculum; and the roles of staff, parents, students and community.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Exploration of learning theories in the context of how children and adults learn. This course deals with philosophical, theoretical, and social bases of learning; terminology, historical background, acquisition, etiology, and problems; societal, instructional, and personal dimensions; and the relationship of research to theory and practice.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Gathering comparative information and evaluating results. Students learn how to place results within a context for judging size and worth and how to make results more credible through careful choice of the evaluation design. Students create a systemic evaluation of a program and develop pragmatic steps for improvements.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

The purpose of education in a democracy: diversity and equal outcomes. In this course, students examine key levels of instruction such as vocabulary, language, and learning styles; concepts of culture, cultural values, and cultural environments; approaches to inequality; and the quest for equal educational opportunity.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Technology as a tool for communicating, learning and teaching. This course explores technology as an essential learning experience; interfaces multimedia with learning and teaching; examines data and research collection; and applies technology to administration and academic improvement, with sensitivity to its effects on culture and values.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Physiological systems and perspectives on child growth and development. This course focuses on health, safety and nutritional needs associated with optimal early child development. Students use multidisciplinary approaches to plan and implement child development programs and examine family involvement.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Study of community colleges as a major segment of American and global higher education. The study of the community college covers reflective study of its history, evolution, context and leadership, including the study of the vision. This includes understanding local environments, open access to diverse populations, the nature of associate degrees, certificates, occupational education and community service. Also, the study of the community college includes examining the nature of its national network, the nature of this uniquely American contribution to higher education, its governance, administrative, curricular, professional and programmatic dimensions, including best practices, concepts and trends.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Application of psychology and communication theories to media in diverse ways. This includes new dimensions in learning psychology, systems theory, and has great implications for global learning. In media studies we aggregate and apply all that we now know about psychology and communication to technology. The media psychologies embrace "pscybermedia," combining psychology, artificial intelligence and media. Media psychology requires understanding both the physical and emotional aspects of the brain, the range of emotion, the psychologies of expression, persuasion, sexuality and gender. It includes the study of emotional control, believability, cognitive learning and mapping, mastery, persistence and failure. Media studies includes applying theories of verbal and nonverbal communication, understanding music and sound, images and human reaction.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

A reflective study of the history, leadership and mission of higher education.

Pre-requisites: ELC-700

Students may earn up to 4 credits of training. Hours, once approved, are awarded as 40 clock hours of training earn 1 unit of credit. This course is entirely optional and does not count towards any graduation requirement.

Students may earn up to 10 credits of internship. Hours, once approved, are awarded as 40 clock hours of internship equals 1 units of credit. This course is entirely optional and does not count towards any graduation requirement.