According to the Web site, GetEducated.com, two American schools have recently launched online doctoral programs in education.
If you want to obtain a Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Instructional Systems Technology (IST) entirely online, Indiana University is the place to go. If you love Idaho, Boise State University is also offering an online doctoral program in Educational Technology. Since we all know technology is becoming an educational staple, I say, hurrah! I would have loved to have attended grad school online.
Indiana U. Sets the Tone for Its First Online Doctorate
Gerardo Gonzales, the Dean of the School of Education, said in a press release, “The IST program has an outstanding international reputation for quality and innovation. Our graduates are employed in leadership positions in a variety of settings throughout the world. The new online degree will make available a program with a proven track record to people we could not have reached otherwise. It is in itself an application of the innovative teaching for which our faculty is known.”
While all coursework will take place online, students in this program will be required to visit the school’s Bloomington, IN campus three times over the course of their studies. The qualifying exam and the oral dissertation defense will occur in person, on campus.
The traditional campus-based IST doctorate Indiana University offers is a Ph.D. The online version is an Ed.D, which focuses on applying theory to practice.
According to university officials, the online doctoral program was launched due to student demand; many students who participated in the school’s online masters programs who wanted to conduct further research and obtain doctorates at the same institution.
Boise State Also Expanding from Online Masters Programs
Boise State University’s online masters program for Educational Technology has been in existence for about a decade. The online masters program has been so successful that the school decided to seek accreditation for the online doctoral program. The first students will be accepted into the program beginning in 2012.
Students taking part in the online doctoral program will explore emerging technologies for effective and efficient teaching. Their areas of focus will include online teaching, technology integration, educational software development and more. The Educational Technology Department at Boise State is responsible for some of the most groundbreaking research in K-12 classroom technology systems, and the new doctoral program will give students the opportunity to research new technologies as part of their coursework.
Boise State has a long history of embracing distance learning to deliver higher education to remote areas of its own state as well as neighboring communities. The new doctoral program is expected to draw educators from all across the U.S. who are interested in combining research with practical experience they’ve already acquired in their own local school systems.
These advancements may have many traditional educators quaking in their boots, but isn’t technology what it’s all about now?
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