TO: HIGHER EDUCATION (HED) DOCTORAL STUDENTS
(Revised 12/18/01)
FROM: HED FACULTY
SUBJECT: SQE and ISSUES SEMINAR REQUIREMENTS

 

Effective Spring 2001, the Higher Education Issues Seminar (This capstone seminar, variously listed as EDA 395 Seminar: Policy Issues in Higher Education and EDA 391K [Topic 9] Policy Issues in Higher Education is now required of all HED doctoral students admitted effective Summer 1999.) will use a new technology based format that incorporates accomplishment of the Specialization Qualification Examination (SQE). i.e. successful completion of the Issues Seminar will include fulfillment of the SQE requirement through the Seminar "issue project" requirement.

Doctoral students admitted prior to Summer 1999, and therefore not required to complete the Issues Seminar, may elect to complete the SQE under the previous format (December 1998) or may take the newly formatted Seminar as a means of completing the SQE requirement .

The Spring 2002 unique number for EDA 391K (Policy Issues in Higher Education) is 08895 and is offered on Tuesday, 1-4pm in SZB 380. Approximately, 75% of the course will be conducted using a technology based/interactive format; thus, formal class meetings will be limited to the initial 2 or 3 class meetings (for final issue topic refinement and training) and 2 or 3 class meetings at the end of the semester (for student conducted seminars/evaluation). After Spring 2002, the Issues Seminar will be listed as EDA 391F Seminar: Issues in Higher Education/Specialization Qualification.

The seminar will only be "open" to students who have completed specialization course requirements as certified by the assigned advisor and Department Graduate Coordinator (Hortensia Palomares) before registration for the seminar. Appropriate form(s) are available online or from Hortensia to facilitate this simple certification process. For Spring 2002 complete the certification by 1/4/01 or risk cancellation of registration.

This combined seminar will be graded on a letter grade basis while the "issue project" will be graded on a "High Pass", "Pass" or "No Pass" basis as has been the tradition for the SQE. In the case of a "No Pass", the student may be required to redo the "issue project" or repeat the seminar.

A student is also expected to have an issue(s) topic reviewed by her/his advisor and approved by the Seminar Instructor prior to the start of the semester. A form is available online to facilitate the approval process. This should be accomplished by submission of an issue abstract with advisor commentary and signature and scheduling a meeting with the Instructor. In accordance with Seminar requirements, the issue topic is to be current and sufficient to permit the student to demonstrate breadth of understanding of Higher Education in accordance with SQE guidelines.

The newly formatted Seminar is offered only in the Spring Semester. Thus, advance planning is required to complete these newly combined requirements in the correct sequence for advancement to candidacy in accordance with Department and Graduate School requirements. (See Revised SQE guidelines dated October 2000)

To summarize, the capstone seminar and SQE requirements for HED doctoral students are now combined into a new technology based/interactive format with these combined (SQE and Issues Seminar) objectives:

• To measure a candidate's breadth of understanding about higher education administration. (SQE)
• To fill gaps in student curricular experience and to provide for more in-depth exploration of select topics. The combined (collective) student experience provides added depth to all students involved in the seminar. Students also receive a practice "teaching" experience through preparation, presentation and guidance of seminar discussion of a selected higher education issue. (Capstone Seminar)

Besides accomplishing in one seminar the respective objectives of the two previous separate requirements, the new technology based format permits a number of potential enhancements/advantages. These include:

• Advances College objectives related to technology integration to the enhancement of student learning and improved teaching;
• Provides students new and varied ways to interact with course instructor(s), other experts and each other, both in and away from class;
• Encourages and supports student (and faculty) technology skill development including preparation for future academic and professional needs such as digital dissertation preparation now required by the Graduate School;
• Utilizes a technology-enhanced curricula that will feature multiple teaching/learning modalities for students to engage and apply to relevant concepts and skills;
• Provides for ongoing student/faculty interaction using collaborative and integrative technology experiences, potentially enhancing the quality of the individual student product and collective student learning experiences, resulting in an enhanced seminar experience for both faculty and student participants;
• Enables development of a format that is more adaptive to doctoral student schedules late in the program allowing student collaborations and communications to take place, in part, within time schedules that are better suited to individual schedules;
• Reduces time requirements on students with the same credit hour production;
• Encourages independent learning and provides more potential for peer review as a component of the teaching/learning experience;
• Improves self critique skills and can potentially build a better sense of community among students in the HED program;
• Reintroduces an oral "exam" component to the SQE and potentially enhances the "practice" teaching experience for doctoral students; and
• Distinguishes the SQE from the Core ("Comps") Examination which was recently changed to a format similar to the original SQE format for HED students.

 

Following is a tentative outline of Seminar Activities/Procedures (Stages).
Please contact the department for a course syllabus.

Pre Seminar

• SQE Qualification procedures met
• Preliminary topic identification (advisor and instructor of record involvement)

Initial Group Class Sessions (Estimate 2)

• Orientation, Seminar Expectations, Technology Training/Practice, Group "Bonding"

On-line Stages (approximately 75% of course time)

(Interactive between students/instructor/other faculty/experts-- interactive group conferencing between students/instructor as well as individual student/instructor conference opportunities)

• Abstract/Topic Outline
• Self critique, student peer/instructor response/critique
• Annotated Bibliography
• Student peer suggestions/refinement and assistance
• First Draft
• Student peer/instructor review/comment (content, structure, organization/style, writing, critical thinking)
• Final Draft (Successful completion meets the HED Doctoral SQE requirement)
• Posted in PDF format and archived.

Mid Semester Seminar -- For refinement/adjustment of remaining course expectations and concluding seminar requirements.

Concluding Seminars (minimum of 2 class meetings)
Led by student who prepared and posted final issue product

Project Evaluation -- (1 class session)
By student peers, instructor, other HED faculty participants including technology specific evaluation
 

James P. Duncan, Instructor of Record, Spring 2002
EDA 391K, Seminar: Policy Issues in Higher Education (08895)