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Faculty Publications

The University of Southern Mississippi

Higher education

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Best Practices For Edd Comprehensive Exams And Capstone Projects: Students' Attitudes And Perspectives Of Outcomes In An Online Program, Masha Krsmanovic, Holly A. Foster Aug 2023

Best Practices For Edd Comprehensive Exams And Capstone Projects: Students' Attitudes And Perspectives Of Outcomes In An Online Program, Masha Krsmanovic, Holly A. Foster

Faculty Publications

This research was guided by a problem of practice experienced by an EdD program, which transitioned to a fully online modality during the pandemic and rapidly grew in enrollment. The problem evaluated was ensuring the redesigned program milestones – capstone and comprehensive exam – are feasible given the size of the program. The current study utilized descriptive research design to provide a comprehensive description of educational phenomena. The study was conducted at a large, public research university in the South. A total of 316 students enrolled in the program and were invited to complete the survey, of which 131 responses …


Differentiating The Edd And The Phd In Higher Education: A Survey Of Characteristics And Trends, Holly A. Foster, Steven Chesnut, James Thomas, Courtney Robinson Feb 2023

Differentiating The Edd And The Phd In Higher Education: A Survey Of Characteristics And Trends, Holly A. Foster, Steven Chesnut, James Thomas, Courtney Robinson

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Higher education, as a field of study, is one of the few programmatic areas that offer two doctoral degrees: The Doctor of Education (EdD) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). In the United States, the two degrees are often conflated. Conversations, to this point, have done more to contribute to the theoretical debate than to operationally distinguish between the two degree paths.

Method: The current study analyzed data collected from a review of the 188 doctoral programs at 145 institutions listed with the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Results: Results suggest that while there …


Old Dogs Can Learn To Like New Tricks: One Instructor's Change In Attitude To Online Instruction From 2009-2017, Thomas V. O'Brien, Holly A. Foster Jun 2019

Old Dogs Can Learn To Like New Tricks: One Instructor's Change In Attitude To Online Instruction From 2009-2017, Thomas V. O'Brien, Holly A. Foster

Faculty Publications

This qualitative case study examined a veteran instructor's change in attitude about university online instruction. After a short review of the literature and explanation of the project, researchers conducted a content analysis of an instructor's annual self-reports about his online teaching of a graduate course in the social sciences. The self-reports were written between 2009 and 2017. The researchers also examined students' end-of-semester evaluation scores about the course and instructor. Results suggest that the teacher began online teaching with a mixed attitude. After four years of teachin ghte online course (delivered once each spring) the instructor reported more about content …