Courses
Fall Semester
ProSeminar: P20 Research & Careers in Education
The proseminar is not a conventional organized course. Instead, it helps students adjust to and enjoy becoming a graduate student. The course is designed to build a learning community among students and faculty to explore issues related to careers and research in educational policy, with opportunities for collaboration, planning, academic research, relevant practical experiences, and site visits. The goal of the pro-seminar is to help students develop the skillset required for successful professional presentations, writing, and analyses, along with unveiling the “hidden curriculum” of graduate school. Proseminar also sets the foundation for students to successfully complete the process of becoming a Ph.D. through curricular and career enhancement opportunities. Students will identify their burning questions and consider disciplinary, theoretical, and methodological grounding for those questions.
Download Syllabus: Proseminar Syllabus
Economics and Finance of Higher Education
In this course, students will gain an overview of mechanisms and theories regarding the economics and financing of U.S. higher education. We will examine the underlying reasons for rising college costs, the strategies states and the federal government use to subsidize costs, and how students and institutions respond. We will apply various conceptual lenses to help explain the causes and consequences of these trends. We will also discuss how these trends affect educational opportunity and equity, as well as professional practice. While this course is not limited to students in the higher education doctoral program, this course is grounded in literature, theories, and examples specific to higher education.
Download Syllabus: Economics and Finance of Higher Ed Syllabus
Spring Semester
The College Student
In today’s higher education setting, it’s important to be able to apply scholarly research in order to improve practice. This course is intended to provide a broad introduction to theories and research about working with college students. The content aims to increase your awareness of the diversity of college student populations and postsecondary institutions, including variety in student experiences and the theories that explain them. The assignments ask you to apply student development theories to examine higher education policies and practice. Ultimately, you should leave the course able to synthesize student development literature and other theories we cover by applying them to real-world issues in student affairs/higher education practice. By “synthesize,” I mean that you should be able to compare and contrast several theories, think about how they fit together, and critique existing theories/models.
Download Syllabus: The College Student Syllabus
Quantitative Research Design and Analysis
This course is designed to give you an introduction to the workings of research and quantitative methods necessary to support research. The emphasis is on introduction, as many students enter this course with limited experience in quantitative research. Students enrolled in this course should already have acquired basic knowledge in mathematical concepts such as algebra and descriptive statistical methods, but should not have taken a previous coursework in statistics (if you have, please meet with me to discuss alternative courses to suit your needs). The main objective of this course is to apply the concepts and methods of quantitative social science research on education policy issues. A second objective is to help students become knowledgeable, critical consumers of quantitative education research. The course is an introduction to several (yet not exhaustive) core techniques, applications, and concepts useful for framing and evaluating quantitative inquiry.
Download Syllabus: Quantitative Research Design and Analysis Syllabus