Doctor of Professional Studies - Instructional Design Leadership
58
Credit Hours
47%
Max Transfer Credit
Class Type
Next Start Date
Apr 22, 2024
Years To Complete
Finish in as few as 3 years

Elevate learning experiences with a doctorate in instructional design

Learning and development is a $165 billion annual industry, giving instructional design professionals much more prominence as both leaders and educators. Consistent, focused, professional development under the watchful eye of learning executives and consultants is leading to the creation of advanced cultures of inspiration and deeper senior leadership competencies. In the classroom, learning and development instructors are helping advance the way learning professionals research, understand and apply concepts and theories to the real world.

Program Availability

On Site

No-Fear Dissertation™

Get 360-degree support to take on (and finish!) your dissertation.

3-Year Completion

Finish your DPS faster -- including one year for your dissertation.

Personalized Program

Customize your program with a variety of electives.

100% Online Classes

Earn your degree around your schedule.

Relevant Curriculum

Become a leader in instructional design.

Finish Faster

Transfer up to 24 hours of previously earned credit.

Program Overview

Innovate professional development. Transform learning and performance.

As an industry, learning and development is burgeoning. In fact, with more than $165 billion (not to mention thousands upon thousands of work hours) spent annually, learning and development is taking its rightful place within organizational hierarchies.

As a result, instructional design professionals are becoming more in demand at both leadership and educational levels.

Learning executives and consultants, for example, are being asked to bring more focus and cohesiveness to organizational development needs; to facilitate and exponentially expand knowledge transfer; to further develop senior leadership competencies; and to create advanced cultures of inspiration.

Learning, design and technology educators, too, are being asked to do more, including advancing research, understanding and application of discovery, learning and engagement.

Hone your expertise at a renowned intersection of theory and practice

When it comes to curriculum design and development we practice what we teach. Through the scholarship and leadership of our faculty, Franklin’s International Institution for Innovative Instruction has built a reputation for solving real-world learning challenges in both academic and professional settings. From government entities and K-12 schools to higher education and industry-leading organizations, our partners around the world reap the benefits of the applied knowledge of our faculty – and you will too.  

The Institute also houses our School of Education in which our faculty of teaching and learning experts collaborate with cooperating teachers at nearly 200 partner schools mentor aspiring K-12 teachers. 

Learn from the best

As a student in the DPS program, you’ll benefit from our faculty members who are scholars, leaders and distinguished researchers in their fields. With knowledge that spans traditional and corporate learning, you will find them to be invaluable partners and mentors on your doctoral journey. 

  • Dr. Yi Yang, DPS program chair, is a Fulbright scholar with research interests that include quality of online education; effectiveness of online teaching and learning and game-based learning. 
  • Dr. Matt Barclay is the recipient of several research grants. His research interests include instructional design, elearning, authentic learning, and human performance improvement. 
  • Dr. Joel Gardner, assistant dean of instructional design, is a Fulbright Specialist. His research interests include instructional theory and first principles of instruction. 
  • Dr. Natalya Koehler is an instructional design faculty with expertise in mixed methods research. Her research interests include online STEM education and interactive multimedia. 

Become a learning leader who leads  

Because people are inherently an organization’s most valuable asset, employers are continuing to demand more from their human capital investment. Forces such as global competition, developments in technology, greater job specialization, and a rise in knowledge-based industries have driven the need for a more educated workforce.

From verbal and written competencies, to technical and technological abilities, to advanced interpersonal aptitude, employers need leaders who can envision, direct and provide the kind of human capital development that aligns with company goals, transforms corporate culture and moves an organization forward.

Such leadership doesn’t come readily or routinely – instead, it requires proficiencies of the highest level. That’s why Franklin University is the first and only nonprofit institute of higher education to offer a professionally oriented doctoral degree in instructional design and leadership. Our terminal degree can prepare you to make smart, relevant connections between classroom learnings and real-world development effectiveness.

A practitioner-oriented education like Franklin’s differs from a research-based degree. Whereas a Doctor of Philosophy or Ph.D. in instructional design focuses on substantive advancement of theoretical research within a discipline, an applied doctorate degree like Franklin University’s transfer-friendly Doctor of Professional Studies in Instructional Design Leadership (DPS-Instructional Design Leadership), focuses on knowledge expansion within the discipline combined with knowledge application in the real-world setting.

Make a difference

Our instructional design doctorate program reinforces the core technical aspects of quality research, yet also equips you with such sought-after skills as leadership, communication, instructional design and training. Franklin’s applied doctorate is a practical degree that enables both subject mastery and field application. That means you’ll be prepared to apply doctoral-level research and problem solving to complex, real-world challenges.

Franklin’s applied Doctor of Professional Studies in Instructional Design Leadership is a program designed to help you:

  • Apply research in order to impact business performance
  • Design and develop advanced curricula and instructional products
  • Assess and refine your own leadership competencies
  • Differentiate yourself as a top performer or educator

Create innovative learning environments

Through our DPS program, you’ll focus on progressive and advanced approaches for designing effective, transformative learning and instruction. You’ll also examine applicable frameworks and implementation strategies for such learning environments as e-learning, blended and hybrid learning, mobile learning, game-based learning, and informal and social learning. Then, in light of the training needs of an organization, you’ll determine if, why, how and when to employ one or more of these frameworks and strategies.

Lead and manage at a strategic level

It’s been said that knowledge is power. Assuming that’s true, then organizational success can be attributed to the collective knowledge within that organization. How and where organizational knowledge is found, used and stored, however, can make or break the organization’s ability to advance, perform, thrive or transform. For this reason, Franklin’s DPS program equips you with the skills necessary to lead and manage learning at a very strategic level. You’ll not only learn how to identify and meet ever-evolving learning needs, you’ll do so within the context of the organization’s strategic goals.

Understand and assess trends & technology

Theories come and go, and technology seems to change every nanosecond. The challenge, then, isn’t just in keeping up, but also in how to determine which (if any) emerging principles, perspectives and products are worthy of adopting. With Franklin’s DPS in instructional design leadership, you’ll learn how to evaluate theories, models and frameworks, as well as strategically and tactically incorporate designs, processes and technologies for instruction and learning throughout an organization.

Get 360-degree support

We’ve taken a comprehensive and systematic approach to our online doctoral program, which includes team-based curriculum development, doctorally qualified faculty, and student-centered activities designed for the working adult. You’ll receive robust academic support from a variety of resources, including a graduate advisor, faculty advisor, personal librarian and peers, as well as the Student Learning Center staff and your Dissertation Committee members. You’ll also enjoy a cohesive and robust graduate culture and cohort. Together, our practice-minded faculty and your fellow students will support, mentor, encourage and keep you accountable to the program – and to yourself. At Franklin, you’re never alone on your doctoral journey.

Transfer up to 24 credit hours

Want to complete your terminal degree in less than three years? Franklin grants up to 24 hours of prior-learning credit for previous doctoral work. We honor your prior learning and make it easier to get credit for what you already know. Transfer credit can help you earn your applied doctorate degree faster, as well as reduce your overall tuition expenses.

Succeed with our unique dissertation structure

If there’s such a thing as a no-fear dissertation process, Franklin’s has it. We’ve intentionally designed a dissertation structure to help you complete your dissertation step-by-step, beginning with your enrollment in the program. We’ve also built-in faculty mentoring and guidance, and peer-to-peer support so you’re never left to “figure it out” on your own.

Throughout the DPS program, you’ll develop important research skills and the necessary writing prowess to publish a dissertation or dissertation in practice as a capstone project to your studies. Your dissertation will showcase your ability to identify a topic of interest within the workplace, develop a proposed solution to a problem, and test your hypotheses in the real world.

Read more >

Sara

DPS Student

"During a professional visit to Columbus, I had the opportunity to tour the Institute where Franklin has been designing and developing online programs for more than 20 years. The experience was so impressive that it prompted me to consider the DPS program."

Future Start Dates

Start dates for individual programs may vary and are subject to change. Please request free information & speak with an admission advisor for the latest program start dates.

Spring 2024
April
22
Recommended Register By:
Apr 12
Fall 2024
August
19
Recommended Register By:
Aug 9
Fall 2024
September
9
Recommended Register By:
Aug 30

Curriculum & Course Descriptions

58 Semester Hours
Research Core
GRAD 888 - Introduction to Doctoral Studies (1)

The doctoral colloquium is designed to build a community and ensure that learners have the support, motivation, and guidance necessary to succeed in their doctoral programs. This first colloquium also will provide students with an overview of the doctoral program expectations, coursework sequence, doctoral student support services, as well as comprehensive exam and dissertation requirements. The first colloquium is designed to establish a learning community and graduate culture for the doctoral students at Franklin University. The doctoral colloquium will be held at the University's main campus in facilities that provide appropriate online interaction for out-of-state and international students.

ENG 800 - Doctoral Writing & Research (3)

In this course, students prepare to be active participants in advanced professional and academic discourse communities by practicing the writing and research strategies associated with their chosen field of study. By calling attention to the conventions of research writing, the course provides students the analytical tools that will help them join ongoing scholarly conversations. Students will analyze and compose a variety of academic writing genres as they develop a literature review over the course of the term. They will also develop their presentation, peer review, proofing, and reflection skills in alignment with the standards of advanced academic study.

MTHD 803 - Intro to Quantitative Methods & Design (2)

Through this course, students will gain an overview of quantitative research designs and methods. The course starts with successful completion of the CITI training - the protection of human research participants, to move on to an introduction of quantitative sampling designs, data collection approaches, experimental versus non-experimental designs, and data analysis. Students will engage in practical hands-on experience with formulating a research question or hypotheses, discussing important ethical issues, designing sampling methods, collecting data, and analyzing data. They will learn how to examine validity and reliability issues and will be introduced to available software for conducting quantitative design. At the end of this course, students will be introduced to the research proposal to get a start on the guidelines required for their dissertation proposal.

MTHD 804 - Intro to Qualitative Methods & Design (2)

Through this course, students will gain an overview of qualitative research designs and methods. The course starts with an introduction to qualitative approaches. Students will become familiar with the narrative approach, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case studies. This course will introduce students to some of the critical works in qualitative research methods and design and give an overview of the historical progression of the field. Students will gain hands-on experience with observations, qualitative data collection, and qualitative sampling design. They will also get some introduction in qualitative data analysis, validity, reliability, and researchers' bias in qualitative work. At the end of this course, students will be introduced to the research proposal to get a start on the guidelines required for their dissertation proposal.

MATH 807 - Introduction to Statistics (2)

This course will introduce the concepts of descriptive statistics and probability distributions. Topics will include basic statistical terminology, statistical graphs, numerical summaries of data, probability concepts and distributions, and sampling distributions. The course is designed to allow students integrate statistical software of choice with the aforementioned concepts and to provide opportunities to interpret resulting outputs.

MATH 810 - Applied Statistics (3)

Applications of statistical techniques and methods will be explored, including fundamental statistical tests for central values, variances, and categorical variables, as well as regression analysis and the general linear model. The emphasis will be on selecting and applying the appropriate statistical techniques as well as the interpretation and reporting of results with the use of a major statistical software. The course is also designed to provide numerous opportunities to critique statistical techniques commonly used in empirical research articles.

MTHD 820 - Advanced Quantitative Research & Design (3)

This is an advanced course in statistics that covers analyses used in multivariate statistical techniques. The course is designed to broaden and deepen learners understanding of advanced statistics in multivariate techniques. As such, several multivariate techniques are covered, including their appropriateness to given situations, analysis, and interpretation. The emphasis of the course is on practical application of concepts learnt to given research problems and/or opportunities. The course is developed to balance theory and application and provides numerous opportunities for application to practical problems. Learners also complete a draft research proposal integrating sound research plans and procedures.

OR MTHD 822 - Advanced Qualitative Research & Design (3)

The advanced qualitative research course builds on the knowledge and skills students acquire in prior research courses. This course leads students to an in-depth treatment of qualitative research methodology, exploring its theoretical underpinnings and associated methods for design, data collection, interpretation, and reporting of results. Ethics are emphasized for each stage of research. This course will guide students to develop the methodology and data analysis for their dissertation proposal and research.

OR MTHD 824 - Advanced Mixed Methods Research & Design (3)

Through this course, students will familiarize with mixed-methods research and design. They will gain knowledge on the four different types of mixed-methods: triangulation design, embedded design, explanatory design, and exploratory design. Students will learn how to conceptualize their own study in terms of these different design types. They will gain hands-on experience on how to formulate a research question fitted for a mixed-methods design, collect some data, and analyze it. They will discuss and learn about challenges and advantages of mixed-methods designs. At the end of this course students will be able to work on their dissertation proposal.

MTHD 815 - Measurement & Scale Development (2)

This is a hands-on course designed to equip students with skills and knowledge necessary to develop new, valid and reliable instruments as well as help improve existing ones. In particular, the course looks at evolution of measurement development and the process involved in developing reliable and valid measurement instruments. The course includes creation of a reliable and valid measurement that can be readily used and applied in the field.

OR MTHD 816 - Qualitative Data Analysis (2)

This course is designed to equip students with essential skills in qualitative coding, analysis, interpretation of findings, and writing of the qualitative results. These skills are crucial for the doctoral candidacy journey. The course aims to provide students with hands-on experience in collecting text data from original qualitative research studies, as well as mapping, memoing, coding, analyzing, interpreting, and writing qualitative research. By the end of the course, students will have produced a small meta-synthesis, allowing them to put their newly acquired skills into practice.

OR MTHD 817 - Critical & Social Theory (2)

In this course, students will be introduced to the main schools of critical and social theory: structuralism, post-structuralism, cultural theory, queer theory, gender theory, critical race theory, disability studies, and post-colonialism among others. Students will analyze foundational theoretical scholarship, examine how critical and social theory has developed over time, and consider the ways in which theory might inform their own research. Throughout the course, students will complete short papers as well as a major writing assignment at the end of the term.

OR MTHD 818 - Research Design (2)

The aim of this course is for you to learn about and be able to apply key research design frameworks in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. In particular, you will learn conditions under which each design and/or approach would be most appropriate and effective. Additionally, you will learn how to formulate research questions, critically evaluate various research designs in order to select a suitable one for a given research problem, develop appropriate data collection and analysis procedures and plans as well as ethical conduct of research studies. During the course, you will learn to craft a research proposal integrating critical components, namely background of study, purpose statement, research question, theoretical framework, significance of the study, critical review and synthesis of key literature underpinning the study, appropriate research design, and data collection and analysis procedures.

Major Area Required
EDUC 802 - Teaching in Higher Education (4)

The course will study the teaching and learning philosophies, methods, and techniques in higher education. Topics will cover learning theories, instructional design models, instructional strategies, and evaluation of student performance. By the end of this course, students will develop their own teaching philosophy along with an instructional unit demonstrating their mastery of learning theories and instructional design models, selection of proper learning technologies in designing the instruction, and incorporation of appropriate instructional and assessment methods. In addition, students will also explore faculty careers in higher education.

IDL 810 - Innovative Learning Environment Design (4)

In this course, students will be exposed to new and innovative approaches for designing effective learning and instruction. This course will equip students with knowledge of applicable frameworks and strategies for implementation at the organizational level. Students will review learning environments such as e-learning, blended and hybrid learning, mobile learning, game-based learning, and informal and social learning, to determine the appropriate learning environment based on the learning and training needs of an organization.

IDL 820 - Strategic Assessment & Decision Making (4)

Today's researchers, leaders, and managers in the instructional design field must be able to use data to make decisions, as well as influence others in their organizations. In this course, students will learn how to apply relevant tools, techniques, theories, and principles of strategic assessment and decision-making to address the learning and performance needs for continuous improvement for learning problems or a learning organization.

IDL 840 - Instructional Design Leadership Coaching and Consulting (4)

Instructional design leaders often work in a consulting role with both internal and external clients and stakeholders. In this course, students will gain consulting skills in instructional design. Major topics of the course include: applying doctoral-level research strategies to analyze and evaluate learning and performance problems; communicating effectively with stakeholders; applying consulting strategies and skills; and creating a consulting professional development plan.

Major Electives

16 credits from levels 800-899 in the following subjects: IDL, ACCT, EDUC, MGMT, HRM, HIM, HCM, MKTG, MTHD, PUAD, ITEC.

Dissertation/Dissertation in Practice Requirements
DISS 9000 - Comprehensive Exam (1)

This course is designed for students to prepare for, take and complete their comprehensive exam. Remedial strategies and actions will also be provided for students who do not successfully pass their comprehensive exam on the first attempt, with the opportunity for a retake during the six weeks of the course if the student chooses to do so. A third attempt on taking the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination will not be automatically provided to doctoral students failing to successfully pass the examination after two attempts. Any third attempt will only be considered upon receiving a written petition by the student requesting a final attempt. The request may or may not be approved based on review by the Dean of Doctoral Studies and the student's doctoral Program Chair. Students who fail the comprehensive examination two times, or fail the examination three times when a third attempt was granted through appeal, are dismissed from doctoral studies at Franklin University.

At least 6 credits from the following courses:

DISS 9100 - Dissertation (1-4)

In consultation with the Dissertation Chair and Committee Members, the doctoral candidate will design and conduct research to complete the aims identified in their research prospectus, proposal and IRB application or as subsequently modified in line with recommendations from the Chair and Committee Members. This course may be repeated as necessary to earn sufficient credit or to finalize the Dissertation to fulfill requirements to earn the doctorate.

DISS 9400 - Defense of Dissertation (1)

Doctoral candidates will finalize all aspects of the Dissertation/Dissertation in Practice and make an oral defense of their design, methods and findings.

Optional Focus Areas

Students may complete 8 credit hours of a focus area to count within the Major Elective requirement.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Education Focus

EDUC 802 - Teaching in Higher Education (4)

The course will study the teaching and learning philosophies, methods, and techniques in higher education. Topics will cover learning theories, instructional design models, instructional strategies, and evaluation of student performance. By the end of this course, students will develop their own teaching philosophy along with an instructional unit demonstrating their mastery of learning theories and instructional design models, selection of proper learning technologies in designing the instruction, and incorporation of appropriate instructional and assessment methods. In addition, students will also explore faculty careers in higher education.

EDUC 805 - Leadership of Organizational Resources (4)

This core course focuses on state-of-the-art leadership skills necessary for the effectiveness of today's leaders and managers. The course concentrates on the specific transformational, servant-leadership, and other leadership competencies and skills necessary for providing sound management of institutional resources, projects, and performance. Students will apply leadership theoretical underpinnings to real-world cases, scenarios and situations that involve effective and ineffective resource and performance management practices. The course concentrates on the application of critical thinking and decision-making in optimal practices for providing highly effective leadership in today's organizations.

EDUC 820 - Leading Schools in the 21st Century (4)

This course is key for students who have chosen the PK-12 educational leadership concentration that require a solid understanding of 21st century technological skills as it applies to educational technology (including social media). After establishing a foundation and knowledge base of educational technology, you will learn about the most recent and innovative educational technology that can be utilized effectively for both learning and leading in the PK-12 educational setting. Through the lens of ensuring all students in the PK-12 educational setting are college-, career-, and life-ready, you will analyze and learn how educational technology plays a vital role in this process. In addition, you will analyze and evaluate how to utilize the most recent educational technology tools with effective building and district leadership in the PK-12 educational setting. Finally, you will analyze and evaluate current trends and issues associated with use of educational technology (including social media) within the PK-12 educational setting.

EDUC 825 - Building & District Leadership Structure (4)

This course is key for students who have chosen the PK-12 Educational Leadership focus and must develop expertise and practice in navigating the unique aspects of building and district leadership in K-12 structures. Concepts of transformational leadership developed through the Leadership Core will be leveraged in the examination of school level and district level issues. Students will be required to define problems within their unique professional situation and apply recognized leadership structures to promote a shared vision, and establish a professional learning community that focuses on the mission of ensuring that all students learn through the development of a culture of collaboration rooted in data-based results.

EDUC 840 - College & University Leadership Structures (4)

This course provides an examination of leadership theories and structures in institutions of higher education. Focusing on major theories of leadership of higher education organizations that inform leadership practices, students will develop skills as practitioners in university leadership. By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the structure and function of university leadership structures from multiple theoretical perspectives. Students will gain an understanding of the management, leadership, and administrative roles of academic and student affairs offices in colleges and universities including personnel, program definition, research and teaching issues, and other functions of academic and programming oversight. Additional consideration to the roles, responsibilities, and leadership styles required will be examined for different organizational contexts. Through the linking of theory to practice, the class activities will lead students to develop skills as campus leaders and to empower them to make conscious, deliberate decisions, utilizing multiple, and at times divergent, theoretical frames.

EDUC 845 - History of Higher Education (4)

The purpose of this course is to explore critical, challenges facing American higher education. The course explores the history of higher education, with an emphasis on the development of higher education in the United States, to present challenges facing institutions. It includes issues of access, accountability, academic freedom, financial aid, state and federal government policy, changing legal structures, teaching and learning in a digital age, student issues, diversity, and the influence of business models and values on institutional strategy and practice. This course also covers different educational systems (community colleges, private colleges, and public colleges) and the critical issues affecting their institutional type. Students will gain an understanding of their responsibilities, critical thinking, and explore current issues that affect managers in institutions of higher education. This course addresses interdisciplinary influences on leadership practice within learning organizations and focuses on recent developments that have broad implications for research and practice in educational leadership.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Health Informatics Focus

HIM 802 - Advanced Health Information Governance (4)

In this course students will evaluate an organizations current health information governance infra-structure and will make recommendations for improvement that will cover the broad spectrum of strategic issues in healthcare including policies, guidelines, standards, processes and controls required to manage and implement enterprise-level information. Students will research how health data and organizational information systems are utilized as a strategic asset to healthcare organizations, process to manage various risks to the quality of information and ensure its appropriate use.

HIM 810 - Advanced Clinical Workflow & Applications (4)

In this course students will evaluate an organizations existing clinical workflows to include a variety of inpatient, outpatient and emergency healthcare environments. Material in the course covers the documentation, review, mapping and diagramming of clinical workflow information and processes. Students will also assess and make recommendations for improvement of patient care to workflow mapping and change management, as part of evidence based decision making in healthcare.

HIM 861 - Advanced Healthcare Analytics (4)

In this course, students will evaluate an organization’s existing process of retrieving, analyzing and reporting intelligence to make healthcare decisions. Student will assess and make recommendations for improvement on the techniques of extracting, transforming, and loading data from a myriad of operational databases into corporate data warehouses, as well a means to ensure that decision making is based on clean and reliable information. Students will also develop skills for reporting the healthcare intelligence gathered.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Healthcare Management Focus

HCM 810 - Organizations, Community & Global Health (4)

This science of epidemiology is essential for projecting the population health needs, and appropriate allocation of public and private resources. This course focuses on the utilization of epidemiologic studies and techniques as a basis for organizational policy and administrative decision-making. Students will examine the connection between organizational leadership and social health. Students will create and recommend organizational strategies that enhance organizational, community, and global health.

HCM 820 - Healthcare Policy, Regulations & Reform (4)

This course will explore various aspects of corporate, state and federal policy making. Students will examine the impact of existing health policies on healthcare organizations, providers and patients. Students will develop skills to influence and change existing healthcare policies. Students will also create and propose a new healthcare policy.

HCM 830 - Healthcare Economics, Resources & Finance (4)

This course will examine the importance of resource and financial management in a healthcare organization. Students will determine the financial status of a healthcare organization and create strategic plans to sustain healthcare services. This course will also explore the various concepts driving healthcare economics. This course will also critique the use of organizational supplies, human resources, and technology.

HCM 840 - Healthcare Quality, Process & Improvement (4)

This course will examine various aspects of patient safety, quality improvement and risk management in healthcare. Students will compare and contrast several process improvement models with the goal of improving organizational efficiency, patient safety, and service quality. Students will also research governmental agencies driving quality improvement in healthcare organizations.

HCM 850 - Business of Healthcare (4)

Healthcare Leaders, more than ever, are facing challenging opportunities with the changing dynamics of the industry. During this course students will explore how executive-level leaders can manage complex health systems using strategic planning, risk management and innovative business practices.

HCM 860 - Social Determinants of Health (4)

The science of epidemiology and population health concepts are essential for addressing and projecting the health needs of communities and the allocation of public and private resources. This course focuses on the utilization of epidemiologic findings and population health data to support and aid health care policy development and administrative decision making. Students will be able to apply these concepts to analyze public health and population health data for epidemics, chronic health conditions, or diseases to develop data supported strategies as healthcare administrators.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Human Resource Management Focus

HRM 840 - Foundations of Human Resource Management (4)

Organizations across the globe are composed of groups of people working together to achieve goals that include organizational success, employee growth and contribution, and contribution to the larger community. The defining factor that differentiates the most successful companies from those that struggle to survive is the people who make up the employee base. While the Human Resources function has the specific task of planning for and resolving many employee issues and needs, individual managers and employees have direct responsibility and accountably for achieving sustained organizational success. Organizations that invest in their employees and develop workplace environments that encourage full employee engagement are rewarded with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This course provides students with an opportunity to learn the knowledge and skills needed to enhance the contributions of all employees in support of an organization's purpose. Student's research will analyze trends and issues influencing the development and application of these elements within contemporary organizations. Additionally, students will come to understand the benefits afforded to organizations that create, craft and maintain a rich, empowering culture.

HRM 850 - Strategic Human Resource Management (4)

In Strategic Human Resource Management, students will analyze workforce management processes in light of their strategic importance. This will include an examination of the relationships between traditional human resource functions and the various business functions so that efficiency and effectiveness are balanced and optimized. Students will also review these processes and relationships in both the domestic and global environments now and in the future. Further, students conduct research to explore trends within the discipline of Human Resource Management that have a positive impact upon employee engagement as well as the productivity and profitability of an organization.

HRM 860 - Leading Organizational Transformation (4)

In this course, students will evaluate the process of change as related to the principles and practices of various types of organizations. Students will conduct research into the area of total rewards to determine what influences are leading many organizations to implement progressive human resource practices. Students will apply this learning to examine change processes and techniques used to facilitate transformational change in order to enhance employee engagement and organizational success. Students will also understand the business case supporting why companies should invest in their employees and internal cultures, regardless of industry affiliation, company size and/or revenue generation and apply this research to examine the processes and techniques for facilitating transformational change.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Management Focus

MGMT 840 - Development of Management Theory Practice (4)

The primary objective of this course is to provide a substantive overview of the development of management theory and its applications through the 20th century to date. Managerial concepts and constructs will be researched and applied in a scholar to practitioner modality. The course will focus on the evolution of management thought and the implications of its development for modern managers and leaders.

MGMT 845 - Organizational Behavior, Culture & Effectiveness (4)

This course is an advanced research seminar in the field of organizational culture and behavior. The seminar allows you to begin the process of substantive academic research and formal inquiry into these important theories and the implications of these for managers. The seminar will require the synthesis of critical thinking, analysis, research, writing, and evaluation. Students will develop a key deliverable that involves a research proposal in the fields of organizational culture and behavior and then conduct substantive research into the literature developed by others. The final project in the seminar is the development of a research-ready proposal utilizing, at minimum, one research methodology.

MGMT 850 - Organizational Leadership (4)

This course addresses historical and current leadership concepts, theories, and constructs. An emphasis will be on the application and assessment of transformational, servant, and authentic leadership theories for use by both leaders and followers in 21st century business and academic settings. The course will challenge you to assess your own leadership strengths and weaknesses and produce an in-depth plan of action to develop and refine leadership competencies. You will conduct substantive scholarly research to address and capture relevant and cutting-edge leadership theoretical work for application in course assignments.

MGMT 855 - Org Sys Perspect Theory & Application (4)

This course focuses on the theory and practice of organizations as open and adaptive systems. Students will address the implications of systems theory for organizational sense-making, learning, innovation and transformation. The complexity of organizations as integrated participants in while systems will be addressed through research and presentations.

MGMT 860 - Strategic Thinking, Dec. Making/Innov. (4)

Innovation enables organizational growth and sustainability. However, for companies to remain competitive, leaders must understand the theories, models, and strategies framing innovation applying relevant concepts and practice to business development, customer satisfaction, and market acquisition. Conceptually, innovation, defined and applied in organizations, has morphed over the last three decades. However, the 21st-century global business environment offers an opportunity to rethink, even reimage innovation and its application to the emerging digital defined markets and workplaces. While innovation is evolutionally, even revolutionary relative to an organization's purpose, product, and processes, leadership should explore contemporary knowledge and skills associated with innovation determining if cultivating cultures of innovation, is essential to achieving organizational goals.

MGMT 865 - Organizational Performance Analysis (4)

This course addresses a multi-prong approach to manage, lead, and assess overall organizational performance in achieving tactical and strategic goals. Metrics including: shareholder value, the balanced scorecard, risk management, system alignment, human resource management, and organizational learning are addressed in this course. Also the application of research on organizational performance theories are incorporated in the course.

MGMT 870 - Ethics & Social Responsibility (4)

This course focuses on the evaluation and analysis of key ethical decision-making theories and constructs, and their direct application and integration in 21st century organizational practices. The role of corporate social responsibility will be explored by assessing the role of organizational leaders and stakeholders with improving the quality of life for individuals and the community.

MGMT 875 - Change Mgmt & Organizational Development (4)

This course focuses on research and evaluation of the key theoretical concepts and practices central to the leading of organizational change initiatives. Students will evaluate real-world situations, cases, and scenarios in order to recommend and justify theoretically based change management practices to ensure ongoing organizational acceptance and effectiveness of these programs. Students will conduct scholarly research to explore, evaluate, and interpret state-of-the-art change concepts for viability in today’s organizations. Students will assess the role of change agents as key players in the overall change process.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Marketing Focus

MKTG 840 - Contemporary Issues in Marketing Management (4)

This course is an advanced research seminar in contemporary marketing management. The seminar relies on critical inquiry and analysis as the foundation for substantive academic research involving current marketing issues that shape and are shaped by society. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have completed a comprehensive research study proposal.

MKTG 850 - Consumer & Behavioral Research (4)

This course is an advanced seminar in consumer behavior and market-driven applied research. Readings and assignments will synthesize prior knowledge of consumer behavior, research methodologies, methods, and theories with critical analyses of how these are used to inform marketing decision-making. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have developed a plan to conduct and analyze a research study.

MKTG 860 - Marketing Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis (4)

This course is an advanced seminar in the use of quantitative and qualitative data in the marketing process. Upon successful completion of this seminar, students will have an understanding of how quantitative and qualitative analyses are used by marketing academicians and practitioners for academic and applied research, assessment, and decision making.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Methodology Focus

MTHD 820 - Advanced Quantitative Research & Design (3)

This is an advanced course in statistics that covers analyses used in multivariate statistical techniques. The course is designed to broaden and deepen learners understanding of advanced statistics in multivariate techniques. As such, several multivariate techniques are covered, including their appropriateness to given situations, analysis, and interpretation. The emphasis of the course is on practical application of concepts learnt to given research problems and/or opportunities. The course is developed to balance theory and application and provides numerous opportunities for application to practical problems. Learners also complete a draft research proposal integrating sound research plans and procedures.

MTHD 822 - Advanced Qualitative Research & Design (3)

The advanced qualitative research course builds on the knowledge and skills students acquire in prior research courses. This course leads students to an in-depth treatment of qualitative research methodology, exploring its theoretical underpinnings and associated methods for design, data collection, interpretation, and reporting of results. Ethics are emphasized for each stage of research. This course will guide students to develop the methodology and data analysis for their dissertation proposal and research.

MTHD 824 - Advanced Mixed Methods Research & Design (3)

Through this course, students will familiarize with mixed-methods research and design. They will gain knowledge on the four different types of mixed-methods: triangulation design, embedded design, explanatory design, and exploratory design. Students will learn how to conceptualize their own study in terms of these different design types. They will gain hands-on experience on how to formulate a research question fitted for a mixed-methods design, collect some data, and analyze it. They will discuss and learn about challenges and advantages of mixed-methods designs. At the end of this course students will be able to work on their dissertation proposal.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Public Administration Focus

PUAD 840 - Cross-Sector Collaboration (4)

This course focuses on theories and practices for leading cross-sector collaborations to accomplish public policy goals and objectives of mission-driven organizations. Students evaluate different collaborative approaches for delivering government and nonprofit services and assess the risks and benefits of engaging in cross-sector collaborations. Students learn analytical approaches, principled negotiation skills, and best practices for initiating and managing effective cross-sector collaborations.

PUAD 850 - Innovations in Service Delivery and Stakeholder Engagement (4)

The course examines the latest technologies that can be used to improve service delivery, engage stakeholders, and solve problems. Students learn the technologies and best practices for using web-based applications, e-commerce solutions, geographic information systems, crowd-sourcing, social media and other e-tools to make government and nonprofit organizations more efficient and effective. Ethical, legal, and implementation, aspects of these approaches are assessed.

PUAD 860 - Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis (4)

This course examines concepts, tools, and techniques for evaluating government policies, philanthropic, and social programs to assess the performance of mission-driven organizations. The course focuses on evaluating different approaches to program evaluation and applying methods for performance evaluation, including needs assessments, logic models, evaluation designs, quantitative and qualitative evaluation techniques, ethics, and reporting.

OR

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

Information Technology Focus

ITEC 840 - IT Management and Strategy (4)

This course critically analyzes the current state of IT strategy practices and demonstrates how an IT strategy serves as a strong foundation for competitive IT management. Several tools and methods are synthesized to assess internal and external environments for formulating a strategy, execute a strategy based on environmental factors, and improve a strategy. The course brings the current academic and business literature to the class. It examines emerging IT strategy and management issues such as hyper-automation, AI, cybersecurity mesh, anywhere operations, and the internet of behaviors.

ITEC 850 - IT Policy and Governance (4)

This course aims to improve critical thinking and decision-making skills in the IT policy and governance field. The course brings forth today's complex and cutting-edge computing environment by taking threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber controls into account. This course provokes the questions of how the GRC (Governance, Risk Management, Compliance) practices should be applied in today's complex IT environments to make the most out of the cutting-edge technology and how critical assets should be protected from adversarial actions of advanced persistent threats. The course brings various essential processes and services to the table, including but not limited to supply-chain risks, innovation, and resilience. Research papers and discussion assignments help students obtain pertinent information and improve research and academic writing skills within the field.

ITEC 860 - IT Vision and Leadership (4)

Vision is necessary for an organization to adopt, implement, and use information technology effectively. Leadership makes vision work. In this course, students will study, research, and apply leadership concepts, theories, and constructs that have been shown to be successful in information technology organizations. Two broad topics, (1) Vision and leadership in IT, (2) How to choose and benefit from the technology to accomplish the vision, will be delivered in the first four weeks of the course. This course is heavily based on research, presentation, and writing on future trends combined with leading people and IT organizations. In the first four weeks, each student will pick a very recent technology and research and write a paper about it. In the last four weeks, they will present the technologies that they've researched.

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Doctor of Professional Studies - Instructional Design Leadership Program Details

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Career Opportunities

Professor

Professors primarily plan curriculum, conduct original research, and teach and test students, helping expand their knowledge within a particular subject matter or discipline.

Adjunct Faculty

Adjunct Faculty are contingent or contractual instructors who plan lectures, teach specific courses within a field of study, assess learning outcomes and advise students.

Consultant

Consultants are paid experts who assess a particular problem, challenge or opportunity and provide strategic recommendations for action.

Chief Learning Officer

Chief Learning Officers create, implement and oversee learning management strategies and initiatives and align them with human capital development.

Chief Academic Officer

Chief Academic Officers are responsible for providing leadership, vision and strategic direction for educational curriculum, instruction and assessment.
 

Director of Training and Development

Directors of Training and Development lead, implement, manage and oversee learning and development programs.

Training Manager

Training Managers assess training needs, define training requirements, devise programs and oversee implementation.
 

Lead or Senior Instructional Designer

Lead or Senior Instructional Designers assess training needs, establish learning objectives and collaborate with subject matter experts in the creation of training materials and products.
 

Director of Learning & Performance

Directors of Learning & Performance assess training needs and gaps, drive development strategies and manage training initiatives.
 

Direction of Talent Management

Directors of Talent Management assess learning paths and develop training materials, tools and resources to support transformative performance management.

Employment Outlook

9%

From 2021-2031, jobs in Instructional Design Leadership are expected to increase by 9%

All Occupations

2021
200,602 jobs
2031
218,001 jobs


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