Instructional Technology and Media EdD

Instructional Technology and Media (TEIT)

The Instructional Technology and Media degree programs examine the relationship between the design of technology, digital media, cultural context, social interaction, and learning. Courses provide extensive exposure to theories of cognition and design, and deep dives into applications of these theories in practice.

Consequently, while students will encounter a wide range of cognitive, social, and design theories, students are encouraged to consider the power, equity, and ethical implications of context and culture in their application across learning spaces and environments. Faculty and students’ current areas of exploration include state of the art technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, the design of toys and digital games, maker education and digital fabrication, robotics and social pedagogical agents, artificial intelligence and computational literacy.

Students graduating from the program in Instructional Technology and Media have pursued a wide variety of career paths, in accordance with their goals and interests. Some of these include:

• Faculty, teaching, and research positions in higher education;
• Administrative and teaching positions in elementary, middle, and high schools;
• Creating educational technology startups and joining established industry leaders such as PBS, Nickelodeon, Google, Amazon, Sesame Workshop;
• Research and design positions in informal learning contexts such as museums and non-profit organizations to leverage new media technologies in effective and empowering ways;
• Research positions and design of technology-based training in corporations;
• Conducting formative and evaluative research on the use of media in/for learning, both within classrooms and beyond;
• Designing and implementing innovations in the use of new media for educational, social or civic purposes; or
• Working in government or nonprofit settings to shape the conversation and policy around new media and learning through research and policy work.

Participants in all CMLTD Program areas share a basic conviction that good design in educative matters starts with careful attention to the needs and characteristics of the individuals that the design will serve. For example, the ability to understand the individual through empirical research and empathic engagement will make the design of instructional technology not only technically proficient but educationally valuable as well. In all, this attention to the individual in society and culture defines the technological humanism we seek through all components of the programs in CMLTD—a humanism that combines the use of sophisticated technology with humane commitments for guiding purposes.

Doctor of Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree candidates should read Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education, which can be obtained from the Teachers College Office of Doctoral Studies (ODS). It states the formal requirements for the degree and lays out the steps leading to it. Communication, Media and Learning Technologies Design requirements provide experiences through basic courses, skill concentrations, and independent projects, all leading to the certification examination and the dissertation. These experiences have been designed to ensure that students develop skills in one or more modes of inquiry; contribute professionally to the field through conferences, presentations, or publications; and participate actively in CMLTD functions outside of class work.

Programs are planned individually in consultation with a faculty advisor. Doctoral candidates should develop a systematic plan of study early in their program, encouraging sustained consideration of a dissertation area and tailoring course selection to support dissertation work. The doctorate represents the highest level of educational preparation achievable in the field. To complete it well, students should meet all requirements in an intellectual spirit consonant with this status.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) programs are offered in both Communication and in Instructional Technology and Media. In each of these Ed.D. programs, students must take coursework totaling at least 90 points. The following are required of all Ed.D. students:

Core Seminar: MSTU 4000 and Doctoral Colloquium: MSTU 6600 (3 points total)

• One-point registration for MSTU 4000. After MSTU 4000, Ed.D. students must take MSTU 6600 for a total of two points, and then continue to register for MSTU 6600 for zero points each semester until graduation.

Foundational Knowledge: All four areas must be represented. (12 points, minimum)

• Cognitive Issues and Technology
  • MSTU 4133 Cognition and Computers
  • MSTU 4088 Introduction to Learning Sciences and Educational Technology
• Social Issues and Technology
  • MSTU 4005 Equity, Ethical, and Social Issues in Educational Technology
  • MSTU 4020 Social and Communicative Aspects of the Internet
• Cultural Issues and Technology
  • MSTU 4028 Technology and Culture
  • MSTU 5002 Culture, Media, and Education
• Educational Practice and Design
  • MSTU 4001 Technology and School Change
  • MSTU 4050 Online Schools and Online Schooling K-12
  • MSTU 4083 Instructional Design of Educational Technology

Research Methods and Design: (12 points, minimum)

• Introductory Quantitative Methods Course (3 points)
  • HUDM 4122 Probability and Statistical Inference
  • Note: HUDM 4120 Basic Concepts in Statistics, does not meet this requirement.
• Introductory Qualitative Methods Course: taken from the following or similar (3 points)
  • C&T 5502 Introduction to Qualitative Research in Curriculum andTeaching
  • ITSF 5000 Methods of Inquiry: Ethnography and Participant Observation
  • ITSF 5001 Ethnography and Participant Observation: Fieldwork, Analysis, Reporting
• Research/Research Design Applied to Technology (3 points)
  • MSTU 5001 Assessing the Impact of Technology in Schools
  • MSTU 5025 Research Technology in Educational Environment
• Additional, non-introductory quantitative, qualitative, or other non- introductory research methodology class (3 points)

The following are examples of what is available. Students should familiarize themselves with the full range of courses that are offered and choose a class that is relevant to their dissertation work in consultation with their faculty advisor.

• A&HE 6151 Narrative Research in English Education
• A&HL 4104 Discourse Analysis
• HUDM 5122 Applied Regression Analysis
• HUDM 5123 Linear Models and Experimental Design
• ORL 6500 Qualitative Research Methods in Organizations: Design and data collection
• ORL 6501 Qualitative Research Methods in Organizations: Data analysis and reporting

Breadth Requirement: (6 points, minimum)

All students must complete a minimum of three courses, each for at least 2 credits, at Teachers College outside of the Communication, Media and Learning Technologies Design Program (that is, courses with a prefix other than MSTU).

Complete the doctoral certification process (see explanation later in this section).

Successfully propose, complete, and defend the doctoral dissertation.

• Register for the Dissertation Seminar (MSTU 7501 or 7503, 1 point) when presenting the Dissertation Proposal. See also the regulations for MSTU 8900 and the section in the Academic Catalog on continuous registration.

Additional Requirements: for Ed.D. students in Instructional Technology and Media (TEIT)

• MSTU 4083 Instructional Design of Educational Technology Counts toward the Foundational Knowledge area
• Two programming courses must be taken. This requirement can be met by taking the two-course Interactive Media programming sequence.
  • MSTU 5003 and 5013 Theory and Programming of Interactive Media I & II
• At least 15 points of additional MSTU courses
• Other courses chosen in consultation with an advisor

Doctoral Certification Process

The Doctoral Certification Process for CMLTD students has three steps. Students’ names are not sent forward to the Office of Doctoral Studies to be certified until all three of the following requirements have been successfully completed.

1. An Integrative Question that the student answers in writing during the regular certification examination session that the Office of Doctoral Studies schedules each semester.
   This question is about some currently prominent educational technology topic that students answer by pulling material from CMLTD courses and course-related as well as independent readings. The best way to prepare for this question is to think of currently important educational technology topics related to your area of interest and try to think of how you would integrate content covered in different courses to address these topics. Please note: The CMLTD certification written examination will be a take-home exam (exam question will be distributed on a Friday, the written exam is then collected on the following Monday). The written integrative question part of the certification process is not available during the summer.

2. A Literature Review or critical assessment of scholarship (a paper of around 30 pages, double-spaced) related to what is planned for the dissertation. This gives a head start on the literature review section of the dissertation. This paper is graded by the faculty advisor. Approved papers may be posted and generally available to others for future reference.

3. A Certification Pilot Project that would be a smaller scale version of what might be done in the dissertation or a project or pilot study that leads to the dissertation project. This certification project has three steps:

   1. Write a short proposal (five or fewer double spaced pages) of the planned project, which the faculty advisor must approve. The nature of the project would vary depending on the student’s interests;

   2. Complete the project;

   3. Write a project report (around 30 pages), which is graded by the advisor.

When the faculty advisor verifies that the student has completed the Integrative Question portion, the Literature Review paper, and the Certification Pilot Project, the student is recommended for certification. The CMLTD Program has designed its certification requirements to help prepare students for work on their dissertations and to document that preparedness. To receive full certification for doctoral work, students must also meet certain College-wide requirements, as explained in the Degree Requirements section of this bulletin.

Policies on the Written Examination Portion of the CMLTD Certification Process:

The exam question is constructed broadly so that it can be addressed by people from different perspectives and Program strands within CMLTD. CMLTD students may refer to resources (books, journal articles, notes, etc.) while responding to the take-home exam question. References to people and articles are expected in the body of the response and work must not be mischaracterized. Please include a formal reference list at the end of the response. Past questions are available for students upon request. Please contact the Program Secretary to see the past exams on file.

Students may attempt to successfully complete the written response portion of the certification process no more than two times.

Evaluation Procedures

Each response is evaluated by the CMLTD faculty, who meet as a group to read students’ examinations. Students’ names are removed from their examinations and the examinations are then circulated during the meeting of the faculty. The examination is read and discussed and a decision is made about its grade.

Basic Evaluation Criteria

All responses are evaluated with regard to the following four questions:

1. Does the response address the question asked?

2. Does the response integrate material (using several references and sources) from each of three different core courses or from various perspectives or theories?

3. Does the response present a coherent and meaningful discussion?

4. Is the response substantive enough to convince the reader that the student has an advanced, graduate-level grasp of the field?