This course meets a departmental requirement for an introductory course on empirical research in education and organizational studies. The goal is to help students be able to access, comprehend, synthesize, and utilize research, to support and facilitate the research efforts of others, and to begin to prepare to conduct their own research. Students read exemplars of published research, along with texts about research design, data collection and analysis, and strategies for assessing the validity and trustworthiness of research. The course covers qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches to research, such as experiments, surveys, case studies, ethnography, and action research.
An introduction to the U.S. system of higher education through an overview of the system and its history, a survey of the missions and purposes served by U.S. colleges and universities, and an investigation of some of the pressing policy questions now confronting those institutions.
An introduction to theories and practices pertaining to curriculum and teaching in U.S. higher education. Internal and external influences on curriculum and teaching and implications for college and university classrooms. Examination of key trends and developments, including the impact of the scholarship of teaching.
Emerging issues, problems, and trends in community colleges, technical institutes, and adult education. Topics include the history and philosophy of the community college movement, governance and finance, teaching, student personnel work, impact on students, and the future of the community college.
Basic aspects of college and university organization and administration with consideration given to the roles of various groups in governance and management as well as organizational processes such as leadership, decision making, and conflict resolution. External and internal constraints examined from conceptual, practical, and policy perspectives.
No financial training is required. Introduction to the financial pressures facing colleges and universities and the various kinds of solutions they have adopted to meet those pressures. Topics include strategic planning, cost cutting, outsourcing, enrollment planning, new curricula, and fund raising.
Reviews the demographic data about student access to college, the determinants of social class, race and gender differences in college access and choice, and the influence of colleges upon students.
Permission required. An introduction to various forms of organization and functions: multidisciplinary foundations, including historical and philosophical foundations and conceptual and research contributions from the behavioral and social sciences.
A survey of programs and services typical of American colleges and universities. Includes contemporary issues of concern to student personnel administrators.
Students will explore diversity (race, class and gender) concerns affecting the recruitment and retention of diverse student and faculty populations in the context of American higher education.
Independent research.
Designed for individuals who aspire to college teaching. This course emphasizes research on student learning and pedagogies. The course stresses the implications of diversity in the student population.
Critical analysis of cultural diversity in American higher education with respect to the curriculum, co-curriculum, and institutional structure. Presents new paradigms with which to understand the complexities of response that are necessary to adequately meet the needs of all students.
Permission required. Students reserve two days a week for work in colleges. A seminar integrates field practices with course theory. Required of all students doing an internship.
Intensive analysis of selected problems and issues in postsecondary education. The course is intended for practicing professionals in postsecondary education as well as majors in the program. Other students in the college who wish to enroll should obtain permission of the instructor.
Critical analysis of selected research reports pertaining to the student cultures. The focus is on the purposes of each study, the question(s) asked, the assumptions and theories upon which the research is based, the sources of data, the method(s) of data collection, the conclusions and interpretations developed, and the relevance of the research to student personnel in particular and to higher education in general.
Course focuses on college student development theories and their application to higher education. Primary areas of focus include: (1) intellectual and ethical developmental theory, individual development models, learning styles models, and theories of cultural identity, (2) ethical considerations using theory in practice, and (3) critique of theories from a variety of research perspectives.
Permission required if not a student in the program. Intensive analysis of research process as applied to study of higher education. The course is intended for Ed.M., Ed.D., and Ph.D. students in the program. Other students in the college who wish to enroll should obtain permission of the instructor. Analysis of selected classic and contemporary works that have influenced thought and affected public opinion and public policy related to higher education. Topics vary from year to year.
Review and discussion of the research and literature, diverse roles, and expectations that characterize the position of college professor, with attention to implications for professional and personal development. Consideration of the professoriate as a profession.
Theory and practice concerning theory, evaluation, and improvement of college teaching. Topics include models and practices for review, design, and conduct of faculty development programs.
This course is designed to give you an understanding of the civic mission of higher education and introduce you to the study and practice of public engagement in higher education. During the semester, we will consider the civic roles of postsecondary education institutions both past and present. Special attention will be paid to contemporary philosophies and practices of engagement, and how engagement is expressed in various institutional contexts.
The power of philanthropy within the United States and American higher education has been tremendous. Philanthropy has become a cultural norm in the United States; Americans give their money at a higher rate than any other country in the world. In fact, Peter Dobkin Hall believes that “No single force is more responsible for the emergence of the modern university in America than giving by individuals and foundations.” The purpose of this course is designed to look critically at how philanthropy and fundraising has affected American higher education.
This course will introduce students to assessment practices in U.S. higher education, focusing on assessment of teaching, learning, and educational quality as it relates to the learning outcomes movement in higher education. The course divides the intended learning into two broad topics: understanding and analyzing the national landscape of higher education accountability and assessment; and developing the skills to create and implement an assessment plan.
Independent research.
Taught in research team/practicum format, the course develops students' knowledge and skills of interview research as a process including development of research questions, conceptual framework, study design and methods, data collection, data analysis, interpretation, and reporting. We focus on one-to-one interviewing coupled to document analysis and observation toward understanding persons' thinking and learning in diverse educational contexts.
Permission required. Course restricted to Ph.D., Ed.D., and Ed.M. students in the Higher Education program. An overview and discussion of the most topical literature in American higher education, this course is designed to explore a wide variety of educational roles in the context of the goals and aspirations of new doctoral students.
Examination of leadership research definition, dimensions, characteristics, and capacities. Exploration of leadership opportunities within entire range of educational practice. Application of leadership lessons to educational problems and situations through case studies.
Independent research.
Students should have completed most or all coursework (including research methods courses) and have passed the certification examination. Students register for the course the semester a proposal hearing is to be scheduled. The course is intended for students who have identified a reasonably narrow area for research and have already completed a preliminary literature review. The course will assist the student in design, methods, and other matters of concern in the preparation of an acceptable dissertation proposal.
All doctoral students eligible for this course must register each semester until a proposal hearing has occurred and a proposal has been approved.
Individual advisement on doctoral dissertations. Fee to equal 3 points at current tuition rate for each term. For requirements, see section in catalog on Continuous Registration for Ed.D./Ph.D. degrees.
Program Director: Professor Noah D. Drezner
Box: 101
Teachers College, Columbia University
206 Zankel
Phone: 212-678-3750 Fax: 212-678-3743
Email: highered@tc.edu