Preparing for the EdD at South College | Doctor of Education

[@lifebyjustin]

Hi everyone! In this video, I show you how I prepare for the start of my Doctor of Education program at South College, beginning July 1st. It's just a few weeks away, so here are tips and tricks on setting up folders and documents to assist with assessments. I've also created a handy document for better communication with my program mentor since weekly meetings are required for the first course. Thanks for tuning in! Timestamps 00:00 - Getting Started and Prework 01:02 - Find the Textbook Locally 01:52 - Set Up Foldering 04:39 - Mentor Meetings Doc 05:49 - Program Pacing Guide 06:38 - Assessments Doc 07:56 - Outro

[@marjoriep4529]

Hi Justin, I’ve been watching all your videos; thank you so much for documenting your journeys. I’m a K-12 educator 15 years as a classroom teacher and teacher mentor/leader and in my 2nd year as a school building administrator starting to look into WGU and through following your content, now South College. I’ve always been interested in Curriculum and I have a Masters in Urban Education and a Masters in Ed Leadership. I too, have a passion for learning and that’s a big motivation for me. Furthermore, I also want to look into a way to create an off ramp from K-12 bc it’s really quite unsustainable in the U.S. For the past few years I’ve really been into learning experience design and adult learning. Also, I’ve explored Standars-based grading which leans into mastery in some of the schools where I’ve worked. All that to say, I am really interested in the WGU LDX program for its content and as a way to testing whether CBE will work for me. I left an online Ed Doctorate some years ago because I felt it did not work for me and I needed I teractionwith my peers, however, as I’ve explored your channel, I think what really turned me off what the no man’s land fee of it… no upside of interaction and discussion AND the downside of very scheduled busywork feeling posts. So finally my questions: Do you think it’s a good idea to got for the WGU LDX masters (hopefully in a term- might be more because my job is demanding in a middle school building) to a) learn about LDX and adult learning (build prior knowledge) and as a proof of concept that I can thrive ina self-paced, self-motivating environment and then go on to the Doctorate at South College? Also, I know you finished a Masters in 2.5 months, is it possible, given my experience in the field to complete 2 WGU Masters in a term: The LDX and the Curriculum and Instruction one? Do they allow that? How much of my previous masters might I be able to transfer to WGU? And last but not least, apologies for all the questions: do you think it is possible to combine two of the specializations at South College: the Afult Learning and the Learning Design? Thanks so much in advance… I’m getting really excited about these possibilities despite my hectic life.

[@lifebyjustin]

Thanks for the comment. Lots of thoughts shared in it! Unfortunately, I can't share my experience with the new LDX program because I haven't taken it. I've only completed the older Masters of Education in Learning and Technology program, which doesn't exist anymore. That program was outdated and didn't focus much on technology. It's great to see the new Learning Experience Design program incorporating design thinking, which is quite contemporary for the education field. One thing I'd say is, generally, graduate-level courses have limitations in keeping up with the latest technologies and softwares, so those interested in Learning Design should learn that on their own. Regarding WGU, I don't think they allow you to complete two programs in one semester. Even if it's possible time-wise, there's likely a policy limiting the number of programs you can do simultaneously. You can check with the enrollment counselor for details on transfer credits, as I'm not up to date on the current policies. As for South College, the Adult Learning and Development program involves some projects, but there's also a fair amount of academic writing. I had to develop a course in one of the specialization courses, which was good practice. Also, there's exploration of curriculum models and learning theories. But I've only taken a few courses. Note that only a portion of the degree is in the specialization. A lot of it is part of the core courses and research component. You can't combine two specializations, but you can pursue a postdoctoral certificate after completing a SC CBE doctorate. This would require an additional four courses afterwards. However, note that I'm not an academic advisor, so I may not have all the specific details. I'm just sharing what I know from my own experience. That's the best personal insight I can provide! Good luck!

[@marjoriep4529]

@@lifebyjustin thanks so much for the thoughtful response to all my questions. I really appreciate it.

[@lifebyjustin]

@@marjoriep4529 You're welcome!

[@bdjtech3894]

Justin, great content! I'm currently looking into South College for the EdD program but my only concern is that my background is IT with 27 years in the corporate sector and the last 2 in higher ed, and as a result the subject matter for this program may be out of my comfort zone. The course descriptions for the Org Leadership track are not detailed specifically towards education which is appealing to me. Any thought on insight, based on you experience, on how many people outside of education typically pursue EdD degrees? Thank you.

[@lifebyjustin]

Hey BDJ, thanks for your comment! In the EdD program, there are most likely people who aren't directly educators or educational leaders. The core courses focus on leadership and strategy in the Doctor of Education. There's also a Doctor of Business Administration program with the same core courses but different specializations. There are ongoing discussions in the official Facebook group for the CBE programs at South College. Dr. Michael Patrick is gathering insights on new program development. They are be launching a CBE Masters program in IT soon, and who knows, maybe a doctorate program down the road. I would check out the official Facebook group to get more info on the direction of these programs. I believe you can contact Dr. Patrick there. To me, it's important to study at a doctoral level in the area you want to become an expert in and have a strong background. It's all about reaching a rigorous and advanced level of knowledge in a certain area. Hope that helps a bit!

[@codywhitaker4687]

Love your videos and am starting next month! Would you be willing to share your assessment doc template ?

[@lifebyjustin]

That's great to hear! It's awesome that you're taking on the challenge of the doctorate. Actually, I don't have a template version of the assessment document; I ended up filling it for a few courses and then switched to separate documents for each assessment.

[@rodolfocossio857]

thank you so much

[@lifebyjustin]

Of course! Happy to share info and my perspectives to help others.

[@deborahgoodman8984]

Hi Justin! Did you create that pacing guide yourself or was it provided for you? If you created it, would you be willing to share a copy, or copies of your other docs that you used?

[@lifebyjustin]

Hey! My Program Mentor actually gave it to me before I started. I think she created it, but I'm not entirely sure. I believe it belongs to South College. When you meet with your Mentor before starting, be sure to ask them about it. It's helpful