What I've Learned Advising Ed.D. Students

Although it wasn’t planned, I’ve recently written a series of posts based on my role co-coordinating an Ed.D. program. In previous posts, I speculated about the growth of Ed.D. programs and some things to consider when looking at Ed.D. programs. In this post, I share some insights I’ve learned advising/mentoring Ed.D. students. As is my custom, let me start with a caveat: I’m not an expert on this topic and have had to figure things out as I go, often through trial and error. I’m still learning and see this post as part of that process.

My lack of experience is part of the reason why I wanted to put my thoughts down. I had no training in advising/mentoring graduate students before I started in this role. My entire knowledge of advising/mentoring graduate students stemmed from my own experiences with advisors and the approaches that served me well. However, having been advised/mentored doesn’t automatically make me ready to effectively advise/mentor students. Moreover, I was a full-time Ph.D. student and my students are part-time Ed.D. students. The approaches that served me well don’t necessarily work well for my students. So, we’re talking about limited capacity here to do an important part of my job. What’s a junior faculty member to do? I jumped and tried not to mess up too badly.

As I mentioned, my experiences as a PhD student didn’t necessarily apply well to my Ed.D. students. I was a full-time Ph.D. with a part-time graduate assistantship. I had no children, and for several years lived within biking distance of campus. When I was working on my dissertation, I really had few distractions. My graduate assistantship was low-pressure enough that I could even write for a few hours per week while working that job. Honestly, my advisor didn’t have to push me too much. My Ed.D. students are working, typically more than 40 hours per week, in stressful jobs. Many of them have families and are juggling the expectations associated with work, classes, and loved ones. Some of them are putting in very long nights and giving up weekends to pursue their education. I have so, so much respect for my students and what they are doing. It is a small miracle each time one of them graduates. Nevertheless, the truth is that they need significant help to reach the finish line.

Here are some of the things I’ve done to help them get there. And many of these things help me, too, with time management and stress.

Group Advising Early in the Process

I still do individual advising with my students, but early in the process I bring students who are at the same general point together for a few group advising sessions. During these sessions, we talk about the nuts and bolts of the entire dissertation process, my approach to feedback, common pitfalls students face, the importance of communication, and other topics. Part of the idea is to bring students together and help them to see there are others they can lean on for help. I also try to remove some of the mystery in the process. Many students see the dissertation as this massive thing that has to be totally groundbreaking. These sessions can help right-size their ambitions and inject a dose of reality.

Tell Them What A Dissertation Is and How It Is Organized

During group advising sessions, I also break down the purpose and organization of each chapter of the dissertation. My approach isn’t to say that these are the magic ingredients of a dissertation that must be present and placed in this exact location. Rather, I stick to a few principles about what is generally included in a dissertation within our program, and I share a few examples. There is still room for students to shape the organization of the dissertation in ways that fit their project and goals. But I found early on that it’s unproductive to expect that my students know what a dissertation is and how it is organized. Telling them to simply go write and send me a draft is a recipe for disaster. So, I give them a bit of a blueprint. I know programs incorporate some of this information into a course. Ours does not in a systematic way, so this is my strategy.

Start Small and Build

This is a new thing I started doing, and I’ve been really happy with the results. Instead of having my students jump right into writing a chapter, I ask them to put together a 2-3 page statement of purpose with research questions. This helps to focus and give direction to subsequent parts of the dissertation. Many of my students have a decent idea of their project, yet when they started writing, they often danced around the purpose. As a result, they included a bunch of content that, while relevant, wasn’t necessary to the project. So, to help them save time, I start with the statement of purpose. After talking about the statement of purpose and agreeing on the research questions, I ask students to start outlining remaining sections of chapter 1. Next, I have them write the first 8-10 pages. Each of these pieces has a deadline, which I don’t police but use from time to time to nudge students. Starting small helps students to see that a dissertation is a big project, but it’s composed of many small, manageable parts that can be tackled in a systematic way, not dissimilar from work they would do in a course. Over time, they develop their own approaches and flow, without as much need for me to help them plan things out. At that point, the scaffolding can come down.

Help Them Protect Time

One of the main hurdles for my students is carving out time to write. They are sometimes their own worst enemies in this regard. After finishing courses, there is a false sense that they have space in their lives to add or change things. So, they take on new professional responsibilities, shifts jobs, and sometimes complicate their lives at a point in time when simplicity is highly valuable. I’ve had to learn as an advisor how to help my students navigate some of these decisions and help them to prioritize completing their dissertations. This means helping them understand how a new opportunity might interfere with their progress and sometimes helping them figure out how to talk with supervisors or supervisees about protecting their time. Ultimately, I can’t create their schedules or make them sit down and write. But I can provide support and gently remind them of why they decided to pursue this degree and how close they are to the finish line.

Advocacy, Empathy, and Tough Love

One of the hardest parts of advising/mentoring, for me, is recognizing that it’s not just a process. It’s a relationship, one that hopefully lasts a long time. My natural inclination is to want to treat everything like a problem that can be fixed with the right structure and systems. What I quickly learned--and this is probably true of all advising/mentoring relationships--is that my students needed more than just an explanation of steps to follow. They wanted to know that I am on their side, that I am as committed to their success as they are. They want someone who knows about them, their goals, their families, their professional joys and challenges. When I get busy, I can sometimes forget this and slip into a “business only” mindset, talking about edits to chapters, paperwork to file, and so forth. When I’m being a little more intentional, I ask a lot of questions, and the answers provide important context for problems and even possible solutions. But this doesn’t mean I sugarcoat things. If a student’s work has slipped, we talk about it. If a chapter isn’t ready, I send it back. Many of my students, by the time they reach the dissertation, are desperate, even zealous, to finish and get back to their pre-Ed.D. lives. One of the toughest, but most frequent, things I have to do as their advisor/mentor is be honest about their timeline.

Remember It’s Not My Project

The last thing--at least for this post--that I’ve had to internalize is that, despite working hard with students over many, many months, it’s their dissertation. This means I have to understand that they might do things differently than I would. There might be imperfections that I have to let go, even if they drive me a little crazy. I could certainly push to have a student edit and edit until their project aligns with my vision, but I’ve come to believe that’s not my purpose. Micromanaging a dissertation can lead to a never-ending spiral of passing drafts back and forth. I don’t think it’s good for students or advisors. At some point, as an advisor, I’ve learned to step away and let my students take the project where they want to take it.

I’ve had a crash-course in advising/mentoring over the past 4 years. I still feel like I have a ton to learn. If only there had been a course on this in my graduate program! Truth be told, I probably wouldn’t have taken that course. But I do wish my field provided more venues for workshops and other professional development on this. It’s such a critical and difficult part of being a professor. It’s also really, really enjoyable, especially when it goes well. My hope is that some of these insights are useful to others, and I absolutely welcome conversation and tips!

So, You're Thinking about Getting an Ed.D.?

One of the things I love about my job is coordinating the higher education administration concentration of my department’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. My responsibilities include talking with prospective students about the program and answering their questions. In some cases, these conversations center on the nuts and bolts of our program--application deadlines, required courses, and so forth. Just as often, I step into the role of advisor and help students consider various points that I believe should inform their decision to apply. In this post, I’ll share a few of those considerations with the goal of helping others as they evaluate 1) whether they want to pursue an Ed.D., 2) when is the right time to begin, and 3) what type of program would best fit their goals and needs. To be clear, I won’t address the great “Ed.D. vs. Ph.D. Debate.” Although this is a worthwhile question, my advice in this post is for people who have already decided to go the Ed.D. route and plan to continue working while they complete the program.

Consideration #1: Timing

Perhaps the number one point I raise in conversations with prospective students is whether now is the right time for them to undertake a terminal degree. One thing to consider is where you are at professionally. Some people who are fresh out of a master’s degree see good reason to keep going while they are motivated. Although there is merit to this view, I suggest spending some time gaining professional experience and a sense of where you intend to go professionally before undertaking a terminal degree. Make certain that (higher) education is your long-term career before making a multi-year commitment to study it in-depth. The applied nature of many Ed.D. programs also means having some experience will benefit you during classroom discussions and as you consider dissertation projects. By ensuring you have sufficient professional experience, you can avoid the problem of being “over-educated but under-experienced” during the job search.

The other way timing should enter your decision-making revolves around other aspects of your life, like family, faith, or other obligations. If it’s the case that you are just barely balancing work and family responsibilities, or you anticipate a major life change soon (i.e., starting a family, making a big professional change, taking care of a loved one), now may not be the right time to start an Ed.D. program. I recognize that life happens, and it is impossible to predict what will happen two years from now. And there’s some truth to the idea that, like starting a family, there is no perfect time to start an Ed.D. program. But what I tell prospective students is if you’re barely keeping all your plates spinning, can you handle another couple of plates right now? To help create space in your life for an Ed.D., I suggest simplifying. Avoid taking on a major professional responsibility (assuming it is optional), such as organizing a conference. Talk with your family about ways in which you can carve out some time for your education.

Consideration #2: Goals

Many of the people with whom I talk about pursuing an Ed.D. hope the addition of those three letters after their name will propel their career forward. But as is true of any academic program, an Ed.D. is not a one-way ticket to your dream job. It may open doors, create new opportunities, and cultivate marketable skills, but it’s not a magic potion for promotion. Additionally, if your sole motivation is career advancement, I suggest that you reconsider whether an Ed.D. is right for you. Some of my students who only see an Ed.D. as a means to an end get overly focused on checking boxes, on finishing as fast as possible. In the process, they neglect to invest in all sorts of things that may ultimately benefit their career goals, such as building relationships with faculty members and peers.

At the end of the day, an Ed.D. is still--or should be--a rigorous academic program that will require that you have some basic scholarly interest in the field you are studying. It is this interest, more than anything, that will help you find joy in completing readings and writing papers. With an Ed.D., we’re talking about taking a significant number of courses and typically completing a major writing project. It will be hard at times, and it should be difficult. For these reasons, I typically tell prospective students that you need to have some rationale other than career advancement pulling you into an Ed.D. You have to be willing to see it as a journey whose meaning to you rises above the next job. Before applying, I suggest that you talk with the admissions coordinator of the program in which you are interested to see if you can sit in on a class. Pick up a recently published book about higher education and see if you can read it--without anyone forcing it.

Consideration #3: Program Structure

I recently wrote about the fact that there are a lot of Ed.D. programs these days. Because many of them are online, you might have a few options to weigh. I recommend that you try to gain a good understanding of the program structure before you apply. Some programs are entirely online and some are hybrid, with a mix of online and face-to-face instruction. The hybrid programs can also come in many shapes--the face-to-face instruction could happen in summer, on weekends, or on select weeknights. When you are considering the program structure, my best advice is not to prioritize convenience. Too often, I hear students complain about one thing or another not being sufficiently convenient for their busy working lives. My response is that an Ed.D. program isn’t supposed to be convenient or easy. Instead, you should identify a program structure that aligns with your learning style. If you learn best through regular interactions with people in the classroom, you ought to pursue a program that has plenty of face-to-face instruction or other forms of meaningful contact.

Program structure can influence all sorts of things beyond learning in the classroom. The ways in which a program structures various elements can affect how you interact with peers and the mentoring you receive from faculty members. Your peers can play an instrumental role in holding you accountable, keeping you motivated, and helping you to enjoy the process. Thus, you may want to look for signs that a program attempts to build community among students and encourages networking. For example, the program might be built around cohorts, which allows you to frequently learn alongside the same group of people as you advance through the program. And let me crystal clear: it takes a village to complete any terminal degree. You cannot do this alone! So, don’t just jump into a program that seemingly fits your schedule the best. It won’t matter that it was convenient if you don’t finish the program.

Consideration #4: Faculty Members

I mentioned above mentoring from faculty members. I’m a firm believer in the importance of program-specific, full-time faculty members. Let me explain that a bit. Some programs rely heavily upon part-time instructors to teach in their programs. There’s not necessarily a pedagogical problem with this, as part-time faculty can be outstanding educators with rich professional experiences. However, part-time faculty members may also have other jobs requiring their attention. I see great value in a program with a core group of full-time faculty members who were trained in the areas they are teaching/researching. In other words, if you are pursuing an Ed.D. in higher education administration, the faculty ought to include people who have advanced graduate training in higher education, are active in higher education professional/scholarly associations, and have experience advising higher education-related projects. Otherwise, you may start working on a dissertation, only to find that few faculty members in your program know much about the topic or how to best assist you.

Similarly, you might want to try and discern the faculty-student ratio. It’s no surprise that there is a market for people seeking an Ed.D., and many programs have not hesitated to grow enrollment quickly. Full disclosure, my own program did this a few years. The problem is that our faculty did not expand, or expand quickly enough, to meet the needs of students. And it’s fair to say that doctoral students, especially those who haven’t been in school in some time, have many needs to be successful. So, if it seems like a program is quite large with few faculty members, I advise asking about the advising model. Try your best to get a sense of whether the program promotes relationship-building with faculty to promote your success. Because word on the street is that there are many programs that are happy to take your tuition money without investing in essential resources.

Consideration #5: Cost

Speaking of resources, don’t forget to think about the cost. This often seems like something that gets glossed over by many prospective students. I don’t have to convince you that education isn’t really a lucrative career. Be cautious about financing your Ed.D. through loans with the assumption that you’ll get a promotion at the end of it to pay everything back. Keep in mind that, if you don’t finish (and there’s research showing that many doctoral students don’t), you will need to repay those loans. Many of my students, for various reasons, need to take time off or slow down their progress. Each additional semester comes with costs. Lastly, as is true with other levels of education, there are often additional costs with a terminal degree--books, travel, technology. Some programs include additional costs into tuition. It’s worth digging into what is and is not included with tuition and fees.

Concluding Thoughts

An Ed.D. is a big decision and investment of time and resources. My hope is that any of the programs you are considering provide you with all the information you need to make a good choice for you. Analyze all programs with a critical eye. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is (Finish Your Ed.D. in Two Years!) At the same time, I hope you ask some hard questions of yourself before jumping into anything. Make sure you are starting this journey for the right reasons and that you are setting yourself up to be successful.

If there are questions that I didn’t address in this post, feel free to get in touch with me. Maybe I can share my insights as part of a future post.

The Economification of Higher Education Policy Research

As a graduate student, I studied education policy. However, I approached the study of education policy through the concepts and methods of a unique subfield, comparative and international education. I call this subfield unique because it was (and is) remarkably diverse, including scholars and practitioners from all over the world. This may explain the vast array of concepts and methods employed to study education policy. The research I read and conducted as a graduate student tended to be highly theoretical and critically-inclined. Much of the research involved emergent theories, discourse analysis, and qualitative methods. There was, of course, quantitative research that drew upon more “traditional” theories happening. Yet, this research often seemed peripheral and treated with a good deal of skepticism.

Four years ago, I started teaching in a higher education administration program whose focus was much more domestic. I was hired to teach many of our law, policy, and finance courses, with a focus on U.S. higher education. In order to effectively teach, I needed to get acquainted with the education policy research that focused on U.S. higher education. I started reading and paying attention to higher education policy scholars and the type of research they were doing. Soon enough, I was doing my own research that focused on U.S. higher education management, administration, and finance. One of the things that has become clear to me in transitioning into the world of U.S. higher education policy research as something of an outsider is the dominance of quantitative methods and, more specifically, statistical analyses commonly associated with economics (i.e., econometrics). Far from peripheral, economic analyses in U.S. higher education policy research is very much centerstage.

Over the past year, I’ve developed a sensitivity to the influence of economics and economic approaches in U.S. higher education policy research. Many of the most influential U.S. higher education policy researchers seem to have backgrounds in economics, or they trained under economists housed in an education department. Many of the conferences, think-tanks, and journals that focus on U.S. higher education policy often feature the work of economists and publish economic analyses. These analyses are often based upon large datasets spanning many years, and they increasingly use quasi-experimental designs and randomized control trials. In the last year or so, I’ve seen a number of job ads for faculty positions specifically related to higher education policy that list knowledge of advanced quantitative methods and econometrics as desired qualities. There was even an invite-only higher education policy event in which all of the speakers were economists.

It’s possible that what I’m observing has long been true: U.S. higher education policy research consists, by and large, of economic analyses. However, my contention is that, in the current era of accountability, efficiency, market-competition, and big data, the influence of economics in U.S. higher education policy research has increased. Assuming this contention is at least partially true, the rest of this blog explores some possible implications. I’d like to emphatically state that I’m not opposed to quantitative research or econometrics. Some of my best scholar-friends are economists! I’ve even dabbled in some finance research (with talented, more experienced colleagues) that uses econometrics. I’ll also readily admit that the sophistication of many analyses coming out these days far outstrips my abilities. So, my sensitivity to this topic partially stems from a feeling of inadequacy and a desire to carve out space for the kind of work that I generally do in the midst of increasing economification (not a word, but I’m making it a thing).

Possible Implication #1 - Historical and Qualitative Work as a Nice Complement

I know there are many people out there who, like me, do historical, qualitative, and mixed-methods projects that inform or intersect with policy discussions. I’m not suggesting that these studies are ignored in the policy world, or that more quantitatively-inclined scholars don’t read/trust them. Nevertheless, I think one possible implication of the influence of economics in U.S. higher education policy research is a faith in quantitative research producing truth/knowledge, while qualitative research is a nice complement--something to attach a story or “face” to quantitative results. That faith in quantitative research, even with all of its variables and controls, could create blindspots, and the marginalization of qualitative research could yield major holes in our understanding.

Possible Implication #2 - Faculty Members Trained Outside of Education

It’s possible that education departments won’t be able to keep up with the methodological sophistication of higher education policy research and, therefore, won’t be able to train/graduate PhDs with skills to compete on the job market. On the other hand, disciplines with strong traditions in quantitative research, particularly economics and sociology, will produce people with these skills (though they may be lacking experience in education settings as teachers and practitioners). So, we might see an increasing number of higher education policy scholars that have PhDs in economics or sociology. And more graduate students may opt to enter those programs instead of pursuing education degrees in the hopes that it helps them stand out on the job market.

Possible Implication #3 - Problems of Access/Exclusion

The trend of higher education policy research involving increasingly sophisticated quantitative methods raises some questions about access and exclusion. Having a strong educational background in statistics will be an advantage, and it strikes me that exposure to statistics early might be privilege available only to a select few. Only certain types of graduate programs at certain types of institutions will be able to provide the methodological training for doctoral students to be successful on the job market. In short, it’s not easy to just jump into higher education policy research these days. Just learning how to code in a statistical analysis program is akin to learning a second language. The end result could be that the circle of higher education policy experts is a small and exclusive club and, like many exclusive clubs, lacking in diversity.

Possible Implication #4 - Policy Gets Better (If It’s Understandable)

Okay, so this post can’t be all doom and gloom. One positive implication is that our research is gets better--it can more effectively identify causes and measure effects. We may be able to more persuasively argue which interventions work and which policies are harmful. We can put all of this good research to use in reversing inequities. Of course, this is predicated on policymakers reading and using research to shape policy. There is probably a negative association between advanced quantitative analyses and policymakers understanding and using the results of said analyses. Which brings up another implication…

Possible Implication #5 - Data Visualization Becomes More Important

Being able to explain or translate higher education policy research becomes more challenging as the analysis becomes more complicated. Another implication of this process I’m calling the economification of higher education policy research is that scholars have to not just be able to run analyses but also create easy-to-read graphics and visualizations. It’s easy to foresee a whole range of new course offerings and conference presentations dedicated to data visualization.

Possible Implication #6 - Quantitative Skills as Professional Legitimacy/Currency

Finally, because I’m running out of writing time and running out of mental steam, we may increasingly see that scholarly legitimacy in higher education policy research is based upon one’s abilities to conduct advanced statistical analyses. As a primarily qualitative researcher, I can certainly produce research and engage in policy conversations. But invitations, grant money, and opportunities will mainly flow to more legitimate policy scholars.

All six of these possible implications will likely drive some of my colleagues nuts because they aren’t really based on data. I’m simply watching, listening, reflecting, and writing. So, there’s a good chance my biases have entered my reflections and I’ve fudged a few things. However, in the event that a few of these implications come to pass, I think there’s some cause for concern. There may be costs and unintended consequences of the economification of higher education policy research. I think there’s value in re-calibrating some and approximating what I experienced as a graduate student in comparative and international education by welcome a more diverse mix of people employing a wider variety of concepts and methods.