Online Ed.D.

The Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Computer Science Education is designed specifically for the practicing educator. Working together within a community of practice, you will learn the fundamentals of computer science education while learning through theory and research to inform your teaching and professional leadership efforts. Your work will be focused on positive, practical changes in classrooms, schools, and school districts. The program is cohort-based with participants working together as a community of learners to tackle common and individual problems of practice in computer science education.

This program is not intended to prepare educators for faculty positions in research-intensive universities. It is intended to prepare practicing educational professionals to draw on computer science, educational theory and research, and the expertise of colleagues and UF faculty, to address the pressing problems of practice facing computer science education today. The program is designed to prepare research and theory-inspired, teacher-leaders in computer science education to offer equitable and robust learning experiences to K-12 students, lead school-based and district-based computer science curriculum efforts, and provide engaging and relevant professional development experiences for aspiring computer science teachers.

Program Requirements

• *30-credits from master’s degree
• 48-credits of relevant coursework
• 12-credits or more of dissertation work

TOTAL: 90-credit hours

*Transfer of credits occurs upon enrollment into the program.

Required Program Courses

• Computer Science Pedagogical Coursework (9-hours)
  • ETE 6141: K-12 Computer Science Pedagogy I
  • ETE 6142: K-12 Computer Science Pedagogy II
  • EDG 6931: Issues and Trends in Computer Science Education
• Computer Science Content Coursework (6-hours)
  • EDG 6805C: K-12 Computer Programming Foundations I
  • EDG 6806C: K-12 Computer Programming Foundations II
• Professional Development and Teacher Leadership Coursework (9-hours)
  • EDG 6047: Teacher Leadership and School Change
  • EDG 6348: Instructional Coaching for Enhanced Student Learning
  • EDG 7359: Professional Development and Teacher Learning
• Research Design and Analysis Coursework (12-hours)
  • EME 6651: Learning Analytics Concepts and Techniques
  • EDG 6648: Research Design in Curriculum and Instruction
  • EDG 6931: Qualitative Research in Curriculum and Instruction
  • EDG 6931: Quantitative Research Methods in Curriculum and Instruction

• Approved Elective Coursework (12-hours)
• Dissertation Coursework (12-hours)
  • EDG 7980: Dissertation Research

Program Information

The Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Computer Science Education is offered online with three required campus-based experiences, the first of which is a 2-day orientation in the first semester, followed by 4-day summer sessions at the end of the first and second year. Students complete two years of required online coursework as a cohort, followed by qualifying exams at the end of the second year. They then work on dissertations under the guidance of our full-time faculty.

A cohort-based, online community of practice combined with individual and small group mentoring helps students persist and succeed in attaining their doctoral degrees. All activities, assignments, and research are designed to synthesize theory, research, and practice and emphasize relevance to professional practice in computer science education. Information literacy and other support services are provided throughout the program.

Our ideal students are full-time educators and administrators who work with students in diverse educational environments (e.g. K-12, post-secondary, virtual or online education, non-profit) and are located in various states in the United States and abroad. Our graduates will have backgrounds in multiple disciplines (e.g. science, math, art, English, literacy) and serve in professional roles in the broad realm of education. Prior experience with computer science education is helpful, but not a requirement.

In addition to coursework, the program highlights guest speakers, one-on-one and group mentoring sessions, synchronous sessions for immediate support. While most of the curriculum is designed asynchronously, various enrichment and support are facilitated using synchronous communications.  The degree culminates with a dissertation in which the student addresses a research problem of practice in their setting with implications to both the field of computer science education and to their educational organizations. This program is designed to be completed within 3 – 4 years of study.

Program Five-Pillar Philosophy

This Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Computer Science Education was inspired by the five-pillars serving as an overall philosophy and as design objectives with the primary goal of enacting our vision of the next generation of Computer Science educators with high-quality online learning experiences. Harnessing our reputation and expertise as leaders in online learning, we created the Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Computer Science Education with careful attention to the current challenges and opportunities in Computer Science Education and the affordances provided by online learning:

1. Rigorous and relevant content knowledge in Computer Science taught using effective pedagogy and modeling
2. Carefully aligned pedagogical knowledge and experiences inspired by research-based practices
3. Research method and data analysis training using authentic, Computer Science Education research problems, examples, and datasets
4. Job-embedded coursework on teacher leadership, coaching, and professional development
5. An active online community of practice centered on educational issues in Computer Science Education

Program Flowchart