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Boise State University College of Education Offers New Online Education Doctorate |
| Online Education Information > Online Learning Statistics & Education News |
| mandiberg/Flickr  Boise State University's College of Education first offered an online master's in educational technology for educators and trainers more than a decade ago. This week, the research university announced it will expand its online graduate school of education offerings to include a new online doctoral program, an EdD in educational technology. The Idaho State Board of Education approved the new distance doctoral degree last week after reviewing the university's mission statement for the new EdD program. Boise hopes the new program will encourage greater research and application development in the emerging area of educational technology. The doctor of education in educational technology (EdD) program was developed at Boise State University in the summer and fall of 2011. The new degree program is built on the foundation of a highly successful online master's degree program with a research thesis option that was launched at Boise more than a decade ago. Students in the new online EdD will explore emerging technologies for effective and efficient teaching. Areas of focus will include online teaching, technology integration and innovative teaching in K-12 as well as higher education, educational software development for the web and mobile platforms, and the development of engaging educational games and simulations. Online Education Doctorate for Rural Educators In a review of the new doctoral program published in the Arbiter—Boise State's student newspaper—Dr. Ross Perkins, associate professor in educational technology, warns that although people may be critical of online education, distance learning has consistently been shown to provide the same level of quality as a traditional residential education. "People shouldn't be discriminated for where they chose to live," said Perkins in the Arbiter. Online programs offer rural educators a unique opportunity to study programs not available to them locally. Boise State has long been dedicated to the use of distance learning to deliver higher education to a remote audience in Idaho and bordering states. The university currently offers a master of science in educational technology, which requires a thesis and attracts students on a scholarly track toward a doctoral program. The Ed Tech department also offers a master of educational technology, which is a practitioner-focused, hands-on, project-oriented program for educators wanting to make a difference with their students in their everyday teaching climate. Both Boise online education master's programs appear as top-ranked "Best Buys" among affordable online degrees for teachers and educators on the Get Educated online degree ranking tables. The new doctorate is expected to draw educators from across the nation who want to combine research with practitioner efforts already underway in local school systems. Demand from master of science in educational technology alumni helped spur the development of the new online education doctorate. The Ed Tech department will meet throughout the fall 2011 semester in an effort to blueprint policies and procedures for the new online doctorate, which is scheduled to begin accepting students in 2012. Online students seeking more details on the distance doctorate should contact Dr. Ross Perkins, doctoral program coordinator. Online Learning News & Research Indiana University Education School Launches First Online Doctorate University of Wisconsin Showcases Online Education from 26 Campuses Online Learning on Steroids - Growth Statistics Skyrocketing Nontraditional Student Drop-out Rate Improved by Distance Learning Community College Online Education Courses Up 22 Percent Adult Learners Going Back to School Online Outperform Younger Students © 2011-2013 Get Educated®, Get Educated, Inc. |