University of South Florida

• Purpose and Need
• Philosophy
• Rationale
• Goals
• Objectives
• Process: Courses and Experiences
• Program Outcomes
• Program Evaluation

Purpose and Need

The current rapid development of new instructional technologies and the improvement of existing ones has catalyzed a parallel breakneck-paced purchase of such technology for use in educational institutions. However, the rate of these developments has far outstripped the establishment of theoretical and research bases for the informed application of this technology. The rate of technology development has also outpaced the abilities of educational institutions to equip professional instructional technologists with the knowledge and skills required to lead the integration of this technology into teaching and learning, and the attendant revitalization of educational institutions. There is an obvious need for the IT program to prepare doctoral-level professionals who will create the knowledge required to successfully integrate technology in education and who will train technology-proficient educators. The faculty of the Instructional Technology program therefore offer the Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction with emphasis in Instructional Technology.

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Philosophy

Advanced graduate education in Instructional Technology is an expression of the commitment to the ongoing pursuit of knowledge via disciplined inquiry into the uses of computers and related technology as tools for teaching and learning. Skilled, rigorous inquiry expands and improves the theoretical and knowledge bases upon which Instructional Technology is developing as a discipline.

The following objectives articulate this philosophy:

• To foster disciplined and rigorous inquiry into educational practices and theories in Instructional Technology.
• To create a vigorous community of scholars having complementary proficiencies.

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Rationale

The method and substance of this program reflect the best knowledge in the field at this time. As indicated above, the small but growing research base has established that computers and related technology can be powerful instructional tools, but the specific relationships among the myriad instructional variables have yet to be articulated. Instructional technology researchers and practitioners therefore require substantial skills in executing research, communicating the results of research to others, and interpreting the research of others. Additionally, the instructional technology professional requires a thorough grounding in instructional design and evaluation, a broad-based understanding of the history of instructional technology, the theoretical and technical bases of the operation of various devices, the ability to employ programming languages effectively, and specific knowledge in such diverse areas as the internet/world wide web, telecommunications, optical media, and multi/hypermedia.

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Goals

• To prepare skilled researchers who can design and conduct original research in instructional technology, and who possess the technical and personal skills for similarly preparing new researchers/philosophers of instructional technology.
• To prepare philosophers of instructional technology, who have thorough knowledge of the scholarly literature base and who are aware of the scholarly and other professional organizations devoted to the field.
• To prepare professional educators who possess special expertise with technology, who are able to apply appropriate technological means to instructional processes and who function as "change agents" in the field.

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Objectives

• Many of the objectives stated below serve more than one goal. Therefore, they are organized by the first goal served.
  • 1.1 Analyze the historical, social, and economic factors influencing the introduction of technology in education.
  • 1.2 Understand and apply principles of educational psychology to instructional strategies.
  • 1.3 Understand and apply the principles of curriculum inquiry.
  • 1.4 Understand and apply the principles of instructional design in the context of technology-based instruction.
  • 1.5 Have a thorough technical grounding in a wide variety of programming languages, authoring languages, applications software, and related technical matters.
  • 2.1 Analyze and evaluate the knowledge base related to instructional technology.
  • 3.1 Understand and apply sound practice in designing educational research and analyzing data.
  • 3.2 Synthesize new knowledge related to instructional technology.

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Process: Courses and Experiences

Owing to the anticipated widely varying instructional and technical backgrounds of potential program applicants, the Instructional Technology faculty members expect to exercise great latitude in determining appropriate courses and experiences for each student. Indeed, other than College requirements, the formulaic expression of course or program requirements specified in this document should be interpreted as a working outline from which each student's program of studies will be adapted. Having established that context, the following courses and experiences map to the objectives stated in V.

• Objective 1.1 EDF 7586 OR EDF 7649 OR EDF 7682 OR EDF 7934 OR OTHER APPROPRIATE 7000 LEVEL SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS COURSE
• Objective 1.2 EDF 7143 OR EDF 7145
• Objective 1.3 EDG 7667 OR EDG 7692
• Objective 1.4 EME 6613
• Objective 1.5 SELECTED COURSES FROM AMONG EME 6930, EME 6936, EDG 7910, EME 6613
• Objective 2.1 EME 7938, EME 7939, EME 7980
• Objective 3.1 EDF 6407, EDF 7408, EDF 7410/7437/7484/7493, EME 7938, EME 7939, EME 7980
• Objective 3.2 EME 7938, EME 7939, EME 7980

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the Ph.D. program in Instructional Technology will work as change agents in the integration of technological resources into instructional processes and the design of instructional programs in a wide variety of settings:

1. Graduate and undergraduate instructional technology programs
2. Commercial/Industrial Education
3. Government/Military Education
4. Community college education
5. Other educational settings

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Program Evaluation

Continuing evaluation of the program will be accomplished in the following ways:

1. Students' performance in course work and related activities.
2. Students' performance on 12-hour doctoral qualifying examinations.
3. Students' performance in the conceptualization and execution of original dissertation research.
4. Periodic follow-up systematic surveys of graduates for information such as level of satisfaction with program and subsequent employment secured.
5. Anecdotal and other non-systematic gathering of information from other USF faculty, employers, colleagues, and students regarding program graduates' satisfaction and performance.
6. Periodic systematic review by SACS or other appropriate accrediting agencies.

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