Inside U of I’s online Ed.D. degree: A conversation with Brooke Blevins

As Dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at University of Idaho, Brooke Blevins brings a deep commitment to mission-driven leadership and student-focused innovation. After spending the most recent part of her career at Baylor University, where she helped launch an online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program, Blevins was drawn to U of I by its land-grant mission and the strong sense of community she saw across campus.

Now, she’s using her expertise to lead the charge on expanding educational access through U of I’s online Ed.D. degree program designed for working professionals across industries. With experience overseeing more than 30 doctoral dissertations and co-authoring numerous publications with her students, Blevins brings scholarly knowledge and practical insight to her leadership.

In the following conversation, she discusses the purpose, structure and transformative impact of U of I’s online Ed.D. degree program.

Can you give an overview of the Ed.D. program at University of Idaho, describing its purpose and who it’s designed for?

“Our Ed.D. program is built on the concepts of learning, leadership and innovation. We chose these three focal areas because we believe they are essential skills for leaders across a variety of industries. While an Ed.D. degree traditionally focuses on educational environments, our reach extends beyond that — we're looking to support students from a range of fields.

“Maybe they're leaders in a non-profit or they’re supporting organizational training in a human resources department. They might even be in health care or military personnel, considering how they can grow their leadership skills now or as they re-enter civilian life. And of course, we're still supporting educators across the spectrum, whether they’re classroom teachers, school leaders or higher ed professionals.

“What makes our online Ed.D. degree valuable is that it helps students think differently about their current work using improvement science. Students will conduct an inquiry into their own workplace or sphere of influence, studying how they might create change and innovation in that environment. Then they’ll examine how it worked, why it worked or why it didn’t, and use that mindset to earn their degree and to become great leaders and innovators throughout their careers.”

What led University of Idaho to launch an online Ed.D. option, and how does it expand access for working professionals?

“We have had a longstanding Doctor of Education program at University of Idaho, but it looked very similar to our Doctor of Philosophy or Ph.D. in education degree, and we wanted to further distinguish these two programs. The online Ed.D. program is a practitioner degree, one that helps people develop and improve their skills and practices in their workplace through applied research.

“We know that working professionals have limited time, so the academic content they receive needs to be high quality, impactful and timely. We designed an online Ed.D. program that does just that. It resonates with what students are currently experiencing, helps them immediately apply what they’re learning in the field, and develops skills and habits of mind that will sustain them as leaders and innovators even after they exit our program. The program is also structured to accommodate working professionals who have limited time and need to accomplish things efficiently.”

What sets University of Idaho’s Ed.D. program apart from other doctoral programs in education?

“I would reiterate that a traditional Ed.D. program is focused primarily on the education space, but University of Idaho’s Doctor of Education degree is broader in scope.

“Additionally, the program takes only three years to complete, and the dissertation requirement is embedded into the coursework. We know that if students finish all their coursework and are then left to complete the dissertation independently, life can get in the way. So we’ve built dissertation research and writing into the program itself.

“We also designed this program as a cohort model. While faculty at U of I will certainly share our knowledge with students, we also believe our students will learn from other leaders across various industries. That kind of near-peer mentoring is so important. If I’m an educator, maybe I’m learning from a corporate professional. Or if I’m in health care, I might learn from one of my military colleagues. Research shows that students are more likely to persist when they have a group of people, or a community of practice, who they can move through an academic program with.

“Finally, there is an opportunity for students to come to campus and meet their colleagues and faculty in the program. The chance to visit beautiful Moscow, Idaho, and interact with each other in person is really valuable.”

How does this program prepare graduates for career advancement and leadership roles in education or other professional settings?

“Students are going to engage with the three focal areas of the program — learning, leadership and innovation. That starts with understanding how people, particularly adult learners, take in new information. We know that’s important because leadership involves bringing people alongside you, helping them learn new things and supporting their ability to adapt.

“There’s also a focus on formal leadership training that covers leadership concepts, new ideas and the ability to practice those ideas in the environment that students are currently working or living in. Then, of course, the notion of innovation. How do we think about a changing world, whether that's AI, emerging technologies or new opportunities for collaboration?

“The Ed.D. program will help students advance in their careers by cultivating strong habits of mind — including how they think about creating change, how they study what’s happening in their organizations and how they use data to drive decisions. That’s the heart of improvement science — planning for change, enacting it, studying how the change works and iterating the plan based on what they learn. Students in the program are regularly engaged in this process of continuous improvement, which we know is important for leadership and innovative practices.”

What types of support can students expect from U of I, especially in the online learning environment?

“When students express interest in U of I’s online Ed.D. program, someone from our team will walk them through the entire admissions process. They will also participate in an orientation to help them understand what it means to be an online learner and what our expectations are.

“Throughout the program, students will interact with Ed.D. faculty members in a number of different classes. We use both synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities. Students will complete some asynchronous work in advance and then meet synchronously each week with their professors and classmates. The live sessions help them get to know their faculty and their colleagues, which is a strong support system for students. They're not anonymous online — they can put a face to a name.

“We also have a virtual writing center because we know that adult learners probably haven't written in an academic format in quite some time, so we provide writing support throughout the program. Then, once students enter the dissertation phase, they’ll have a dedicated faculty advisor to guide them through the process and help them see it through to the end.

“Additionally, students will receive other student support from our staff. And they’ll have access to everything the Vandal family offers, like our world-class library, campus resources and a large alumni network that they can connect with.”

What is the value in earning an Ed.D., and what kind of impact can graduates make with this degree?

“The Ed.D. degree program is meant to help our students make real, impactful changes allowing them to earn while they learn. They’re not waiting to apply what they’ve learned — they’re doing it as part of the program. The class assignments are directly related to trying out new ideas in their workplace or wherever they’re working on their projects.

“The value of the Ed.D. degree lies in its practitioner focus, especially around our core themes of learning, leadership and innovation that go hand in hand. Innovation requires leadership. Leadership often requires us to help people learn new things. And in order to innovate, we ourselves have to be willing to learn and grow.

“We'll give our students tools that they can use throughout their career. As their roles evolve, these tools will still be useful for them. We’re helping them develop a mindset of continuous improvement that goes beyond the program.”

Redefine what’s possible with an Ed.D. degree from U of I

If you’re ready to lead, innovate and make meaningful change, University of Idaho is here to support your next step. Request more information or start your application to our online Doctor of Education degree program.