|
|
|
|
Artifacts from, Doctoral Studies: Advancing Community College Leadership
Advancing Faculty and Student Success in Community College Career Technical Education
Updated November 11, 2025
Introduction
Education is more than just a pathway to knowledge—it is a transformative force that shapes lives, communities, and industries. As an Associate Dean of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Leadership, I have dedicated my research to understanding complex challenges in student retention, faculty development, and leadership in community colleges. My doctoral studies have allowed me to bridge academic research with practical leadership strategies, ensuring that institutions can better serve students, faculty, and workforce partners in an ever-evolving landscape.
Bridging Research & Leadership in Community Colleges
My doctoral studies have reinforced a core belief: Research should drive institutional change. By combining qualitative insights, data analysis, and leadership strategies, I aim to transform community colleges into more effective, student-centered institutions. Through my research on CTE retention, faculty development, and ethical leadership, I am committed to developing actionable solutions that enhance student outcomes, support faculty, and strengthen institutional effectiveness. This ongoing journey of learning and leadership continues to shape my approach, ensuring that my work remains rooted in evidence-based strategies, ethical leadership, and a commitment to student success.
Why This Matters
Leadership in community colleges is dynamic, complex, and deeply impactful. Every decision made at the institutional level affects students, faculty, and the communities we serve. By engaging in research-driven leadership, I am committed to shaping innovative, equitable, and student-centered institutions that prepare learners for success in a rapidly evolving workforce.
Courses Completed So Far:
Updated November 11, 2025
Introduction
Education is more than just a pathway to knowledge—it is a transformative force that shapes lives, communities, and industries. As an Associate Dean of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Leadership, I have dedicated my research to understanding complex challenges in student retention, faculty development, and leadership in community colleges. My doctoral studies have allowed me to bridge academic research with practical leadership strategies, ensuring that institutions can better serve students, faculty, and workforce partners in an ever-evolving landscape.
Bridging Research & Leadership in Community Colleges
My doctoral studies have reinforced a core belief: Research should drive institutional change. By combining qualitative insights, data analysis, and leadership strategies, I aim to transform community colleges into more effective, student-centered institutions. Through my research on CTE retention, faculty development, and ethical leadership, I am committed to developing actionable solutions that enhance student outcomes, support faculty, and strengthen institutional effectiveness. This ongoing journey of learning and leadership continues to shape my approach, ensuring that my work remains rooted in evidence-based strategies, ethical leadership, and a commitment to student success.
Why This Matters
Leadership in community colleges is dynamic, complex, and deeply impactful. Every decision made at the institutional level affects students, faculty, and the communities we serve. By engaging in research-driven leadership, I am committed to shaping innovative, equitable, and student-centered institutions that prepare learners for success in a rapidly evolving workforce.
Courses Completed So Far:
- Foundation of Doctoral Studies- In this course, learners gain understanding of the EdD program and insights into how cycles of inquiry and systems thinking are utilized to address problems of practice. Additionally, learners engage in critical thinking and communication while reflecting on their own personal learning and growth
- Dynamics of Organizational Development -Learners in this course continue the study of systems thinking and foundational leadership concepts and apply them to workplace environments. Learners examine systems thinking, use of systems tools, and inquiry and design cycles as ways to maximize available resources to solve problems under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity. This course emphasizes the importance of evidence-based reasoning and critical analyses as essential skills of practitioners who plan action research interventions or engage in the design and implementation of any improvement process.
- Educational Leadership by Design- This course provides an introduction to fundamental systems principles and skills of leadership in organizations with a focus on continuous organizational learning and improvement processes. Learners apply personal values and behaviors and those of organizations. Learners use basic principles of systems thinking, systems mapping, and approaches to inquiry cycles in relation to leadership processes and organizational change. In addition, learners apply disciplines of learning organizations and a change model to a problem of practice to real-world leadership challenges.
- Investigating Problems of Practice- In this course, learners examine continuous improvement models, engage in an inquiry cycle, develop skills of data and information literacy, and collaborate with stakeholders to assess organizational needs and dynamics. Learners identify an organizational issue, collect and analyze relevant data, and develop valid inferences. Learners document the process utilized to tell the story of their research as a way to effectively share with stakeholders. This course requires obtaining an organizational site and completing site-based-related assignments.
- Leading a Culture of Learning and Inclusion- In this course, learners evaluate the role of culture in supporting an organization's ability to learn, improve, and successfully adapt to a changing environment, and the leader's role in shaping it. Learners analyze patterns of behaviors within organizations, as well as the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of the inclusive leader that support values of diversity and equity in organizational culture and in organizational development and improvement processes. Additionally, learners examine the characteristics and theoretical bases of cultural awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness, and their roles in achieving the goals of a learning organization.
- The Future of Educational Leadership - Learners in this course demonstrate leadership skills that support the ability to exercise influence regardless of position in an organization and the importance of deep knowledge and understanding of internal and external environmental factors impacting an educational organization. This course emphasizes ongoing learning about current research and future trends in education in a rapidly changing environment. Learners also examine social influence and communication skills, commitment rather than compliance, empowerment of others, creative practice, and management of self, along with a robust professional knowledge base as they consider ways to build the capacity of an organization to envision its future.
- Research Design for Practitioners- In this course, learners are introduced to research approaches, designs, and methods with a focus on the needs of educational leaders. Learners assess conceptual and theoretical foundations of quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and action research designs and analyze a variety of research literature and journal articles through the lens of a practitioner. Learners acquire the knowledge necessary to assess the applicability of research and theoretical literature to practice and become critical consumers of research. Learners apply course concepts to the design of an action research study relevant to the learner's organization.
- Data Literacy for Leaders- In this course, learners apply the data literacy skills required by leaders for effective organizational planning, decision making, and communication with stakeholders. Learners examine skills such as data interpretation, data aggregation and disaggregation, transformation of data, use of multiple data sources, analysis, statistical techniques, and selection of appropriate metrics for the intended purpose. Learners also utilize technology to process data and present and communicate results.
- Assessment and Evaluation in the Learning Organization: In this course, learners examine the varied purposes of evaluation and evaluation models and how and when to apply them. Evaluation and assessment processes are framed as learning tools leading to new knowledge and understanding with a focus on emergent and evidence-based recommendations to determine next steps leading to ongoing cycles of continuous improvement. The course emphasizes reflective practice, data literacy, research reasoning, and habits of mind as leadership characteristics that support a continuous personal and organizational learning process.
- EdD Doctoral Project 1- In this course, learners collaborate with stakeholders at their doctoral project sites to collect evidence and share relevant literature to identify and frame a chosen problem of practice. Learners demonstrate inquiry, analysis, communication, and leadership skills as well as the ability to evaluate and interpret organizational data to determine performance gaps and root causes. Learners increase knowledge and understanding of a problem and the factors that impact it in order to develop a problem statement for their doctoral project. Learners also secure the commitment of their project site to conduct their applied improvement project.
- EdD Doctoral Project 2- In this course, learners collaborate with stakeholders at their doctoral project site to begin to develop a potential intervention that addresses a problem of practice. Learners develop an in-depth literature review that synthesizes relevant theory and best practices pertaining to the problem and the proposed solution and begin to develop an implementation plan to address a problem of practice.
- EdD Doctoral Project 3- In this course, learners continue to collaborate with stakeholders at their doctoral project site to develop a potential intervention that addresses a problem of practice and develop a detailed implementation plan. Learners complete and submit IRB applications for approval.
- EdD Doctoral Project 4- In this course, students collect and evaluate doctoral project data, applying appropriate quantitative and qualitative analysis tools. Students make valid inferences from the data in relation to the goals of the intervention and the implementation process. Students incorporate written and visual formats to effectively communicate their results in preparation for developing their written report in the next course.
What I Have Learned So Far
1. Foundations of Doctoral Studies: Inquiry and Systems Thinking
My doctoral journey began with an exploration of systems thinking and cycles of inquiry, which are fundamental to addressing problems of practice in higher education.
✔ Applying systems thinking to analyze institutional challenges holistically.
✔ Developing critical thinking and communication skills essential for leadership.
✔ Reflecting on personal leadership growth to inform professional practice.
This course set the foundation for evidence-based reasoning and continuous learning, which I have since expanded upon in my research.
2. Investigating Problems of Practice: Data-Driven Decision Making
A core component of my doctoral work has been developing a systematic approach to identifying, analyzing, and addressing institutional challenges.
✔ Using continuous improvement models to assess and refine institutional strategies.
✔ Engaging in inquiry cycles to systematically examine issues and implement data-driven solutions.
✔ Enhancing information literacy to interpret and apply both qualitative and quantitative data.
✔ Collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that institutional needs and improvement efforts are aligned.
Through site-based research, I have applied these principles to student retention in CTE programs, utilizing institutional data, faculty interviews, and student feedback to develop actionable strategies that support student persistence and workforce alignment.
3. Leading a Culture of Learning & Inclusion: Building Institutional Capacity
Strong leadership requires shaping an inclusive and adaptive organizational culture that fosters learning, innovation, and equity. This course expanded my understanding of:
✔ The role of organizational culture in learning and institutional growth.
✔ Leadership strategies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, creating a culture where all students and faculty feel valued and supported.
✔ Patterns of behavior within institutions, analyzing how implicit biases, historical structures, and leadership decisions shape organizational effectiveness.
✔ Cultural responsiveness and sensitivity, ensuring that community colleges serve diverse student populations equitably and effectively.
These insights have deepened my understanding of how leadership impacts student retention, faculty engagement, and institutional success.
4. Dynamics of Organizational Development: Driving Change with Systems Thinking
Expanding on my early coursework, this course reinforced how leaders can maximize available resources to solve institutional problems under conditions of uncertainty.
✔ Applying systems tools and inquiry cycles to drive institutional change.
✔ Understanding organizational development in higher education through the lens of evidence-based reasoning.
✔ Designing and implementing action research interventions to support faculty engagement, student success, and institutional effectiveness.
This course enhanced my ability to evaluate complex systems and implement sustainable change within community colleges.
5. Educational Leadership by Design: Leadership in Organizational Change
This course provided a comprehensive framework for leadership in higher education, with a focus on:
✔ Applying personal and organizational values in leadership decision-making.
✔ Using systems mapping and inquiry cycles to analyze institutional challenges.
✔ Applying learning organization principles and change models to real-world leadership challenges.
By integrating these approaches into my leadership practice, I have developed a strong foundation for driving continuous improvement and institutional innovation.
6. Student Retention in CTE Programs
Retention is a key performance metric in higher education, particularly in CTE programs, where students balance academics with work and personal responsibilities. My research has revealed that financial barriers, academic preparedness, course scheduling conflicts, and access to student support services significantly influence student persistence.
Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, I have identified solutions such as:
✔ Proactive faculty mentorship to create stronger faculty-student connections.
✔ Flexible scheduling options, including evening, weekend, and hybrid courses.
✔ Targeted financial aid awareness campaigns to alleviate financial burdens. By improving retention, institutions enhance workforce development efforts, ensuring students complete their programs and transition into high-demand careers.
7. Addressing Male Underrepresentation in CTE
While many CTE fields traditionally attract male students, certain programs (health sciences, early childhood education, etc.) struggle with male enrollment. My research explores how gendered career perceptions and societal expectations shape enrollment patterns.
To increase male participation, I have examined:
✔ The role of marketing and outreach efforts in breaking down stereotypes.
✔ The impact of faculty and industry mentorship programs in guiding male students into non-traditional fields.
✔ The importance of campus culture and career exploration initiatives in encouraging diverse participation.
By applying systems thinking and leadership strategies, community colleges can develop inclusive recruitment efforts to increase male representation in these essential fields.
8. The Future of Educational Leadership: Preparing for Change (Course in Progress)
As I continue my doctoral work, I am currently exploring:
✔ The role of educational leaders in shaping the future of learning institutions.
✔ How social influence, communication, and empowerment affect organizational success.
✔ How leaders can build institutional capacity to respond to an evolving educational landscape.
This course is helping me align institutional strategies with emerging trends and research, ensuring that my leadership remains forward-thinking and adaptive.
9. Research Design for Practitioners: Building a Strong Research Foundation (Course in Progress)
With a focus on developing research methodologies for educational leadership, this course is equipping me to:
✔ Assess conceptual and theoretical foundations of research in education.
✔ Analyze quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and action research designs.
✔ Critically evaluate research literature to inform practice-based decision-making.
✔ Design an action research study that applies to my institution and professional practice.
This course will strengthen my ability to conduct and apply research to drive meaningful institutional change.
10. The Future of Educational Leadership: Vision, Influence, and Strategic Foresight
This course challenged me to think beyond current practices and explore how visionary leadership can shape the future of education. Through critical reflection, trend analysis, and systems thinking, I deepened my understanding of what it means to lead with purpose, adaptability, and influence.
✔ Developed foresight and scenario planning skills to anticipate future challenges in higher education.
✔ Explored the role of internal and external environmental factors in shaping institutional resilience and innovation.
✔ Reflected on influence beyond positional authority, emphasizing empowerment, collaboration, and ethical stewardship.
✔ Strengthened communication strategies for mobilizing people toward shared goals and meaningful change.
This course reinforced my belief that community college leaders must be vision-driven, future-ready, and deeply attuned to the human dimensions of leadership. I am committed to building institutional capacity not only to adapt—but to lead change that is inclusive, strategic, and grounded in shared values.
11. Research Design for Practitioners: Building a Strong Research Foundation
This course provided the essential tools to design and evaluate research within the context of educational leadership. I gained deep insight into how research can inform institutional decision-making and drive evidence-based change in community colleges.
✔ Analyzed key features of qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, and action research approaches.
✔ Evaluated research literature for credibility, relevance, and applicability to real-world educational challenges.
✔ Developed a strong conceptual foundation for designing practitioner-based research studies.
✔ Designed a practice-focused action research proposal to address student retention in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
This course sharpened my ability to interpret research, ask meaningful questions, and select appropriate methodologies to solve problems of practice. As a result, I feel confident in my ability to lead improvement initiatives grounded in rigorous inquiry, stakeholder collaboration, and measurable outcomes.
12. Change Leadership in a Learning Organization
In this course, I examined and evaluated the processes of leading and managing organizational change effectively within learning organizations. I explored various change models, analyzing both their theoretical foundations and practical applications. Key areas of focus included the development of effective collaboration and communication strategies, which are critical to facilitating organizational learning and achieving desired outcomes.
Significant accomplishments include:
✔ Evaluated multiple organizational change models, determining their effectiveness within diverse educational contexts.
✔ Applied systems thinking methodologies and tools to diagnose and address organizational challenges.
✔ Integrated principles of organizational development to strategically plan, implement, and monitor improvement interventions.
✔ Strengthened my ability to communicate and collaborate effectively, ensuring stakeholder engagement and buy-in during change processes.
✔ Developed research-informed strategies designed to enhance organizational capacity for sustained improvement and adaptation.
This course has equipped me with advanced competencies in change leadership, preparing me to drive meaningful and sustainable improvements within educational organizations.
13. Data Literacy and Evidence-Based Practices
In this course, I enhanced my capability to apply quantitative research methods, interpret statistical results, and integrate evidence-based practices to address real-world educational issues. This course refined my understanding of descriptive and inferential statistics, emphasizing their role in informed decision-making within educational leadership.
Key Learnings and Accomplishments:
✔ Applied Inferential Statistical Methods: Executed paired and independent samples t-tests to interpret significant differences in educational data sets, thereby supporting effective programmatic and instructional decisions.
✔ Enhanced Data Interpretation Skills: Developed proficiency in translating complex statistical outputs into actionable insights, essential for strategic planning and continuous improvement.
✔ Integrated Quantitative Research Findings: Conducted rigorous analyses using primary research studies (Grosz et al., 2022; Nachman & Wernimont, 2024) and supported findings through additional peer-reviewed sources (Chen et al., 2024; Ertwine, 2023; Soliz, 2023; Dietrich et al., 2017), aligning solutions to improve student outcomes and institutional effectiveness.
✔ Strengthened Evidence-Based Decision-Making: Advanced my ability to synthesize quantitative data with qualitative insights from previous coursework, fostering comprehensive strategies to tackle retention challenges and improve student engagement.
14. Program Evaluation for the Educational Leader
In this course, I explored the principles and practices of program evaluation as a key leadership competency. I developed the ability to conduct an evaluability assessment, construct a logic model, and write clear evaluation questions aligned to organizational goals and stakeholder needs. Using qualitative and quantitative evidence, I designed a full program evaluation plan for a current initiative at my institution—Developmental Education Placement Reform at Hawkeye Community College.
✔ Designed a comprehensive evaluation plan grounded in stakeholder feedback and logic modeling.
✔ Applied mixed-methods research principles to formulate outcome and process evaluation questions.
✔ Strengthened my ability to align evaluation design with organizational improvement and strategic goals.
This course deepened my understanding of how leaders use evidence-based evaluation to inform decision-making, improve practice, and ensure accountability within educational organizations.
15. Applied Improvement Project Planning
In this capstone planning course, I developed and refined the complete Problem of Practice Needs Assessment for my Applied Improvement Project (AIP) at a Community College. The focus of my AIP is improving retention in online courses, particularly for part-time, adult, and first-generation learners who face unique barriers to academic success.
✔ Conducted a gap analysis and Ishikawa root cause analysis to identify systemic barriers affecting online student persistence.
✔ Analyzed institutional and national retention data to establish a clear performance gap.
✔ Designed a proposed theory of action and potential intervention strategies, including faculty professional development to improve instructional design and online learning consistency.
✔ Secured site permission and IRB approval, ensuring ethical and organizational alignment for the project.
✔ Integrated faculty and stakeholder feedback into the final needs assessment, demonstrating collaborative leadership and systems thinking.
This course provided the foundation for moving into the doctoral project implementation phase by ensuring that the AIP is evidence-based, institutionally supported, and feasible within the scope of my role as Associate Dean of Career and Technical Education.
16. Doctoral Project 2: Literature Review and Intervention Development
In this course, I advanced my Applied Improvement Project (AIP) by moving from problem diagnosis to designing evidence-based solutions. The major accomplishment was completing a comprehensive literature review that synthesized theory, empirical research, and best practices related to online student retention at community colleges.
✔ Conducted an in-depth literature review grounded in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, highlighting the critical role of teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence in online learning
✔ Identified systemic equity gaps affecting adult, part-time, and first-generation students, and examined scalable strategies for addressing these barriers through faculty development and course design.
✔ Strengthened my ability to critically analyze and synthesize research findings, building a theoretical and empirical foundation for an intervention that promotes faculty consistency, student engagement, and equitable outcomes.
✔ Began developing an implementation plan that aligns with institutional priorities, ensuring that the AIP is both sustainable and actionable.
This course taught me that effective leadership requires weaving together research, stakeholder collaboration, and systemic change. By grounding my AIP in a strong literature base, I am better positioned to design interventions that not only improve online retention but also contribute to a culture of equity and continuous improvement within community colleges.
17. Doctoral Project 3: Applied Improvement Project Implementation
This course marked a pivotal phase of my doctoral journey, emphasizing the implementation of my Applied Improvement Project (AIP). The focus shifted from design to action, guiding me through the process of putting research into practice in a real-world educational setting. The experience required strategic planning, collaboration, and continuous reflection to ensure the project remained aligned with institutional priorities and ethical research standards.
Key Learnings:
Through this course, I developed a deeper understanding of how to lead and sustain change within complex educational systems. I strengthened my skills in managing implementation processes, maintaining project fidelity, and engaging stakeholders throughout each stage. The course reinforced the importance of evidence-based decision-making and adaptability in leadership.
Application to Practice:
The implementation phase allowed me to integrate leadership theory and action research into my work as a community college leader. By applying systems thinking and transformational leadership principles, I translated scholarly insights into strategies that promote professional growth and student success in Career and Technical Education.
Leadership Reflection:
This course highlighted the value of reflective, servant-based leadership in driving institutional improvement. It reminded me that effective leadership involves both vision and humility—recognizing that meaningful change comes from collaboration, learning, and a shared commitment to progress. This course reinforced my confidence as a leader-scholar dedicated to continuous improvement.
