CPED Meeting @ AERA

Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM MST
Location: Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center, Third Floor, Quartz AB room

Regardless of their mode of instruction (i.e., online, hybrid, and lecture), doctoral programs have historically recognized the intensity of dissertation advising by adopting policies that considered faculty contributions to such endeavors (O’Meara, et al., 2020). With the increase of EdD online programs, however, such growth has led to a diverse interpretation of faculty workload among institutions as doctoral student-to-advisor ratios have blossomed to numbers beyond what historically had been considered an acceptable workload by faculty (Clegg, et al., 2024). In turn, this practice compromises dissertation advisors’ ability to provide rigorous, high-quality mentorship (AERA/CPED discussion, April 12, 2024). Considering such a phenomenon, this session explores the structural and institutional factors contributing to this imbalance, the ethical and academic consequences of overburdening faculty, and the broader implications for EdD program quality and student experience.

Session Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Examine the systemic inequities in dissertation chair assignments across EdD programs, particularly in relation to faculty workload expectations.
2. Identify the impact of high student-to-advisor ratios on dissertation quality, faculty burn-out, and student experience.
3. Discuss best practices and potential policy reforms to create equitable faculty loads while maintaining rigorous research standards.
4. Engage in collaborative dialogue to propose institutional and CPED-supported solutions to address faculty capacity constraints.
5. Respond to current data analyses derived from focus groups and interviews aimed at exploring doctoral supervision inequities.

As part of the meeting, Dr. Jill A. Perry will provide updates as we enjoy refreshments.