Collaborative Learning Doctoral Program
The Collaborative Learning degree program addresses the advanced educational needs of professionals in business, government, higher education, and non-profit organizations who seek to increase their understanding of the collaborative learning process, its facilitation, and how it can improve their professional practice with learners of any age.
We admit a new cohort every two years. February 1, 2008 will be the deadline for admission to the sixth cohort, which will begin residency in August of 2008. See Admissions for more information.
Intended Audience
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education program in Collaborative Learning addresses the advanced educational needs of professionals in a variety of settings including:
- Trainers in business organizations and government settings;
- Teachers and administrators in school systems and higher education institutions; and
- Leaders of community education and non-profit organizations.
Goals
Program participants will become active members of a community of learners and work collaboratively toward the following goals:
- To better understand the collaborative learning process in terms of its theoretical and conceptual underpinnings and its operation in practical situations;
- To develop skills in facilitating collaborative learning;
- To understand and develop skill in the design and implementation of collaborative action inquiry methodologies;
- To practice reflectively, and to help others develop their skills as reflective practitioners;
- To contribute to the development of collaborative learning communities in their own work environment, and to lead in the development of learning communities on a global scale; and
- To generate new knowledge in the field of collaborative learning.
Features
To accomplish these goals, the students and faculty in the Collaborative Learning Program will engage in collaborative activities, some of which are clearly different from traditional approaches to graduate study. Its current features include:
- A residency linked to professional practice;
- A strong multidisciplinary focus;
- Scholarly inquiry grounded in practice;
- Admissions criteria that emphasize practical experience, skill, and commitment to collaborative learning and decision making;
- A distinguished faculty and cohort of students;
- A cohort model for student participation
- Cohort members from a variety of professional backgrounds;
- Linkages with students, faculty, and practitioners around the world;
- Program elements jointly designed by students and faculty;
- An emphasis on collaborative action research as a mode of inquiry for dissertation research;
- Dissertation research beginning in the first year of the student's residency;
- Electronic communications to enrich reflections and communication; and
- Continuous experimentation with new forms of teaching and learning.
Updated 08/21/2007
Contact
Information
John Peters, Ed.D.
Program Coordinator
1122 Volunteer Boulevard
519 Jane & David Bailey Education Complex
Knoxville, TN 37996-3452
Phone: 865-974-8145
Fax: 865-974-0135
Email: jpeters@utk.edu
URL: web.utk.edu/~peters/
Contact EPC
525 Jane & David Bailey Education Complex
1122 Volunteer Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3452
Phone: 865-974-8145
Fax: 865-974-0135