A systematic approach to the assessment of impact in a professional doctorate

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present one approach to the measurement of impact in a professional doctorate in education that encompasses discipline-based coursework and practice-embedded research.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative and qualitative data on the impact of the doctoral program were collected at regular intervals, with a focus on students’ application of program content in their professional practice and on students’ professional growth.

Findings

The research design and the findings are discussed in the context of the larger debate surrounding the measurement of doctoral impact and the value of online doctoral degrees for practitioners.

Originality/value

This paper presents the systematic collection of data over four years in a newly developed professional doctorate in education.

Citation

Kumar, S. (2014), "A systematic approach to the assessment of impact in a professional doctorate", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 171-183. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-10-2013-0020