EDLD 9434- Transformative Practice 
  • Although I never considered myself an advocate for leadership theory and practice, I am finding that the more courses I take in my EdD program, the more belief I have in the role of leadership theory in higher education.  EDLD 9434 was a great class because not only did it reflect on leadership theories we had previously discussed in other curses, but the focus was on the change process. Learning about hurdles to tackle when bringing change to an organization truly informs my daily work.  I think the most meaningful project for this class was the Problem of Practice project, which allowed me to reflect on a change my center has implemented and how that change could continued in an even more effective manner.  Through the course readings and discussions, I have learned more about the mutations that can exist when change is implemented and how we as leaders effectively work with these innovation configurations.  The course covered topics already discussed in other courses like the role of transformational leadership in change processes, but added a new dimension by discussion things like social networking for effective implementation. By applying the concepts to my work at Georgia College, the topics took on new significance.  The PoP project allowed me to discuss the change process involved in my learning center's After Hours grant program, contemplating the struggles and next steps for the process.  I also enjoyed the Learning Contract assignment, which gave me the chance to read another leadership book and then even submit that book review assignment for publication in a journal. Dr. Tolman has been one of my favorite faculty because he is so responsive and really makes the content relevant to the work we are doing every day.  
  • Course Syllabus
  • Meaningful Assignments
​EDLD 9632- Research Seminar II
  • This research class has been challenging because of the fact that the work is so independent, especially with the Covid restrictions of not meeting.  However, I found the assignments really helpful and was even able to add to my original dissertation topic through the work I did in this class this summer.  I began the class by submitting the last draft I had of my pre-prospectus and met with Dr. McBrayer almost immediately about a research study I was interested in conducting.  From here, I decided to incorporate the experience of the Supplemental Instruction Leader to my dissertation topic, rather than having an entirely new study to conduct.  With this new addition, I had to reformat and add to my original document. I have found less research on the SI Leader experience so I'm excited about the opportunity to add to the literature with my updated topic.  One of my favorite activities we did was the fishbone diagram because it allowed me to visualize my topic in a new way.  I did have to edit it a bit since the change to the topic. As a class, we also were required to complete one writer's boot camp and I was really glad for that.  Myself and two classmates decided to have the boot camp together, check in before we started and then when we finished.  Our team also completed a second boot camp, which I attribute to the amount of writing I was able to do this summer.  This semester, my cohort really bonded as a group and were able to chat often about our progress and struggles.  I think this particular research class was the main reason for that bonding.