Academic Program

Instructional Design and Technology

Doctoral Degree

The Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) program is an interdisciplinary program drawing from fields, such as cognitive science, education, and computer science. The objective of this program is to prepare professionals for leadership roles in the design, evaluation, and use of media and technology for education. By focusing on design, students will learn how to design and research instructional technology for a variety of content areas, type of learners, or settings. For example, graduates of the IDT program could work in settings such as museums, publishing companies, higher-education institutions, corporate training centers, health institutions, non-profit research organizations, and educational media production companies. Within these work environments, graduates may work as administrators, directors, faculty members, and researcher or evaluators. During the IDT program, students may complete an internship that would provide them with the opportunity to conduct research or assessment within one of these real-world settings. Students will be prepared to do research and development with a variety of new media and technology such as online telecommunications, gaming and simulations, interactive video, and other computer tools to support learning.

The central focus of this program is to study the underlying learning theories and their implications for the design and use of educational media and new technologies. Students will study what is known about how people learn in order to more effectively design and assess learning environments. This doctoral content area provides opportunities for graduate students to specialize in the study of research methodologies, theories, and issues surrounding the use of instructional technology. This will be accomplished through the delivery of relevant coursework, mentored research experiences, and carefully guided dissertation study.

Admission Requirements

Students will be admitted into the doctoral program in Instructional Design and Technology in cohort groups, every other year, starting Autumn 09'. Applicants wishing to apply during noncohort years can work with their advisor to come up with a plan for courses to take during their first year. Prior to applying for admission, prospective students should contact Dr. Janet Mannheimer Zydney at janet.zydney@uc.edu. Please indicate your research interests in your initial correspondence, so she can put you in touch with one of the following program lead mentors, who is most compatible with your research interests:

In addition to the application procedures found in the Application Process for Doctoral Degree Programs in Teacher Education document, please answer the following questions as part of your statement of purpose:

  • What are your professional goals? How will the doctoral program help you meet these goals?
  • In what areas do you have an interest in research and theory? In what content areas or for which audiences do you have an interest in designing educational media programs? What experiences led to these interests?
  • Summarize the area of knowledge, set of issues or problems, and body of literature in the field of instructional design and technology or related fields with which you are most conversant.
  • Describe your position on what is effective instruction, the relation of media and technology to instruction, and the learning theories you find most powerful and useful to support your position.
  • Describe one or more significant academic or professional situations in which you have encountered the problem of improving learning or instruction. How did you identify and analyze the problem, and how did you or would you have solved it? Outline briefly how you would approach research on these problems.
  • Describe your technology skills, e.g., skills in computer-based multimedia, web, or productivity tools, video, etc. You may also include an electronic portfolio to demonstrate your proficiency in the use of technologies. This portfolio is optional but highly recommended.

Each response should be no more than one page in length. This writing sample and optional portfolio will be used as one of the criteria for evaluating the application.

Application Information

Application Procedures

For admission information and application procedures, please see the Application Process for Doctoral Degree Programs in Teacher Education (pdf).

Financial Aid

There are some partial graduate tuition scholarships (University Graduate Scholarships) available every year. These are available on the basis of previous academic record. It is important to apply each academic year to obtain this scholarship. Summer quarter requires a separate application. Applications are available from the School of Education office (615 Teachers College at UC Clifton Campus) or by calling the office at 513-556-3600.

Degree Requirements

The Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction requires completion of 135 graduate credits and culminates in a dissertation of original empirical research. In addition to completing the requirements of the University of Cincinnati, the Division of Teacher Education, and the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, students in this specialization will complete six doctoral seminars and two mentored research experiences. This work enables students to combine theory and research with practical application. Mentored research experiences may occur at the University of Cincinnati or in other settings away from campus. Courses will be scheduled to facilitate enrollment of students who have full-time professional responsibilities.

The following courses are required:

  • Professional Seminar I: Applications of Theories of Teaching and Learning (18-CI-951)
  • Professional Seminar II: Diversity of Learners (18-SPED-952)
  • Professional Seminar III: Language and Social Practice (18-LTCY-953)
  • Advanced Seminars in Instructional Design and Technology (9 credits)
  • Educational Research Tools (18 total credits)
  • Mentored Research (18 total credits)
  • Dissertation Research (45 total credits)

Students will also take specialized course work in the design, development, and application of instructional technology. Two approved qualifying papers are required in order to maintain standing in the program, and an approved dissertation proposal is required for advancement to candidacy. For more information, please see the following course of study.