Curriculum

The curriculum of the Indiana Wesleyan University Doctor of Education with a major in Organizational Leadership degree program is designed to contribute to the student’s development as a servant leader who has mastered seven domains of knowledge:

Personal Authenticity
Organizational Learning
Organizational Theory and Research
Change, Innovation, Entrepreneurship
Globalization and Multiculturalism
Governance and Ethics
Servant Leaders as World Changers

A foundational expertise integrated into each domain is the mastery of critical thinking, research, and problem solving.

This program is designed to be completed in three years but can be modified with approval from the department chairperson. The program offers an integrated and seamless progression through courses that requires a one-step enrollment process for the entire program. Courses are taken with a cohort of fellow students, which develops into an action learning team that incorporates the leadership knowledge and experience of both faculty and students. Terms are normally 11 weeks in length and include a blend of classroom and online sessions. Classes meet at IWU’s Indianapolis (North) Education Center three Saturdays of each term, with summer residencies held on the main campus in Marion, Indiana, for eight days each July and followed by nine weeks of online discussion forums.

Full course descriptions may be viewed by clicking on the course titles below.

Year 1

July Term

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DOL-715 Leadership and Personal Development3 Hours
- This course explores the impact of the leader's character and competence on the organization. Strategies for personal and spiritual assessment and development will be considered. Students will be introduced to selected classical and contemporary leadership theories as a foundation for their philosophy of leadership.
DOL-720 Critical Inquiry3 Hours
- This course focuses on expanding the foundation skills required for conceptualizing inquiry and engaging in the scholarship of discovery. The course examines the epistemological foundation for scholarly inquiry and the importance that an individual's worldview plays on critical inquiry. Students explore the process of asking questions, discovering answers, and seeking solutions to organizational and leadership issues. Students learn the process of research and writing a dissertation.

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DOL-735 Advanced Leadership Theory3 Hours
- This course presents the key foundational concepts essential to an understanding of leadership and serves as a foundation component to the doctoral program. A thorough study of the historical and theoretical models of leadership will include an analysis of the paradigm of servant leadership and the concept of power in both classic and current literature. Leadership definitions will be explored and understood within the context of action and function and then expanded into the specific context of organizational life. Learners will actively build their leadership understanding and competencies by considering implications for their discipline or profession.
DOL-760A Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-A2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. The course is built upon a seminar-based approach in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and discuss current leadership principles, knowledge, and action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The classes are offered in the fall, winter, and spring terms for two credit hours in each term and must be taken in sequential order.

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DOL-740 Organization Theory and Design3 Hours
- This course is a critical examination of the major theoretical approaches to the study of organizations and macro-organizational theory, in order to later address concern for micro-organizational behavior in various cultural settings. The course provides the theoretical foundation for organizational learning and system-wide change and informs an understanding and experience of working and leading in organizations, both private and public sectors. The course discusses the application of various research designs that address organizational issues. Discussion of the organization literature also provides a necessary foundation for understanding the social construction of meaning in organizations from a Christian and biblical worldview.
DOL-760B Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-B2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. The course is built upon a seminar-based approach in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and discuss current leadership principles, knowledge, and action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The classes are offered in the fall, winter, and spring terms for two credit hours in each term and must be taken in sequential order. Prerequisite: DOL-760A

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DOL-810 Statistical Research Design3 Hours
- This course will concentrate on the practice of statistics and applied research methods as tools for learning about the world. Statistical and nonstatistical sampling techniques will be developed and applied to the research process. Sampling distributions will be evaluated and used to draw conclusions about population data. Confidence intervals and hypothesis testing will be used as a framework for designing research processes. The process of formulating the null and alternative hypotheses will be examined. Methods useful for the analysis of experimental data include descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis.
DOL-760C Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-C2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. The course is built upon a seminar-based approach in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and discuss current leadership principles, knowledge, and action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The classes are offered in the fall, winter, and spring terms for two credit hours in each term and must be taken in sequential order. Prerequisite: DOL-760B

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DOL-750 Change, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship3 Hours
- The purpose of this course is to understand how to use organizational diagnosis and strategic planning to help organizational leaders transform their organizations from their present state to a desired improved future state that allows organizations and their members to grow and develop to their full potential. Students should learn about change processes, innovation, entrepreneurship, barriers to change, and successful structures and strategies aimed at improving the total organization, groups, and individuals.
DOL-830 Global Perspectives on Leadership3 Hours
- This course will explore the theory and practice of international leadership. Students will examine current literature about cross cultural leadership and the conceptual foundations on which it is based. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding globalization and its impact on how leadership is exercised in today's world.

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DOL-840 Ethics and Leadership3 Hours
- This course examines the dual roles of the leader as a moral person and as a moral leader within the organization. Students examine the ethical foundations which inform their personal and professional ethical practices and develop strategies for enhancing the ethical culture and climate of their organizations. The organization as a moral agent in the world is also considered.
DOL-860A Advanced Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-A2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. Coached by DOL faculty, students engage in leadership practices, action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The praxis builds on seminars in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and theorists. These experiences are expressed in the culmination of a portfolio that demonstrates the students' understanding of theory through scholarly papers and praxis through evidence that they have integrated theory in their leadership practice. The classes are offered in the fall, winter, and spring terms for two credit hours in each term and must be taken in sequential order. Prerequisite: DOL-760C
DOL-865A Advanced Global Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-A2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. Coached by DOL faculty, students engage in leadership practices, action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The praxis builds on seminars in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and theorists. These experiences are expressed in the culmination of a portfolio that demonstrates the students' understanding of theory through scholarly papers and praxis through evidence that they have integrated theory in their leadership practice. As part of the practicum, a global teaching or mentoring project is developed in another county, including a visit to the country in the spring. Prerequisite: DOL-760C

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DOL-820 Advanced Research Design Learning3 Hours
- This course will explore the theory and practice of advanced research. Students should develop a high level understanding of the components of research necessary to produce a doctoral dissertation. The course will include problem definition, evaluation of appropriate methodologies, research design, reliability, and ethical considerations.
DOL-860B Advanced Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-B2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. Coached by DOL faculty, students engage in leadership practices, action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The praxis builds on seminars in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and theorists. These experiences are expressed in the culmination of a portfolio that demonstrates the students' understanding of theory through scholarly papers and praxis through evidence that they have integrated theory in their leadership practice. The classes are offered in the fall, winter, and spring terms for two credit hours in each term and must be taken in sequential order. Prerequisite: DOL-860A
DOL-865B Advanced Global Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-B2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. Coached by DOL faculty, students engage in leadership practices, action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The praxis builds on seminars in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and theorists. These experiences are expressed in the culmination of a portfolio that demonstrates the students' understanding of theory through scholarly papers and praxis through evidence that they have integrated theory in their leadership practice. As part of the practicum, a global teaching or mentoring project is developed in another county, including a visit to the country in the spring. Prerequisite: DOL-865A

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DOL-800 Organizational and Adult Learning3 Hours
- This course considers current theories and best practices in organizational and adult learning, and explores how these concepts and ideas can be implemented in the context of building a learning organization. The use of knowledge management, communities of practice, systems design, and other organizational learning models and thoughts in developing high performing knowledge workers and a collaborative learning organization will be considered.
DOL-860C Advanced Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-C2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. Coached by DOL faculty, students engage in leadership practices, action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The praxis builds on seminars in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and theorists. These experiences are expressed in the culmination of a portfolio that demonstrates the students' understanding of theory through scholarly papers and praxis through evidence that they have integrated theory in their leadership practice. The classes are offered in the fall, winter, and spring terms for two credit hours in each term and must be taken in sequential order. Prerequisite: DOL-860B
DOL-865C Advanced Global Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership-C2 Hours
- This course is designed for students to put theory into practice. Coached by DOL faculty, students engage in leadership practices, action learning projects, and personal and organizational improvement processes. The praxis builds on seminars in which students interact with outstanding organizational leaders and theorists. These experiences are expressed in the culmination of a portfolio that demonstrates the students' understanding of theory through scholarly papers and praxis through evidence that they have integrated theory in their leadership practice. As part of the practicum, a global teaching or mentoring project is developed in another county, including a visit to the country in the spring. Prerequisite: DOL-865B

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DOL-855 Stewardship3 Hours
- This course examines the steward-leader as a wise and responsible steward of organizational resources. Primary leadership roles and responsibilities will be considered in relation to the three stewardship functions of generation, preservation and transformation. Students will reflect upon their understanding and practice of leadership in light of secular and Biblical studies in wisdom, stewardship and service.
DOL-880 Application of Research Methods3 Hours
- This course examines specific research methods that students can use to conduct their dissertation research. It will focus on survey and interview research methods but may consider other methods that are appropriate. The course will prepare students to conduct data collection and analysis for their dissertation. Students will be expected to complete a draft prospectus of their dissertation by the end of the course.

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DOL-915 Dissertation Seminar3 Hours
- This course will provide students with an opportunity to focus their research as they prepare to conduct a research project and write their dissertation. The process of completing and writing a dissertation will be examined and students will be able to share their issues, concerns, and progress as they write the first chapter of their dissertation.

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DOL-920 Dissertation3 Hours
- Research and writing of the dissertation are undertaken during year three commencing with the prospectus and proposal preparation. Candidates will engage in research for and writing of the dissertation. At the completion of the dissertation work, the Dissertation Committee conducts a final oral examination during which the candidate defends the dissertation.

60 credit hours

Note: During Year 2, students have the option of taking either Advanced Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership (DOL-860A, B, and C) or Advanced Global Seminars and Praxis in Organizational Leadership (DOL-865A, B, and C). If necessary, DOL-922 (Dissertation Continuation - 1 credit hour) will be taken after Year 3 for subsequent terms until dissertation is completed.

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Curriculum

Year 1

July Term

September Term

January Term

April Term

Year 2

July Term

September Term

January Term

April Term

Year 3

July Term

September Term

January/April/July Term