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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education

School of Education

Instructional Design for Online Learning specialization

Equip yourself to lead and manage instructional challenges in the growing field of online education. This PhD specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning focuses on the theory and leadership of instructional design, including creating and applying instructional design models, leading the implementation of instructional solutions, leading strategic instructional design initiatives, and conducting and applying instructional design research. People who choose this specialization are often pursuing dean, director or other high-level leadership positions in a variety online learning settings, including educational institutions, corporations, the military, health care, and government.

This specialization is not designed to satisfy licensure requirements for P–12 public school teachers or administrators.


Visit Organizational Perspectives, an online community focused on human capital management from the perspectives of three disciplines: business, education, and psychology.

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Total Program: 120 quarter credits
Up to 48 quarter credits may be transferred into this specialization
Admission Requirements Icon indicating PDF
Next Start Date: March 5, 2012
Quarter - Coursework: $4,530
Up to 3 courses per quarter
Quarter - Comps/Diss: $4,062

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Residency requirements: Three 4-day weekend experiences

Learn about the residential colloquia experience.
In addition to your online courses, you will complete 3 residential colloquia, each of which includes a 4-day weekend experience, at specific stages in your program. These energizing residencies provide you with insights and knowledge that will be valuable during your PhD studies and beyond.

Doctoral colloquia each have 3 steps:

Step 1: Colloquium Courseroom (opens approximately 2 weeks prior to Weekend Experience)
Step 2: Weekend Experience (4-day residency)
Step 3: Colloquium Courseroom—Assessment and evaluation (completed the week after the Weekend Experience)

What is the cost to attend?

The price for each colloquium is $1,495 (pricing is subject to periodic adjustment), but doesn’t include costs for evening meals or travel. You’ll be responsible for making your hotel reservations and travel arrangements.
  • Learn more about residency requirements.
  • Get more detailed information and learn how the residency experiences will enrich your learning at Capella University. Speak with an enrollment counselor at 1.888.227.3552.

Core Courses (each course 4 quarter credits unless noted)

  • ED8002 - Foundations of Theory and Practice in Doctoral Studies
  • ED8112 - Educational Research Methods
  • ED8117 - Advanced Qualitative Research Methods*
  • ED8122 - Statistics for Educational Research I*

Specialization Courses (each course 4 quarter credits unless noted)

  • ED5802 - Principles of Instructional Design
  • ED5803 - Processes of Instructional Design*
  • ED7624 - Theories of Learning and Instruction*
  • ED7620 - Theoretical Basis of Instructional Design*
  • ED8810 - Ethics and Social Responsibility in Distance Education*
  • ED7496 - Advanced Instructional Design*
  • ED7504 - Leadership for Instructional Design*
  • ED8829 - Research in Instructional Design and Development*
  • ED8831 - Theoretical Constructs for Evaluation and Assessment of Instructional Design*
  • ED8841 - Leading Instructional Design Initiatives*
  • ED9919 - Doctoral Comprehensive Examination*
  • ED9920 - Dissertation Courseroom* - non-credit
  • ED9921 - Dissertation Research 1* - 5 quarter credits
  • ED9922 - Dissertation Research 2* - 5 quarter credits
  • ED9923 - Dissertation Research 3* - 5 quarter credits
  • ED9924 - Dissertation Research 4* - 5 quarter credits
  •  

Ten Elective Courses (each course 4 quarter credits unless noted)

  • Recommended elective courses
  • ED5312 - Strategies for Building Online Learning Communities
  • ED6895 - Intructional Design for Online Learning Internship*+
  • ED7086 - Developing an Academic Writing Process
  • ED7088 - Applying Research in an Academic Writing Process*
  • ED7212 - Administration and Leadership of Distance Education Programs
  • ED7673 - The Future of Corporate and Technical Training: Issues and Trends
  • ED7631 - Introduction to Training and Performance Systems
  • ED7641 - Needs Assessment: Models and Procedures
  • ED7672 - Delivery Systems for Training and Performance Improvement
  • ED7830 - Coaching for High Performance
  • ED8123 - Statistics for Educational Research II*
  • The following elective is available for PhD learners as directed studies:
  • ED8895 - Special Topics for Instructional Design for Online Learning* OR
  • Choose any graduate courses.
+North Carolina residents are currently not eligible to enroll in this course.
* This course has a prerequisite. Contact an enrollment counselor for more information.

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PhD





Don't Trust!!

July 8, 2010Margery My experience with the doctoral program at Capella has been quite a learning experience. Not the one I thought I would have, but an important one that you too can learn from. I have learned the importance of distrust and it started with my first dissertation project. Here is what happened to me: The IDOL program as an unwritten rule that one should not do an instructional design study that looks at online vs on campus education. It’s been done too many times and the results keep coming up that online is as good as on campus, if not better. That’s a fine rule and I was trying to avoid violating it, but my project was going to look at two forms of online learning for what would normally be an on campus lab. I was going to look at lab kits utilized at home vs computer simulations. I specifically asked my dissertation committee chair to do an inquiry to make sure that I would not have a problem with the ‘no online vs on campus’ rule. He told me I would be fine and to pursue my project. He didn’t tell me that he had not inquired. No one on my committee said anything for two whole quarters of pre-proposal writing. Then my pre-proposal was sent for higher review and nothing was said for two more quarters of revisions. When I finally thought I had jumped through every hoop and was finally going to have approval to proceed, I was told that my proposal was being denied because it was a comparison between online vs on campus. 4 quarters of tuition down the drain. That’s a lot of money. It’s all in loans. BUT I wanted a PhD and was given permission to try again with a new project. I went through 3 revisions of a new pre-proposal. The main sticking point seemed to be statistics, but once I proved that mine were appropriate, I was denied again and told that my project wasn’t Instructional Design. How can it take 3 revisions for a program to mention something huge like that? By the end of the ordeal I was receiving pre-proposal feedback in ALL CAPS ~ the equivalent of yelling at me. I am currently working at trying to get something from my huge investment of time and money. I hope to leave with a MS in Instructional Design and a reimbursement of my dissertation tuition dollars for the horrific fiasco I’ve been put through. When I started having problems, key Capella staff didn’t respond to my emails or voice mails. The lesson I learned is this: Watch Out! The rug you’re standing on can be yanked out from under you. Don’t let it happen twice.

Not So Good Reviews

July 30, 2010Marge I have a posting titled "Don't Trust" on July 8th. I've been talking to others in my cohort and this is what's coming through: You really need to watch out for mentors that don't mentor as well as for a program chair that will completely overrule the input you get from the rest of your committee. This shows lack of regard for the expertise of other Capella faculty. You can be charged for quarter after quarter of tuition for committee infighting. I've also heard that the IDOL program is the only one with this fiasco called 'Pre-Proposal'. I'm trying to recoup my tuition for the last year and salvage an MS out of this experience. If you're interested in a PhD in Instructional Design, I'd recommend going elsewhere. Right now this program doesn't have its act well together.

IDOL Program

August 5, 2010Jodi I started IDOL May 2007 and will be finishing up by Sept. 2010. My dissertation is in the final stretches 12 out of 16 steps. Tuition stops after 13 has been achieved. IDOL will help me be cutting edge where many schools haven't a clue on how to do online learning well. That is why I went for the degree. It is not an easy program and you will find a great deal of diversity/experience among learners. This is good/bad. There is a techy group, teacher group, and a nursing group. This degree can be achieved if you are focused and persistent. I picked a mentor for my dissertation that was time on task and organized in her classes. You can feel your professors out. Screen them like you were interviewing someone for a job because that is what you essentially need to do. My committee consisted of 3 people that could be mentors and each had a certain twist/experience that added to my dissertation. I picked one for the qualitative research and the other for business training.

Doctorial Mentor

July 8, 2010Kay I have had the worst experience ever with my doctoral mentor. I left as though I wasted one year of tuition payment because of this man and nothing to show for it. Then in the end when I am running out of money and needed advise, he never even had the common courtesy to offer word of advise or even to say sorry. I never heard from him. Capella should not allow people like this to be mentors for students who are paying thousands of dollars trying to improve their education. This is not setting a good example for the school. Now I am going to have to try to find a new mentor and hopefully, move on to the next phase of my research.

Dreams DO come true!

July 8, 2010Dr. Vesta Whisler After graduating from Capella's IDOL program with a PhD in 2004, my dreams of teaching online for a university and moving South both came true. We live two hours from the Atlantic Ocean, and two hours from the Gulf of Mexico, and, because I teach online, I get to pack up my laptop and visit them often!

Staying the Course

July 30, 2010Sharron I can not say that my quest for a PhD has not been difficult, it has. I have some special needs and circumstances that have been addressed through Capella's services and am able to achieve my goals. Capella is not perfect but I have had good experiences and have found that if I communicate and let people know what is going on I can always get help and a way of addressing the problem. I have had wonderful instructors and had no problems with the comps. As for the dissertation process, I am still working on that but I have been communicating to my mentor who has been giving me wonderful feedback. This is not easy or for someone who is not committed but if you want this, Capella is a good place to be.

Exciting time to be an ID

July 8, 2010Colleen Education is (finally)changing in HE, in K-12, and in the enterprise. This is a great degree in which to explore those changes and learn the skills needed to become a part of the transformation to anytime, anywhere, anyone learning modalities. I love my profession, and the skills learned in IDOL. Colleen Carmean, PhD Class of 2008

A Challenge indeed

October 26, 2010Kay There are no words to describe my experience at Capella after I completed my coursework. First I had an instructor that tried to get me thrown out of my program. Then I got a mentor that after less than a year disappeared from site. I can only hope that he is alright as I am yet to understand what happened why he stop communicating with me. Then to make matters worst, I was told by the chair that my topic was not related to IDOL. After a year working with my mentor in perfecting my topic, I am being told it was not even an IDOL issue. Imagine my frustration. Not to mention that fact that all of these events caused me to take a quarter off to reevaluate my position. This time off caused me to loose my in school deferment status as well I felt as though I wasted a whole year and accomplished nothing. Now I am back in school and Capella still has me in their system as withdrawn causing me to pay by loans I am not yet prepared to repay. Overall, it has been a trying experience, but I will p

Positive IDOL experience

August 31, 2011Kris In contrast to what I'm reading here, I had nothing but a positive experience with IDOL at Capella. When I originally enrolled, I honestly was not sure what to expect as I had never done online learning before. I was more than pleasantly surprised at the rigor and dedication that I experienced in my classes and the communication with my professors. I especially enjoyed the colloquia and have made life-long friends who were fellow students. I was fortunate enough to have a fantastic mentor and committee, and did not have any issues with professors during my program. I completed my PhD in June of 2010 and feel that it was well worth the time and the effort and the cost. I ams sorry that there are some who have had negative experiences.

Trust and quality mentoring

April 7, 2011Julia I am considering doing this programme and was about to show it to the Dean today to get funding. Based on the comments I am going to think twice and search out some other programmes. These comments have been very helpful, thank you all for being so honest.
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