3.1 The road to successfully completing doctoral studies: a tale

The quest for the doctorate degree in education equates to completing a marathon race that requires extensive training, undeterred endurance, and utter commitment to the educational process. Eager candidates who wish to enter a doctoral program undertake an extensive interview process, a lengthy application packet, and then wait—hopefully to be accepted. This degree represents the pinnacle of achievement for those in the field of education. Doors will open, opportunities will present themselves, and lives will change both professionally and personally. For those who seek the degree, the program design is just as important as personal determination.

Programs designed to attain the doctorate degree differ from university to university. Some colleges offer a once-a-month, intensive weekend program, while online programs entice candidates who are seeking a“quick”finish. Both of these program formats attract those who seek an individual road to completing the doctorate. However, a majority of university doctoral programs focuses on a cohort model of teaching and learning for the fulfillment of the degree.

Doctoral programs intent on producing and graduating competent candidates focus on certain crucial elements: a flexible program, a framework for structured learning, a cooperative and interactive learning community, and a personal connection that is woven throughout the experience (The Graduate Institute, 2006). The cohort model provides these essentials while giving voice and understanding to each candidate (The Graduate Institute, 2006). While the journey taken by each individual represents a unique story, the cohort group itself equally makes its own history.

Standard elements of a cohort designed program for completing the doctorate degree are based on the concept of creating a small, close-knit learning community. This band of committed hopefuls has been brought together for a shared purpose, the completion of a desired goal (Fenning, 2004). Throughout the learning process, these candidates will be asked to work together, learn together, and create something more valuable as a group than they could have ever created as individuals.

Sims and Sims (2006) state that learning is a direct product of synergetic events which take place between people and events or what occurs in their environment. Equally, they regard learning as a by product of knowledge. McKeachie (1991) shares the concept that people are born to learn and to be continually engaged in of learning. Through interaction, coursework, group assignments, and high expectations, learning for a cohort is ongoing. However, the learning expectations established by the university and completed by candidates do not exist in a vacuum; the influence of the teaching factor also plays a prominent role in a cohort’s development.

Candidates who seek the doctorate degree deserve exemplary programs and highly qualified instructors. Membership in this pool of professionals enriches and expands the learning experiences of each candidate as he or she grows and develops in the program (Haworth&Conrad, 1997). Classroom leaders are present to“unleash the strengths, talents, and passions of those he or she serves”(Jennings&Stahl-West, 2003, p. 14). These servant leaders found in doctoral programs not only promote extensive thinking but also encourage the building of the relationships formed through the cohort experience.