Doctoral Education Issues

THREE SEMINARS RELATING TO DOCTORAL EDUCATION ISSUES:
Seminar 1: KEVIN LAWSON and THERESA LUA
Dr. Kevin E. Lawson, Professor of Educational Studies, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
Dr. Theresa Lua, General Secretary, Asia Theological Association
Seminar title: Assessing Doctoral Level Programs: Recommended Guidelines and Procedures
As schools increase their investment in doctoral level education, it is important to begin thinking about how these kinds of programs can best be evaluated. What are the key elements to assess? How might self-assessment, and external assessment for accreditation purposes, be carried out? This session is geared both for school leaders who wish to evaluate the quality of their doctoral programs, and accreditation association staff tasked with developing assessment procedures for doctoral level programs.

Seminar 2: BERNHARD OTT, IAN SHAW, CEPHAS TUSHIMA
Dr. Bernhard Ott
Chairman of the European Council for Theological Education and director of doctoral studies at the European School of Culture and Theology.
Dr Ian J. Shaw
Position – Provost Union School of Theology
Organisations – Union School of Theology and Langham Partnership
Rev. Dr. Cephas Tushima:
president of the Association of Theological Institutions of Nigeria (ATIN) and the President of the non-profit corporation Hesed Resource and Development Foundation.
Seminar title: Investing in Faculty Development for Supervising Doctoral Student Research
Having completed one’s own doctoral dissertation or thesis is helpful, but not enough preparation for supervising students in their research and writing. As schools offer doctoral-level programs they need to help their faculty develop an understanding of what it takes to supervise student research and grow in the skills and practices that help them do this well. This session addresses ways school leaders can help faculty members grow into their responsibilities for supervising student research.

Seminar 3: EVAN HUNTER, HAVIALAH DHARMARAJ, JOHN JUSU, STEVE CHANG
Dr. Evan Hunter
Vice President at ScholarLeaders International and Executive Editor for the InSights Journal for Global Theological Education.
Dr. Havilah Dharamraj
Academic Dean and the Head of the Dept of Old Testament at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS), Bangalore, India.
Dr. John Jusu:
Regional Director for Africa, Overseas Council
Dr. Steve Chang
Lecturer in New Testament: Torch Trinity Graduate University Seoul.
Seminar title: Counting the Cost: Preparing Well to Launch and Sustain a New Doctoral Program
Many schools are considering launching doctoral-level academic programs. Before moving too far down that road, it is important to understand what it takes to offer a program that equips students well at the doctoral level, whether a research degree (e.g., Ph.D.) or a practitioner degree (e.g., D.Min., Ed.D., D.P.T.). When we understand the issues, standards, and costs involved, we can better discern if this should be pursued and if so, what it will require to offer a strong program. This session addresses these issues, both for launching new programs and sustaining them over time.
Developing Standards for D.Min. Programs: An Interactive Session
More schools are offering or planning to offer a Doctor of Ministry degree program. This degree is distinct from other doctoral programs, and there are many issues to consider in developing and offering a strong program. There is benefit to having similar standards for these programs while contextualizing them to the needs of our regions. We invite those whose schools are currently offering this degree and those who are considering offering it, to interact with members of ICETE’s Doctoral Initiative Steering Committee regarding the development of standards and best practices for the D.Min.
The above will not be offered as a seminar but as an optional extra during a meal or some other opportunity during the consultation.