Spring 2026 Featured Courses 

Instructor:

Michael Stebleton, Professor. steb0004@umn.edu

Day/Time

Tuesdays, 4:40pm - 7:20pm, Wulling Hall 133

Description

Did you know that the average college graduate will hold between 20-25 jobs over the course of their lives? This in-person course focuses on the integration of career development theory and practice. Using a combination of small group discussions, case studies, writing activities, and guest speakers, students will learn how to apply career development principles and theories to applied settings, including academia and industry. Emphasis will be placed on both individual and organizational career development contexts. It is open to graduate and advanced undergraduate students, as well as student affairs professionals.

Students will also have the opportunity to apply class concepts to their own professional development. This class is intended to be of interest for students across different disciplines and programs. In the past, we have welcomed HRD/BME, Higher Education, HR/IR, and Adult Ed students, among others.

Instructor bio

My current studies focus on understanding the experiences of first-generation and immigrant college students, including food insecurity issues and the impact of career courses on career planning and career decision-making. I teach in the First Year Experience (First Year Inquiry) and at the graduate level in Higher Education.  I am also the Honors faculty liaison for CEHD students. My publications appear in a variety of academic journals, including the Career Development Quarterly, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Employment Counseling, and the Journal of College and Character.

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Instructor:

Bhaskar Upadhyay, OLPD Professor and Director of Graduate Studies. bhaskar@umn.edu

Day/Time

Mondays, 4:40 PM 7:20 PM, Peik Hall 165

Description

The course provides critical analysis of international education and international exchanges through multidisciplinary and cross-cultural lenses. We ask questions like “What does and can international education mean, in relation to societal inequalities and global movements for social change?” We explore four major areas in international education during the

course:

1. How is international education currently conceptualized, defined, organized, and implemented across geographical, political, historical, cultural, and socio-economic boundaries?

2. What are the intersections of education/higher education in international education and exchange (e.g. study abroad, international students and scholars, educator collaborations, and projects of curriculum development). What is the mechanism of international education and exchange programs in the broader field of international education and contexts?

3. What are the challenges facing international educators in designing and sustaining international education programs that are accessible, particularly regarding minoritized and historically marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented populations?

4. What is the meaning of international education and exchanges in terms of personal learning and human development?

We explore all these and other questions through local and global examination of discourses of knowledge construction and production, normative ideologies, language, citizenship, notions of community in relation to schooling (K-12 and higher education) and global citizenship.

This course is especially interested in how education stakeholders identify and address gaps in international education and opportunities that have resulted from learning priorities in human rights, children’s rights, earth rights, environmental and health concerns, and equity and social transformation that includes advocacy of cultural and linguistic diversity, and how these relate to the field of international education.

Instructor Bio

As a former science teacher and teacher educator in Nepal, I am interested in researching and teaching areas surrounding the internationalization/globalization of STE(A)M education, Indigenous education, educational inclusivity, and equity.  In my research, I not only investigate curriculum, pedagogies, policies, local environment, and community engagements but also seek to understand how people’s experiences and the needs of the communities (community-driven) inform what takes place in the larger fields of education and more specifically in STE(A)M education for sustainable development. 

I believe in collaborative work across the education fields through research and exchange partnerships among scholars globally. However, my focus is critically examining internationalizing STE(A)M education, Indigenous education, research ethics, teacher education, cultural heritage and STE(A)M education, research capacity building among young researchers, and investigating the challenges and opportunities for inclusive education from primary to higher education utilizing various qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods designs.

My ongoing research collaborations are with scholars in the USA, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Taiwan.

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Instructor:

Peter Demerath, OLPD Professor

Location/Modality

In-person, Blegan 250

Description

This course provides researchers and educators with insights from the field of educational anthropology that will enable them to both question their assumptions about educational processes and enrich their abilities to address issues of culture, ethnicity, and power in schools. The course is organized into four components according to the field's developing perspectives on educational practice in cultural context. The first part introduces anthropological approaches to culture, including understandings regarding human cognition and language use, cultural relativism, the transmission and acquisition of culture, and education as a "calculated intervention" with learning. The next section examines the culture of Western schools, and considers cultural congruencies and disjunctions between home, school, and society, in a variety of contexts. The course then moves to critical approaches in educational anthropology that address issues of power, marginalization, and privilege in school, with a particular focus on student identity and academic engagement. This section also takes up educational implications of student engagement with technology as well as popular and commodity culture. Finally, the course discusses contemporary pedagogical approaches, practices, and reforms in schools that are informed by research in educational anthropology.

Instructor Bio
Peter Demerath is a Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota and a former President of the Council on Anthropology and Education. His research interests include the development of improvement culture in schools; and student acquisition of psychological capital as well as other social and emotional learning factors.

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Instructor:

Stuart Yeh, OLPD Professor. yehxx008@umn.edu 

Day/Time

Fully online & asynchronous

Description

Principles and Methods of Program Evaluation is a course in the use of systematic methods for judging a program's worth or merit. It provides a conceptual and practical grounding in program evaluation, considering the theory, purposes, types and strategies of evaluation. One common evaluation research method, the survey, is studied in greater depth, including sampling, designing questions, and overall survey design.

Instructor Bio
Dr. Stuart Yeh applies evaluation perspectives and frameworks to identify what works in solving pressing social problems. He is especially interested in the application of systems theory. Dr. Yeh's research aims to assist in the identification of areas where new policies or changes in existing policies may be beneficial.

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Instructor:

Jodi Benenson, OLPD Associate Professor

Day/Time

Thursdays, 4:40-7:20pm

Description

This class invites students to engage with a diverse set of evaluation theories and put them into practice in organizational and policy contexts. Through a series of discussions, assignments, and engaged opportunities, students will have a chance to: learn about and practice applying conceptual, empirical, and professional evaluation knowledge; identify commonalities, distinguishing features, and underlying assumptions of the major categories of evaluation approaches; addresses the key issues, tensions, and choices that arise in evaluation practice; and identify and analyze current and emerging themes in evaluation theory and determine their relevance and implications for evaluation practice.

Instructor Bio
My research focuses on civic engagement, equity, and evaluation in nonprofit and public contexts. Much of my work focuses on the ways civic organizations and institutions provide access to social and economic opportunities for different population groups. In other research, I examine the role of civic and experiential learning in higher education contexts and the ways organizational policies and practices influence civic, social, and economic outcomes. Using multiple methodologies, I ground my work in theories that reflect my interdisciplinary training in civic engagement, public policy, and management, and foster links between research and practice through community engaged scholarship.

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OLPD 8121-2 is the first offering in the three-semester 8121 doctoral seminar sequence and is open to doctoral students across all OLPD program areas. It offers a supportive, rigorous space to clarify your dissertation topic, articulate your scholarly identity, and begin developing the literature base for your preliminary exams and dissertation.

OLPD 8121-2 is designed to support the following learning aims:

• Sharpening your dissertation topic and rationale, including why it matters and what puzzles or questions drive it.

• Cultivate the habit of reflective, intentional scholarship connected to your identity and commitments as a researcher.

• Begin developing a focused bibliography across several bodies of literature relevant to your topic.

• Strengthen your academic writing and adherence to APA citation practices.

• Engage in structured peer feedback, improving your ability to offer and receive constructive critique.

• Work in small writing groups to refine research questions and draft preliminary exam materials.

• Develop a polished draft of your written preliminary exam proposal.

Course Structure:

You will meet regularly with writing groups between sessions, and your active participation helps shape the direction and flow of the seminar. This course complements—but does not replace—the guidance of your dissertation advisor and committee, who ultimately oversee your topic, literature review, and methodology

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This final course in the 8121 sequence supports advanced doctoral students as they refine their dissertation topic and strengthen the alignment among their research questions, conceptual framework, and methods. This seminar is designed to help students develop a detailed draft of their dissertation prospectus; therefore, it is recommended that students complete at least one methods course and their oral exams before enrolling. Students will produce a 15–20 page prospectus draft (Ch. 1–3), engage in structured writing time each week, and participate in peer workshops to offer and receive constructive feedback. Writing groups also meet independently between sessions to support steady progress.

Course Objectives:

• Refine your dissertation study’s focus with respect to its sites, participants, conceptual frames, and necessary context

• Solidify the bodies of knowledge that inform your study and select the mode(s)/methods of inquiry that will best help you answer your scholarly questions.

• Work in small writing groups to refine research methodology and draft prospectus materials.

• Practice presenting your topic in a concise and innovative way to express the meaningfulness of your study and its research design to multiple audiences.

• Participate in small-group and seminar-level structured peer feedback, improving your ability to offer and receive constructive critique.

• Produce a 15–20 page prospectus draft (Ch. 1–3).

Course Structure: You will meet regularly with writing groups between sessions, and your active participation helps shape the direction and flow of the seminar. Open to advanced doctoral students across all OLPD program areas. This seminar complements—but does not replace—the guidance of your dissertation advisor and committee.

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Instructor:

John Hitchcock, OLPD Professor

Day/Time

Mondays, 9:05 am-12:00pm, Hybrid

Description

Quantitative research methods offer powerful tools for advancing educational equity. The concepts and methods you will learn in this class will help you think through important questions such as: How can outcomes that we care about be measured, and how can the effects of equity-advancing efforts be documented? What policies and practices are – or could be – effective at advancing equity goals, either in general or in specific contexts? In this class, you will learn foundational concepts in quantitative research (such as statistical inference, internal validity, external validity). You will learn how to analyze data using common data analytic techniques for answering basic questions in education (one- and two-group significance tests for means and proportions; ANOVA; correlation; simple and multiple linear regression). Emphasis is on conceptual learning and applications with data using basic coding.

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