Valerie is a graduate from the Doctorate of Education (EdD) programme at the University of Strathclyde
Tell us a little bit about your background before beginning the course..
I has been a teacher for 24 years, 18 of those as a Faculty Head at Williamwood High School in Clarkston. Whilst on secondment at the university I completed the Med in Education Leadership.
What drew you towards undertaking this degree?
Having completed the Master’s Degree I was keen to further my knowledge of education and to push myself on a personal level to undertake the challenge of the EdD. I really enjoyed reading what others said about education and was interested to see what I could dd to the body of knowledge. Plus the prospect of being called Dr Martin had a certain ring to it.
Tell us about the format of the programme. What was a typical working week like?
The first taught year was very insightful and I feel sets the course apart from a PhD. It was great to get the input from teaching staff and work with other EdD students. A typical week would be working full time and then setting aside an hour or 2 at night with a clear goal in mind. Then maybe a few hours over a Saturday and Sunday. A little and often works well as the hours soon add up.
Tell us a little bit about the research you conducted..
My research involved an on online survey accessed through Twitter and in person interviews with teachers conducted over Microsoft Teams.
What is the academic support at Strathclyde like?
The support was excellent. My supervisors were so supportive in challenging my thinking, in their feedback and in guiding me through the Doctoral process. Great resources also from the library the opportunities to attend seminars and the regular email contact updating all of the available resources and what was going on. This means that even though I was working full time and wasn’t on campus much, I still felt that I was part of the university community, that I was supported.
What are your future career goals?
I’ve been teaching 27 years and for me, what that says is that learning is life long and you can keep going and tackle a masters or an EdD at any age! Having been seconded previously to the university as a PDGE Tutor it would be nice to return to the university sector in some way, so I am keeping my eyes open!
What advice would you give to someone considering applying for this course?
The EdD is life changing on a personal and professional level. It pushes you academically by widening your understanding and challenging your thinking about education.