Students and faculty in the online Ed.D. program will meet at the Vanderbilt University campus in Nashville, Tennessee, three times throughout the program for on-campus convenings. These meetings provide an opportunity for Ed.D. students to engage in collaborative projects to develop critical leadership skills over the course of a few days. The on-campus convenings will challenge students to demonstrate mastery of subject matter and skills, integrate knowledge and skills across topics and subjects, and apply what they have learned to professional practice and related analytic challenges. Drawing on the three pillars of the Ed.D. curriculum — leadership and organizational development, data and analytics, and learning and design — the campus convenings will establish networks of professionals who can solve shared problems of practice in creative and innovative ways.

Students will receive convening dates no later than the term before the convening is scheduled to take place. Students should check their Vanderbilt email for release of convening information.

Students in the Peabody Online program are required to attend three on-campus convenings over the course of their program. Convenings are aligned with LLO’s structured plan of study, and designed to facilitate effective completion of the capstone. In light of this, both the sequence and timing of the convenings are critical, and students should plan to attend their scheduled convening in line with the LLO structured plan of study. If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent a student from attending their scheduled convening, that student must petition the Program Director regarding alternatives. To receive information on the petition process, please reach out to your Student Success Advisor.

The first convening occurs at the beginning of students’ journeys during their first term. There are two primary goals; to build community with the program faculty and classmates, and to strengthen connections with Peabody College and Vanderbilt University. Attending HeLLO orients students to the program with insight provided directly from the Peabody community while incorporating new students into the Peabody network of scholars.

The second convening occurs in the seventh term of the course of study and focuses on qualitative research to support the launch of students’ capstone projects. At the Pre-Capstone convening, students will review capstone project expectations and timelines, share ideas about current and previous projects, and be introduced to resources to support capstone research.

The third campus convening occurs near the end of the ninth and final term of the LLO program of study. This final convening will provide an opportunity for students to present their capstone projects and answer questions from faculty, practitioners, and classmates. Special events to recognize the accomplishments of the students will also be part of this convening.

For details about accommodations, travel, and dress code, please review the campus convening information document.