© Northcentral University | 2014 Journal of Online Doctoral Education ISSN: 2330-4391 Online Volume 1 Issue 1 Summer 2014 6 Quality Considerations in the Design and Implementation of an Online Doctoral Program Swapna Kumar, Ph.D. School of Teaching and Learning University of Florida Author Note: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Swapna Kumar, School of Teaching and Learning, University of Florida. E-mail: swapnakumar@coe.ufl.edu ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract This article presents one approach to the design and implementation of a quality online doctoral program in which students engage in a community of inquiry to connect theory, research, and practice. Based on research in an online professional doctorate in education, faculty presence, social presence, cognitive presence, and learning presence (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001), online doctoral environments are discussed along with other considerations such as the provision of support for information literacy support, research preparation, and faculty mentoring. The discussion of online doctoral program quality and design is applicable to online doctoral programs and professional doctorates in all disciplines. Keywords: online doctoral program, online program quality, quality online education, community of inquiry, online program design _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction The growth of online education in the US has been accompanied by the emergence of online programs in various disciplines as universities attempt to meet the needs of millions of students looking for opportunities to learn online. Doctoral programs that traditionally used an apprenticeship model are also being offered in hybrid or online formats. Since 2008 in educational technology and related fields, for instance, six new doctoral programs have emerged in the US that are offered in hybrid or online format by not-for-profit, brick-and-mortar universities. Despite online program offerings and the number of students taking online courses (Allen & Seaman, 2013), the rigor and quality of online programs remain a concern as online degrees—whether bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate—continue to be viewed skeptically by academics and employers. Some of these concerns are justified due to the relative newness of online doctoral programs and the scarcity of data about them. Online doctoral programs encompass varying degrees of quality, similar to traditional doctoral programs that provide a wide range of learning experiences for students and succeed to