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SIS has a doctor in the house
Saipan International School headmaster Ron Snyder has just returned from England where he successfully passed the defense of his doctoral thesis.
Snyder has been the headmaster at Saipan International School since 2016. His wife, Kim Church, is an English and AP Capstone teacher at the school and his daughter, Anika, is a Grade 11 student.
Snyder has been working on his doctor of education degree at the University of Bath for the last eight years.
A veteran international educator with 25 years spent in 10 countries, he was originally drawn to Bath because it hosts the Center for the Study of Education in an International Context. During his time at the university, Snyder undertook coursework in educational management, leadership and administration, educational policy, educational research and engaged in a pilot research enquiry into the impact of social interaction on acceptance and use of virtual learning.
Snyder’s thesis was titled, “What’s the Big Idea? The role of social interaction as a motivator in online classes.”
Ron Snyder
The study involved tracking a group of international students enrolled in online programs around the world to investigate what motivated them to persist in taking online classes. The study was grounded in a meta-theory of human motivation and included an investigation of psychological needs for motivation and wellbeing.
The doctor of education degree at the University of Bath is a professional doctorate aimed at those who are eager to make substantial and original contributions to the development of educational knowledge in a broad range of settings.
The degree meets the need for the highest levels of professional development and training of both educators and those concerned with educational policy and administration. The prime focus is on the interplay between the multi-dimensional practices of education and scholarship.
The degree is designed to engage current practitioners with knowledge, awareness and understanding of the philosophical, organizational, political, social, managerial, interpersonal, and technical dimensions of schools and other educational institutions. (PR)
