EdD students represent diverse individuals with established professional identities who enroll in doctoral programs seeking relevant, useable content. Instructors and program directors must find ways to incorporate rigor and relevance into the readings, assessments, and training for EdD students. This essay explores the evolution of research methods courses in an online education doctoral program. Hochbein and Perry (2013) noted that "research training need not be diluted, but rather tailored to the specific needs of scholarly practitioners" (p.182). Our narrative integrates the unique perspectives of a former EdD research methods faculty member and two recent alumni to describe one program's efforts to maintain the rigor of doctoral research methods courses and better align student experiences to their needs and professional context. Relying on research literature and experiential evidence, we offer a rich recounting of a rationale for change and how these adjustments contributed to scholarly practitioner training and research journeys. The essay identifies requisite knowledge of scholarly practitioners and describes the integration of learning opportunities across the courses.