Master of Arts in Education

This course is designed to give students a real-world perspective into what it is like to teach, learn, and lead in the 21st-century classroom. This course provides an opportunity for students to experience the world of the classroom and analyze the range of perspectives and topics that impact being a successful teacher, learner, and leader in the 21st century. The course will bring together a unique set of ‘voices’ from the field to explore the contemporary nature of what it is like to teach in today’s changing schools while focusing on identifying innovations that can develop students’ capacity to be agents of innovation, collaboration, and creativity.

This course provides rich opportunities for participants to examine the impact of culturally responsive teaching within diverse learning environments to foster positive social change. Participants will adopt a cultural and global perspective of teaching and learning to understand how they can best support diverse learners and become agents of social change in their respective fields. Through scenario-based activities, participants will directly apply skills needed to make informed decisions about the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally relevant instructional practices to facilitate the learning of diverse learners. Prerequisite: EDU 650.

During this course, students will apply evidence-based, differentiated strategies in relationship to practice, process, product, content, assessment, and grouping to meet diverse academic instructional needs. Students will construct assessments, learning objectives, and instructional strategies that offer a rich inquiry of learning styles. This approach to instructional design will promote critical thinking for learning along with the inclusion of cultural schemata (i.e., personal experiences, cultural and language norms, and family belief systems). Prerequisite: EDU 650.

This course will prepare participants to effectively use assessments to enhance student learning and planning for instruction. Participants will have the opportunity to examine different types of assessments and create their own assessments utilizing components of the Backward Design Model. Participants will gain experience in interpreting data to support the individual needs of students through differentiated instruction. This course will also explore the importance of using feedback to help guide instruction and for student self-assessment. Furthermore, current literature will be evaluated to examine relevant issues related to assessments. Prerequisite: EDU 673.

In this course, learners will gain practical knowledge about the purposeful integration of technologies to enhance instruction and support diverse learners using the three principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Learners will evaluate each UDL principle to inform the use of technology in improving learner motivation, stimulating critical thinking, ensuring flexibility and promoting authentic learning experiences to support diverse learners. Prerequisite: EDU 673 or ESE 601 or ECI 601.

This course provides an introduction to the education of students in the school setting with exceptional needs, specifically those with mild to moderate disabilities, who qualify for services under one or more of the eligibility criteria covered by special education federal laws. Special education key terms and common strategies that influence learning and behavior as well as ethical and legal privacy rights of families of children with disabilities are introduced. Additionally, variations, characteristics, and patterns of individual differences in learning and academic progress are investigated.

Capstone 1: Educational Research guides students through the process of becoming an effective and collaborative change agent by applying action research principles and effective leadership practices to current educational challenges and issues. Students will analyze the impact of the stages of action research through evaluation of relevant literature, research plan development, data collection and analysis, action plan development, reflection, and communication of results. Prerequisite: ECI 685, EDU 620, or ECE 673.

Capstone II: Culminating Project is a course in which students will demonstrate their attainment of the program outcomes through a spiraled process of skill demonstration including reflection, application, and evaluation. First, students will reflect on patterns in academic work as well as design and development challenges associated with previous coursework so as to take control of one’s professional growth and become a more self-directed learner. Next, students apply the framework of 21st century teaching and learning to redesign prior coursework and then evaluate how 21st century skills influence program learning outcomes. Last, students will use digital tools to showcase their scholarly artifacts through the creation of a digital portfolio for both courses, and for professionally related purposes. Prerequisite: EDU 694 or ECE 660.