Master of Education degree programs
The newly approved Graduate Studies in Education (GSE) framework includes three components from which all current and future master’s degree programs will be developed. The three components are 1) a CORE that addresses the university’s mission, 2) an AREA OF EMPHASIS that consists of 15 hours or more of degree- or endorsement-specific coursework, and 3) a RESEARCH COMPONENT that includes two, three-hour courses in action research, taken sequentially. The table below portrays the framework.
Core Courses:
Course Number |
Course Title |
Course Description |
Credits |
EDUC 7023 |
Comparing World Views |
A world view provides people with their basic assumptions about reality. Religion provides them with the specific content of their reality. Culture is best understood by a study of the dynamic themes that provide it with identifiable values, most of which are reinforced by religious beliefs and practice. This course provides an overview of some of the major world religions, comparing them with Christianity. Candidates will review biblical responses to divergent belief systems and learn how to interact with people who embrace them. |
3 |
EDUC 7013 |
Ethical & Legal Issues for the Professional Educator |
This course examines the roles ethics and education law play in informing and shaping professional teaching practice. Ethics and education law will be applied to vexing professional decisions to help the candidate acquire and cultivate knowledge, skill and dispositions which reflect consistent command of ethical, lawful practice. The course explores the ethical and legal dimensions of schools and how ethics and school law are incorporated into decision-making processes in educational settings. |
3 |
EDUC 7093 |
Serving through Servant Leadership |
This course presents the concept of leadership and describes various leadership models and approaches, focusing on the servant-leadership model. Candidates consider how leadership principles apply to their own professional development and roles in learning communities. They examine leadership dynamics in relationship to personality characteristics, effective team-functioning, problem solving, and conflict management. |
3 |
Research Courses:
Course Number |
Course Title |
Course Description |
Credits |
EDUC 7063 |
Action Research I |
The purpose of this course is to present the principles, historical, theory, rationale, and processes of the action-research method. Aspects of this model are compared to traditional research methods. Graduate students learn that action research promotes professional practice. Through discussion and literature reviews, they determine an area of focus and prepare to conduct in-depth, specialized, classroom-based inquiry. |
3 |
EDUC 7083 |
Action Research II |
The purpose of this course is to facilitate professional growth through classroom-based action research. Course content covers methods of data analysis, interpretation of results, and promotes the benefits of sharing and reflection in learning communities. Graduate candidates learn how to represent their raw data, report the results, and develop action plans. They produce a professional report using APA style guidelines and the writing process approach. Action-research projects are designed to showcase graduate students’ professional dispositions and leadership skills. |
3 |
Professional Teaching, M.Ed.
The new graduate program’s area of emphasis is Professional Teaching in Diverse Global Communities. The five, three hour courses are aligned with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ five Core Propositions. These courses cover teaching practices based on educational theory and research and require candidates to select and implement these practices. Candidates then analyze and reflect on how their teaching impacted student learning and achievement. The program’s goal is to develop accomplished teachers who can articulate what they know and are able to do, enabling them to demonstrate they meet the standards of professional teaching.
Course Number |
Course Title |
Course Description |
Credits |
EDUC 7003 |
Professional Teaching Seminar |
This introductory course focuses on the model of teaching as a profession. Course content covers the educational reform movement, existing roles and expectations of teachers across the globe, and contemporary theory, research, and learning principles concerning the professional development of teachers. Students explore the National Board for Professional Teaching core propositions and national and state content area standards. |
3 |
EDUC 7043 |
Models of Teaching |
The purpose of this course is to explore and broaden understandings of contemporary thinking about teaching. Through this course of study, students will become familiar with the four models or families of teaching, and establish a practical knowledge of those philosophies. Examining the role teachers and students play in learning and how to move students to deeper understandings through the manipulation of teaching models will be emphasized. By the end of the course, students will be able to communicate and support their “pedagogical creed,” understanding how to meet diverse students’ needs through the use of any of the four models of teaching. |
3 |
EDUC 7033 |
Culturally-Responsive Teaching |
As populations grow and people migrate, schools are becoming home to a wide variety of student subgroups. This course is designed to provide educators with necessary tools of self awareness and culturally-responsive instruction to navigate the ever-growing variety of needs seen within student populations. In order to establish a culturally-responsive classroom, students will broaden their definition of diversity and culture and investigate meeting the needs of the “whole child.” To do this, students will examine the role of environmental factors on student achievement and methods for building cross-cultural connections between home and school. Respect for culture and differences will be demonstrated in the establishment of curriculum and experiences which value the unique perspectives of each child. Special attention will be given to preparing students to meet the needs of English Language Learners and racially and religiously diverse student populations, understanding social barriers to achievement, and evaluating socio-economic factors acting as obstacles to student success. |
3 |
EDUC 7053 |
Perspectives on Special Education |
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview on the perspective of special education and special-education practices around the world. In this course, students will study local and national agendas relative to serving students who have special needs. Additionally, the emphasis of this course focuses on teachers’ attitudes towards students who have special needs in special education and its impact on current educational practices. To accomplish the purpose of this course, students will review historical practices leading to legislation such as, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA); discuss research-based strategies used in special education; implement and evaluate research-based strategies used in one’s own classroom; analyze special-education practices in other countries compared to one’s own; and discuss and assess current issues in special education. |
3 |
EDUC 7073 |
Principles of Assessment |
This course is an overview of assessment principles and practices. It emphasizes the assessment process as an integral role in teaching and learning. Candidates learn the importance of establishing credible performance standards and communicating students’ progress in accomplishing these standards. Course content highlights international and national high stakes testing. |
3 |
Technology-Enhanced Teaching
The new graduate program’s area of emphasis is Technology-Enhanced Teaching in Diverse Global Communities. The five, three-hour courses are aligned with the International Society for Technology in Education’s (NETS•T). The standards express the fundamental concepts and skills for teachers in the evolving field of educational technology, the necessary conditions for the appropriate use of technology in teacher education and K-12 schools, and the assessment tools for measuring technological competence. This program prepares teachers to use technology to enhance student learning and to become active participates in professional development related to the use of technology in K-12 schools. The following six NETS•T serve as program standards.
Course Number |
Course Title |
Course Description |
Credits |
EDUC 7103 |
Technology-Enhanced Teaching Seminar |
This course introduces candidates to the field of educational technology. Course content covers its historical and recent forces, the social and ethical issues of acquiring and implementing educational technology, and technology operations and concepts. The course presents National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers as framework for coursework in graduate program. Course content also examines the role and best practices for distance education and other alternative delivery systems. Candidates begin their professional portfolios. |
3 |
EDUC 7203 |
Technology for Productivity and Professional Practice |
This course addresses productivity tools that teachers use to increase efficiency and access professional development. These tools include word processing, spreadsheets, and database applications. The course introduces technology organizations to support ongoing professional growth. Candidates discuss district policies for professional growth and reflect on their own growth as teachers to use technology-enhanced instruction. In this course, candidates communicate with colleagues about current research to support instruction using electronic mail and Web browsers. As part of increasing their professional development, teachers participate in online collaborative curricular projects and team activities. |
3 |
EDUC 7303 |
Technology- |
This course considers the many aspects of technology-enhanced environments and the management strategies that contribute to a positive classroom environment and help facilitate access to technology. Candidates learn considerations for creating appropriate learning activities for students of diverse learning styles, stages of development, and cultural backgrounds. Candidates develop skills in using both input and output devices in their classrooms. They develop lesson plans and a comprehensive classroom technology management plan using multiple strategies for locating and supporting their technology resources to meet the diverse and specialized needs of students. |
3 |
EDUC 7403 |
Teaching and Learning with Technology |
This course assists candidates in understanding the role of educational technology in the teaching and learning process. Initially, course content presents the relationship of technology to key learning theories, learner characteristics, and teaching styles. The course then presents development tools, such as multimedia tools and web-based construction, and instructional software to enhance conceptual understanding and demonstrate understanding of academic content. Candidates study learner-centered strategies that place students at the center of considerations in planning for authentic learning experiences. |
3 |
EDUC 7503 |
Technology-Facilitated Assessment |
This course overviews assessment principles and practices and emphasizes assessments’ integral role in teaching and learning. Course content highlights international and national high stakes testing. Candidates apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies and learn the importance of establishing credible performance standards and communicating students’ progress in accomplishing these standards. |
3 |
