Education (EDUC)

EDUC 500 Introduction To Research 3 Credits

This course will provide students with the tools to evaluate the claims and uses of research related to teaching, counseling, and psychology. Students will learn how to find and critique the literature, and will be able to conduct some of their own basic evaluative research to assess the efficacy of their practice and programs. At the conclusion of the course, students will have developed an understanding of rigorous research and evaluation design, and will have skills in data analysis and interpretation.

EDUC 501 Methods and Instruments of Research 3 Credits

Acquaints students with insights, information, methods, procedures, and techniques for planning, conducting, and evaluating research. Includes the nature and types of research, methods, and procedures used in educational and psychological research, and the use of research data and other appropriate tools. The completion of a research proposal is required. Students who wish to complete the research project may do so on an individual basis in consultation with their respective advisors.

Prerequisite(s): EDPS 506 and READ 501.

EDUC 502 History of Education 3 Credits

The necessary knowledge of modern education’s heritage so that students understand and appreciate current educational practices in proper perspective. Concentration on education’s evolution in the U.S. from colonial times to the present, with a major emphasis on a study of topical issues in education treated within the framework of their historical background. A term paper and intermittent reports are required.

EDUC 503 Philosophy of Education 3 Credits

Considers the nature, aims, and objectives of education in a democratic society. Critical evaluations of various educational theorists and the philosophies of pragmatism, idealism, realism, existentialism, etc., are made. Students are encouraged to develop their own philosophy of education by preparing intermittent reports and term papers.

EDUC 511 Educational Foundations: Philosophical/Historical Perspectives 3 Credits

Major thoughts and significant actions in American educational history from colonial times to the present. Synthesis and integration of philosophical and historical contributions to the evolution of America’s educational heritage for the purpose of understanding and appreciating current educational practices in proper perspective. Major emphasis on topical issues within the framework of their philosophical/historical backgrounds. Critical evaluations made of educational practices based on pragmatism, idealism, realism, existentialism. Students are encouraged to develop their own philosophy of education by preparing intermittent reports and term papers.

EDUC 515 Issues in American Schools and Society 3 Credits

This course is designed to examine contemporary educational issues impacting on schools and to re-examine the purposes of schooling in a democratic society. Students will explore current and emerging policy issues and the demands for reform in schools and districts. Emphasis will be placed on identifying and developing politically feasible responses to policy issues and procedural problems facing educational leaders today. The role of the leader in promoting the development of a collaborative institutional culture and climate and the identification of best-practice strategies to involve community stakeholders in the development of policies and programs will be emphasized. Effective communication models for use within the school, district and greater community and the use of different media and technology formats will be examined and evaluated. Students will demonstrate course understandings through actual classroom and school applications that are referenced to state adopted core curriculum content standards, professional development standards and national school leadership standards.

EDUC 520 Introduction to Linguistics and Psycholinguistics 3 Credits

This course provides an introduction to the properties of human languages and to their systematic study in the field of linguistics and psycholinguistics. Topics include the nature of human language as distinct from other communication systems; sound patterns (phonology), word-formation (morphology), sentence structure (syntax), and meaning (semantics) in the world's languages; relations to cognition, communication, and social organization; dialect variation and language standardization; language learning by children and adults; and the nature and history of writing systems. Intended for any undergraduate and graduate interested in language or its use. It is assumed that students have had no prior course work or exposure to linguistics and will begin with the basic assumptions that are shared by those who study language from a variety of perspectives. Students analyze their own speech patterns, investigate different speech acts in different languages and develop a research project using a linguistic construct in order to apply it to the second language classroom. Students present this project in a poster format to the university community at the end of the semester.

EDUC 521 Teaching a Second Language 3 Credits

This course focuses on interactive methods of teaching a new language as well as cross-cultural understanding. Students learn to plan using national and state standards for language instruction, organize activities, design and direct language learning tasks, and assess learning. Includes theoretical positions on communicative language learning and teaching, the use and evaluation of currently used materials, the design of new materials, and field experiences in the language to be taught. Students develop their professional portfolio, participate in an E-seminar, prepare a unit of study, and present lesson segments. Open to prospective world language teachers, ESL and bilingual teachers, as well as practicing teachers seeking certification.

EDUC 525 The Higher Education Organization 3 Credits

This course allows students to gain perspective on the historical and societal context of higher education in America and the organizational structures, functions, behaviors, and cultures that exist within institutions.

EDUC 530 Student Affairs & Experiences in Higher Education 3 Credits

This course will highlight how individuals access higher education and how that education affects students’ development via programs, services and interventions designed to promote student growth. The course will explore multiple dimensions of the student experience and how student development theory is used to understand and enhance those experiences. Students will also explore student affairs organizational structures and functions common in colleges and universities.

EDUC 531 Introduction to Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations 3 Credits

This course assumes that students do not have prior knowledge of legal terminology or concepts. It will provide students with a foundation in the fundamentals of collective bargaining and union-management relationships within the unique environment of the college campus. American labor law is the prevailing system of laws that govern universities and colleges, however, students will explore how these general “rules of the game” apply to higher education institutions. The course will challenge participants to consider how general rules and principles of collective bargaining and labor relations shape, and are shaped by fundamental aspects of the higher-education “workplace” including academic freedom, faculty workloads, tenure and shared governance. These unique factors have the potential to influence expectations concerning productivity, termination and the traditionally sharp distinction between labor and management found in other industries.

EDUC 535 Legal and Ethical Issues in Higher Education 3 Credits

This course discusses the fundamentals of American law that directly and indirectly affect the environment of higher-education. Students will use diverse sources of law to understand the many different ways laws, code and common law affect the life of an higher education administrator. Ethical issues will be explored in relationship to critical issues in higher education such as admissions, affirmative action, dismissal procedures, academic honesty, and student loans.

EDUC 540 Leading Operations, Change and Assessment in Higher Education 3 Credits

In this course, students will gain an understanding of the daily and long-term operational challenges colleges and universities face. The course intends to cultivate a strategic mindset about higher education organizations and a recognition that institutions exist in a competitive environment that require them to change in order to survive.

EDUC 541 Assessing Organizational Performance in Higher Education 3 Credits

Through this course, students will be introduced to the concept of institutional effectiveness which focuses on an institution’s ability to use planning strategies and evaluation information to assess current performance and plan for improvements. Students will understand the importance of a performance assessment culture including the presence of clear performance goals and measures, collaborative decision-making, and engaged leadership. A focus on determining what should be assessed in academic and administrative units and strategies for initiating performance assessment programs is reviewed.

EDUC 542 Assessment of Student Learning in Higher Education 3 Credits

This course examines institutional effectiveness matters focusing on assessment processes in higher education. It explores topics such as the evaluation of academic programs, assessment of student learning outcomes, and involvement in accreditation and accountability demands in higher education. Here, the focus is on how colleges and universities are doing assessment, at the classroom, program, and institutional levels. The course covers the pragmatic planning skills and decision-support tools relevant to assessing student learning. Just as businesses are expected to adhere to compliance and ethics standards, this course provides an in-depth look at how universities’ adherence to standards pertaining to academic success can and will lead to an assurance that accredited universities are achieving their institutional goals, meeting the public's’ expectations, and realizing their greater societal mission.

EDUC 543 Communicating Educational Data 3 Credits

Through this course, students will develop skills in statistical communication, incorporating data into delivery methods such as writing, public speaking, teaching, informal conversation and collaboration, programming, and graphic visualizations. Students will understand the importance of creating a data-informed culture and how it contributes to an organization’s success. They will also learn methods and strategies of how to communicate to a non-technical audience.

EDUC 545 Capstone Seminar in Institutional Effectiveness 3 Credits

This course will offer students an opportunity to reflect on their own work, considering their development as scholars, practitioners, and leaders in the field of higher education. Students will demonstrate mastery of content through a significant project adapted to the professional requirements of a practicum site or their current employer, which will require students to access, analyze, manage, and present data to an organization’s decision makers. The goal is to provide an opportunity to apply what students have learned about how to make data-driven decisions to a real business or operational challenge faced by a higher education organization.

Prerequisite(s): Requires approval from Program Director. Must have completed all other program requirements.

EDUC 550 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 551 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 552 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 553 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 554 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 555 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 556 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 557 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 558 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 559 Selected Topics in Higher Education 3 Credits

As a special topics course, the content will vary according to the topic or issue under consideration for a given offering of the course. The following are some of the topics anticipated: Adolescent into Adult Development, Problems and Issues in Residence Life, Public Relations and Marketing in Higher Education, Technology and Data Management in Higher Education, Planning for a Safe and Secure Campus Environment. Students will be expected to investigate the research literature related to the topic, examine institutional practices and implications, and propose improvements to campus policies and procedures. The EDUC 500 to 559 course numbering is designed to permit students to enroll in more than one version of the course to fulfill concentration requirements. (Course is offered on a special scheduling basis.).

EDUC 560 Educating and Evaluating the Bilingual Child 3 Credits

An examination of the historical, legal and pedagogical aspects of the education of language minority students. Considers the design of school programs for minority students including legal mandates, testing, staffing and funding. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation of bilingual students as they enter, develop and exit from special programs of study.