Degree Programs
Graduate & Doctoral
Master of Arts in Education
Elementary Education
Courses
EDUC 400 Preclinical Experience (1) Directed observation and participation in off-campus setting. Students participate in a 40 clock hour experience. Transportation needed. Prerequisite: Preclinical Application, co-registration in EDUC 605.
EDUC 517 Introduction to Technology (1)
EDUC 520 Holistic Reading Strategies (3) Examines the processes of communicating that include reading, writing, speaking and listening. Stresses the interactive nature of reading by examining the relationships between author and reader, decoding and context, and reading and writing. Explores the impact of these relationships on meaning construction. Specific methods and philosophies are discussed relative to grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Prerequisite: Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 and TEP.
EDUC 525 Teaching Mathematics: An Interactive Process (with preclinical 425)(3) Explores current trends in the teaching of mathematics. Discusses content of elementary and middle-grade mathematics programs, teaching materials, and philosophies relative to grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Emphasizes the importance of a developmental approach to teaching mathematics by progressing from conceptual, transitional, and eventually to symbolic problem solving. Includes a 40 clock hour field experience in an off-campus setting. Prerequisite: Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 and TEP.
EDUC 530 Assessment and Corrective Reading (3) Provides opportunities to assess a reader’s strengths and weaknesses by utilizing informal assessment techniques. Diagnosis of reading and writing skills in grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 is determined through the use of observational checklists, informal reading inventories, and record keeping systems. Includes a 40 hour field experience in an off-campus setting. Prerequisite: Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 and TEP.
EDUC 540 Survey of Exceptional Children (3) Discussion of learners with exceptionalities; characteristics of students labeled as having mental retardation, learning disabilities, behavioral disabilities, sensory deficits, speech disorders and health/physical challenges. Diagnosis, referral, educational strategies and legal implications are reviewed.
EDUC 660 Preparing Teachers for Inclusion (3) Designed to familiarize students with the needs of exceptional children. Students develop specific strategies for teaching children with disabilities in the regular classroom. New ideas for teaching cross-cultural and bilingual students are also explored. (This course can be substituted for EDUC 540 if a three semester-hour course in the Survey/Characteristics of Exceptional Children was completed at the undergraduate level.)
EDUC 605 Ethics, Education and Social Change (3) Examines major issues impacting today’s educational system including cultural and socioeconomic factors, the role of values in education, and the uses of technology; explores philosophies of education relative to each grade level, including middle grades, and the historical development of education; analyzes the current state of education and considers realistic future directions.
EDUC 610 Learning and Development (3). Explores the major theories of learning, human growth and development, motivation, and assessment; learning theories and styles are examined and specific principles are applied to the classroom setting; emphasis is placed on developing and enhancing an individual teaching style that maximizes a learner’s potential. The developmental characteristics and the nature and needs of the early adolescent are also studied.
EDUC 620 Instructional Strategies across the Curriculum (4). Emphasizes instructional methodology; integrated thematic unit planning in such areas as science, and social studies; and inductive approaches to learning. Students develop strategies for: making effective instructional decisions; diagnosing needs; incorporating technology into the curriculum; and selecting appropriate instructional objectives. Specific methods (e.g. reading in the content areas) and philosophies are discussed relative to grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8.
EDUC 630 Research Methods (3). Research fundamentals and methods are explored. Opportunities for the critical analysis of current research studies and the planning and development of a research thesis/project are provided.
EDUC 640 Assessment Measures (3). The focus of this course is to provide an in-depth study of assessment relevant to screening, diagnosis of both typical and atypical learners, program development, program evaluation, and accountability in grades K-12. Emphasis is placed upon the critical selection, administration, and interpretation of both formal and informal assessment. Included are topics of statistics relevant to measurement, legal and cultural issues, academic and adaptive behavior assessment, and appropriate applications of assessment results. Prerequisite: Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 and TEP.
EDUC 671 Student Teaching (6). A field-based teaching experience designed to prepare pre-service teachers for the skills, functions, and professional roles of beginning teachers.
EDUC 699 Master’s Thesis/Project (2). Development of a formal study of a given problem/situation which requires investigative procedures that embody the process of scientific inquiry.