Education (EDUC)

Analysis of teaching styles, classroom behavior and interaction, organization and correlation of classroom activities and subject areas. (Requires practical application in an actual teaching situation.)

The primary goals for this course are to (1) examine the theoretical paradigms that inform the field of literacy education, including philosophical, cognitive, sociocultural, critical literacy, and multimodal/digital literacies and (2) to assist participants in becoming more aware of sociocultural, diversity, gender, and identity in relationship to literacy and schooling. Throughout the course, participants will examine the complexity of literacy to become aware of how to situate one's own literacy practice and experience in multiple contexts. Participants become reacquainted with mainstream theories and explore those of critical theorists who challenge traditional perspectives that have often marginalized race, class, and linguistic variety in learning and in literacy development.

An evaluative comparison of American education with Western and non-Western educational systems.

This course focuses on the cultural aspects of spirituality and its place in the health and education professions. EDUC (HLHED) 582 Spirituality and Culture in Health and Education Professions (3)This course will focus on the examination of the place of the cultural aspects of spirituality and its place in the education and health professions and its implications for culturally responsive education and/or health care in a multicultural society. In particular the goals of the course are as follows: 1) To clarify the difference between spirituality and religion and to understand how spirituality is currently being examined in the fields of adult education, medical education and the health professions. 2) To examine how culture informs spirituality generally, and more specifically, to examine how culture relates to one's own spiritual development and overall health in the world. 3) To develop a sense of how people construct knowledge through image and symbol, which for many people, maps to their spirituality and culture, as they make new and deeper meaning of their own lives. 4) To begin to consider WHEN and HOW one might appropriately draw on one's own spirituality and that of participants in adult and higher educational practices and health care settings to increase cultural understanding and/or responsiveness to patient needs and when such discussion might seem to impose a spiritual or religious agenda. 5) To examine the connections among spirituality, culture, some complementary and alternative medicine modalities and overall holistic health and education.

Focuses on methods of research in educational settings to help participants become informed consumers of the educational research literature. EDUC 586 Educational Research Designs (3)This course focuses on methods of research appropriate in educational settings to help participants become informed consumers of the educational research literature. Throughout the course participants will 1) identify an appropriate research problem and justify the importance for investigation; 2) identify and classify the types of variables used in research; 3) utilize electronic search and communication tools; 4) critically examine various research designs and their practical applications; 5) interpret analysis of data using statistical treatments; 6) describe strengths and weaknesses in research designs; 7) critique research studies; 8) describe PSU requirements for conducting research with human subjects; and 9) develop a writing style consistent with scientific/research work with emphasis on objectivity and utilizing appropriate APA style. The key assessment for the course is a critique of a published research article. Instructors will also include assessments such as: midterm or final examinations, quizzes, class presentations, online activities or discussions, research projects, research proposals, dialogue journals, research problem descriptions, article analyses, or class participation.

The development of an original master's project (paper, essay, production, practicum) supervised and judged by an appropriate faculty committee.

Independent study of selected topics related to urban education.

Continuing seminars which consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.

The capstone seminar course for the M.Ed. degree requiring an appropriate scholarly term paper. EDUC 591 Education Seminar (6)This performance-based course is intended to serve as a culminating or capstone experience for students enrolled in the Master of Education degree program in Teaching and Curriculum. A constructivist seminar format, augmented by significant readings, will be used to facilitate in-depth discussions of important, timely, and controversial issues in education. Students will be asked to reflect upon all previous course work toward the degree as a foundation for analyzing the past, evaluating the present, and speculating about the likely future of the numerous issues that collectively constitute the education arena. Students will be expected to demonstrate their ability to analyze and synthesize material through the guiding of, and participation in, class discussions of the readings, through satisfactory completion of in-class assignments, and through the completion of a major scholarly paper and a corresponding class presentation that both focus on the same aspect of an educational theme.

Creative projects, including nonthesis research, that are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.

Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently.

This course provides a survey of major trends in the field of comparative and international education in the last half of the 20th century. The course presents problems and issues that are of global concern in the 21st century and provides students with readings and databases that will allow them to make their own comparisons. Students will be given an overview of international organizations and the frameworks in which important contemporary education trends and issues are discussed around the world. Finally, potential future solutions will be explored.

This course provides students with an overview of the skills necessary to design, implement, and assess research studies. Students learn the declarative, conceptual, and procedural knowledge needed for successful preparation for the conduct of research investigations. This introduction includes elements of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research. After course completion, students will have the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate published research reports, apply research methods to contextualized problems, and initiate conduct of applied research projects.

This course gives students an overview of the fundamentals of reading, evaluating, and conducting evaluations of programs in educational settings. This course will cover theories and methods in program evaluation, ask students to analyze multiple examples of program evaluations in the real-world, and provide students with the opportunity to conceptualize and carry out a program evaluation of their choosing. Through these activities, this course will emphasize both best practices and practical considerations in program evaluation. Students will be asked to engage in the cyclical process of evaluation design, including developing evaluation questions, formulating an assessment plan, gathering quantitative and qualitative data and analyzing results, and formulating recommendations. Students will likewise be asked to critically evaluate each of these program evaluation components when reading and making decisions based on program evaluation reports. As an outcome of this course, students will be able to design a logic model, based on program features, develop an assessment plan, carry out the assessment plan, and compose a program evaluation report, including data-based recommendations for program improvement. In addition to these applied components of evaluation conceptualization and execution, the course will also ask students to adopt a critical lens on program evaluation, including grappling with foundational questions like: what is the role of the evaluator in relation to a program and the community it serves?, what is the purpose of program evaluation and who benefits?, whose perspectives are incorporated into determining program quality and whose perspectives are excluded?, and who defines program quality?

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophical, historical, psychological, and social foundations that affect the school curriculum. The course calls attention to the global and multicultural perspective in education. It involves the study of the implications and applications of these curricular foundations in the form of issues and theoretical trends that shape the field of curriculum. Participation in the course activities allows candidates to identify and analyze their personal values, beliefs, and perspectives, as well as theories and research which shape their own professional practice as educations within diverse educational settings with children. By the end of the course, participants will be able to 1) develop and demonstrate understanding of how major foundations (disciplines) shape the curriculum of schooling, including philosophy, history, politics/policy, social psychology, and cultural studies; 2) consider and critique selected educational issues, both past and present, examining how they are anchored in and influenced by the foundations of curriculum; 3) investigate how social, economic, cultural, and political/policy debates and representations in the public sphere help to shape the foundations of curriculum; 4) engage in critical inquiry regarding the future roles of teachers, students, and other stakeholders in the learning community and society at large, and exercise the faculty of imagination as a means of thinking "outside the box" for educational purposes; 5) demonstrate professional scholarly attitudes, skills, and dispositions, including critical analysis and constructive use of questioning; scholarly use of research; dedication to continuous learning; positive group interaction and participatory collaboration; and reflective envisioning and enacting of curricular reform; 6) examine issues of race/ethnicity, linguistic variation, social class, gender, and sexual orientation and their relationships to the curriculum and schooling; and 7) demonstrate a professional scholarly writing style with a practical focus sharpened by theoretical awareness, using the APA Writing Manual as a style guide.

The course focuses on an examination of theory, issues, problems, organization, and application of instructional design for teachers in planning and developing a curriculum. The course presents examples of effective strategies including concept-based curricula, backward design, interdisciplinary approaches, integrated curricula (curriculum mapping), assessment, and reporting techniques.

This course is designed for professional master's and doctoral students with a desire to increase their conceptual understanding of basic statistics and their proficiency with analytic techniques. In this hands-on workshop class, students are provided a conceptual review of quantitative statistical analysis. Hands-on activities and practice with provided datasets allow students to learn techniques and interpretation of conducted analysis. Through this course students become more comfortable with analyzing quantitative datasets. Topics include teacher-directed review, modeled analyses, and guided practice. Participants will practice analyses and interpretation with provided example data sets. Students exit the course with a set of models to reference in their future work. Students may use personal datasets for many assignments.

This course for professional master's and doctoral students focuses on the development of qualitative methods and analytic skills. Through course readings and the engagement of qualitative research techniques, course participants will situate and assess qualitative research studies within a broader research context, develop the ability to articulate a coherent research design, gain experience in foundational qualitative methods and analysis, be able to discern what questions are appropriate to qualitative research, and synthesize and write up results of data analysis.

While researchers working in the natural sciences typically share a common set of assumptions concerning their object of study, appropriate methods for investigating that object, and explanatory principles and concepts, the social and human sciences, including education, do not have this unity. Instead, a range of positions that developed in philosophy, primarily through the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, have led to very different, sometimes incongruous orientations to research involving human phenomena. These include Post-Positivism, Interpretivism, the Critical Tradition, Post-Structuralism, and Pragmatism. Although the beliefs, concerns, and priorities underlying these orientations are not always made explicit by researchers, they each offer specific views concerning how knowledge is produced and how that knowledge can best be put to use in the service of humankind. This course engages with these traditions in order to identify the assumptions and commitments underlying them, to appreciate the research that has emerged from each perspective, and to understand what each has to offer education professionals.

This course is an application of learning theories from psychological, sociological, and physiological disciplines to educational settings for children and adolescents. At the conclusion of the course, participants will be able to 1) analyze the educational implications of cognitive, language, personal, and social/emotional development; 2) describe and distinguish among major learning theories from biological, psychological, and sociological disciplines; 3) employ knowledge of learning theories to analyze learning strategies, strengths, and needs; 4) apply learning theories to optimize learning for all students that complements their cultural background, race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or special needs; and 5) analyze through a theoretical lens the impact on student learning of current educational issues and trends.

This course will prepare students with the knowledge and skills necessary to monitor, assess, and report student achievement.

This is a required course in the M.Ed. in Literacy Education graduate degree and reading specialist certification programs. The course is designed to familiarize participants with (1) factors related to learners who exhibit difficulty with literacy learning; (2) appropriate selection of valid, reliable, fair, and appropriate print and digital assessment tools to evaluate literacy achievement; (3) proper techniques for administering, scoring, and interpreting formal and informal literacy assessments; (4) procedures for analyzing findings, summarizing results, and advocating for appropriate literacy practices and recommendations that meet the diverse needs of K-12 learners.

This course examines the literacy curriculum and teaching practices in various real world contexts to support the diverse needs of K-12 learners. Graduate students review and apply current literacy research to inform instruction within the context of their individual classrooms. Students also employ a mulitliteracies framework in their lessons as they locate digital resources and tools to model critical viewing, representing, and thinking for their K-12 learners. Students enrolled in EDUC 863: Literacy Methods plan, adapt, and implement innovative instructional approaches that will support their professional practice and future role as K-12 literacy educators and reading/literacy specialists.

This capstone course for the Master of Education in Literacy Education with the Reading Specialist certification program is designed to address the major theories and empirical research that addresses the cognitive, linguistic, and sociocultural foundations of literacy development, processes, and components, including word recognition, language comprehension, strategic knowledge, critical literacy, and interdisciplinary connections. To demonstrate mastery of these concepts, students engage in an action research case study project in which they design, develop, and implement within their respective curriculum to meet the needs of K-12 learners who are experiencing difficulties with literacy. Through this case study, students demonstrate and apply pedagogical and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Students select a variety of appropriate texts, consider multimodalities, determine learners' backgrounds and interests, and administer appropriate assessments to evaluate and monitor progress. Students also have the opportunity to further enhance their ability to collaborate with professional colleagues, interact with families, and demonstrate leadership in literacy education.

EDUC 865 Literacy Leadership is a required course in the Master of Education in Literacy Education and Reading Specialist certification program that is designed to prepare students to assume the role of literacy leader within a school or school district. This role includes the implementation, management, and evaluation of the literacy program. The course allows students to connect theory to the development of effective literacy programs and intervention frameworks, and to understand the interrelated nature of literacy policy, curriculum, assessment, and instruction. Throughout the course, students develop dispositions that allow them to work collaboratively alongside classroom teachers, district officials, and other professionals as they develop curriculum, determine appropriate assessments, conduct professional learning workshops, and evaluate program effectiveness.

EDUC 894 is a practicum research experience for the Doctor of Education program (D.Ed.); as such, the course expects the student to research and critically analyze a topic aligned with the student's career interests. The course covers all phases of the research process from identifying problems of practice, to reviewing literature, identifying study methods and analytical techniques, and scholarly writing of research papers. Students in a D.Ed. degree program must communicate a high level of knowledge of the subject based upon their development of research questions, gathering of sources, and completion of a high-quality scholarly paper that integrates their knowledge. This course provides the student an opportunity to apply knowledge, concepts, and theories to investigate a problem of practice. The overall goals of this research practicum are to provide students with a supervised opportunity to participate in the process of conceptualizing, implementing, and analyzing, and/or writing research studies directed towards problems of practice. Practicum experiences may encompass early, mid, and late phases of research activity.

Supervised, professionally oriented, off-campus, nongroup instruction, including field experiences, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.

Creative projects with a professional orientation, including nonthesis research, that are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.