The Master of Education (M.Ed.) program is designed for practicing classroom teachers seeking an advanced degree with an emphasis on standards-based curriculum and instruction. The program emphasizes the application of theories of learning and instruction to the professional setting. Courses are designed to provide participants with methods and materials they can use in their classrooms, including the latest available technology. Instruction is designed to model best practices and procedures in the classroom. Diversity themes run throughout the program.
The advanced M.Ed. degree has developed five domains in preparing the adult professional educator as "The Teacher As Agent of Change."
The curriculum will be completed in the order established by Indiana Wesleyan University. Indiana Wesleyan University reserves the right to modify the curriculum as necessary.
The program consists of a 30 hour Master's degree in Education.
The core is offered in two delivery formats:
The mission of the Graduate Education Program is to prepare teacher leaders to provide advanced knowledge that translates into effective teaching performances and dispositions, all of which are focused on improving P-12 student learning.
The purpose of the graduate program in education is to provide advanced study beyond the baccalaureate degree to meet the professional needs of practicing teachers. Outcomes and expectations of the Teacher as Agent of Change are:
The admission requirements for the M.Ed. program are as follows:
Formal admittance to candidacy for the Master of Education Degree from Indiana Wesleyan University will commence at the time a student successfully completes the Assessment Day One requirements. (Note to Students: Assessment Day One occurs after the first three core courses are completed.) An admissions committee composed of M.Ed. Faculty will review appropriate candidate data and grades earned in the program in making the final recommendation for candidacy.
If the candidate's work is not acceptable at the end of Assessment Day One, the following options are available to the Instructor/Advisor (IA) who is the university assigned advisor to assist all candidates through the program:
Candidates who fail EDU-559A must re-enroll in EDU-559A and will not be enrolled in EDU-559B.
If ten (10) extra days are allowed and the level is acceptable, the candidate continues in the program and becomes a candidate for degree upon formal approval of the admission committee.
If the level of submission is not acceptable after the ten (10) extra days, the IA has two options:
Candidates who fail EDU-559A must re-enroll in EDU-559A and will not be enrolled in EDU-559B. Candidates awarded an incomplete have ten (10) weeks to complete requirements for Assessment Day One at an acceptable level.
Candidates who successfully complete the requirements for Assessment Day One within the ten (10) week period become a candidate for degree upon formal approval of the admission committee.
Candidates who do not successfully complete Assessment Day One within the ten (10) week period will be awarded a failing grade in EDU-559A , must re-enroll in EDU-559A, and will not be allowed to complete EDU-559B or any other course in the program.
Students who have previously withdrawn from a Graduate Education program of study and who wish to be re-admitted to the program are welcome to return to the Graduate Education Department. The following conditions related to re-admission apply:
To graduate, students must have completed the following:
Indiana Wesleyan University offers students from two different graduate certificate programs the opportunity to bridge into the M.Ed. program.
TRANSITION TO TEACHING CERTIFICATE COMPLETERS
Students who have completed the Transition to Teaching certificate program and meet all other admission requirements for the M.Ed. program may complete the requirements for the M.Ed. degree. Students will be required to take EDUE-549, and then will enter an existing M.Ed. cohort for completion of EDU-589, EDU-556A, EDU-550, EDU-559B, EDU-553, EDU-551, EDU-556B, and EDU-559C.
EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS CERTIFICATE COMPLETERS
Students who have completed the Exceptional Learners certificate program and portfolio, and meet all other admission requirements for the M.Ed. program may complete the requirements for the M.Ed. degree. Students will be required to take EDUE-549 and EDU-574, and then enter an existing M.Ed. cohort for completion of EDU-559B, EDU-556A, EDU-556B, EDU-550, EDU-553, EDU-551, and EDU-559C.
EDU-545 Contemporary Issues in American Education 3
This course provides an opportunity for students to investigate the influence that contemporary social issues exert on systems of formal education. In particular, students will examine change processes as they occur in education and acquire the basic skills needed to serve as agents of change in the lives of individual students, the education profession, and society at large. They will examine the ways in which current issues and agendas for change require a stable, defensible set of core values. Based on these investigations, students will initiate work, which will enable the students to begin planning and preparing a personal/professional mission statement and the Applied Masters Portfolio.
EDU-559A Applied Masters Portfolio Practicum 1
This course will provide the candidate with supervised practical application of Teacher as Agent of Change research to practice authentic learning experiences at the classroom and building level. Candidates will demonstrate and exhibit curriculum and instruction skills leading to greater success for the diverse needs of learners. Authentic performance-based assessment performances will be observed, assessed, and documented in the Applied Masters Portfolio through the program.
EDU-554 Technology in Education 3
This course will examine the use of computer technology for instructional and classroom management purposes. Students will become acquainted with hardware and courseware through "hands on" experience with laptop computers (IBM compatible). Emphasis is placed on the use of available equipment and upon the evaluation and integration of instructional software within the standard classroom. The delivery support and classroom use of technology are examined. Special attention is given to the curricular integration of those technologies. Students are exposed to and trained in the use of computer applications. Participants will evaluate their own use and their school district's use of technology. They will examine ways they might serve as change agents by moving the use of technology forward in their schools.
EDU-556A Applied Educational Research A 2
This course is an introduction to educational research strategies with an emphasis on the practical application of research theories and principles. In this course, candidates develop an Action Research Proposal. They then implement the entire action plan cycle in their specific educational context.
EDU-589 Integrating Diversity Perspectives in Education 2
This course is intended to provide candidates with an overall conceptual understanding of multiple perspectives on diversity in today's educational settings. Additionally, candidates are expected to take that understanding and apply it to their classroom settings in ways that provide more inclusive techniques for students placed in their charge. A broader understanding of the community in which the candidates teach is also an important facet of this course.
EDU-565 Standards-Based Differentiated Learning 3
This course focuses on the major theories, strategies, and applications of standards-driven learning environments. Participants in this course will utilize self-assessment tools and reflective practices in addition to reviewing current literature and educational research studies prior to developing a personal growth plan based around content and developmental standards for professional educators. Emphasis will be placed on the nature of the educational change process in a problem-based learning environment from a Christian worldview.
EDU-550 Curriculum: Development and Design 3
This course will enable master teachers to give leadership to the process of curriculum development in schools, kindergarten through high school level. Topics include the theoretical foundations, professional literature and language of curriculum, models for curriculum development, curricular processes, and the role of personnel, governments, and agencies in those processes. In this first of four core courses, special emphasis is given to four roles of the teacher who functions as a change agent. The course is designed to assist teachers in translating theory into practice through development of a Showcase Teaching Unit that will synthesize their learning. Activities will be consistent with the Teacher as Agent of Change conceptual framework and its corresponding five outcomes.
EDU-553 Individual Assessment for Student Performance 3
This course will explore current practices and research on effective models of traditional and non-traditional methods of P-12 classroom assessment. Differences between qualitative and quantitative assessment tools will be examined within the context of classroom learning, including references to action research data collected by classroom teachers. Emphasis is placed on measuring and recording P-12 learning.
EDU-551 Instructional Theory and Design 3
This course explores a variety of accepted theories of instructional design as identified by key writers and researchers in this field. Several teaching models common to these theories are studied and practiced. Candidates will select, use, and evaluate their own use of these models in authentic teaching situations.
EDU-556B Applied Educational Research 1
This course is a continuance of the two hour Research class offered earlier in the program.
EDU-559B Applied Masters Portfolio Practicum 1
A continuation of EDU-559A.
EDL-557 Educational Leadership 3
Educational Leadership provides an examination of the foundational theoretical principles of leadership and the knowledge, proficiencies, and dispositions required for effective leadership in K-12 settings. Problem-solving and decision-making models are explored as tools to maximize educational benefit to stakeholders. Discussions will include teacher and principal roles in leadership, foundational leadership and organization theory, leading change, building a culture conducive to a learning community, site-based management, supervision, evaluation, effective policy decisions, and implementation of school improvement reforms.
EDU-559C Applied Masters Portfolio Practicum 1
A continuation of EDU-559A and B.
EDU-597 Seminar in Graduate Education 1
This course is a one (1) credit hour course consisting of an attendance at seminar and a field experience component. Cohort members will have the opportunity to collaborate with others from other cohorts that have similar content areas, grade levels, and teaching areas as well as with those from various content areas, levels, and teaching assignment areas. Seminars will include discussion on current topics based on recent news, recent research and/or speakers. Time will also be allotted to collaborate on portfolio exhibits and field experiences. Prerequisite: EDU-559A
Courses offered through the department of Graduate Studies in Education are designed to further develop the skills of classroom teachers. Theory-to-practice approaches to educational challenges are major goals of the program.
All courses may be used to renew the Indiana teaching certificate. Renewal requires completion of six (6) semester hours of graduate level credit. All courses have been approved by the Indiana Professional Standards Board.
The requirements for professionalizing a teaching license vary according to academic discipline. ALL professionalization applications, however, will require completion of a graduate degree. In addition, applicants must submit proof on employer letterhead of having completed five (5) years of teaching experience (subsequent to the issuance of the standard license) in accredited schools at the level covered by the license.
Graduate elective courses provided by Indiana Wesleyan University meet at various days and times throughout the state of Indiana and may also be offered online. At times, Indiana Wesleyan University partners with other learning associates to provide more diverse graduate elective course offerings that will fulfill the requirements of renewal in the state of Indiana.
An applicant not seeking the M.Ed. degree from Indiana Wesleyan University may enroll in graduate elective courses as a non-degree student based on submission of the following:
Admission as a non-degree student does not constitute admission to the M.Ed. degree program. A maximum of six (6) semester hours earned as a non-degree student may be applied toward a degree. If a non-degree student should decide at any time to apply for admission to the M.Ed. program, the student must complete the regular admission process.
EDS-500 Methods for Effective Inclusion 3
Review of effective methods for working with learners who have special needs in the regular classroom. Topics include identification of learner needs, programming for individual needs in the regular classroom, and team building for successful program implementation. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-530 or EDU-593.
EDU-500 Teacher Effectiveness and Classroom Handling 3
This course is designed to quickly produce successful classroom management. Students will learn the verbal skills and strategies that produce mastery of positive communication. Students will learn how to build classrooms without stress and motivate students, thus increasing teaching time by reducing time needed for discipline. Techniques in critical thinking and problem solving will enable students to be more effective in handling the classroom. Not open to students who have received credit for EDUE-505.
EDU-502 Professional Refinements in Developing Effectiveness 3
This course empowers teachers to use advanced teaching skills and strategies. Students will learn how to promote self-esteem through the questioning/thinking process. The impact of nonverbal communication on learning will be studied. Students will also learn to manage disruptions in the classroom through behavior change, rewards and penalties, and keeping students on task by increasing their involvement by stimulating their thinking and creativity.
EDU-503 Teaching through Learning Channels 3
This course is a high-impact staff-development program that empowers teachers to reach the learning style preferences of all students. Learn to rotate kinesthetic, tactual, auditory, and visual verbs and activities. Increase academic success for all students by using teaching activities for all student preferences. Observe and practice five steps that ensure concept development in students. Build memory techniques to expand students' short- and long-term memory.
EDU-504 Brain-Based Ways We Think and Learn 3
This course opens the doors to brain-compatible teaching by matching verbal structures to thinking processes. Learn how the mind processes information. Learn questions and statements that match the natural processes of the mind. Plan lesson formats that simulate real-life thinking. Use imaging for spelling and word mapping. Learn to use simulations, case studies, and role-plays that produce clear and rapid learning.
EDU-505 Keys to Motivation 3
Designed to create a motivating environment for all students, this course provides understanding of students who are unmotivated to learn or participate, fosters the use of student grouping strategies, and applies encouragement and leadership strategies to enhance student motivation. Some of the skills covered are: understanding enhancers and roadblocks to student motivation and involvement, mastering verbal skills for an encouraging environment, developing teacher leadership strategies and group learning to enhance student involvement in classroom decision-making, and creating mind maps to organize information to maximize learning. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-529 or EDU-507.
EDU-510 Assertive Discipline and Beyond 3
The behavior management program that teachers have turned to for over 15 years has been revised and updated for the modern classroom. Teachers today face more complex situations in the classroom than they did just a few years ago. In this course teachers will learn how they can prevent behavior problems by teaching all students to choose the responsible behavior that results in fewer classroom disruptions, increased academic success, and higher self-esteem.
EDU-511 How to Get Parents on Your Side 3
Research indicates that the key to a student's success in school is parent support and involvement. How to Get Parents on Your Side is designed to help educators gain the skills and confidence necessary to build positive, cooperative relationships with all parents, even the most difficult ones. Course participants will learn how to increase their teaching success with step-by-step parent communication techniques. Interactive group sessions applying the course concepts will assist participants in assessing and planning for their parent involvement needs. Emphasis is placed upon confident and professional communication through phone contact, letters, and conferencing, as well as ensuring parental support for homework, academic, and behavioral problems.
EDU-513 Teaching the Skills of the 21st Century 3
Through the use of video productions, activities, articles, and research, this course focuses on the skills students need to live life successfully. In a forum where educators can share their vision of how a curriculum should be developed and taught, the course introduces facilitation skills that insure the successful education and enrichment of both student and teacher.
EDU-514 Succeeding With Difficult Students 3
Succeeding With Difficult Students introduces a proactive approach to working with students with whom your general classroom management techniques just don't work. This course teaches specific, proven methods and intervention strategies to create a classroom environment where students are taught how to make responsible choices and become contributing members of their class.
EDU-515 Advanced Teacher Effectiveness and Classroom Handling Lab 3
This course focuses on the practice of, experimentation with, and the internalization of the skills taught in EDU-500. Included in the class are verbal skills to uncover student agenda, to meet resistances presented by students, and to move students to problem resolution, creating a positive classroom environment through team building, recognition and use of student satisfactions, and implementation of the P.O.W.E.R. Judgment as a structure for problem exploration and resolution. Prerequisite: EDU-500
EDU-516 Coaching Skills for Successful Teaching 3
This course is designed to prepare administrative personnel to coach teachers to perform at higher levels of effectiveness. Superintendents, principals, assistant principals, supervisors, and department chairpersons will be synthesizing the research on effective teaching, identifying teacher strengths and areas for growth using observation based on effective teaching research, practicing the verbal and nonverbal skills vital to the coaching process, and practicing the conference and coaching process specifically designed to improve teacher performance.
EDU-517 Advanced Professional Refinements in Developing Effectiveness Lab 3
This course focuses on the practice of, experimentation with, and the internalization of the skills taught in EDU-502. Significant emphasis will be given to utilization of the eleven Questions for Life as well as teaching the questions to students so that they can answer and ask the questions themselves. Techniques will be demonstrated to help teachers develop positive nonverbals to generate enthusiasm, upstage the environment, and motivate students. Prerequisite: EDU-502
EDU-518 Advanced Teaching Through Learning Channels Lab 3
The Advanced Teaching Through Learning Channels Lab focuses on the practice of, experimentation with, and the internalization of the skills taught in Teaching Through Learning Channels. Emphasis is given to recognizing student learning styles and teaching to those styles, internalizing formats for lesson design that utilize various forms of concrete and abstract concepts, learning techniques to expand students' short- and long-term memory, and designing assessment and processes to identify student learning using these strategies. Prerequisite: EDU-503
EDU-519 Questions for Life 1
Questions for Life trains teachers to ask questions in the classroom that are the same as those that people ask in all life situations. At the same time, teachers are trained to help students recognize the type of questions being asked and the type of critical thinking required to get the answers. Teachers are trained to teach their students to ask the questions themselves. There are eleven questions: Perception, Induction, Analysis, Same/Different, Insight, Appraisal, Summary, Evaluation, Idea, Prediction, and Action. Teachers become familiar with highly effective questioning combinations which produce student thinking and internalization of curriculum.
EDU-522 Achieving Student Outcomes Through Cooperative Learning 3
Students working in groups engage in decision-making processes similar to real-life situations. Learning is enhanced through the cooperative learning model. Teachers will be training in the techniques for setting up effective cooperative learning models. Classroom management techniques, which provide structure while students work in groups, will be discussed and modeled.
EDU-525 The High-Performing Teacher 3
High student self-esteem has been identified as being a key factor in determining student academic success, behavioral performance in the classroom, and peer relations. More students are coming to school each day facing problems such as broken homes, poverty, psychological and physical abuse, and other problems reflecting difficulties in society. This course is designed to improve the teacher's self-esteem which leads to improvement in student self-esteem. Teachers are shown methods for reducing their stress, difficulties in managing classrooms, and planning.
EDU-527 Teaching Students to Get Along:
Reducing Conflict and Increasing Cooperation in the Classroom (Grades K-8) 3
This course is designed to assist teachers in learning the theoretical foundations and practical strategies necessary to foster teamwork and understanding of differences among their students, to increase positive pro-social behavior, and to reduce the possibility of violence in the classroom. Learning activities will direct course participants toward understanding current research and theoretical foundations, and applying the concepts to their students. In study-team, discussion, and group activities, participants will clarify course concepts and consider how they are or are not appropriate for their own teaching situation.
EDU-528 Strategies for Preventing Conflict and Violence (Grades 5-12) 3
This course is designed to assist teachers in learning the theoretical foundations and practical strategies necessary to reduce the threat of violence and increase the safety for themselves and their students. Learning activities will direct course participants toward understanding current research and theoretical foundations, and applying the concepts to their students. In study-team, discussion, and group activities, participants will clarify course concepts and consider how they are or are not appropriate for their own teaching situation.
EDU-529 Motivating Today's Learner 3
This course is designed to assist teachers in learning the theoretical foundations and quality strategies which are designed to motivate all students and provide active learning opportunities equitably. Students will learn how to present instruction that improves the academic performance of all students, how to assign more meaningful homework that brings students back to class eager to learn more, how to create a classroom environment that turns kids on to learning, and how to use current techniques to reach students who resist completing course assignments. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-505 or EDU-507.
EDU-530 Including Students with Special Needs in the Regular Classroom 3
This course specifically addresses the diverse learning and behavioral needs of exceptional students in the regular classroom. The focus will be on those students who have been formally identified as having disabilities, as well as students without disabilities who demonstrate the need for special accommodations in the classroom. Topics include identifying students with special needs, legal issues regarding students with special needs, classroom accommodations, collaboration, and the use of outside resources. Learning activities will direct course participants toward understanding current research and theoretical foundations and applying the concepts to their students. Not open to students who have received credit for EDS-500.
EDU-531 Create Meaningful Activities Generate Interesting Classrooms 3
This course focuses on unlocking teachers' creativity so they can develop lessons that motivate their students to participate and to learn. Teachers learn to design compelling activities through which students develop their own creativity, use more lateral/right brain thinking, and become more involved in their own learning.
EDU-532 Building Your Repertoire of Teaching Strategies 3
This course is designed to assist teachers in learning the theoretical foundations and instructional strategies which promote student engagement. Learning activities will direct course participants toward understanding current research and applying the concepts to their students. In study-team, discussion, and group activities, participants will clarify course concepts and consider how they are or are not appropriate for their own teaching situation.
EDU-533 Learning Differences: Effective Teaching with Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences 3
This course is designed to assist teachers in learning the theoretical foundations and instructional strategies which are designed to address the diverse learning needs of students. Learning activities will direct course participants toward understanding current research and applying the concepts to their students. In study-team, discussion, and group activities, participants will clarify course concepts and consider how they are or are not appropriate for their own teaching situation.
EDU-534 Discovering the Power of Live-Event Learning 3
This course gives educators a direct experience and a variety of activities that model the power of Live-Event Learning. It mirrors cognitive research on how people learn and retain information. Educators learn how to use live events - real-life experiences - as a basis for lesson plans that integrate academic curriculum with important life skills while promoting lifelong learning. The course incorporates substantive research that documents the need to provide meaning and impact learning in a real-world environment.
EDU-535 Helping Students Become Self-Directed Leaders 3
The course is designed to assist teachers in learning the theoretical foundations, skills, and strategies to prepare today's students for living productively in a global society. Learning activities will direct course participants towards understanding current research and applying the concepts to their students. Participants will clarify course concepts and consider how they are or are not appropriate for their own teaching situation.
EDU-536 Technology and Learning in Today's Classroom 3
Technology is revolutionizing education. Infusing technology into classroom instruction can help teachers engage their students in ways they never thought possible. This course will show teachers how to incorporate technology to actually improve learning and help teachers to understand the barriers and the dynamics of technological change. Technology and Learning will give practical classroom techniques to design projects that take advantage of the vast new resources available to students.
EDU-537 Purposeful Learning Through Multiple Intelligences 3
Based on the work of Howard Gardner, this course focuses on understanding each of the eight intelligences. Participate in discovery centers to experience each intelligence. Using real-life examples, practice identifying people's dominant intelligence. Learn teaching strategies and classroom activities that enhance the intelligences. Find out how to design lessons incorporating all eight intelligences into the lesson framework. View a school district's program for integrating the intelligences into a schoolwide framework.
EDU-538 Classroom Management to Promote Student Learning 3
Participants will examine the elements and models of classroom management and discipline. Participants will explore their philosophical beliefs about how students learn best with the intention of devising a personal approach to management -- one that meets the needs of their students, their needs, and the needs of the situation. Emphasis will be placed on preventive strategies, teaching social skills, cooperation, and conflict resolution. In addition, strategies for working with challenging students will be explored in depth. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-595.
EDU-539 Assessment to Improve Student Learning 3
This course is designed to assist teachers in learning the theoretical foundations and practical strategies that address the current thinking on classroom assessment. Participants will learn the critical role that classroom assessment plays in the learning process. Both traditional and contemporary methods of assessment will be presented. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide assessment strategies that not only measure student progress but also significantly improve teaching and learning. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-553 or EDUE-553.
EDU-541 Hands-on Science 3
This course introduces K-8 teachers to science experiments utilizing common inexpensive equipment and material. Teachers will do many of the hands-on activities designed to supplement regular classroom science programs. Printed directions will be given and experiments planned such that these projects may be used in the normal K-8 classroom.
EDU-542 Linking New Brain Research to Classroom Practice 3
This course will examine the major theories behind recent brain research as it relates to educational settings. Special emphasis will be placed on the practical applications of this research with respect to curriculum design, assessment methods, and instructional strategies in the classroom.
EDU-543 Teaching Reading in the Elementary Grades 3
Teaching Reading in the Elementary Grades is a three-semester (five-quarter) hour graduate course requiring 122.5 hours of coursework by participants. The course is designed to assist teachers in learning the theoretical foundations and practical strategies that incorporate current research and models of what works in classrooms. Participants will learn how to create and manage a balanced curriculum of reading instruction to meet the needs of all learners; how to diagnose and assess reading difficulties and provide appropriate interventions. The goal of the course is to enable teachers to apply their knowledge based on current research in reading and effective strategies for teaching reading in their classrooms and to provide balanced reading instruction for all students. A balanced approach to reading instruction combining the best components of the top-down and bottom-up approaches will be included in this course. Presentations and classroom scenes will show students reading authentic, engaging texts and learning specific word analysis skills, and teachers engaging their students in responding to texts at a holistic level and systematically teaching the language structures and skills students need to decode and gain meaning from print. Classroom demonstrations will also show students using decoding and other cueing strategies they need to develop reading fluency. Students will be viewed employing a variety of comprehension strategies to gain meaning from print. Reading and writing will be presented as reciprocal constructive processes and special attention will be given to intermediate grade students engaged in reading-writing activities in content-area study. Not open to students with credit in EDU-567 or EDU-586.
EDU-544 Using the Internet to Enhance Teaching and Learning 3
This course is designed to provide teachers with both the theoretical foundations and practical skills and strategies for using the Internet in their personal lives, professional development and in the classroom learning opportunities they provide to their students. Participants will learn effective search strategies, explore a variety of free and pay-for educational resources available online, and investigate three models for Internet-based learning: Research Modules, WebQuests and Telecollaborative Projects.
EDU-546 Improving Reading in the Content Areas 3
Content literacy is the ability to use reading and writing to learn subject matter in a given discipline. Making literacy a top priority means reading strategies must be incorporated into courses across the curriculum throughout the middle school and high school years. Content-area teachers are in a strategic position to influence adolescents' use of literacy for academic learning. To this end, every teacher has a role to play. Improving Reading in the Content Area is designed to help teachers understand their roles in building content literacy in their classrooms. Learning activities will direct course participants toward understanding current research and theoretical foundations and applying the concepts to their students. In study-team, discussion and group activities, participants will clarify course concepts and consider how they are or are not appropriate for their own teaching situation.
EDU-547 Successful Teaching for Acceptance of Responsibility 3
This course emphasizes practical skills that will help students increase self-responsible behaviors and assume increasing amounts of control over their school lives. It will help teachers create a classroom learning environment that models, invites, and teaches self-responsible behaviors.
EDU-548 Building Your Technology Education Skills (BYTES) 3
This course gives teachers the basics for building an understanding of the power of technology to enhance teaching, create educational materials, manage classroom chores, provide motivational instruction, communicate with and research the vast virtual world of the internet. (Lab Fee in addition to tuition)
EDU-555 Meeting Diverse Learning Needs in the Inclusive Classroom 3
This course is designed to help regular classroom teachers learn how to adapt, adopt, and/or create classroom instruction and materials to meet a variety of needs pertinent to P-12 inclusive classrooms. These adaptations must support curricular goals, assessment methods, and instructional strategies in such a way as to improve P-12 student learning. Since funding for new instructional materials can represent a significant challenge for teachers, effective grant writing will also be included in this course. Multicultural concerns, balanced grading and assessment, multiple intelligences, exceptional needs, and diversity issues must be considered when developing these adaptations to promote learning opportunities for all students. Not open to students with credit in EDU-593.
EDU-560 Toolkit for Teaching Chemistry 3
This course will allow participants to review state curriculum teaching standards with an emphasis on developing a toolbox of demonstrations and labs to facilitate teaching Chemistry in middle and high schools. This class will provide a hands-on experience as participants perform lab experiments and replicate demonstrations.
EDU-561 Math: Teaching for Understanding 3
This course will present research-based concepts and strategies to help elementary teachers teach mathematics effectively and confidently. Participants will learn how to incorporate critical processes for developing mathematical understandings and designing instruction that will help all students learn significant mathematics concepts, processes, and procedures with depth and understanding. The goal is to aid students in reaching higher levels of achievement in math.
EDU-562 Learning to Read: Beginning Reading Instruction 3
Learning to Read will enable educators to utilize the necessary knowledge and strategies to teach beginning reading utilizing a balanced and integrated approach, to use technology as a tool in furthering professional growth, and will lead to increased student learning through its connections to local instructional programs as participants teach to state and/or local standards in beginning reading instruction.
EDU-563 Merging Educational Goals and Interactive Multimedia Projects (MEGABYTES) 3
This course will lead teachers from the entry level of technology use in their classroom to integration of new technologies into class activities and projects, and development of new approaches to teaching and learning that use technology and the natural curiosities of their students. Participants should have completed the BYTES course or have a strong foundation in Microsoft Power Point programs. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-554.
EDU-564 Supporting the Struggling Reader 3
Supporting the Struggling Reader is a video-based course developed for teachers in grades K-6. It is designed to give teachers a working knowledge of common reading difficulties, methods for diagnosing those difficulties, guidelines for accessing appropriate resources, and instructional strategies to support students' literacy growth. Informal diagnostic tools with which to identify specific reading difficulties will be introduced and research-based intervention strategies will be presented and demonstrated. Guidelines for communicating with and enlisting support from parents and other members of the school community will be offered. Participants will gain practical experience in diagnosing the literacy abilities of a struggling reader and implementing appropriate interventions that will advance the student's literacy development.
EDU-566 Designing Motivation for all Learners 3
This course provides a comprehensive view of the interaction between the learner, their motivation for learning, and the teacher. The areas of review include a review of motivational theory and practice, the variability of learner characteristics, strategies for the design and implementation of motivational support structures.
EDU-567 Strategies for Literacy Instruction - Phonics, Vocabulary, and Fluency 3
This course introduces several aspects of a balanced approach to literacy instruction, focusing on the area of word study. Key topics include developmental word knowledge, the roles of phonics instruction, vocabulary instruction, and others. Research -based instructional strategies are also presented . Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-543.
EDU-568 Foundations of Reading Literacy 3
This course provides foundational knowledge and principles that underlie the topics, issues and strategies relevant to reading instruction.
EDU-569 Designing Curriculum and Instruction with the Learner in Mind K-12 3
This graduate course introduces curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the context of standards and accountability, and holds paramount the goal of high levels of learning and achievement for all students. Teachers examine their academic standards and design classroom curriculum and instruction that will challenge and affirm all learners. Teachers use a thoughtful design process that emphasizes the importance of alignment, current learning theory and learner variables, and the need for differentiation to meet diverse student needs. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-550 or EDUE-550.
EDU-584 Preparing Effective Mentors 3
This course is designed to train experienced teachers to assist beginning teachers through the first year teaching experience. The focus will be effective communication, support, adult learning theory application to mentor relationships, classroom observation techniques, and standards-based teaching techniques.
EDU-586 Strategies for Literacy Instruction - Comprehension 3
This course provides research-based comprehension strategies for all K-6 grade teachers. This course focuses on comprehension in reading and key concepts such as prior knowledge, metacognition, and reading as a constructive process are discussed. Strategies of instruction and assessment are introduced. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-543.
EDU-587 Methods of Small Group Instruction 3
This course will focus on how effective teachers make wise pedagogical decisions based on pertinent information generated by salient scientific inquiry in the context of small group instruction. Students will be helped in developing the ability to understand, employ, and evaluate research and adapting the research to professional needs. Topics include studying the purpose of educational research, researching one's teaching, validating research, reading research, and using research to create solutions to educational problems.
EDU-588 Designing Differentiated Learning Environments 3
This course serves as a foundation for classroom teachers who seek to improve their delivery of curriculum, assessment, and instruction to diverse P-12 populations. Recent research studies on cognitive learning theories form an integral part of this course as classroom teachers are shown various methods of improving their students' learning, including the retention and generalization of that learning over time. The benefits of vertical and horizontal articulation of diverse learning environments within schools and school districts will also be highlighted. Not open to students who have received credit for EDUE-507.
EDU-590 Reading to Learn Comprehensive Strategies 3
This course provides a number of suggested methods to help teachers who do not have a background in reading comprehension strategies, to help their students better understand content area reading materials. Special attention is given to students who do not speak English as their primary language.
EDU-591 Effective Mathematic Instruction for Middle and High School Teachers 3
This course is designed to assist middle and high school mathematics teachers in designing and implementing effective mathematic lessons that engage students in higher order thinking skills. The course is designed to provide practical guidance for utilizing concepts of brain research and multiple intelligences in the teaching of mathematics.
EDU-592 Integrating the Internet into the K-12 Curriculum 3
This course is designed to offer practical guidance and a rationale for using the Internet in the classroom. A variety of research-based instructional models are introduced to help teachers make effective use of the Internet in their own classrooms.
EDU-593 Including Students With Special Needs: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment 3
Teachers are shown how to design, adapt, and/or modify curriculum, instruction, and assessment in order to maximize learning for students with special needs, even if those students have not been legally identified as having a specific disability. Effective collaboration skills are also taught as a way of supporting special needs students in inclusive classrooms. Not open to students who have received credit for EDS-500 or EDU-555.
EDU-594 Leadership for School Improvements 3
The North Central Association Commission on School Improvement is seeking a partnership with IWU to offer IWU graduate credit for a course to train NCA-CASI chairpersons. Chairpersons lead NCA school improvement teams through a six-year cycle of school improvement. The course is comprised of four days of intensive instruction followed by a two-day field experience component that involves a school-based experiential peer review assessment process under the supervision of a certified chairperson.
EDU 595 Classroom Management: Orchestrating a Community of Learners 3
This course equips experienced and beginning educators with current, research-validated concepts and strategies for orchestrating classroom life in a way that enables all students to maximize their learning potential. Specific strategies are provided in the following areas: the physical environment, rules and routines, flow of instruction, reinforcements for desired student behaviors, a hierarchy of consequences for minor to major student misbehaviors, parent involvement, and teacher resilience. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-538.
EDUE-501 Intercultural Communication and Assimilation 3
This course aids in the development of intercultural communication skills and attitudes for adaptation to the cross-cultural context of the multi-national school community.
EDUE-502 Growth and Development of Third Culture Kids in the International Context 3
This course is designed to prepare teachers and administrators for working in multicultural schools in the international context. Topics covered include understanding third culture kids (TCKs), the school environment, and the educational and interpersonal skills necessary for effectiveness. Self-assessment and reflection are encouraged in order to become healthy, adjusted members of the host country culture, the mission subculture, and the body of Christ in the overseas school.
EDUE-503 Creating an Interactive Classroom 3
Research strongly supports the contention that students need to be actively involved in constructing their own knowledge and their own learning. For teachers, this finding has significant implications for the design of instructional strategies and classroom organization. This course is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of creating an interactive classroom through the use of problem-based learning, interactive strategies, and collaborative group work.
EDUE-504 Advanced Approaches to Using Technology in the Classroom 3
This course builds on EDU-554 "Technology in Education" by extending the uses of computer technology to additional instructional and classroom management purposes. Teachers will be assisted in moving to more transforming uses of technology (as opposed to literacy uses, a term mused by Porter, http://www.bjpconsulting.com/spectrum.html). This course will provide participants with more advanced methods for integrating technology into the learning process. Tools will also be explored that would save teachers time and help organize their craft.
EDUE-505 Building Communication and Teamwork in the Classroom 3
Compelling research across a broad spectrum of educational arenas clearly indicates that students learn and achieve better in a positive and inviting learning environment that emphasizes mutual respect and caring. Building Communication and Teamwork in the Classroom is a Performance Learning Systems course that equips experienced and beginning K-12 educators with the essential knowledge and skills necessary to foster an emotionally engaging classroom. The selected strategies that participants will learn and practice are designed to improve teacher expertise in five specific areas: leadership, communication and listening, positive thinking, student support, and team building. Collectively, these skills are at the center of what makes excellent teachers successful and what allows students of all abilities and backgrounds to thrive. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-500.
EDUE-507 Differentiated Instruction for Today's 3
This course equips experienced and beginning K-12 educators with the essential knowledge and skills to implement differentiated instruction (DI) successfully in their own classrooms. In a highly interactive learning environment that models the DI principles and processes participants will learn, class members will gain expertise in understanding and implementing a broad range of strategies associated with three essential, distinguishing components of DI: first, the teacher's role as guide and facilitator in a classroom environment specifically designed to support self-directed student learning and teacher-student collaboration; second, the interdependent nature of flexible grouping and assessment in a DI classroom; and third, the adaptation of curriculum content, processes (activities), and products to provide students with entry points to learning that match their readiness, interests, and/or learning profiles. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-588.
EDUE-544 Contemporary Issues in American Education 3
This course provides an opportunity for students to investigate the influence that contemporary social issues exert on systems of formal education. In particular, students will examine change processes as they occur in education and acquire the basic skills needed to serve as agents of change in the lives of individual students, the education profession, and society at large. They will examine the ways in which current issues and agendas for change require a stable, defensible set of core values. Not open to students with credit in EDU-545 or EDUE-545. Prerequisite: Master of Education or special permission.
EDUE-545 Contemporary Issues in Christian Education 2
Contemporary Issues in Christian Education provides an opportunity for students to accomplish four major objectives, First, students will examine the links between education and its interpersonal context. Second, students will explore the ways in which teachers can serve as agents of change in the lives of their individual students, the education profession, and society at large. Third, students will study the ways in which contemporary issues and agendas for change demand the formation of a critically examined yet stable and defensible foundation of core values. Graduate students examine the ways in which a core of Christian values addresses contemporary issues and agendas for change. Fourth, out of the foregoing discussions, students will write a working draft of a Professional Mission Statement. This mission statement will serve as foundation for developing the Applied Masters Portfolio throughout the rest of the M.Ed. course of graduate studies. Not open to students who have received credit for EDU-545.
EDUE-546 Christian Philosophy of Education 1
Christian Philosophy of Education provides an introduction to a biblical worldview and a Christian philosophy of education. It requires students to examine the presuppositions upon which they base their personal and professional actions and behaviors, and has them develop a coherent worldview by reflecting on and answering the metaphysical, epistemological, and axiological questions. Additionally, the course leads students to develop a philosophy of education based on their worldview, and uses that philosophy to address issues relative to teaching, including the nature and potential of the student, the role of the teacher, the content of the curriculum, teaching methodology, and the social function of the school. This course is open only to those seeking ACSI or other Christian School certification.
EDUE-549 Research to Improve Curricular and Instructional Design 2
The course is designed to provide the M.Ed. candidate with the conceptual and analytical skills necessary to conduct professional literature-based research and professionally report research findings and apply them to curriculum, instruction, and assessment designs that elevate diverse students' learning.
EDUE-550 Curriculum Development: Theory and Application 3
This course will enable students to give leadership to the process of curriculum development in schools, kindergarten through high school level. Topics include the professional literature and theoretical foundations of curriculum, models for curriculum development, and curriculum processes and participants. The course is designed to assist teachers in translating theory into practice through development of a school-based project that will synthesize their learning. Credit is not available for this course and EDU-550.
EDUE-551 Instructional Design: Theory and Application 3
This course explores a variety of accepted theories of instructional design as identified by key writers and researchers in this field. Several teaching models common to these theories are studied and practiced. Candidates will select, use, and evaluate their own use of these models in authentic teaching situations. Credit is not available for this course and EDU-551 or EDU-532.
EDUE-553 Assessing Student Performance 3
This course will explore current practices and research on effective models of traditional and non-traditional methods of P-12 classroom assessment. Differences between qualitative and quantitative assessment tools will be examined within the context of classroom learning, including references to action research data collected by classroom teachers. Emphasis is placed on measuring and recording P-12 student learning. Credit is not available for this course and EDU-553 or EDU-539.
EDUE-556 Applied Research in Education 3
An introduction to research strategies, with an emphasis on implementing, analyzing and reporting the action research process in the candidate's P-12 classroom. Topics in the course include a survey of the common approaches to educational research, the development of research questions and hypotheses, the process of collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and the development and compilation of the educational research report. Credit is not available for this course and EDU-556.
EDUE-622 Advanced Reading, Writing, and Content Learning 3
This course explores research-based reading and writing strategies that will enable students in grades 4-12 to better understand and remember course content. A primary focus is how reading and writing complement each other while supporting content-based inquiry.
EDUE-624 Teaching Reading, and Writing to Low-Performing Readers 3
This course explores research-based strategies that will help the low-performing reader, grades 2 -12 develop reading and writing skills. The focus is on the scientific research of literacy and how to translate this into classroom practice. Topics include assessment, phonemes, phonemic awareness, language structure, and metacognitive approaches to instruction to remediate weak literacy skills.
EDUE-631 Developing Skilled Writers 3
This is an advanced course that helps practitioners teach the writing process, the elements of good writing, and the different forms of writing. The writer's workshop, writing for publications, tying grammar instruction to writing, and using graphic organizers to develop the types of paragraphs are some of the topics explored. In addition, assessment and evaluation of writing will be discussed.
EDUE-632 Reading Development and Instruction, K-6 3
This course focuses on the practical implementation of reading research in the elementary classroom, K-6. The stages of reading development will provide the framework for understanding the instructional needs of students at each level. Practitioners will evaluate materials and curriculum on the basis of research and adapt strategies to produce independent readers at every grade level.
EDUE-633 World Music Drumming 3
This course, based on the curriculum developed by Will Schmid, will introduce students to the basics of African and Caribbean drumming, xylophone playing, and singing. The course will present strategies on how to implement and teach a world music drumming curriculum in the K-12 school program, or other venues such as church or community programs. The course will include large group instruction, small group interaction, guided micro-teaching/leading, ensemble creation, improvisation and performance. No prior knowledge in drumming is assumed.
EDUE-634 Global Mythology: Issues of Literary, Criticism, and Interpretation 3
This course requires participants to examine dozens of mythological stories from modern and ancient cultures by utilizing several learning perspectives. Literary merit, coupled with cultural sensitivity, is contextualized to both the origination and archetypal meaning of mythological texts. The use of specific, myth-based language forms and linguistic conversations is analyzed across academic disciplines to determine the pervasiveness of mythological influences on societal norms and communication.
EDUE-636 Historical Research: Rationale and Application 3
This course forces students to use modern technology when investigating primary source documents for evidence of historical dissonance. Students must select an area of civic dissonance to research regarding stated American ideals and evidence of actual American practices. Finding and evaluating patterns in the historical past regarding similar dissonance should shed light on current civic activities found today in the United States. Students will extend their content knowledge of the democratic foundations of American civic society and display extensive critical thinking when drawing reasonable conclusions on a contemporary historical issue. It is expected that an article of these conclusions will be submitted to a reputable journal as a gesture of the students' civic responsibility to contribute to the development of their field.
EDUE-637 21st Century Literacy in Historical Research Methods 3
This course requires participants to use Internet "blogs" and other more traditional documents to teach secondary school students how to research a historical topic. Participants will create a unit on one topic from their history curriculum, including an annotated webliology of blogs (appropriate for middle and/or high school students) and links to well-accepted primary and secondary source documents as a way to increase student interest in factual verification of information. Emphasis is placed on teaching students to think critically and to discern patterns, themes, and/or connections between historical information sources when analyzing print and non-print media.
EDUE-638 Advanced Mathematics Methods and Assessment Practices 3
This course is designed to explore instructional theory and assessment practices as related to mathematics in middle and secondary schools as well as the development of thematic units. Emphasis is placed on assessment-driven instruction. The course focuses on all aspects of an effective mathematics classroom including the first day of school, developing classroom rules, classroom management, developing an educational environment conducive to learning, and designing lessons that target students' active participation.
EDUE-639 Ethics, Advocacy, and Administration of Music Education 3
This course will address issues of ethics as related to music teaching in such areas as copyright law, concept programming, budgeting, curriculum planning, and administration of school music programs. Strategies for advocacy will be included with regard to promoting, and maintaining public/private school music programs.
EDUE-641 Graduate Music Education Technology Course 3
This course is designed for the music educator. The purpose of this class is to develop skills in using technology to better enhance both teaching students and administrating the music classroom. Students will also be able to incorporate a variety of computer-assisted teaching and learning tools into their music curricula. They will examine and evaluate multimedia and computer-assisted-instruction lessons. The internet will be examined as a tool for music instruction including the creation of a music education web site. Students will learn to make critical judgments about the appropriateness of selected music hardware and software for particular educational applications. Students will also use software that could enhance communication to parents as well as organize their future classrooms. Music notation software will be explored in detail. As a Christian educator, it is our duty and responsibility to develop our God-given talents and skills to the fullest potential. It is the desire of the instructor to have the students find how technology can best enhance the craft of music, as well as education.
EDUE-642 Topics and Trends in Cellular Biology 3
This laboratory oriented course is an examination of techniques presently being used to study genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology. Special emphasis will focus on areas of study useful in secondary school laboratory investigation.
EDUE-643 Field Natural History of the Midwest 3
This field course is an intensive study of the diversity of flora and fauna found in natural regions of the Midwest. Opportunity to view natural areas first hand and experience representative regions is an essential part of the field experience. Discussion, interview, journaling, and various field activities will enhance the learning of the region's biodiversity.
EDUE-673 Strategies for Professors of Assessment of K-12 Student Learning 3
A course designed to provide in-depth knowledge and training through critical analyses of current research and trends in the assessment of student learning and application of new knowledge and skills in expanding teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions in assessing the learning of K-12 students. The spiritual growth of the participants and their mentoring the spiritual growth of their students are important course elements.
EDUE-675 Strategies for Professors of Performance Based Assessment 3
Participants in this course conduct in-depth analyses of current research, theory, and practice in the area performance-based assessment with special emphasis on the portfolio model and apply their new knowledge through mentoring teachers in portfolio development skills. The spiritual growth of the participants and their mentoring the spiritual growth of their students are important course elements.
EDUE-676 Strategies for Professors of Instruct. Design & Practices to Enhance K-12 Student Learning 3
A course designed to provide in-depth knowledge and training through critical analyses of current research and trends in facilitating K-12 student learning and application of new knowledge and skills in expanding teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions in assisting the learning of K-12 students. The spiritual growth of the participants and their mentoring the spiritual growth of their students are important course elements
EDUE-677 Strategies for Professors of Methods Teaching Science, Social Studies & Math - Elementary 3
A course designed to provide in-depth knowledge and training for professors of methods of teaching science, social studies, and mathematics for elementary teachers through critical analyses of relevant and current research, theory, and trends and the application of this new knowledge and skills in the professional development of elementary school teachers. The spiritual growth of the participants and their mentoring the spiritual growth of teachers are important course elements.
EDUE-680 Strategies for Professors of Teaching Theory and Practices for the K-12 Classroom 3
A course designed to provide in-depth knowledge and training for professors of reading through critical analyses of current research, theory, and trends in the teaching of reading, and application of this new knowledge and skills through the professional development of teachers of reading. The spiritual growth of the participants and their mentoring the spiritual growth of their students are important course elements.
EDUE-682 Strategies for Professors of Diagnostic Practices and Their Implications - K-12 Reading Clsrm 3
This course is designed to provide in-depth knowledge and training through the critical analyses of current research and International Reading Association guidelines in the diagnosis, assessment, and evaluation of reading problems for those involved in remediation. Training in prescriptive instructional strategies, curriculum materials, practice in administering informal assessments, diagnostic report writing, and professional development activities are emphasized. The spiritual growth of the participants and their development in facilitating the spiritual growth of teachers are important course elements.