Curriculum and Instruction
(M.S. in Ed.)

Faculty:

Douglas Davis, Calvin Deyermond, Francis Filicetti

Sharon Kulhanek, Professor, Education

Gerard J. Mosey (Director), Associate Professor, Education

M. Kathleen Reddin, Associate Professor, Health and Human Services

Degree Conferred:
Master of Science in Education (M.S. in Ed.)

The Curriculum and Instruction program provides the academic requirement for permanent certification in elementary education for provisionally certified education professionals and provides a Master of Science in Education degree for those who have already achieved a baccalaureate degree. The goal of the program is to produce graduates who can effectively design, implement, and evaluate curriculum. Students can choose to specialize in the integrating of either the arts, innovative middle school strategies, or technology into the curriculum.

Concentrations:
The Arts
Middle School
Technology

Program of Study	Admission and Financial Aid
Additional Information	Curriculum
Course Descriptions	Advisory Board

Program of Study:
The Curriculum and Instruction program provides a 33 credit course of study consisting of core courses, concentration courses, and a capstone project.

Core Courses
Seven core courses introduce methods of education research, curriculum design, evaluation, planning, theories of learning, and practical teaching techniques.

Concentration Courses
Students choose a two course concentration in either the arts, middle school, or technology.

Capstone
A capstone course, requiring students to complete an action research project, integrates and summarizes the program.

Admission and Financial Aid

Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission to the M.S. in Ed. program, the applicant must have completed undergraduate work of high quality and have obtained a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. Basic selection criteria include:

• Undergraduate Record: The Graduate Admissions Committee reviews the undergraduate record noting the total GPA, the area of concentration and the trend of grades. A 2.7 GPA is recommended, although all applications will be reviewed. Students under 2.7 will require convincing evidence of intellectual ability, communication skills, and initiative.

• Letters of Recommendation: The Committee reviews letters of recommendation as they contribute to an understanding of the applicant's academic ability, leadership skills, and aptitude for graduate study. All applicants are required to have two work-related letters submitted for review.
  
  Tuition
  The tuition for the M.S. in Ed. program for the 1999-2000 academic year is $1,095 per course or $365 per credit hour. Modest changes may be expected for the following academic years; this information will be available at the appropriate time.

Financial Aid
Applicants interested in obtaining financial assistance are encouraged to contact the Medaille College Office of Financial Aid, 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, New York 14214. Financial Aid Programs include:

New York Tuition Assistance Program
Federal College Work Study Program
Stafford Loans

Additional Information

Degree Requirements
The program of study leading to the Medaille M.S. in Ed. consists of seven core courses, two concentration courses, and one capstone course. The capstone course requires completion of an action research project.

Transfer Credit
Up to fifteen (15) credits for study deemed equivalent to graduate courses or for graduate work completed at other regionally accredited institutions may be offered in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Medaille M.S. in Ed. when the work is of acceptable quality and appropriate to the program.

 

Academic Performance Requirements
The average of the grades for all courses taken in fulfillment of degree requirements at Medaille must be at least a B (3.0). It is the student's responsibility to monitor his or her cumulative grade point average, ensuring that any grades falling below B are offset by corresponding grades above B. A student whose grade point average falls below a 3.0 is automatically placed on academic probation.

Convenient Late Afternoon Format
Medaille's M.S. in Ed. classes will meet once per week on weekdays in the late afternoon/evening. A student may take up to 12 credits per semester in this format.

Curriculum

Master of Science in Education		Credit Hours
Core Courses: 24 Credits
ECI 510	Research in Education	3
ECI 520	Seminar: Reflections on a Climate for Learning	3
ECI 530	Educational Explorations in Diversity	3
ECI 540	Learning, Thinking and the Curriculum	3
ECI 610	Transitions from Education's Roots to the Present	3
ECI 624*	Theory and Practice of Curriculum Development	6
ECI 634	Evaluation of Curriculum	3
Total Credits		24
*Suggest course be taken during the summer session.

Concentration: 6 credits (choose one concentration)
The Arts
ECI 635	The Arts as Motivation in Curriculum	3
ECI 645	Open Studio: Pathways to Integration of the Arts	3
Middle School
ECI 655	Twenty-First Century Middle School Children	3
ECI 665	Instructional Leadership and the Effective Middle School	3
Technology
ECI 675	The Human-Computer Interface	3
ECI 685	Interactive Learning Networks	3

Capstone Project: 3 credits
ECI 695	Seminar: Teacher as Researcher	3
TOTAL CREDITS		33

Course Descriptions

ECI 510 Research in Education
This course affords the graduate student an overview of the methods used in educational research. Students will study and apply different methods of quantitative and qualitative research. The course will further increase a student's understanding of research methodology and design. The central focus will be on Action Research which will lead to the culminating project within the Master's program. At the completion of this course, students will have identified their thematic concerns and will have begun the cycle of Action Research. Three credit hours.

ECI 520 Seminar: Reflections on a Climate for Learning
This course defines curriculum as a planned educational response to the needs of society and the individual. It requires that the learner construct knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills through a complex interplay of mind, materials, and social interactions. Upon examining current theories and trends in curriculum and assessment design, students will reflect upon climates for acquiring knowledge by transforming curriculum into active and meaningful learning experiences. Three credit hours.

ECI 530 Educational Explorations in Diversity
This course is designed to provide theoretical and applied knowledge of practical methods, strategies, and techniques used to successfully meet the diverse needs of today's inclusive classroom. Three credit hours.

ECI 540 Learning, Thinking and the Curriculum
This course is designed to examine theories of learning and thinking as they interact with the elementary classroom disciplines. Curriculum will be reviewed to determine if skill development correlates with the theorists' contribution regarding the learning process. Three credit hours.

ECI 610 Transitions from Education's Roots to the Present
This course provides a bridge from the works of past theorists and practitioners to current ideas and innovative teaching procedures of present day educators. A core of influential thinkers, such as Dewey, Skinner, Rogers, Piaget, and Gardner, etc., will be used. Three credit hours.

ECI 624 Theory and Practice of Curriculum Development
The focus of this course is the application of curriculum theory to classroom practice. The students will experience the spectrum of curriculum design and explore the historical roots of current curriculum issues and practices. Students will critique the changing concepts of curriculum, conflicting curriculum and educational rationales and influences for and against change. The students will be able to discuss major crosscurrents in reform and reconstruction and will focus on curriculum research and improvement. Through a critically reflective orientation to curriculum work, students will begin to develop their own theories that will influence their development and implementation of curriculum. Six credit hours. Prerequisite: ECI 540.

ECI 634 Evaluation of Curriculum
This course is designed to investigate the background and current status of assessment. Principles, purposes, and procedures used to evaluate curriculum and pupil progress will be reviewed. An emphasis will be placed on the effective interpretation of evaluative data, methods of recording and reporting progress. Three credit hours. Prerequisite: ECI 624.

ECI 635 The Arts as Motivation in Curriculum
The overall goal of this course is to help students become more aware of the possibilities of integrating the arts within their classroom curriculum. The focus of the course will be to discover how the arts can be a source of motivation in the curriculum to enrich and enliven the various disciplines. Three credit hours.

ECI 645 Open Studio: Pathways to Integration of the Arts
This course will explore diverse art materials in relation to their expressive potential as used, and for use in a variety of curricular areas. Age of the child and developmental appropriateness will be considered in the planning and presentation of curriculum projects. Three credit hours. Prerequisite: ECI 635.

ECI 655 Twenty-first Century Middle School Children
This course examines the realities and the perceptions of the middle school child. It further investigates the challenges of the middle grade professional educator who wishes to employ state-of-the-art, effective teaching methods in an effort to produce caring, effective learning environments, specifically designed for middle school students. Three credit hours.

ECI 665 Instructional Leadership and the Effective Middle School
This course examines the particulars of the administrative and supervisory aspects of the middle school. The student, who needs to be aware of the roles of key instructional leaders, such as curriculum directors, instructional associates, team leaders, "lead teachers" and classroom teachers, will be exposed to that which is desirable and unique in the understanding of the effective middle school and its students. Three credit hours. Prerequisite: ECI 655.

ECI 675 The Human-Computer Interface
How do people learn on digital networks? This course treats the human-computer interface as the essential component of a fluid, dynamic medium of personalized, learner-centered education. Assessing how the graphical user interface behaves as well as how it looks, students will apply principles of instructional design to the development and evaluation of usable interfaces. Students will also practice presenting new technology by taking into account a variety of learning styles. Three credit hours.

ECI 685 Interactive Learning Networks
This course introduces the electronic schoolhouse: digital technology as the delivery system for curriculum, as the subject of instruction, and as the manager of instruction. In addition, this course emphasizes technology as a toolkit for constructing knowledge and building community. Applying the principles of learner-centered instructional design to networked computers, student teams will participate in a hands-on process to develop and evaluate interactive, navigable learning environments. Three credit hours. Prerequisite: ECI 675.

ECI 695 Seminar: Teacher as Researcher
This directed project requires student cohorts to become involved in the internal workings of an educational institution. In light of action research and using appropriate technology, the student cohorts will not only identify an educational problem or concern within the arena of education, but they will also reflect upon and research some of the solutions to that problem. The problem/concern will be identified early in the graduate program and carried to its required completion in this culminating activity as it is researched appropriately in lieu of the knowledge gained within the various required/selected courses throughout this graduate program. Three credit hours. Prerequisites: completion of all course requirements.

1999 Education Advisory Board Members

Jean Eberle, SSJ
Principal
St. Mark's School

Barbara Hall
Supervisor of Special Education
Orleans/Niagara BOCES--East Center

Joyce Harrington
Principal
Early Childhood Center School #17

Suzanne Jacobs
Principal
Central Avenue School

Michele Miller
Editor and Publisher
Western New York Family Magazine

James Powers
President
Clarence Board of Education

Mary Kay Randolph
Educator
Transit Middle School

*Lawrence Riederer
Program Coordinator
Triangle Academy, P.S. #28

Lani Snug
Sales Representative and Consultant
The Wright Group

Roberta VanderMeer
Math Coordinator
West Seneca Central School District

Paul Wieteg, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Amherst Central School District

*Alumnus