Course DescriptionsThis 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. Three 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.
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