Online Master of Science in Education (MSED) – Curriculum and Instruction

EDUC 612 Technology and Mediated Instruction (3 Credit Hours)

This course will provide participants with a solid understanding of educational technology and how to integrate computers and instructional technology into an educational environment. Students will research current educational issues related to instruction and learning with technology. Students will reflect on standards-based instruction through the application of the ISTE NETS-T and Peru State College Graduate Conceptual Framework.

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EDUC 600 Sociology of Education (3 Credit Hours)

This course will involve an in-depth study of the environment of students and the relationship to the field of education. Emphasis will be placed on the educational institution's multiple social roles within the community, the social structures found within educational organizations, and their implications for improving educational practice. Must have completed 12-15 credit hours.

Prerequisites: Technology and Mediated Instruction, Study Design and Data Collection

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EDUC 601 Study Design and Data Collection (3 Credit Hours)

This course focuses on understanding research methods and writing a research proposal. The development of appropriately phrased research questions and alternative methods of inquiry are considered, as are factors influencing validity and reliability. Although survey methods are considered in detail, qualitative approaches also receive attention.

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EDUC 602 Statistical Methods and Data Analysis (3 Credit Hours)

This course offers training and understanding of common descriptive, and inferential statistical techniques for conducting research and engaging in scholarly activities.

Prerequisites: Technology and Mediated Instruction, Study Design and Data Collection

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EDUC 605 Cognition and Learning (3 Credit Hours)

The starting point for any understanding of learning in the classroom is what we scientifically know about how the brain learns. This course will study brain organization as it applies to classroom learning. The focus of this course will be on the latest research on the executive functions of the brain. From recent brain research, principles of learning will be established and applied to classroom practice. The principles of learning will be developed around three fundamentals: climate for learning, instruction and student processing.

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EDUC 621 Curriculum Development (3 Credit Hours)

This course is designed to examine the principles underlying the development of educational curriculum and the relationship to standards, instructional methodology, and assessment. Emphasis will be placed on the methods of determining priorities, objectives, scope and sequence, and organizational processes. The role of federal, state, and local governance will be examined.

Prerequisites: Technology and Mediated Instruction

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EDUC 623 Assessment of Instruction (3 Credit Hours)

This course is designed to examine the principles underlying the development of appropriate assessment practices and methodology. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship between assessment, instruction, and student achievement. The roles of federal, state and local government, as well as diversity issues, will be examined. An understanding of how to improve student achievement and standardized test results will be scrutinized. Must be completed in Spring term in the program.

Prerequisites: Sociology of Education

All 500 Level Courses, including SPED

EDUC 505 Diversity in Education (3 Credit Hours)

Diversity in Education is a course designed to give teacher candidates a strong background in the conceptual, theoretical and philosophical issues surrounding diversity in educational settings. Course content will offer the opportunity for students to adopt a philosophical position, design and implement effective teaching strategies that reflect ethnic and cultural diversity, and will explore notions of equity that will provide students with the information they need to create learning environments that are free of bias and provide a high quality education to all students.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 509 Re-certification Student Teaching (3 Credit Hours)

This course is designed for those persons whose teaching certificates have expired for longer than five (5) years. The course will provide the opportunity for the person to spend a minimum of three weeks in a K-12 classroom to become reacquainted with students and classroom procedures. EDUC 509 will fulfill the Nebraska Department of Education practicum requirement for renewal of an expired certificate.

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EDUC 510 Current Issues in Education (3 Credit Hours)

This course will provide participants with current information about a multitude of topics relating to educational programs and institutions. Issues include topics related to student and instructor rights and responsibilities, effective instructional and management strategies, legal aspects of providing an education, and employee accountability.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 514 ESL Practicum (1 Credit Hours)

The course consists of a 45 contact hour practicum that will reflect upon cultural practices, nurture and mentor cultural diversity. It will identify and reflect upon ways to support and accommodate all learners, practice the methods and procedures that are being or have been presented in the methods course(s) that connect to this practicum, assess his/her strengths and weaknesses in the birth through Grade 12 setting and formulate ways to re-mediate potential problems, reflect on the practicum experience in a written reflective journal, observe, plan, and implement developmentally and individually appropriate instructional practices under the supervision of a cooperating teacher in a birth through grade 12 setting, demonstrate collaboration skills necessary to be an effective member of a team, adhere to state and federal legislation along with professional and ethical code.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 515 Technology Leadership (3 Credit Hours)

This course explores and applies key educational leadership principles in technology use. Participants will analyze these principles in their professional settings and develop a proposal that has significant value to their role as a leader in educational technology. Course topics include: shared vision, planning, access, integration, assessment and evaluation, support, professional development, community relationships, and ethical and legal issues.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 516 Teaching Grammar to Non-native Speakers (3 Credit Hours)

Teaching Grammar to Non-Native Speakers explores English grammar and the key difficulty areas for non-native speakers. This course focuses on the rules of the English language, error correction, and teaching techniques for K-12 students. It examines ways to prepare our English Language Learners to be academically successful in reading, writing, listening, and speaking with practical and theoretical knowledge about English and teaching.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 517 Second Language Acquisition (3 Credit Hours)

The course consists of a 45 contact hour practicum that will reflect upon cultural practices, nurture and mentor cultural diversity. It will identify and reflect upon ways to support and accommodate all learners, practice the methods and procedures that are being or have been presented in the methods course(s) that connect to this practicum, assess his/her strengths and weaknesses in the birth through Grade 12 setting and formulate ways to re-mediate potential problems, reflect on the practicum experience in a written reflective journal, observe, plan, and implement developmentally and individually appropriate instructional practices under the supervision of a cooperating teacher in a birth through grade 12 setting, demonstrate collaboration skills necessary to be an effective member of a team, adhere to state and federal legislation along with professional and ethical code.

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EDUC 518 Assessment & Evaluation of English Language Learners (2 Credit Hours)

This course emphasizes the awareness of the role of the teacher in assessment and evaluation of English Language Learners (ELL) and his/her impact on an ELL's learning via procedures and practices that utilize assessment results to inform instruction. A major focus of the course will be on intimately linking classroom instruction with the basic principles for developing, using, selecting, and adapting assessment instruments and strategies to assess the content knowledge of English Language Learners. Key pre-service assessment knowledge and skills, as delineated by the Nebraska Department of Education, will also provide direction in terms of preparation of pre-service teacher candidates for both the Nebraska State Assessment System, as well as any additional federal government expectations concerning assessment and evaluation of English Language Learners.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 520 Moving from Discipline to Self-Discipline: A Developmental Approach (3 Credit Hours)

This course is designed to provide classroom teachers the opportunity to take a three hour graduate level course which will examine the key issues of classroom management as well as provide a model for teaching self discipline skills to students. Research on key aspects of classroom management strategies will be analyzed.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 523 Methods & Curriculum Design in the English as a Second Language Classroom (3 Credit Hours)

The course is designed to identify and explain linguistic, psycholinguistic and pedagogical theories about the teaching of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English as a second language (ESL). The course will focus on cultivating an awareness of English-language learners' cognitive, affective, and linguistic needs when selecting ESL methods and strategies for teaching. Application of the knowledge of language acquisition and language skill development to provide instruction that promotes acquisition of communicative language skills and literacy will be developed and practiced. Students will develop lesson plans that demonstrate appropriate use of language proficiency standards (ELPS), ESL pedagogy, and materials.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 530 Contemporary Instruction: Theory to Practice (3 Credit Hours)

This course is designed to provide the professional educator with opportunities to test educational theory and apply best practices in actual classrooms. The course should enhance and further develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of effective teaching. The five propositions of accomplished teaching (as defined by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards – NPBTS) will be analyzed and their applications investigated within working classroom environments at the elementary and secondary levels.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 533 Classroom Management & Leadership (3 Credit Hours)

This course encompasses the role of management and leadership in the classroom as a system that is inter-linked with the individual, class, school, community, state, etc. Research on key aspects of management and/or leadership styles will be analyzed.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 538 Professional Collaboration with Parents & Families (3 Credit Hours)

This course is designed to explore and develop skills needed for effective collaborative programs and practices to address diversity and social issues of special and at-risk populations. Course activities will build students' skills in developing, implementing, and evaluating collaborative programs across educational, family, and community contexts. Emphasis will be placed upon learning theories and techniques of establishing effective communication, conferencing skills, and collaborating with parents to foster a supportive educational environment for all students. Students will explore the changing nature and definition of the American family, and how culture influences the relationships of teachers, students, and parents, which can impact the overall educational experience for students.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 540 The Master Teacher (3 Credit Hours)

This is a course for classroom teachers who wish to analyze their teaching styles and methods to improve their repertoire with additional methods of teaching. Teachers will do micro-teachings in their subject, participate in critiques of micro-teachings, and learn and practice new methods.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 542 Supervision of Student Teachers (3 Credit Hours)

The thrust of this course will be to provide classroom teachers the opportunity to learn a systematic process of supervising student teachers based on scientific knowledge and theoretical constructs. Supervision of teachers will be discussed, supervisory conferences will be explored, and evaluation models will be developed.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status, Teacher Certification and employment in a school system.

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EDUC 552 Introduction to Multimedia Authoring (3 Credit Hours)

This course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills associated with the principles of multimedia, and the means whereby they can utilize their knowledge and skills effectively in an educational setting. Through a variety of project-base learning experiences, students will explore the hardware and software related to multimedia authoring.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 553 Using the Internet (3 Credit Hours)

The purpose of this course is to provide participants with a working knowledge of how to utilize the various components of the Internet and integrate that knowledge into their professional practice. As students study a variety of topics associated with the Internet and its uses in the classroom, they will have the opportunity to share experiences and data with their peers, examine Web sites and develop curriculum for use in their own educational settings.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 556 Desktop Publishing for Teachers (3 Credit Hours)

The course provides experiences in the production of quality documents and publications for use in educational settings. Students combine text and graphics to create a variety of documents including resumes, reports, flyers, brochures, etc. Application projects are integral to the course.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

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EDUC 569 Teachers as Collaborative Leaders (3 Credit Hours)

In this course, teachers will understand the phenomenon of teacher leadership that will help teachers develop skills required to act as leaders and learners to impact school improvement from within. By examining their personal and professional roles, teachers will learn to be more effective leaders in their professional communities. Students will better understand the new opportunities for leadership in schools through communication strategies, facilitation methods, and mentoring.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

SPED 500 Inclusionary Practices for Special Education (3 Credit Hours)

This course will provide an overview of the handicapping conditions served under the legislation of IDEA. A review of the law and the eligibility requirements for each identified handicapping condition will be examined. The purpose of the course will be to train general and special educators in practices conducive to creating inclusionary environments in which to teach both regular education and special education students. Best practices regarding the development of an inclusionary program will be presented. Methods of alternative instruction designed to meet individual needs within large group settings at the K-12 level will be discussed. Practice in collaborative techniques will be provided.

Prerequisites required: Graduate Status

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SPED 540 Behavior Management (3 Credit Hours)

This course will focus on basic principles of behavior modification as well as survey practical applications of this approach. Course content will include theoretical implications, behavioral and functional analysis, targeting behaviors, collecting information, interventions, positive behavioral support and monitoring for change.

Prerequisites required: Graduate Status

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SPED 574 Special Education Laws and Practices (3 Credit Hours)

This course explores the legal aspects of special education and how those aspects affect the student, the classroom, the school, and families. Participants will analyze laws, court cases, and case hearings. Participants will also develop a better understanding of best practices within the school environment and with parents and families. Course topics include: the history of special education law, significant special education laws, important court cases, assessment, IEP planning, least restrictive environment, procedural safeguards, and other relevant legal issues.

Prerequisite: Graduate Student Status

Course requirements for the following can be found on the Forms & Documents page.

EDUC 695 Graduate Internship (3 Credit Hours)

Requires Permission of the Dean of Graduate Programs

Prerequisites: Sociology of Education

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EDUC 696 Thesis/Action Research Project I (3 Credit Hours)

Requires Permission of the Dean of Graduate Programs

Prerequisites: Sociology of Education

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EDUC 697 Thesis/Action Research Project II (3 Credit Hours)

Requires permission of the Dean of Graduate Programs

Prerequisites: Sociology of Education

INS 500 Diversity in Education (1 Credit Hours)

Diversity in Education is a course designed to give teacher candidates a strong background in the conceptual, theoretical and philosophical issues surrounding diversity in educational settings. Course content will offer the opportunity for students to adopt a philosophical position, design and implement effective teaching strategies that reflect ethnic and cultural diversity, and will explore notions of equity that will provide students with the information they need to create learning environments that are free of bias and provide a high quality education to all students.