Biology - Major in Biology Program

This course is designed to develop the understanding of the methods employed in planning and developing research in education; students will gain experience in generating ideas for research, critically evaluating literature, synthesizing and presenting results of research, and writing in a clear and organized way. Students will explore research-based rationale for reform in education and address the use of statistics in analyzing educational research as well as local, state, and national assessments. 3 credits.

Capstone project which emphasizes the student's accomplishments and fulfillment of learning goals through the course of the program. Graded pass/fail. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. The capstone project course is intended for students who have completed all coursework in the Master of Education program. 3 credits.

This project-based course will introduce participants to various aspects of online learning environments with a focus on asynchronous learning. Learners will investigate standards, instructional best practices and online design techniques to build an environment that creates a sense of community and encourages collaboration and engagement. The course will include a focus on how to differentiate instruction to meet all learners' needs in an asynchronous manner of delivery. Participants will clearly convey how instructional practices, relevant skills and competencies inform their online program design and be able to communicate where and when online learning techniques can enhance traditional instructional models. 3 credits.

This course will examine methods for delivering online instruction in various environments with a focus on synchronous learning. Participants will review the Teacher Effectiveness Model of Supervision and evaluate the model with regard to aspects of online delivery. The course will focus on planning live instruction that encourages learners' active participation, application, interaction and collaboration. Participants will explore setting clear expectations, professionally delivering instruction and providing meaningful feedback. The course will include components on how to differentiate synchronous instruction to meet all learners' needs. Participants will be able to articulate when and why synchronous learning is the most effective delivery of the content. 3 credits.

This course builds the capacity of educators and administrators as instructional leaders by equipping them with a deep understanding of how high-quality curriculum is designed, developed, and adopted for implementation in elementary and secondary programs. Principles, key concepts, and historical perspectives will be introduced to serve as a foundation for curriculum development. In order to gain experience and competency, students will engage in a full curriculum cycle including: Conducting a needs assessment, standards alignment, creating a framework, writing a scope and sequence, designing curriculum guides, planning units, and selecting instructional materials. Further, current issues and trends in curriculum will be explored and considered for application in a variety of learning environments. 3 credits.

Students will learn about cultural and social diversity and the impact on the educational setting. To prepare students to work with diverse populations, this course will explore a variety of topics including race, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in the educational setting. Students will obtain strategies to best support and deliver culturally responsive education practices. 3 credits.

This course will prepare students to further collaborate with families, agencies, and the community to support social, emotional, and behavioral wellness of students Pre K-12. This includes culturally responsive approaches that will authentically engage all stakeholders in the support of students' social, emotional, and behavioral wellness. 3 credits.

This course builds the capacity of educators and administrators as instructional leaders by equipping them with a deep understanding of how high-quality curriculum is designed, developed, and adopted for implementation in elementary and secondary programs. Principles, key concepts, and historical perspectives will be introduced to serve as a foundation for curriculum development. In order to gain experience and competency, students will engage in a full curriculum cycle including: Conducting a needs assessment, standards alignment, creating a framework, writing a scope and sequence, designing curriculum guides, planning units, and selecting instructional materials. Further, current issues and trends in curriculum will be explored and considered for application in a variety of learning environments. 3 credits.

This course builds the capacity of educators and administrators as instructional leaders by equipping them with research-based assessment practices for elementary and secondary programs. Students will understand types and uses of assessments, how to design a variety of effective assessments, how to analyze and use student data, and explore grading and reporting systems. Principles, key concepts, and current research will serve as an introduction to assessment literacy. In order to gain practical experience, students will develop formative assessments, create performance tasks and rubrics, deconstruct test items, and plan a system of assessment. Further, current issues and trends will be investigated and considered for application in a variety of learning environments. Prerequisite: EDU 850. 3 credits.

Students will learn about cultural and social diversity and the impact on the educational setting. To prepare students to work with diverse populations, this course will explore a variety of topics including race, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in the educational setting. Students will obtain strategies to best support and deliver culturally responsive education practices. 3 credits.

This course will prepare students to further collaborate with families, agencies, and the community to support social, emotional, and behavioral wellness of students Pre K-12. This includes culturally responsive approaches that will authentically engage all stakeholders in the support of students' social, emotional, and behavioral wellness. 3 credits.

This course serves as a general exploration of the disciplines and approaches to STEM education. Pedagogy, assessment, standards alignment, and trends and issues will be covered in this course. This course meets a core requirement. 3 credits.

This is the second course of the three-course STEM concentration. Students will investigate STEM initiatives and programs, including individuals and organizations that have impacted the development of STEM education. The course will also explore funding, budgeting, and grant writing in relation to STEM reform. This course meets a core requirement. Prerequisite: MSE 880. 3 credits.

This is the third course of the three-course STEM concentration. This course will explore integrative curriculum design and assessment. Topics will include state and national standards and analysis of existing STEM curricula and pedagogies. This course meets a core requirement. Prerequisite: MSE 880 3 credits.

In this course, students will apply and extend integrative STEM knowledge, understanding, and skills acquired through coursework to meaningful field experiences. During the Integrative STEM Education Practicum, students will develop a digital portfolio of artifacts as evidence in meeting the program competencies and as demonstration of reflective practice. This course meets a core requirement. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. Co-or prerequisite: MSE 880, 881, or 882. 3 credits.

This course will introduce students to the music as a second language pedagogy and provide an overview of Modern Band and the application of materials for teaching keyboard, guitar, drums and bass in the K-12 classroom. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Corequisite: Take MME-861. 1 credit.

Students will enhance their knowledge of repertoire performance from various popular styles; and learning rhythmic, melodic and harmonic practices associated with each genre. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Corequisite: MME-860. 1 credit.

Students will learn the skills necessary to teach guitar in a popular music setting. "Music as a second language" will be the emphasized pedagogy. Students are required to meet a minimum proficiency on the guitar. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Prerequisite: Take MME-860 and MME-861. 1/2 credit.

Students will learn the skills necessary to teach drums in a popular music setting. "Music as a second language" will be the emphasized pedagogy. Students are required to meet a minimum proficiency on each instrument. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Prerequisite: Take MME-860 and MME-861. 1/2 credit.

Students will learn the skills necessary to teach electric bass in a popular music setting. "Music as a second language" will be the emphasized pedagogy. Students are required to meet a minimum proficiency on each instrument. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Prerequisite: Take MME-860 and MME-861. 1/2 credit.

Students will learn the skills necessary to teach keyboard in a popular music setting. "Music as a second language" will be the emphasized pedagogy. Students are required to meet a minimum proficiency on each instrument. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Prerequisite: Take MME-860 and MME-861. 1/2 credit.

Students will learn the skills necessary to teach the voice techniques in a popular music setting. "Music as a second language" will be the emphasized pedagogy. Students are required to meet a minimum proficiency singing in a contemporary genre. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Prerequisite: Take MME-860 and MME-861. 1 credit.

The course is designed to give students the opportunity to analyze and create music in popular music styles and then apply appropriate strategies that will enable them to design creative experiences for students in K-12 settings. Students will be introduced to compositional strategies for creative experiences appropriate for upper-elementary and secondary aged students and design a series of creative experiences for this purpose. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Prerequisite: MME 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, and 865. 1 credit.

Whether you are trying to record your spring concert, grab a quick recording of a rehearsal for instant feedback, or help your students produce their own songs, we will spend lots of time exploring the various aspects of making a recording. The use of microphones, room acoustics, and equipment setup will be covered by...get this...actually recording. A lot! This course meets a music education core requirement. 3 credits.

This course serves as the capstone to the Modern Band Certificate. Students will expand upon the proficiencies and methods learned in an ensemble setting through collaborative composition and improvisation. The cumulating experience will be a live concert promoting the pedagogies for a modern band curriculum. This course meets a modern band concentration requirement. Prerequisites: MME 866 and MME 867. 3 credits.

This project-based course will introduce participants to various aspects of online learning environments with a focus on asynchronous learning. Learners will investigate standards, instructional best practices and online design techniques to build an environment that creates a sense of community and encourages collaboration and engagement. The course will include a focus on how to differentiate instruction to meet all learners' needs in an asynchronous manner of delivery. Participants will clearly convey how instructional practices, relevant skills and competencies inform their online program design and be able to communicate where and when online learning techniques can enhance traditional instructional models. 3 credits.

This course will examine methods for delivering online instruction in various environments with a focus on synchronous learning. Participants will review the Teacher Effectiveness Model of Supervision and evaluate the model with regard to aspects of online delivery. The course will focus on planning live instruction that encourages learners' active participation, application, interaction and collaboration. Participants will explore setting clear expectations, professionally delivering instruction and providing meaningful feedback. The course will include components on how to differentiate synchronous instruction to meet all learners' needs. Participants will be able to articulate when and why synchronous learning is the most effective delivery of the content. 3 credits.

Learning online provides unique opportunities for educators to gather data on their learners' progress and mastery. This course will explore programs and tools that can be used to design engaging and individualized assessments. It will focus on best practices in lesson design that promotes formative assessment. Time will be dedicated to ensuring the validity and reliability of student work. Participants will craft assessments that produce data needed to direct instruction and individualize the learning experience. Prerequisites: EDU 840 and 841. 3 credits.

This course will investigate the skills needed to safely and successfully engage in an online world. Students will research digital citizenship skills designed to help learners appropriately participate as online community members. Participants will evaluate media and digital literacy skills that help learners assess the validity of information available online. The course will investigate policies that keep people and information safe. Time will be spent analyzing aspects of academic integrity as well as ethical and professional behaviors necessary for consuming and producing information in a global society. Through Virtual Field Experiences candidates are exposed to various online learning situations and school settings. This course also serves as the capstone course which requires the candidate to demonstrate how they have synthesized and applied the program instruction in the real world context. Prerequisite: EDU 840, 841, and 842. 3 credits.

This course will prepare students to have an understanding of the multi-tiered systems of support for social emotional and behavioral wellness of students Prek-12. Students will be able to understand the foundational knowledge related to MTSS for social, emotional, and behavioral wellness in order to plan and implement universal prevention strategies for all students. 3 credits.

This course will prepare students to further collaborate with families, agencies, and the community to support social, emotional, and behavioral wellness of students Pre K-12. This includes culturally responsive approaches that will authentically engage all stakeholders in the support of students' social, emotional, and behavioral wellness. 3 credits.

This course will prepare students to understand social emotional learning and how it relates to development and resiliency. The social emotional growth and development of child, adolescent, and young adults will be reviewed while also exploring the impact mental illness and trauma have on students. A framework for creating, sustaining, and assessing the trauma-informed classroom will also be explored, discussed, and applied to current practice. 3 credits.

This course will examine the long-term impact of trauma on the child and the family. In addition, community resources and connections to support children and families experiencing trauma will be reviewed and explored. 3 credits.

Capstone project which emphasizes the student's accomplishments and fulfillment of learning goals through the course of the program. Graded pass/fail. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. The capstone project course is intended for students who have completed all coursework in the Master of Education program. 3 credits.