Courses

This course explored the history of the American College and University through a critical lens. Students were exposed to tools offered by the University Library and Archives to study this history. Group and individual products allowed students to study the influence of history on modern institutions and examine a topic and university of their choosing.

This course was taught by multiple professors and explored the use of argumentation in mathematics and science as a teaching tool. The Toulmin argumentation model was examined and different examples of using argumentation in math and science problems were explored. Students created a lesson that utilized argumentation as their final project.

This course focused on the use of narrative inquiry as a qualitative research method. Students examine and practice writing in narratives and using words and story as data instead of just numbers. Assignments and projects allow students to create their own narrative pieces and express research of a topic of their choosing in narrative form.

This course was an introduction to tools used for qualitative research. Influences on qualitative research such as ethics and positionality were also explored. Through assignments and projects, students created a research question, performed preliminary qualitative research, and crafted a research proposal for a qualitative research study in a topic of their choosing.

This course acted as an introduction to the Instructional Design Process based upon ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) principles. Students explored the various instructional design stages and worked in groups to develop an instructional unit in a topic of their choosing. The unit plan incorporated each element of ADDIE with an emphasis on the analysis, design, and evaluation components.

This course focused primarily on discussions and activities that covered the latest research on effective teaching and learning, particularly in the undergraduate learning environment. Students were shown literature and tools to examine current research. Projects and assignments allowed students to analyze and create common teaching documents, such as a teaching philosophy statement. Students also planned and implemented a "micro" lesson plan to practice delivering lessons.

This course explored the history of science curriculum development and how science curriculum has evolved into the modern day. Students were provided with tools to evaluate and modify science curricula. A project allowed students to develop or evaluate science curriculum.

This course examined how humans learn from base epistemologies to learning theory and the instructional theories that they inform. Three learning theories - Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Social Learning - were explored. Assignments and projects prompted students to display their own understanding of these learning theories and how they would apply to a sample scenario of their choosing.

This course provided tools and practice in the evaluation of an educational program. An IRB-approved project was implemented with two different program clients, and students worked in groups to gather preliminary survey data for continuation of the program evaluation after the course was complete. Qualitative research tools such as client interviewing, program theory formation, research question design, and qualitative survey design and evaluation were implemented.

This course examined the depiction and application of Instructional Design principles using design models. Systems theory was used to identify scenarios in which models were to be developed. Various instructional design models were examined for inspiration into the development of a model for a student-chosen system and scenario. Students constructed their own instructional design models as the final project of the course.