Master of Education Courses

Course Descriptions

MEd Program Core

EDU 536: Philosophy of Education

Examines philosophical issues in educational theory and practice while considering influential work by classical and contemporary educational theorists.

EDU 532: Diversity in Education

Provides understanding of cultural, ethnic, economic, gender, and racial differences and similarities in American society; focuses on educational organizations implementing successful strategies for working successfully with the needs of diverse students to insure high quality educational outcomes.

EDU 547: Technology for Educators

This graduate level course will extend students’ competence with advanced applications commonly found in educational settings; emphasize evaluation, utilization, and collaboration with digital communication tools; integration of microcomputer hardware and software, database, and word processing uses across the educational curriculum and administrative support programs. This course will begin with a self-evaluation of the student’s own proficiency with diverse technologies, while keeping in focus the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers.

EDU 552: Educational Leadership

Emphasizes the philosophical, social, and political aspects of educational leadership; examines research on best practices in developing and adapting curriculum to impact positively students with disabilities; examines the varying models that support curriculum and instructional approaches with the aim of preparing educators for curricular leadership roles within their own school settings.

EDU 572: World History of Education

Surveys education from ancient Judaic schools to major contemporary education developments; emphasizes institutional developments and cultural events that have accompanied them; reviews historical background of contemporary theory, practice, and reform.

EDU 611: Psychology & Sociology of Learning

Presents differing concepts of the nature of the individual and society; considers psychological and sociological development of these concepts; evaluates basic premises and implicit assumptions; examines the psychological and social development of the ways in which the family, school, and community affect adolescent development, including effects on cognitive processes, identity formation, and peer relationships.

EDU 615: Ethical and Legal Issues in Education

Develops knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for making responsible professional decisions based on legal and ethical principles relevant to curriculum, pupils, liability, and finance. Emphasis on case studies.

EDU 641: Educational Research

Introduces methods of research in education; emphasizes research strategies and analysis of descriptive and judgmental information for selecting, planning, and evaluating research problems; uses library resources, data gathering, and writing research reports.

EDU 680: ePortfolio Capstone Project

Prerequisite: Completion of at least 26 hours of coursework.

Throughout their MEd program, students will contribute work to an ePortfolio representing their progress. Various course materials will be systematically included in the ePortfolio. During this course, students will complete and refine an electronic media capstone project that provides a showcase for the work they have done. The ePortfolio will include representative artifacts drawn from all courses in the TU graduate program as well as individual professional development credentials they may have completed during the degree program. Students will organize presentations around their individual themes. Each student will include a summative paper that explains how the portfolio reflects what she/he has learned and what the degree will enable her/him to do in the future. The ePortfolio will provide both students and faculty with tangible evidence of the student’s academic scholarship and professionalism.

Courses in the Educational Technology Concentration

EDU 586: Instructional Design Principles

This course covers the process of instruction through the analysis of learning needs and systematic development of learning materials. The course covers how technology and multimedia can be used as tools to enhance instruction, and to enhance the assessment of the learning process.

EDU 591: Learning Management Systems

Educators must successfully add to current curriculum by using learning management systems, with the goal of teaching students not only curriculum content, but also how to use technology to complete tasks necessary to the skills of all future employees. This course reviews the student perspective in learning, using learning managements systems inside and outside the classroom, using learning managements systems for students with special abilities and/or disabilities, and using learning management systems for total online learning within both educational organizations and in educational arms of other organizations.

EDU 605: Game Based Learning and Analytics

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is an instructional method that incorporates educational content and learning principles into digital games. The student will learn to identify the components of quality digital games, integration of DGBL with other types of learning curriculum, designing DGBL, and using DGBL with special needs learners.

EDU 619: Challenges in the Use of Technology in Education

This course discusses and analyzes the challenges facing educators in implementing technological advancements in technology in order to increase efficiency and efficacy in learning. Perspectives of educational challenges from the student, teacher, facilitator and administrator are covered.

EDU 625: Functions of Web Based Apps in Education

This course guides educators in transforming curriculum and courses through using web sources and applications. The course covers construction of curriculum delivery using apps. Both open web source apps and open source materials through app delivery are covered. The course will cover newly developed apps that can be used to support educational objectives.

EDU 637: Legal and Regulatory Issues in the Use of Educational Technologies

This course covers the legal framework that facilitates or constrains the use of technology for learning objectives. Legal principles covered include understanding academic freedom, fair use and copyright in technology; the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and its integration with the Higher Ed Reauthorization Act, the TEACH act, FERPA considerations in security and privacy, CFAA, international law and regulation and conflict of laws.

Courses in the Higher Education Administration Concentration

EDU 585: Student Enrollment and Retention

This course covers a systematic set of activities designed to enable educational institutions to exert more influence over their student enrollments, ways to attract and retain a pool of students based on the goals of the educational organization in selectivity in enrollment practices. The student will learn the procedures involved in the application process, methods of marketing the university, and programs to attract applicants to the university. The course will also cover predictive models. The course will focus on undergraduate enrollment, covers both graduate and professional school enrollment. Students learn the roles involved in admissions and retention of students through academic, social and athletic integration.

EDU 590: Assessment and Student Learning

This course introduces how to develop assessment programs to support student learning. Higher education administrators will need to understand assessment techniques. In addition, the student will learn how to employ the applicable assessment strategies to insure that the goals of the organization are ultimately attained. The student will learn to identify evidence and use this evidence for assessment of and improvement of program objectives. This course will contain assignments that will guide the student in performing effective, high quality assessment and program evaluations.

EDU 624: Crisis Prevention in Education

This course will cover effective institutional management of crises impacting students and the stability of the educational organization. The curriculum covers an overview of the types of threats and hazards facing higher educational institutions. The student will learn traditional crises models of response, but also identify models of prevention. Identification of risk factors impacting organizational security will be covered, including student and employee mental health issues, alcohol and other drug use, and campus violence. Students will learn to structure systems to manage immediate emergency situations, and use assessment tools to identify changes in processes to enable strengthened safety structures. Students will learn to engage with the community and law enforcement to prevent and manage campus crises.

EDU 635: Human Resource Management in Educational Organizations

This course focuses on the organizational systems and activities that colleges and universities can use to create effective management of both faculty and staff employees. Topics included in this course include information systems and management of employee information, strategic planning for organizational needs and productivity, human resources processes, legal regulation and unionism and collective bargaining.

EDU 640: Higher Education and Budgeting

This course focuses on the language and processes in budget development and management. A study of budgeting models. This course includes the factors involved in implementing institutional budgets. Application of case studies.

EDU 642: Higher Education Athletic and Sports Management

This course focuses on a general understanding of the administration of athletic programs in higher education. Topics covered include the legal and ethical aspects in athletic department management, recruitment, educational support programs for athletes, media communication, promotion, finance, and event management.

Courses in the Adaptive Learning Concentration

EDU 613: Current Trends in Curriculum and Instruction

Debates major curricular movements, principles of curriculum development, and recent trends including content area and national and state standards (specifically the Ohio Standards); considers recent theoretical and research developments related to classroom, current practices and innovations in educative process, and classroom tools including use of the internet and Ohio Link.                               

EDU 617: Current Practices in Classroom Behavior & Management

Analyzes and interprets data, design, and evaluation of behavioral treatment interventions related to the principles of applied behavior analysis; examines ways in which the classroom environment and set-up impact behavior; and examines ways in which special needs students may be better integrated into the inclusion setting.

 EDU 623: Adaptive Learning Curriculum Design

This course offers students an overview of the issues, design principles and technologies used in developing courses and curricula using an adaptive approach to education. Students will explore topics such as differentiated instruction, multiple learning styles, self-paced learning, competency-based assessment, naturalized learning contexts, cognitive load theory, information accessibility and ADA compliance, etc.

 EDU 625: Adaptive Learning Facilitation

Offers an overview of the issues, principles and teaching techniques used in facilitation student acquisition of knowledge and skills using an adaptive approach to education; explores the evolutionary and cognitive sciences of how people learn, the importance of timely, accurate and motivating feedback, how to structure just-in-time instructional support, effective grading practices, etc.

 EDU 627: Adaptive Learning Assessment

Offers an overview of the issues, principles and tools used in assessing student learning as part of an adaptive approach to education; explores topics such as curriculum mapping program-,course-, and unit-level activities and assessments, designing and using rubrics, outcomes assessment management systems used to facilitate the acquisition and analysis of data, program and course review processes and cycles, etc.

 EDU 629: Adaptive Learning Technologies

Offers an overview of the development and use of technologies used in adaptive learning. Students will explore the basic principles of artificial intelligence that are applied in "machine learning" and examples of how those principles have been built into adaptive LMS that now exist (e.g. Helix).