Education Foundations (EFD)

Orientation to organizational theory, site-based management, leadership skills, decision-making skills, and problem-solving strategies in secondary schools.

Overall process of curriculum construction and revision.

Contemporary philosophies of education, their historical development, and the beliefs tantamount to each.

Analysis of current issues and trends throughout society with implications for education.

Study of issues in multiculturalism, globalism and comparative education as they influenced educational leadership, school curricular design and emerging educational policy.

Advanced study of nature of knowledge, learning, and learner with emphasis on the teaching-learning process.

An interpretation and conceptualization of research in education with a focus on how to locate, read, and analyze research as well as educational implications.

Emphasizes statistical underpinnings of testing, technical aspects of measurement, process of test development, interpretation of test scores, sources of testing information, and standardized instruments.

For counselor education majors only. Application and interpretation of descriptive statistics in counseling research. Topics include properties of the normal distribution, defining and measuring variables, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, measures of variability, z-scores, correlation, and reliability computations. Computer software programs such as SPSS and MS Excel will be used to summarize, describe, present, and interpret data.

Survey of the psychological, sociological, philosophical foundations of American education.

Selected contemporary problems in education.

Developing federal, state, and local grant resources to enhance school improvement.

Study of theories, models, and techniques for enhancing effective leadership in group settings in the context of site based management; practical applications through self-analysis and skill development.

This course is designed to prepare leaders to meet the needs of a diverse student population and focus on education through sociological and cultural lenses.

This course provides opportunities to gather, interpret, and to work with teachers to evaluate materials and best practices related to the teaching of mathematics. Evidence of inquiry may include presentations, lesson plans, projects and lessons taught by teachers.

This course provides opportunities to gather, interpret, and to work with teachers to evaluate materials and best practices related to the teaching of literacy. Evidence of inquiry may include presentations, lesson plans, projects and lessons taught by teachers.

Identification and analysis of problems specific to the current educational environment with emphasis on development of innovative and unique solutions. Must be taken after all basic and concentration requirements have been successfully completed.

Continuation of identification and analysis of problems specific to the current educational environment with emphasis on development of innovative and unique solutions. Must be taken in the last semester of enrollment.

Identification and analysis of problems specific to the current educational environment with emphasis on development of innovative and unique solutions. Must be taken after all basic and concentration requirements have been successfully completed.

Continuation of identification and analysis of problems specific to the current educational environment with emphasis on development of innovative and unique solutions. Must be taken in the last semester of enrollment.

Current issues in educational measurement and evaluation, including qualitative and quantitative data analysis and strategies for program development and improvement.

Current issues in educational assessment, including qualitative and quantitative approaches, strategies for program development and improvement.

This course provides an overview of various philosophies of education with emphasis on the implications of their presuppositions on educational theory and practice. It examines the history of educational thought, institutions, and policies in their cultural and philosophical contexts. The course includes an analysis of educational problems and issues in education and has students consider the implications on educational theory and practice in an institution.

This course introduces students to the major historical events in the system of American higher education, including the customs, values and traditions that affect students, faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders. In addition, the course examines the philosophical mission and purpose of American schools, colleges and universities, and emerging trends and practices that help to shape and define institutional issues and policies, and other distinctive features.

This course focuses on an examination of theoretical educational leadership perspectives that have gained prominence over time. Coursework is designed to guide students through a reflection of their personal experiences and goals and use this knowledge to create a plan for developing leadership behaviors as professionals in educational leadership.

This course explores current educational issues in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world through the lens of theories and concepts such as democratic schools, social justice, feminism, normalization, and equity. Students investigate the critical role of education in a democratic society and understand the role and responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities of education administrators for creating and sustaining a truly inclusive community of learners.

This course examines contemporary and emerging issues and trends impacting education. Topics will be dependent upon current national trends. Emphasis will be on developing, analyzing, and clarifying beliefs and practices regarding these issues and trends as they relate to education.

This course defines the nature of change and transformation in education, investigates change strategies, and reviews and refines theories regarding educational transformation. Candidates examine transformative education and the vision, leadership, and drive necessary to create innovative and transformative learning experiences.

(General) This course introduces the conceptualization of how education's political structure determines schooling's nature. Students will examine political challenges at the national, state, local, and institutional levels and the resulting implications for primary stakeholders, such as faculty, students, administrators, donors/investors, parents, and employers in education.

(General) This course discusses the leadership and management skills required for a human resources program that supports all employees. Students learn the principles and practices needed in recruitment, evaluation, retention, promotion and removal of personnel and maintenance of staff personnel programs. Other key personnel functions include workforce development, benefits and compensation, employee relations, workforce diversity, as well as best practices and future trends in human resource administration and evaluation within education.

(General) The course examines the organizational dynamics of education institutions, institutional culture, organizational goals, as well as traditional and emerging managerial patterns. Students will use leadership and systems theories as tools to analyze organizational behavior and the relationship of organizational behavior to a variety of contemporary issues and situations in education settings.

(P-14) This course focuses on the process of law and policy development and the impact of outside forces on the operation of schools and school districts. Students will also explore the connection of law and policy development to educational reform efforts. An understanding of the value and use of qualitative and quantitative research in the formulation of laws, policies and practices will also be gained.

(P-14) This course is designed to enhance understanding of processes of student learning, growth, and development. Special focus will be directed toward recent theories including holistic models of development, issues of diversity in development, social context of learning, and the extent to which these models are used to guide empirical research and inform practice.

(P-14) This course examines concepts and theories relating to various forms and approaches of planning at the school district and post-secondary educational levels. Students are introduced to the concept of systemic institutional reform and the challenges facing educational change initiatives. Emphasis is placed on specific skills to perform educational forecasting and management techniques to plan for future events.

(Higher Education) This course examines the economic, legal, financial, and budgeting policies affecting the equitable distribution of fiscal resources across and within higher education institutions. Fiscal management and budgeting practices applicable to vocational/technical schools, two-and four-year colleges, and universities are explored.

(Higher Education) This course examines the legal and ethical principles that guide higher education administration. The focus will be on the historical, contemporary, and emerging legal and ethical issues directly impacting administrators, faculty, staff, and students in American colleges and universities.

(Higher Education) This course introduces foundational and contemporary human development theories that offer insight into the processes of student learning, growth, and development during the post-secondary years. Doctoral students will explore how these theories can help predict student behaviors and attitudes of students, to better address student needs and encourage student success.

(Higher Education) This course will explore the historical and philosophical influences and organizational structures that have guided the evolution of higher education and the student affairs profession. Students will examine the purpose, organization, roles, and functions of student affairs and its relationship to the academic community. Students will also explore the support services provided to assist students through their matriculation and assess the effectiveness of support services for academically diverse students.

(Higher Education) This course provides an in-depth analysis of prevalent issues affecting higher education institutions. Historical, philosophical, political, multicultural, and other forces which shape ideas and opinions will be addressed. Emphasis is placed on addressing or resolving the effects of these issues on the total institution.

(Teaching and Learning) This course explores different strategies for bringing about change leading to curriculum, institutional improvement, evaluation, and technological reform. Students will engage in research that identifies political, ethical, and societal changes that impact curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Students will also utilize trend data to design effective curriculum, instructional methods, and assessments.

(Teaching and Learning) This course provides students with an understanding of instructional design principles and processes such as goal and task analysis, learner and context analysis, instructional strategies, selection and development of instructional materials, and formative and summative evaluation. Students will gain practical experience applying theories of instructional design.

(Teaching and Learning) This course will explore research-based best practices in the design, development, and evaluation of online instruction. Differentiated assignments will also be provided to expose students to technological applications available to support online teaching and learning, characteristics of virtual students, instructional methodologies for online teaching and learning, and future directions of online teaching and learning research.

(Teaching and Learning) This course will examine current learning, child development, and ecological theories used to make decisions about classroom management, curriculum, motivation, diversity, exceptionalities, assessment, and instruction. Students will discover how observation, documentation, and assessment can be used to inform understandings about learners and the practice of teaching.

(Teaching and Learning) This course immerses the learner in successful teaching and learning pedagogies in college teaching for classroom-based, experiential, and real-world learning environments. Doctoral students will cultivate their own philosophy of teaching and learning and will explore how students are impacted by faculty engagement, integrated learning experiences, and intentional course design.

This course examines scholarly inquiry and ways in which research is situated within social and political contexts. Coursework will aid students in understanding major themes in the field of epistemology. Emphasis will be given to the nature and structure of knowledge and evidence, justification of beliefs, beliefs about "truth," naturalized epistemology and the role of skepticism in inquiry and advanced educational study.

This course will explore a variety of qualitative research approaches in the area of educational research. Students will examine several intellectual traditions that constitute the field of qualitative research including: analytic induction, grounded theory, case study, ethnography, and phenomenological frameworks. Students will have several opportunities to practice qualitative research data collection such as: planning, gaining institutional and individual access, observing, interviewing, and conducting document analysis. In addition, students will be able to develop analysis skills, such as coding, analyzing various forms of qualitative data, and developing findings. The purpose of this qualitative research experience is to gain significant understanding in qualitative methodology for future program research including the foundations needed for dissertation completion.

This course is designed to develop understanding of quantitative research methods. Students will be examining fundamental quantitative research designs including: descriptive, causal-comparative, correlational, and experimental. Additional statistical concepts will include descriptive and inferential statistics, measures of central tendency and dispersion, hypothesis testing which includes one-sample z-and t-tests, independent and dependent sample t-tests, correlations, chi-square, and simple regressions. Students will evaluate several measurement concepts, data collection techniques, and methods and mechanics of quantitative research; including SPSS.

This course will explore a variety of philosophies of mixed methods research, and will maintain a focus on the epistemological foundations of mixed methods designs and their component parts. Students will evaluate the advantage and disadvantages of both qualitative and quantitative research; focusing on the inclusionary aspects of Mixed Methods. Methods for collecting, analyzing, integrating, and reporting data from multiple sources will be discussed. Students will have an opportunity to further develop research questions, develop a mixed methods research proposal, and utilize the information in the course to determine the possibilities of future educational research.

An on-site residency involving peer review, faculty conferencing, and library research consultations. Grades: Pass/Fail.

An on-site residency involving peer review, faculty statistical workshopping and consultations. Grades: Pass/Fail.

An on-site residency involving rehearsal and delivery of the dissertation defense. Grades: Pass/Fail.

This course serves as a guide to the dissertation methodology writing process. Students will synthesize concepts of research, focusing on conducting literature reviews, understanding theory, defining research problems and methods, collecting, and analyzing data, communicating findings, and applying research to solving educational problems.

A directed dissertation writing course in which candidates develop, draft, and revise the first three chapters of the dissertation proposal under faculty chair supervision. Emphasis is placed on sustained scholarly writing, literature synthesis, methodological alignment, APA style, and production of a defense-ready proposal document. This course may be duplicated for credit for up to twelve (12) hours.

This course provides individualized and independent scholarly investigation and research of an important topic involving teaching, leading and student learning in educational leadership. The focus, content and expectations for this study will be formally established by the doctoral student and supervising professor. With the guidance of a dissertation advisor and a committee, the candidate assumes the responsibility for completing the study and defending both process and results to the dissertation committee.

This course is designed to assist students in the preparation of their dissertation research presentation. Students will also work on proper dissertation formatting and submitting the final dissertation copy for a plagiarism review and binding.