Teaching College Science (SCI 544)
Professor: John Tillotson
Course Description:
This course is designed primarily for advanced undergraduate and graduate students planning careers in higher education and will focus on topics related to the role of a professor and/or Teaching Assistant in teaching undergraduate STEM courses. The class was based primarily on discussions and activities that address the latest research on effective teaching and learning in the undergraduate environment. Students in the course had the opportunity to explore a broad range of topics in the areas of learning theory, instructional methods, curriculum design, assessment, and evaluation, integrating educational technology, understanding the nature of science, respecting the diversity of student learners, and the overall policy and reform agenda in undergraduate STEM education.
My Reflection:
This course was very helpful for the development of my college teaching experience. Covering contemporary issues and challenges in the reform of undergraduate STEM education and the policies driving these decisions in the US increased my understanding of the current context in US higher education. Also, we discussed issues and engaged in active learning experiences that address the central responsibilities associated with teaching undergraduate science. Focusing on the implications of research in the area of learning theories informed me as a science instructor. The course also provided me with an opportunity to develop a curriculum unit, design course objectives and evaluate course syllabi to determine their effectiveness for use in an undergraduate STEM course in the student’s particular content discipline. This was a great practice. In addition, observing and evaluating undergraduate STEM lessons and discussing the development of an assessment philosophy through the exploration of a range of effective assessment options were highly beneficial.
Sample Assignment:
Program Development in Teacher Education (EDU 820)
Professor: Joanna O. Masingila
Course Description: This course is designed for graduate students interested in exploring issues in teacher education. The course examined current issues in teacher education, and look carefully at the use of case studies as a vehicle for preparing teachers.
My Reflection:
One of the major aspects of better schools is better teachers. Research suggests that teachers’ understanding, their way of teaching and their classroom practices have roles in students’ understanding. It is crucial to prepare knowledgeable and skillful teachers who can meet the challenges of today’s demanding classrooms. This course with the readings, classroom activities, and discussions helped broaden my perspectives about teacher education, critically evaluate current issues in teacher education programs, and analyze relevant strategies to improve teacher education in the US.
Sample Assignments:
Strategies in Educational Project Management (EDU 761)
Professor: Tiffany Koszalka
Course Description:
The goals of this course are to support students in developing competencies in educational project management, specifically in developing project management plans and strategies that address common issues when managing a project. These instructional goals suggest that after completing this course, students will be able to: (1) describe project management terminology, phases and activities, models, tools, and issues; (2) develop a project plan using a variety of project management tools and strategies.
My Reflection:
This course increased my understanding and practice on aspects leading instruction and/or educational projects and of creating a project management plan. This course used a combination of individual and collaborative work activities, which helped me improve my collaboration skills and skills to work independently. Throughout this course, I have also realized that managing educational projects can present distinct challenges and contexts which are not accounted for in standard project management practice. For example, academic institutions operate within their own cultural setting distinct (for better or worse) from the practices of the typical for-profit organizations. With this course, I have an increased understanding on project management at its core as a problem-solving process in which a project’s resources, human and materials, are coordinated, facilitated, and monitored through successful completion of a project.
Sample Assignment:
The Nature and Design of Inquiry (EDU 841)
Professor: Nick Smith
Course Description:
This course introduced students to the basic skills, processes, and designs of empirical inquiry. It familiarizes them with the fundamental mental activities of inquiry (observation, reasoning, intuition, and constructing knowledge), reviews the basic processes of problem development and argument construction, and provides practice in producing and comparing alternative quantitative, qualitative, and combined study designs. As a result, students will better understand the forms, purposes, and excitement of empirical research, and be better prepared to make subsequent choices about research topics and methods courses.
My Reflection:
This course helped me increase my understanding of nature and the design of the research problem by developing three alternative designs for studying the research problem of interest to me. With the fruitful feedback I had received from my classmates and the course instructor, I had developed the statement of the research problem throughout the semester. This course also helped me realize that one can form different research designs for studying a research problem from different perspectives. with this course, I had a chance to develop a description and evaluative assessment of one true experimental design, one cross-sectional survey design, and one ethnographic case study design for studying my research problem, as well as a comparative analysis of the pros and cons of the 3 alternative designs. This course was definitely helpful for me as a researcher to develop various research designs.
Sample Assignment:
Concepts and Issues in Educational Evaluation (EDA 741)
Professor: Nick Smith
Course Description:
This course focuses on an analysis of fundamental issues and the major conceptual models used in the evaluation of educational and human services programs. The recent history and primary contributions of the major evaluation theorists were reviewed to provide students with a conceptual framework essential for the proper use of the “how to” evaluation procedures taught in other courses (e.g. IDE 641). Students acquired skills and practice in analyzing conceptual models of evaluation and in understanding how fundamental issues of the theory impact evaluation method, practice, and the profession.
My Reflection:
Through this course, I had a chance to develop a position paper on a fundamental issue in evaluation, “What are the proper methods relevant to an evaluation study?”. The weekly readings and class discussions were designed to provide me with all the necessary support for constructing my analysis. The work for my final report was accomplished in stages through analysis of course readings, intensive class discussions, in-class presentations, peer reviews, and ongoing peer and instructor feedback on my work. For each evaluation theorist discussed in class, I was able to explain his/her position on the fundamental issue I had been working on throughout the semester, the significance and relevance of the position, how this position differs from other theorists and my own position and arguments on the theorist’s position. I highly benefited from this course regarding the concepts and issues in educational evaluation.
Sample Assignment:
Techniques in Educational Evaluation (EDA 641)
Professor: Nick Smith
Course Description:
This course provides an introduction to the basic concepts and procedures for conducting evaluations. Step by step guidelines for planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating service-oriented field evaluations were presented. The course focused primarily on program-level evaluations within education, but the principles covered were equally pertinent to the evaluation of products, personnel, and policies within a variety of fields. Working collaboratively in small teams, students systematically designed an evaluation plan as the final project for the course. Discussions also covered professional standards in conducting evaluations of educational programs.
My Reflection:
This course helped me practice educational evaluation. The assignments in this course focused on the development of a design for evaluating some complex service delivery or educational program. Each assignment was useful because each of them was a step in the process of planning an evaluation design. The best part of the course was, we had received feedback from the instructor on each assignment, as well as received feedback from fellow students on our draft project, which permitted us to revise our design before its final submission. Decisions about a current assignment required modifications to prior assignments; therefore it was essential we routinely revised prior assignments, which helped us improve the evaluation practices.
Sample Assignment: