Graduate Degree. Instructional Technology Master s Program

Transcription

1 Instructional Master s Program Graduate Degree College of Education Education Foundations & Leadership

2 Table of Contents page Program Information... 2 Requirements for Degree Completion. 2 Program Demand. 2 Considering Admission into the University of Akron 3 After Admission: Complete Online PCD and Take Courses. 4 Recommended Course Sequence Graduation.. 7 IT Master Program: eportfolio Instruction 8-10 Instruction for Writing a Good Reflection Alignment Document for eportfolio Submission Capstone eportfolio Rubric TK20 Instruction Program Contact Frequently Asked Questions Useful Links for Students Graduate Program in Instructional 1

3 The Master of Arts in Educational Foundations and Leadership with a Specialization in Instructional This Graduate degree program will develop skills in the design of effective technology enhanced instruction, the production of multimedia learning resources and the planning for successful integration and implementation of technology into the teaching and learning experience. While many of the students who choose this program are working teachers wishing to learn how to better integrate technology into their teaching practice, the knowledge and skills acquired through the program prepare graduates for employment as technology facilitators in school districts, technology resource personnel in K-16 educational institutions, training specialists and instructional designers in education, business, and government, as well as multimedia developers and specialists. Program Information The program offers a master s degree that also has the K-12 Computer/ endorsement embedded with in the degree to those holding a current K-12 Ohio teaching license. Students can also complete just the endorsement if they wish. Two certificate programs are offered; Certificate in New Media Technologies and elearning Certificate. All the courses in the program are offered in a full online. There are no face-to-face meetings required, but professors may schedule synchronous online meetings, which could be required. Requirements for Degree Completion This 30 credit hour degree program combines Foundations coursework with specific coursework in the field and requires the completion of an eportfolio as demonstration of program mastery. The program goals and objectives are based on the ISTE national technology standards for teachers and for facilitators of technology (NETS-T and NETS-TF). The Foundations coursework grounds the student in educational theory, philosophy and research. The core instructional technology coursework establishes their skills as technology uses and facilitates the development of technology integrators, trainers, and leaders. The coursework is tightly aligned and articulated for successful completion of the eportfolio. Students completing will have aligned exemplary eportfolio artifacts to ISTE national standards demonstrating their proficiencies. The following chart outlines the required coursework: Table 1: 5150 IT Coursework Foundations Requirements (9) Instructional Core (15) Electives (6) Choose : 600 Philosophies of Education 5100:624 Educational Psychology 5100:640 Techniques of 5150: 610 Intro to Instructional 5150:614 Planning for 5150: 5150: *5150:632 Web-Based Learning Systems 5150:639 Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning 5150:635 Emerging Research 5150:638 Integrating and Implementing *Required elective for students who want the K-12 Computer/ Endorsement Program Demand Enrollments in the Instructional are increasing and we fully expect continued growth based on the interest and need in the field of instructional technology as well as the availability of the program as it moves toward online distribution. This is the largest IT Master s program in the state according to the Occupational Supply Demand System (2009, Georgia Career Information System). Graduate Program in Instructional 2

4 Considering Admission into the University of Akron Graduate School Homepage General information regarding graduate school admission, graduation, graduate assistantships, etc. can be found on the following webpage. Graduate Bulletin Apply Online Please apply on-line at the Graduate School web link. You will be applying for the Master s in INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY degree Transfer of Credit For questions regarding the transfer of graduate credit, first review the graduate school policies: Then, please speak with your advisor. Typically the university will consider transfer of 9 credits from another institution as long as a transcript and course description is included. Cost and Billing For information of the cost of graduate school and billing information go to the following website. Financial Aid Paying for college is a vital part of the education process! it is important to be informed of the many sources of aid available. Student loans are available to degree-seeking graduate students. Information on student loans can be found through the Office of Student Financial Aid. Registering for Classes Contact Kelly Chaff to register for your first Core class 5150:610 Introduction to Instructional. You must take 5150:610 as a prerequisite or co-requisite for any IT course. You can take the foundations courses before you take 610 Introduction to Instructional. Do not wait to schedule, classes fill up quickly and you don t want to be closed out of a course. Getting Your Grades Go to My Akron to view your course grades. These are generally available the week following the end of the semester. If you have questions regarding your grade, you should first contact your instructor. Graduate Program in Instructional 3

5 After Admission: Complete Online PCD and Take Courses Once fully admitted to the College of Education, Instructional Master s Program, please follow the recommended course sequence that fits your need to start taking courses. For example, if you enter in Fall semester and want to take 2 courses per semester, you will take the courses based on the schedule sequenced suggested in the Fall Program Entrance column of the Table 3 on page 3. There are two pre-requisite rules of taking IT courses: 1) 5150: 610 Introduction to Instructional is a pre-requisite for the rest of IT master courses. In your first semester Student Services Counselor: Kelly Chaff will register you for the 5150: 610 course. 2) 5150: is a pre-requisite for 5150:632 Web-based Learning Systems. You need to take course 633 before taking course 632. As long as you take courses by following the recommended course sequence on page 3 and 4, you will take courses based on the two pre-requisite rules above. Please plan your program schedule according to the following Cyclical Schedule (Table 2) and Recommended Sequence (Table 3-7) specifying when courses are offered. If you have no questions with the recommended schedule, please complete your program course distribution (PCD) form here based on the recommended schedule and start taking course based on the PCD: QkE6MQ If you have any questions about the recommended schedule and need to make some adjustments, please contact your program advisor. You may reach your program advisor via Dr. Cheryl Ward: cward@uakron.edu Dr. I-Chun Tsai: tsai1@uakron.edu Once the PCD is submitted via the link above, you will start taking course based on the PCD. However, if you have encounter any issues to register courses, please contact Student Services Counselor: Kelly Chaff via ITonline@uakron.edu or toll free number: Table 2: 5150 Cyclical Schedule Course Title Offer Semesters Fall Spring Summer 5150:610 Introduction to Instructional X X X (8 weeks) 5150: X X 5150:639 Strategies for Online Learning X X (5 weeks) 5150:633 Multimedia and Hypermedia X X 5150:632 Web-based Learning Systems X X (8 weeks) 5150:635 Emerging Technologies X (5 weeks) 5150:638 Integrating and Implementing X X 5150:614 Planning for X X (5 weeks) Graduate Program in Instructional 4

6 Recommended Course Sequence Table 3: Course Sequence for students taking 2 courses per semester: Fall Program Entrance Spring Program Entrance Summer Program Entrance Fall Fall Start 610 Intro to Instructional (IT) Spring 600 Philosophy of Education Summer 624 Educational Psychology 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Fall Spring Summer Fall 614 Planning for 640 Techniques of Research 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning or Integrating and Implementing Spring Start 610 Intro to IT 600 Philosophy of Education 624 Educational Psychology 614 Planning for 640 Techniques of Research 638 Implementing and Integrating 632 Web-Based Learning Systems 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning or 635 Summer Start 610 Intro to IT 600 Philosophy of Education 638 Integrating and Implementing 624 Educational Psychology 632 Web-Based Learning Systems 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning or Planning for 640 Techniques of Research Table 4: Recommended course sequence for students taking 3 courses per semester: Fall Program Entrance Spring Program Entrance Summer Program Entrance Fall Fall Start 610 Intro to Instructional (IT) Spring 600 Philosophy of Education 632 Web-Based Learning Systems 638 Integrating and Implementing Summer 624 Educational Psychology 640 Techniques of Research 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning or 635 Spring Start 610 Intro to IT 600 Philosophy of Education 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning or Planning for Fall 614 Planning for 624 Educational Psychology 640 Techniques of Research 638 Implementing and Integrating Summer Start 610 Intro to IT 600 Philosophy of Education 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning or Integrating and Implementing 614 Planning for Spring 632 Web-Based Learning Systems 624 Educational Psychology 640 Techniques of Research Summer 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Graduate Program in Instructional 5

7 Table 5: Recommended course sequence for students getting Endorsement: Fall Program Entrance Spring Program Entrance Summer Program Entrance Fall Fall Start 610 Intro to Instructional (IT) Spring 638 Integrating and Implementing Summer 614 Planning for 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Fall Spring Spring Start 610 Intro to IT 614 Planning for 632 Web-Based Learning Systems 638 Integrating and Implementing Summer Start 610 Intro to IT 614 Planning for 632 Web-Based Learning Systems 638 Integrating and Implementing Table 6: Recommended course sequence for students getting elearning Certificate: Fall Program Entrance Spring Program Entrance Summer Program Entrance Fall Fall Start Spring 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Spring Start 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning Summer 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning 635 Emerging Technologies for Instruction 635 Emerging Technologies for Instruction 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Summer Start 639 Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning 635 Emerging Technologies for Instruction Fall 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Spring Table 7: Recommended course sequence for students getting New Media Certificate: Fall Program Entrance Spring Program Entrance Summer Program Entrance Fall Fall Start Spring 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Spring Start Summer 635 Emerging Technologies for Instruction 635 Emerging Technologies for Instruction 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Summer Start 635 Emerging Technologies for Instruction Fall Spring 632 Web-Based Learning Systems Graduate Program in Instructional 6

8 Graduation To graduate, you need to complete 9 credits of foundational courses, 15 credits of the Core IT courses, 6 credits of the elective courses, and your eportfolio. To check on your progress as you go through the program, you can go My Akron and check your Degree Audit Report (DARS) DARS Report. Here is a guide for how to check your DARS report: This advising report shows all your transferred work, as well as your current courses and completed courses at The University of Akron. If you have questions, you can contact your advisor. It is your responsibility to apply for graduation two semesters prior to when you plan to graduate: May 1 for December graduation; September 1 for May graduation; and February 1 for August graduation. You must apply for graduation online in My Akron. Here is a guide for you: AkronGradApp.pdf To submit your eportfolio for graduate review in your final semester, you need to sign up in the Google Doc for eportfolio submission at least one semester before you plan to graduate. Here is the Google Doc link to sign up your submission: c6mq When you are done with your eportfolio, you need to upload the Alignment Document with the URL of your eportfolio to TK20 by the assigned date: Nov 15 for Fall Graduates, March 15 for Spring Graduates, and July 15 for Summer Graduates. Your submission will be reviewed based on the rubric on page 17. Please visit this site for more information about graduation such as Graduation Dates, Dates for application, how to apply, verify attendance, etc Graduate Program in Instructional 7

9 IT Master Program: eportfolio Instruction I. eportfolio Requirements for IT Master Program The graphic above is a good visual representation of the components that make a good instructional technology eportfolio. Helen Barrett who has done much work with eportfolio for K-12 and higher education created this graphic. Chick out her site at: This documents outlines the requirements for your final graduation eportfolio. Although this is not due until your final semester, the work must begin at the beginning of your program. You will collect artifacts from your coursework as well as from the field experiences you plan during your time in the program. Please use the Alignment Documents to plan your eportfolio and Field Experience. Rationale for Field Experiences In addition to coursework of IT Master Program, application of the technology skills learned is the core of the field experience requirements for the IT Master s Program. Field experiences are done all through the program, not in any particular term. These are seen as growth experiences as a technology leader and facilitator. You are in control of the design of your own field experiences. If you are a teacher most of your field experiences might be in the schools, but we encourage you to seek out experiences in other situations too! Diverse experiences are important to demonstrate all your skills in your eportfolio. Planning your Field Experiences During the IT Master s Program, you should be planning and implementing your experiences by applying the skills you have learned in the field like your classroom, workplace, and community. You should try and apply your technology skills in many different venues to make sure you have diverse experiences. The chart can be used to document the activities you have already implemented as well as those you have planned. If you do not have enough field experiences at this point, the chart can help you plan where you need activities to meet the requirements. Having a plan is essential for the completion of this graduation requirement. You should plan to have around 8 substantial field experience examples aligned to the 8 NETS-C standards. This being said, typically any single field experience might align with more than one standard. So on the Alignment Document you would list ALL the field experiences that align with any ONE standard. The Alignment Document is a summary document you will hand in with your final eportfolio showing how each artifact you select is aligned with the NETS-C standards. II. eportfolio Sections & Artifacts Your eportfolio will include artifacts you have developed in your coursework as well as how you have applied this knowledge out in the field. You will be collecting these artifacts and reflecting on these as you develop your eportfolio. Some of the artifacts will come from the main assignments in your coursework and some artifacts will come from your application of these skills during your field experience. Your artifacts will show your proficiency with the NETS-C standards. You will show how your artifacts align with these standards on the attached Alignment Document. Below are the eportfolio Sections that you need to apply for classifying the artifacts. Home Page Leadership (L)-2 Graduate Program in Instructional 8

10 Teaching & Learning (TL)-5 Instructional Design (ID)-6 Multimedia Development (DD)-8 Professional Development (PD)-2 Resume Page Under each section, you will include artifacts completed in IT courses and Field Experiences. 1. Coursework artifacts: Course artifacts will be the main projects done in each one of your IT Master s core courses. Examples of this are: Course Artifacts ep Sections Required Courses in Instructional (15) 5150:610 (3) Intro to Instructional Pre-admission Competencies Verification PD Teaching & Philosophy PD Wiki Reflection TL 5150:614 (3) Planning for Plan Evaluation L Grant Writing Project L 5150:631 (3) Instructional Design ID Project ID ID Paper ID 5150:633 (3) Multimedia and Hypermedia MP1-5 MD Design Document ID Final Website MD 5150:638 (3) Integrating and Implementing Integrating Project TL Paper & Lesson Plan TL Electives in Instructional (6) 5150:632 (3) Web-Based Learning Systems WBLS Project MD 5150:635 (3) Emerging Technologies for Instruction MP1-5 MD ET Sharing Project MD 5150:639 (3) Strategies for Online Teaching and Online Learning Project TL/ID Learning Online Learning Paper TL Foundations (9) Optional Items if desired 5100:600 (3) Philosophies of Education Main project or paper TL 5100:624 (3) Educational Psychology Main project or paper TL 5100:640 (3) Techniques of Research Main project or paper TL 2. Field Experience Artifacts: During the IT Master s Program, you should be planning and implementing your experiences by applying the skills you have learned in the field like your classroom, workplace, and community. You should try and apply your technology skills in many different venues to make sure you have diverse experiences. In addition to the artifacts listed above, each eportfolio section needs to include at least 2 substantial artifacts from the field experiences. Your artifacts created from field experiences will be included in the section part of each eportfolio section as a representation of your growth as a technology user and progress toward a technology facilitator and leader. During the time you are in the IT Master s Program you should plan opportunities for application of the skills learned in your classes in the areas of Leadership, Teaching and Learning, Design and Development, and Professional Development. The artifacts to be included should also focus on the standards listed and address any strengths or weaknesses you identified in your pre-competency verification project. You should have at least 2 field experience addressing each of the 6 main standards listed below. This being said, typically any single field experience might align with more than one standard. C-1. Visionary Leadership Coaches inspire and participate in the development and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive integration of technology to promote excellence and support transformational change throughout the instructional environment. Graduate Program in Instructional 9

11 C-2. Teaching, Learning, and Assessments Coaches assist teachers in using technology effectively for assessing student learning, differentiating instruction, and providing rigorous, relevant, and engaging learning experiences for all students. C-3. Digital Age Learning Environments coaches create and support effective digital-age learning environments to maximize the learning of all students. C-4. Professional Development and Program Evaluation coaches conduct needs assessments, develop technology-related professional learning programs, and evaluate the impact on instructional practice and student learning. C-5. Digital Citizenship coaches model and promote digital citizenship. C-6. Content Knowledge and Professional Growth Educational technology facilitators understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and assist teachers in applying that understanding in their practice. Educational technology facilitators. (For the full standards visit ) 3. Alignment Document: To submit your eportfolio to TK20, you must submit the Alignment Document including the URL of your eportfolio on the top of the table to TK20: IT Masters - e-portfolio Capstone. On the Alignment Document you would list ALL the course artifacts and artifacts completed in field experiences that align with standards. The Alignment Document is a summary document you will hand in with your final eportfolio showing how each artifact you select is aligned with the NETS-C standards. Artifacts may align with more than one main standard and more than one objective. You may describe parts of the final artifact that meets different standards. We are looking for your artifacts to cover all of the main benchmarks C1 thorught C6 and show coverage of many of the indicator level objectives. You may find the Alignment Document attached on page 12 of this handbook and a digital copy in the CONTENT space of Springboard: IT Maste s Program Portal. III. Development of Your eportfolio Your eportfolio is a valuable reflection of your work in your master s course work and application of these skills in the field. This becomes an asset to show your expertise in instructional technology. You are required to create this product in your University of Akron Zipspace or other website developing tools, such as Google Sites, Yola.com, wix.com, or etc. You will learn how to do this in the 5150:633 Multimedia and Hypermedia class. Reflections: Reflecting on your work is an important part of communicating your progress as well as understanding how technology is impacting learning and how your facilitation skills are improving. A specific format for reflecting is provided to ensure quality and effective reflections. When presenting artifacts for coursework and field experience in eportfolio, you will provide brief description of each course artifact to address what you did for the course project, but more detailed reflection for artifacts created in Field Experiences. Please refer to Guideline of writing reflection on page 10 of this handbook for what you need to cover in the reflection for field experience artifacts. IV. IT Master s Program Portal (Springboard site) In Springboard, you should have a link to the IT Master s Program Portal on the right side of your screen or course titles listed after login to Springboard. The link says click here to access your IT Master s Program. This area has been created to provide you with up-to-date information on the program, requirements, forms, and other relevant items. Examples of exemplary eportfolios are available on this site. This area will become your go-to place for information on the program. (If you do not have this link, please let your advisor know as soon as possible.) Graduate Program in Instructional 10

12 Instruction for Writing a Good Reflection Reflection has been characterized by Dewey as the reconstruction or reorganization of experience in order to bring new meaning to that experience or learning. By examining your experience and applying the learning, you can impact the future to learn and grow. Many of us are asked to reflect on what we have learned, but purposeful reflection is not usually a directed process. There are many ways to reflect, but the following process has been helpful in developing more meaningful and useful reflection. When you are reflecting consider these questions: (a) What did you learn through reading the assigned reading and can you make a connection between your life and what you have read or learned? (b) What do you now know or what can you now do that you didn't know or were not yet able to do before? How does this make you feel? Are you concerned about any of the things you observed or experienced? (c) Based on your experiences, what will you do in the future to make use of your learning. For example, will you, in some way, behave differently? Will you do further readings? Are there things you will observe more closely or in a different way? How will this impact your teaching or students. I. To write the reflection for your FE artifacts, you will use a three-part format: 1. Description. Briefly describe your experiences (class activities, reading assignment, your school or job experiences). Do this in a descriptive rather than a judgmental way (merely record events without editorializing or agreeing or disagreeing). Make connections. 2. Impact. Tell what you have learned (or confirm what you had already believed, or how what you have learned differs from what you believed). How do you feel about what you learned? 3. Intent. Make a statement about what you intend to do as a result of your learning and feelings. BE SPECIFIC! Phrase this in a personal and positive way ("what I will do is..." rather than "what I won't do is..."). Good reflection has three elements: recollection, analysis and interpretation, and proposed action. Put another way, reflection involves description, impact, and intent. Description simply involves recalling your experiences such as class activities, textbook readings, and school involvement. These experiences provide the basis for the impact and intent sections. You can write the description in paragraph form or simply list all the experiences related to the topic under consideration. It is helpful to make connections from your readings and learning to real life experiences. The experiences named in the description are considered and analyzed in the impact portion of your response. You comment on what you learned from each experience (or combination of experiences), what was confirmed or disproved, and how you feel about what you have learned. A way to examine the impact an event has had on you is proposed by Surbeck et al. (1991). You can respond through reaction, elaboration, and contemplation. When merely reacting, you comment on your feelings (positive or negative) towards a class activity, reading, or school experience. You might, for example, react with a personal concern about an event or with delighted surprise. When elaborating, you compare your reactions with other classes, classrooms, or experiences. You may for instance, refer to a general principle, a theory, or a moral or philosophical position. When contemplating, you can focus on constructive personal insights or on problems or difficulties. You might focus on education and schooling issues, teaching methods, future goals, attitudes or views. Another focus might be on social issues, ethical matters or moral concerns. The most important aspect of your reflection likely is the intent. It involves interpreting the impact and building the bridge to action. Intent involves planning. It is what you intend to do as a result of what you have learned. Your intent should include how and when you will do what you want to do. Without a good intent, description and impact may go nowhere. As you gain more experience with reflecting on teaching, you will develop a framework for judging what should be added to your vision of yourself as a teacher. As you gain experience with reflective writing, the intent will become easier. Graduate Program in Instructional 11

13 II. Examples at The Three Levels 1. Reacting (limited depth) Description: We had a guest speaker today who spoke on children's literature. Impact: I was inspired by our speaker. Her enthusiasm for children's literature is exciting. I share the excitement. I love the idea of incorporating literature and textbooks to give a creative, exciting science curriculum. Intent: I plan to find books and literature to make my science curriculum more exciting. 2. Reacting and Elaborating (more depth) Description: We had a guest speaker in today who spoke on children's literature. Impact: I was inspired by our speaker. Her enthusiasm for children's literature is exciting. I share that excitement. I love the idea of incorporating literature and textbooks to give a creative, exciting science curriculum. I think that we, as teachers, must do a better job of introducing students to good literature. Limiting ourselves to the readers we had as students can be stifling. As we learned in my language methods class, many of the stories in these basal readers were chosen or written specifically for their readability, not for the quality of the writing of the characters. Integrating these good stories into science (and other areas) will also allow me to cover more subjects. Intent: I plan to search out quality literature I can use in a science context and expose my students to good writing. My students won't be limited to the prescribed readability levels. I want them to read books they love. I plan to begin evaluating books on how well they will work in science and other subjects. 3. Reading, Elaborating, and Contemplating (even more depth) Description: We had a guest speaker in today who spoke on children's literature. Impact: I was inspired by our speaker. Her enthusiasm for children's literature is exciting. I share that excitement. I love the idea of incorporating literature and textbooks to give a creative, exciting science curriculum. I think that we, as teachers, must do a better job of introducing students to good literature. Limiting ourselves to the readers we had as students can be stifling. As we learned in my language methods class, many of the stories in these basal readers were chosen or written specifically for their readability, not for the quality of the writing of the characters. Integrating these good stories into science (and other areas) will also allow me to cover more subjects Of course, a problem I might have is finding the money to buy the books. School funding is tight these days. If I end up in a school where the principal wants me to use a basal reader I might have a dilemma. Do I do what I believe right, or do I do what I am told to do? Intent: I plan to search out quality literature and expose my students to good writing. My students won't be limited to the prescribed readability levels. I want them to read books they love. I plan to begin evaluating books on how well they will work in science and other subjects. If funding is too tight, I'll have to buy some of my own, or have a popcorn sale, or whatever. I will need to speak to my principal about my plans, though. He or she may take some convincing. Maybe I can start slowly and use the basal reader but supplement it with quality literature then begin to move children's literature into science and other subjects. Graduate Program in Instructional 12