M.Ed. in English Education

This course examines cognition, specifically the psychological processes of how individuals think and remember as applied to developing judgment and reasoning throughout the learning process. This course will also explore critical thinking as a process reflective of Bloom's Taxonomy incorporating active learning by formulating ideas, gaining knowledge and comprehension, making appropriate applications, and moving into higher levels of learning through analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

By creating new dimensions of thought to establish meaning and relevance, the ability to conceptualize promotes transferability. This course builds foundational understanding of practical approaches to teach conceptualization while also developing personal and professional knowledge and skills in interrelations, multiple perspectives, concept map development, generalizations and terminology across disciplines. A focus on synergistic effects moves learning across domains into multiple contexts for use in novel situations.

Students in this course will apply learning theories and instructional design principles across face-to-face, blended, and online environments. They adapt instruction to each setting including collaboration and assessments. Learners create products, set expectations, encourage interactions, select strategies and materials, and design evaluations.

Students in this course will design effective curricula within their professional fields. They apply principles of curriculum alignment and backward design to develop comprehensive curriculum maps. Topics include how to conduct needs assessments, plan curricula, and develop learning activities or resources for in-person, blended, and online learning environments.

Covey's principle of "beginning with the end in mind" sets the stage for developing competencies in using different language strategies to convey meaning, relevance, and purpose for reading and writing within various genres. By exploring theories for developing and interpreting concepts, learners establish a vehicle for integrating content across disciplines as a way to interpret, synthesize, and respond to issues experienced by various audiences. Emphasis is placed on argumentative, informative/explanatory, narrative, and other forms of writing, their structure, and appropriateness to various audiences.

This course aids in understanding the influences on creation of thought and perspective as reflected in personal expressions and professional expectations. By examining literary and commercial works on the same topic, learners consider how personal or professional perspectives can take a dramatic shift depending upon environmental influences and delivery approaches impacting comprehension. Understanding the drama of a personal story gives expression to the human experience.

This course investigates the societal factors impacting literary expression including class, politics, gender, and globalization, as expressed in music, digital devices, images, film, and other technologies. From wars to social media, an understanding is gained of how these have influenced changes in the English language over time, as a backdrop for responding and reflecting upon personal and professional fulfillment.

This course introduces the impact of language in personal and public writing and speaking -- including uses of propaganda, contradiction, letters, novels, journalism, poetry, theater, and visual media - on social and political change, including insurrection, legislation, and military conflict. To accomplish a purpose for communicating to a selected audience, the structure and conventions of language are examined.

This course defines ways media has served as a conveyance of ideas, generating responses from the town crier to digital devices. By exploring the theories and psychological factors of developing and interpreting meaning, learners engage in forms of communication based upon research into the patterns of language, ways to determine accuracy and truth, and a best-fit approach for a selected audience.

This course selects influential works from pivotal moments in history which shaped the course of human interaction. "The pen is mightier than the sword" has given way to the tweet of thumbs. Through research, learners explore how the Library of Congress determines what to archive, identifies significance, and sorts content. The nature of new literacies frame the study of exemplary writers and the descriptive writing process.

The Capstone Experience is designed for candidates to demonstrate and document the impact of their knowledge and competencies gained throughout and as a result of studies related to the various Professional Education Studies programs.

This course prepares educators to become proficient consumers and practitioners of research in educational settings. They will learn to evaluate existing research, conduct action research, and apply scientific inquiry principles to address current educational challenges. Educators will develop skills in data-driven decision-making and learn to use research as a tool for continuous improvement in their organizations. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to integrate evidence-based practices into their work, enhancing their effectiveness as educational leaders.