Course Offerings

• EDU / ENV 115 Environmental Education Field Experience

  This one-credit fieldwork course consists of a minimum of 20 hours of off-campus supervised experiences with organizations that emphasize the overlap between the environment and education. Students will observe, reflect upon, and participate in outreach and education duties at a local park, nature center, outdoor school, or other environmental agency.

• EDU 211-219. Clinical Field Experiences

  Field work consists of off-campus supervised experiences.  For teacher candidates, four separate one-credit experiences will take place in Professional Development Schools and include experiences with special needs students.  Field work opportunities for Human Development majors may also include international teaching experiences or alternative experiences studying related school personnel.

• EDU 211, 212, 213, 214. Clinical Field Experiences - Elementary

  This four-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences, including experience with special needs students.  For teacher candidates, these will take place in a Professional Development School. (1 credit each)

• EDU 215. Clinical Field Experience - Alternative

  This course is designed for Human Development majors and students in Education Certification programs who participate in the international teaching experience. Students are responsible for planning, implementing, and assessing lessons as well as participating in the school community. (2 credits)

• EDU 216, 217. Clinical Field Experience - Secondary

  This two-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences, including experiences with special needs students.  For teacher candidates, these will take place in a Professional Development School. (1 credit each)

• EDU 218, 219. Clinical Field Experience - Human Development

  This two-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences.  Fieldwork opportunities may also include alternative experiences studying related educational personnel. (1 credit each)

• EDU 251. Principles of Education

  A general summary of the field of education. The historical, philosophical, and sociological foundations of education will be surveyed; contemporary education in the United States will be examined.

• EDU 252. Educational Psychology

  A general summary of theories of educational psychology. Aspects of evaluation, individual differences, and psychological adjustments that are relevant to education and applicable to classroom practices will be examined.

• EDU 303. Comparative Education

  A study of the educational systems of various nations. Social, political, and economic influences upon educational practice and theory will be considered.

• EDU 305. Qualitative Inquiry in Education

  This course offers an overview of qualitative research methods and an introduction to action research within the field of education.  Course participants will be asked to develop their epistemological framing of a research project, cultivate an understanding of researcher positionality and ethics, and further their engagement in critical inquiry through a qualitative lens.  The class will develop students’ abilities to conduct participant observations and interviews; write a literature review; carry out qualitative data analyses; and write and present from a research study. Prerequisites: EDU 251 and 252, or permission of the instructor.

• EDU 307. Literacy in the Content Area

  Literacy in the Content Area is designed to prepare pre-service educators to develop in diverse students the literacy skills and concepts necessary for learning across content areas. Discussions of best-practice research and theory are intended to provide future educators with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to identify learners’ literacy needs and teach to a variety of needs. This is an MSDE-approved literacy course. Prerequisites: Education 251 and 252 or permission of the instructor.

• EDU 311. Human Geography

  The course examines the relationships between the physical environment, population, and culture in the evolution of global regions. (Offered spring, even years)

• EDU 315. Traditional and Modern Grammar

  The course reviews traditional grammar and introduces generative/transformational grammar. It promotes confidence and competence in a student’s ability to recognize and manipulate grammatical elements of English.

• EDU 318. Cultural & Linguistic Diversity in Education

  This course is an examination of contemporary cultural and linguistic diversity within the United States educational environments. Special attention is given to cultural problems and issues that influence opportunities and performance in educational institutions. The basic premise of the course is that teachers play an important role in creating a positive classroom learning environment and bringing school success, especially for English language learners. Students will develop understandings of the impact of culture, cultural diversity, immigration, migration, colonialism, and power on language policy and on students currently learning English as a Second Language.

• EDU 330. Diversity and Inclusion

  Students will learn: a) to understand the nature and range of special needs among pupils in today’s public schools; b) to differentiate instruction to meet the special needs of students in our multicultural society; c) to interpret and implement an Individualized Educational Program; and d) to use a range of support services available to students and teachers. Prerequisites: Education 251 and 252.

• EDU 341. Designing and Measuring Learning Experiences

This course prepares educators in schools, museums, and other learning contexts to make decisions about how to best design learning experiences for different student audiences, and how to evaluate the success of those designs. As individuals, small groups, and in collaboration with the community, we will design and implement a diverse array of learning experiences including individual classroom lessons, semester-long units, one-day special events and field trip opportunities, and museum exhibits and other public educational displays. We will also learn how to measure success in learning by exploring best practices in assessment and evaluation.

 

• EDU 351. Processes and Acquisition of Reading

  An investigation of research explaining the relationship between language acquisition and reading development, the interactive nature of the reading process, and the interrelationship of reading and writing. Topics include assessing the stages of literacy development from emergent literacy through fluency in the language arts processes of speaking, listening, reading, and writing and applying corresponding instructional strategies. This is a Maryland-approved reading course. Prerequisites: Education 251 and 252, or permission of the instructor.

• EDU 352. Reading Instruction and Assessment

  Students will demonstrate mastery of instructional strategies used to make educational decisions in a balanced literacy program including developmentally appropriate word recognition and comprehension strategies. Students will evaluate, use, and interpret a variety of assessment techniques and processes, local, state, and national instruments. The co-requisite clinical field experience will require the student to plan, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate reading and language arts instruction and evaluation in a Professional Development School classroom. This is a Maryland-approved reading course. Prerequisite: Education 351.

• EDU 354 / ENG 342. Children's & Young Adult Literature

  This course involves the reading and study of literary texts by notable authors, with children and young adults as the major audience.  We will explore literary elements, evaluation criteria, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, literature response in print media and the arts, classics, and contemporary works.  This course provides opportunities to examine various forms of communication and interpretation, implementation of technology, and divergent thinking in order to assist those interested in children’s and young adult literature to become more reflective and effective communicators.  This is a Maryland-approved reading course.

• EDU 374. Museum, Field, Community Education Internship

The two-credit internship is designed as a culminating experience for students in the Museum, Field, and Community Education Minor.  Students will be placed with a local partner in informal education based on their content area of expertise, including but not limited to museums, historical societies, art spaces, environmental education centers, and Washington College Centers for Excellence.  Working with a professional in the field, students will synthesize their content knowledge and skills and apply them beyond the classroom, creating educational materials that can be used by the community partner in the future.  Students are to spend a minimum of 40 hours over the course of the semester working with the community partner; there are no regular in-class meetings, but students will communicate regularly with the course instructor.

• EDU 401, 402. Principles of Teaching I & II: Secondary

  An exploration of the art and science of teaching and a study of curriculum. Course content, teaching methods, planning, instructional technology, as well as observation and performance of varied teaching techniques are combined to prepare prospective teachers for their student teaching. EDU 252 and 401 in combination comprise a Maryland-approved reading course.

• EDU 403. Special Methods in the Teaching Field

  A course concentrating upon the specific teaching field of the student. Examines objectives and the nature and place of the academic discipline in the secondary school, with emphasis placed on methods and materials for teaching that discipline in light of the changing demands of 21st-century education.

  Corequisite: EDU 405.

  Students in EDU 403 choose the section that is appropriate for their area of certification:

  • 10-Art

  • 11-Biology

  • 12-Business Ed.

  • 13-Chemistry

  • 14-English

  • 15-French

  • 16-German

  • 17-Math

  • 18-Physics

  • 19-Social Studies

  • 20-Spanish

  • 21-Theater

  • 22-Music
  • 23-Environmental Science
  • 24-Computer Science
• EDU 404. Secondary Teaching Internship

  The first of a two-semester internship, EDU 404 requires the teacher candidate to begin to show proficiency in a Professional Development School classroom.  Teacher candidates also participate in monthly evening seminars that supplement their PDS classroom experiences. Two credits.

• EDU 405. Secondary Teaching Internship

  The second of a two-semester internship, EDU 405 represents the culmination of the professional development of the teacher candidate.  The teacher candidate is required to demonstrate increasing responsibility for planning, assessing, and evaluating instructional effectiveness in a Professional Development Classroom.  Teacher candidates will also participate in seminars held on campus.  8 credits. Laboratory fee.  Prerequisite: EDU 404.

• EDU 406. Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy: A Seminar in Peer Tutoring

  This seminar explores current research and theory on the writing process and prepares students for potential work as Peer Consultants in the college Writing Center. Over the semester, students will develop rhetorical knowledge and critical strategies for working with other writers and their texts. To be considered for the seminar, students must submit faculty recommendations and a writing sample and complete an interview with the Director of the Writing Center. Students from all disciplines may apply. 

• EDU 411. Curriculum and Instruction: Mathematics and Natural Science

  This course examines the mathematics and science concepts, curriculum, methods, and materials used for effective instruction in mathematics and science in elementary school. The focus will be on the development of strategies for active learning that will help children construct a meaningful understanding of mathematics and science. Prerequisites: Education 351 and 352. Corequisite: EDU 413.

• EDU 412. Curriculum and Instruction: Language Arts and Social Studies

  Teachers of social studies should possess the knowledge, capabilities and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of the ten social studies content themes as identified by the National Council for the Social Studies. This course provides the teacher candidate with some of the organizational tools and instructional strategies needed to conduct classroom instruction in social studies and in the language arts, primarily writing. Prerequisites: Education 351 and 352. Corequisite: EDU 413.

• EDU 413. Elementary Teaching Internship

  The first of a two-semester internship, EDU 413 requires the teacher candidate to begin to show proficiency in a Professional Development School classroom. Teacher candidates will also participate in weekly seminars held on campus. Prerequisites: Education 351 and 352.

• EDU 414. Elementary Teaching Internship

  The second of a two-semester internship, EDU 414 represents the culmination of the professional development of the teacher candidate. The teacher candidate is required to demonstrate increasing responsibility for assessing, planning, and evaluating instructional effectiveness in a Professional Development School classroom. Teacher candidates will also participate in weekly seminars held on campus. 12 credits. Laboratory fee. Prerequisite: Education 413.

• EDU 190, 290, 390. Internships

  Internships under departmental guidance.

• EDU 194, 294, 394, 494. Special Topics of Education

  Advanced study in a selected area under departmental guidance.

• EDU 195, 295, 395, 495. On-campus Research

  On-campus research under departmental guidance.

• EDU 197, 297, 397, 497. Independent Study

  Independent Study under departmental guidance.

• EDU 196, 296, 396, 496. Off-campus Research

  Off-campus research under departmental guidance.

• EDU SCE. Senior Capstone Experience

  The Senior Capstone Experience for Human Development majors seeking teacher certification will include the preparation and public presentation of a professional teaching portfolio. For students meeting honors SCE requirements, the portfolio will include an independent action research project.

  Human Development majors selecting the non-certification route will complete and present an interdisciplinary, independent research study based on fieldwork, which will generally be in the form of a thesis.