Courses

This is a graduate TESL course designed specifically for students wishing to work with K-12 English Language Learners. Based in a Christian worldview perspective, the focus is on historical and contemporary understandings of language, principles, techniques, and methods for diverse K-12 populations, with particular attention to understanding and facilitating learners’ capacity to effectively appropriate the language of schooling. Specific attention is given to the intersectional and interdisciplinary nature of teaching English Language learners with concepts and frameworks from associated disciplines, such as sociology, anthropology, indigenous studies, psychology, and performance disciplines, including art, music and human kinetics.

This course serves as the capstone course in the Master of Arts in Educational Studies - Inclusive Education program. It reviews the current state of the field and addresses numerous ethical and moral issues such as the inherent value of life and of euthanasia. In addition, social role valorization is explored in the context of persons with special learning needs as well as related issues of diversity in culture and gender.

This seminar-style course provides training in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs for conducting research in social sciences. It is an advanced level course that assumes competencies in statistics and social scientific research. Students are exposed to the methods and stages of basic research, applied research, and program evaluation. An emphasis is placed on educating students to critically reflect on the methods themselves - their philosophical underpinnings, promises and limitations. This course is designed to be interactive and entails a mix of lectures, discussion and classroom activity.

This course is an examination of common parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques used in psychology education and other social sciences research, and principles of accurate application and interpretation of those techniques (e.g., effect size; power; sample size; implications of violations of test assumptions). Topics focus on multiple regression, different models of analysis of variance and covariance, and also include categorical data analysis, meta- analysis, and an introduction to interpretation of multivariate statistics. An emphasis is placed on applied data analysis and accurate conceptualization, rather than statistical theory.

Every non-thesis student in the MA in Educational Studies - Inclusive Education program is required to write a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive is a take-home written exam of 72 hours duration, typically scheduled from a Friday to a Monday. The exam consists of questions from the coursework integrating the professional practice of supporting diverse learners in education within case scenarios, and questions addressing the ethical and legal practice of the profession. Students co-create the exam syllabus from the beginning of the program so they can prepare for the exam as they complete the program requirements.

The major project is a synthesis of research, theory, and practice. Students work under the supervision of an approved supervisor to design, implement and evaluate a project related to their professional field of interest. Such projects may involve an analysis of current educational policy, development of a curriculum product, or an in- depth analysis of extant literature on a particular topic related to the course of study. The main focus of the project is the integration of research and theoretical and practice perspectives to a particular practice, focus or problem.

Students are required to complete a thesis (6 sem. hrs.) that passes an examiner external to the University with expertise in the particular area of the thesis. The thesis must be defended orally before an examination committee. Students may choose their area of research with help from the program director and other faculty. This may occur at any time after their first semester in the program.

Students are required to complete a thesis (6 sem. hrs.) that passes an examiner external to the University with expertise in the particular area of the thesis. The thesis must be defended orally before an examination committee. This is the second phase of the thesis project. Students may choose their area of research with help from the program director and other faculty. This choice may occur at any time after their first semester in the program.