Syllabus for EDL-530

CRITICAL ISSUES AND THEORIES IN CURRICULUM DESIGN AND EVALUATION, PRE-K–12

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Critical Issues and Theories in Curriculum Design and Evaluation, Pre-K–12 is designed to guide the student in the process of identifying and analyzing emerging and developing issues in curriculum design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Such issues may include academic standards, diversity, technology, testing and assessment, innovative programs, and state and federal legislation. Included are the identification of curriculum sources, how these sources influence trends, how these trends emerge and evolve, their impact on student achievement, and how professionals, particularly supervisors, curriculum developers, teacher-leaders, and teachers, can use these trends and issues to improve student learning. Students study both the positive and negative aspects of the issues and develop a responsible approach to critically assess the importance and significance of emergent and future issues in order to function as responsible professionals. (ISLLC 2, 4, 6; NJDOE 2, 4, 6).

COURSE OBJECTIVES

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Identify and analyze the sources of curriculum as a means of understanding and applying emerging trends and initiatives to improve student learning.
2. Evaluate current theories and approaches in curriculum and teaching to determine the effectiveness of various instructional methods and classroom practices.
3. Compare and contrast learning theories and curriculum practices that promote student learning and achievement.
4. Develop a rationale for specific curriculum programs and instructional methods for such audiences as at-risk students, diverse learners, disadvantaged students, the disabled, and others.
5. Adopt evaluation and assessment methods and practices that are reliable and valid means of determining the effectiveness of curriculum programs and instructional methods.
6. Explain and discuss the emerging policies and regulations that influence curriculum design, development, implementation, and evaluation.
7. Construct a personal and professional approach to identifying and analyzing future trends and issues in curriculum.
8. Demonstrate an ability to investigate, analyze, and express yourself professionally in terms of the issues and trends likely to emerge in the field of curriculum.

COURSE TOPICS

1. The basis of curriculum
2. The purpose of curriculum
3. Curriculum and the theme of care
4. Implementing curriculum change
5. Curriculum and critical thinking
6. Curriculum and student learning
7. Curriculum and instructional approaches
8. Curriculum, instruction, and contemporary issues
9. Curriculum and assessment
10. Curriculum and well-performing schools
11. Curriculum and demographics

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbook

Electronic Portfolio Registration

As a capstone experience in the Educational Leadership program, you will prepare an electronic portfolio that demonstrates your incremental achievement of the program standards. Each course in the program helps you to identify artifacts to place in your portfolio on completion of the course. To this end, you are required to purchase an electronic portfolio registration code upon your entry into the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program. Basic directions for purchasing access to and using your electronic portfolio are posted within the Educational Leadership Students Organization (online community).

COURSE STRUCTURE

Critical Issues and Theories in Curriculum Design and Evaluation, Pre-K–12 is a three-credit, graduate course, consisting of six (6) modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, assigned reading, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

1. Module 1: The Basis and Purpose of Curriculum

Course objectives covered in this module: 1, 7, 8

2. Module 2: Theme of Care; Implementing Curriculum Change

Course objectives covered in this module: 2, 7, 8

3. Module 3: Critical Thinking and Student Learning

Course objectives covered in this module: 3, 7, 8

4. Module 4: Instructional Approaches and Contemporary Issues

Course objectives covered in this module: 4, 7, 8

5. Module 5: Curriculum and Assessment

Course objectives covered in this module: 5, 7, 8

6. Module 6: Well-Performing Schools and Demographics

Course objectives covered in this module: 6, 7, 8

In addition to module assignments, you are required to complete a final field-based project on key trends in curriculum. For information about the final project, see the discussion below or go to the Final Project area of the course Web site.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete writing assignments, and complete a final field-based project on key trends in curriculum. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

Each module in the course has two or more online class discussion forums. All discussion forums take place asynchronously. Post your robust reflections on the assigned readings for each module and interact with your peers through discussion and dialogue to build a hospitable online learning community.

Online discussions provide an opportunity for you to interact with your classmates. During this aspect of the course, you respond to prompts that assist you in developing your ideas, you share those ideas with your classmates, and you comment on their posts. Discussion forum interactions promote development of a community of learners, critical thinking, and exploratory learning.

Please participate in online discussions as you would in constructive face-to-face discussions. You are expected to post well-reasoned and thoughtful reflections for each item, making reference, as appropriate, to your readings. You are also expected to reply to your classmates' posts in a respectful, professional, and courteous manner. You may, of course, post questions asking for clarification or further elucidation on a topic.

Writing Assignments

Most modules in the course include two writing assignments. The writing assignments require you to compose well-reasoned and thoughtful essays on case studies and on pro or con activities from the textbook. You are required to use APA format for your work and for all references.

Final Project

The International Bureau of Education, UNESCO (www.ibe.unesco.org), has identified key trends in curriculum, indicating that curriculum design, development, and implementation have gone from one approach to a new approach. In your final project, you will select two of these trends and discuss how your district or school has adopted (or failed to adopt) the trend. Your discussion should include data from reliable sources (e.g., student demographics or test scores), some measure of action research (e.g., staff survey), and a critical analysis of the how well (or poorly) the trend(s) have been addressed or implemented.

The project is due on the last day of the semester (see the course Calendar). You are required to use APA format in organizing your paper and for any citations. For additional details, see the Final Project area of the course Web site.

Portfolio Artifacts and Reflective Narrative

The principal artifact for this course is the final project on key trends in curriculum and its associated artifacts. Accompanying the artifact is a reflective narrative that describes the process and how the artifact meets specific standards and prepares you for school leadership.

Upload your artifact to your electronic portfolio, and be certain to indicate its alignment to the applicable ISLLC standards.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

1. Online discussions (6 sets, 23 forums)—28%
2. Case studies (5)—25%
3. Pro or con essays (5)—17%
4. Final project—30%

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.

1. Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

1. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting activities before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting activities, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.

1. Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:

1. Cheating
2. Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
3. Fabricating information or citations
4. Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
5. Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
6. Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
7. Tampering with the academic work of other students

Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized activity, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism

Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.