Educational Leadership Course Descriptions

Topics and activities in this course include gathering of comparative information and results through program evaluation; placement of results within the context for judgment, size, and worth; ways in which evaluation results can be made more credible through careful choice of the design including research and theories associated with a program; creating a systematic evaluation of a program and developing pragmatic steps to establish improvements; and the ability to read and interpret test scores. (3 units)

This course will provide educational leaders with an opportunity to explore learning in the contemporary, technologically enhanced world. How should the “encyclopedia in our pocket” change the content and process of teaching and learning in our classrooms? What do contemporary students need to learn, what are the ways they should learn, and how can we assess that learning in the 21st century? In this course, leaders are asked to explore and rethink their assumptions about what kids should learn in school and how we should structure everything from our classrooms, our support services, to our school day. (3 Units)

EDUC - 377 Issues in Higher Education

This hands-on and team- and project-based course offers students new ways to be intentional and collaborative when designing solutions to a wide range of challenges. Students will explore the design thinking process in multiple projects, working in diverse teams to solve real-world challenges. Key principles of design thinking include being human-centered, prototype-driven, collaborative, and mindful of the process. Topics include need finding, human factors, visualization, rapid prototyping, team dynamics, and storytelling and storyboarding, to mention just a few. This course is an invitation to rediscover your creativity and experiment with the design process in a joyful and open way. It will be an opportunity for you to enhance your skills and empower you to create innovative solutions that are meaningful and will make a difference. It will energize you to tackle challenges differently and you will experience how Design Thinking can add a new perspective to your leadership. (3 Units)

This course will provide a theoretical and empirical overview of educational issues pertinent to racially minoritized groups in the U.S.  Special emphasis will be placed on understanding the separate and intersecting effects of race, class, gender, and immigrant status on racially minoritized groups’ educational attainment and achievement. The course will also provide a critical understanding of how historical, social, political, and economic forces impact on racially minoritized groups with regard to their experience in the PreK through higher educational systems.  (3 Units)

EDUC - 391 Educational Ethics

Using a socio-emotional framework this course will help future educational leaders to understand and respond to the educational opportunity gaps that exist in public schools and how to counteract them. This course will examine the opportunity gaps in PreK-20 education for low-income Latino, Native American, and African-American students. Further, we will examine theoretical lenses, research studies, case studies, policies, and practices that promote the maintenance and reproduction of the opportunity gap as well those that seek to eliminate the opportunity gap. In particular, structural issues related to the financing of public education, resource allocations, culture and language, poverty, segregation, school choice, high stakes accountability, and teachings and learning environments will be emphasized. (3 Units)