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Online Master of Education (MEd) in Curriculum and Instruction

Design curriculum. Stay current. Prepare for National Board Certification.

Education today is a dynamic process that must respond quickly to changes in cultural, demographic, technological and other forces. The William Woods University Online Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction prepares you to respond to these challenges by designing and developing curriculum for your classroom and assessing its effectiveness. You’ll learn about educational trends, assessment procedures, and how to use advanced learning theories and educative design to adjust curriculum in response to current research.

You will be participating in a top-ranked Education graduate program known for its excellence and for providing a significant number of the leaders in Missouri’s state school system. As one of these students, you will have the opportunity to learn from active practitioners in the field and make the connections you need for leadership and career growth.

The Online Masters in Education Curriculum and Instruction degree is designed to fit the schedules of working pk-12 teachers and can be completed in two years or less. You can expect rigorous coursework with real-world relevance, designed and taught by professionals who have proven their expertise. We structure the online curriculum intentionally to allow you to develop lasting relationships with peers focused on similar career goals. And, to make this an investment you can count on, your tuition will not go up as long as you stay continuously enrolled.

Your Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree at work

This curriculum and instruction degree will prepare you for National Board Certification by using the National Board Professional Teaching Standards as the focal point of the curriculum. It will also prepare you to become a master teacher within your school district, and may also qualify you to become a curriculum and instruction director within your district. It does not meet Missouri requirements for building-level administrative certification.

William Woods is the largest certifier of school leaders in Missouri

606 # of our graduates who are now principals and assistant principals
157 # of our graduates who are now school district administrators
90 # of our graduates who are now school superintendents

Requirements/Curriculum

You will earn the degree by completing ten three-credit courses, plus a three-credit Action Research course that includes research, a study that can be carried out in the classroom, and an action research paper suitable for journal publication. Students enrolled in the capstone course will also create a portfolio demonstrating their proficiency on each of the National Board Professional Teaching Standards.

Courses

EDU 500 - Current Issues In Education - 3.00

This course is designed to provide educators and non-educators with a broad understanding and better perspective of current issues that are faced by educators, trainers, and their learning institutions. The course will focus on a lively discourse and reflection related to contemporary topics and issues relevant to the specific student track. The course will serve as a platform for bridging the gap between goals, principles, theories, philosophies, and methodologies in the educational/training process and the realities of a variety of learning institutions (classrooms, schools, professional training, etc.). The goal of this process is to expand and enlighten the practitioner's outlook, thought processes, understanding, and repertoire of knowledge, attitudes, skills, and strategies when faced with those issues.

EDU 520 - Research Design - 3.00

This course is designed for all emphasis majors in the M.Ed. It emphasizes knowledge of various issues and simple statistical procedures used in educational research and program evaluation. Equal emphasis is given to qualitative and quantitative techniques. Experimental, quasi-experimental and non-experimental designs will be used that include historical, naturalistic study and/or ethnography. Processes to determine and use basic statistical data through computations will also be introduced. May be repeated with different areas of focus (administration, curriculum and instruction, teaching and technology, athletic administration, STEM).

EDU 530 - Improvement Of Instruction - 3.00

Students will utilize recent research on effective instruction and explore advanced classroom strategies and techniques designed to enhance their effectiveness in meeting the needs of diverse populations of learners. Students develop expert instructional skills and learn to diagnose and deliver the most appropriate instructional strategies for a variety of learning environments. Through a focus on the concepts of rigor and relevance, students will develop the ability to significantly enhance instructional opportunities for their learners. The students will design/enhance an instructional plan for implementation in her or his classroom, environment or program.

EDU 540 - Literacy Instruction - 3.00

This course focuses on enabling teachers to implement a thoughtful, balanced approach to teaching reading and writing across the disciplines. Focus on current resources in the field of literacy will be an integral part of the teaching/learning experience. Public school classroom practice of these techniques is expected.

EDU 550 - Curriculum Construction - 3.00

This course presents a dual focus on the philosophical and practical aspects of curriculum construction. Understanding of course content is developed through a variety of readings, presentations, projects, and class discussion. Key topics include developing curriculum aligned to Missouri's Show-Me Standards, the historical bases for traditional subject-area curricula, alternative curriculum structures, philosophical bases of curriculum development, social and cultural issues, and future trends.

EDU 585 - School Law - 3.00

This course is designed to provide prospective as well as practicing educational leaders, policymakers, and teachers with the legal knowledge that will enable them to conduct and operate school organizations effectively within the boundaries of constitutional, statutory, and case law. The course will focus on the law related to public education to create an equitable education for all students. Relevant constitutional, statutory and case law pertaining to various aspects of education and major legal issues and principles of law surrounding those aspects will be presented and discussed.

EDU 590 - Appraisal Of Student Learning - 3.00

This course is designed to acquaint learners with the complex issues related to assessment and to provide first-hand experience in the development of high-quality assessments, including the incorporation of a variety of technology tools in the assessment process. The course will investigate the purposes and application of assessment; the relationship between instructional outcomes and assessment; the development and implementation process for various types of assessments; the collection, analysis, and use of assessment data; as well as various scoring and grading methodologies. Participants will investigate the uses and limitations formative assessment, summative assessment, and diagnostic assessment.

Curriculum

Requirements

  • Completed application
  • Official transcripts (2.5 GPA or higher) mailed from the college/university of which you graduated

Your digital classroom. Available anywhere.

William Woods online graduate education programs are available to students across the country. In Missouri, our students come from Fulton, Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Louis, Kansas City, Moberly, Springfield, Ozark, Cape Girardeau, Rolla and many more locations. Beyond Missouri, our online graduates hail from California, Illinois, Kansas, Washington, Arkansas and other states.

Our graduate education programs are available online and are ranked among the best online programs in Missouri by US News and World Report.

William Woods in the real world

Many of our graduates hold leadership positions in Missouri’s schools. All of them are great teachers.


Admissions Information

Learn more about online admissions requirements, deadlines, tuition and financial aid available to you.

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