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Curriculum
This degree prepares you to respond to the cultural, demographic, technological and other forces shaping education today by designing and developing curriculum for your building or district and assessing its effectiveness. You will learn about educational trends, assessment procedures, and how to use advanced learning theories and educative design to adjust curriculum in response to current research. This program will prepare you to become a master teacher, to earn National Board Certification, to become a department or grade level chair, to be an Instructional Coach, and to assume the role of Curriculum and Instruction Director within your building or district.
The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction is a 30-credit program designed to help educators effectively respond to today’s cultural, technological, and demographic shifts in education. It emphasizes the use of advanced learning theories, research-based practices, and assessment knowledge to adapt curriculum and instruction for diverse learning environments. Core courses in research and data analysis prepare educators to implement evidence-based strategies in their own classrooms. The program offers flexible elective options and multiple concentrations—including Teaching & Learning, STEM, Educational Technology, Teacher Leadership, and a self-designed track—allowing students to align their studies with career goals. The Teaching & Learning concentration focuses on improving instruction, literacy, and curriculum development, while the STEM track equips educators to lead in science and engineering initiatives. The Educational Technology concentration builds practical skills in digital tools, instructional design, and multimedia integration. Students benefit from a strong emphasis on current educational trends and classroom applications. A capstone project deepens their expertise and demonstrates mastery of content. Overall, the program blends academic rigor with practical application to develop instructional leaders for modern classrooms.
Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Curriculum & Instruction (Missouri)
The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction requires a total of 30 credit hours to complete. Core requirements include 21 credits, featuring courses such as Current Issues in Education, Introduction to Statistical Research, and a 6-credit Education Research Capstone. Students must also complete at least 6 credits of major electives, choosing from topics like instructional technology and student assessment. In addition to core and electives, students select a 9-credit concentration area. Concentration options include Teaching & Learning, STEM Education, Educational Technology, Teacher Leadership, or a Self-Designed track. Each concentration features targeted coursework, such as Curriculum Constructionor Digital Tools for Academic Programs. Courses cannot be double-counted as both electives and concentration requirements. Successful completion of all core, elective, and concentration credits is required to earn the degree.
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.
Many of our graduates hold leadership positions in Missouri’s schools. All of them are great teachers.
Learn more about online admissions requirements, deadlines, tuition and financial aid available to you.
30 Credits
The C & I program is intended to provide the student with the opportunity to implement in her/his own classroom an appropriate pedagogical response to the major cultural, demographic, technological, and value oriented issues involved in restructuring education. The ability to utilize advanced learning theories and educative design to adjust curriculum and instruction in response to current research, educational trends, and knowledge of assessment procedures is emphasized.
| 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. credits: | Current Issues In Education | 3 |
| This course requires the continued study of issues related to effective instructional practices. The student will examine the literature of self-selected theoretical literature and their relevant pedagogical strategies for the purpose of designing an appropriate study and carrying out in a school classroom or any educational setting. In this course, the student completes the required thesis for his or her degree program. Ideally, prior to the start of this course students had collected data for analysis. The student will then write a report suitable for publication in an applied journal following APA style (American Psychological Association, 7th Ed.). Electronic portfolios will also be completed during this capstone course. (6 Credit Hours) NBPTS 5 Core Propositions – National Board for Professional Teaching Standards – NBPTS ( https://www.nbpts.org/certification/five-core-propostions/ ) credits: | Education Research Capstone | 6 |
| This course is designed to introduce students to quantitative research methods and statistics. Students will identify problems, analyze problems, and develop potential solutions specific to their program of study through the application of appropriate research methodologies. In this process, students will research concepts and considerations when designing and conducting social science research. credits: | An Introduction to Statistical Research | 6 |
credits: | Must complete at least 3 credits from the following options | 0 |
| This is an overview course to set the stage for the Teaching and Technology Master’s program of study. This course is designed to introduce practitioners to 21st Century learners and the implications for the teaching/learning environment. Participants will investigate the skill sets that are needed for today’s learners, apply technology integration frameworks, assess the potential use of mobile technologies in learning environments, design and implement personal/professional learning networks, investigate emerging technologies, and develop the skills necessary to become Google Certified Educators Level 1 credits: | Teaching and Learning in the New Digital Landscape | 3 |
| This course is designed to provide educators with strategies that can be applied to the learning environment. A key component of the course will be a focus on how to integrate technology into a variety of instructional strategies. Students will review recent research on effective instruction and explore instructional strategies that are designed to enhance instructional effectiveness. The course will review a number of research-based instructional elements that are related to improved instructional outcomes and students will learn to implement instructional strategies with technology to address each of these elements. Students will broaden their instructional skills and learn to deliver the most appropriate instructional strategies for specific circumstances. credits: | Applied Instructional Theories and Strategies Using Technology | 3 |
credits: | Must complete at least 3 credits from the following options | 0 |
| This course is designed to help practicing educators understand the role of educational technology in today’s learning environments with a focus on enabling them to become educational technology advocates. Participants will investigate the digital transformation in education and the impact this has on the classroom. You will learn to apply various learning frameworks as you analyze technology needs and innovations. You will develop a technology vision for your school and develop a process to plan and advocate for needed technology integration. A primary focus is upon guiding future administrators and teacher leaders in the process of understanding the changes needed to effectively utilize instructional technologies to build learning environments that focus on 21st century skills as well as providing guidance in utilizing technology to enhance professional practice and effectiveness. credits: | Educational Technology | 3 |
| 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. credits: | Appraisal Of Student Learning | 3 |
| 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. credits: | Improvement Of Instruction | 3 |
| 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. credits: | Literacy Instruction | 3 |
| 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. credits: | Curriculum Construction | 3 |
| This course focuses upon research and pedagogy that makes STEM learning successful. Students will discover and discuss various engagement strategies necessary for true STEM learning and how to create inquiry-oriented lessons that fully integrate Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. credits: | STEM - An Introduction | 3 |
| An important component of STEM education is Engineering Design. However, this part of STEM is often misunderstood or disconnected from the other three components. This course will use discovery, activities, and discussions that will allow the participant to become comfortable with engineering design so that it can be easily integrated into almost every unit in their classroom. credits: | STEM: Engineering Design | 3 |
| This course in the STEM program focuses upon inquiry-oriented pedagogy. Students will discover and discuss the appropriate steps to create minds-on inquiry experiences. Participants will develop a unit of study centered upon 5e sequence of instruction and the Next Generation Science Standards to enhance student learning. credits: | An Introduction to Inquiry-Oriented Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| This course is designed to equip the student with a robust arsenal of digital tools and instructional techniques that can be used to enhance learning outcomes in your classroom or training environment. Rather than a collection of short assignments, this course is comprised of a series of extended projects that are intended to serve as resources for the classroom. The weekly actions and activities will culminate into meaningful resources for students to use in their school or training environment as well as prepare the student to take the Google Certified Educator Level 2 exam. Prerequisite: EDU543 credits: | Digital Tools for Academic Programs | 3 |
| This course is designed to provide educators/trainers with a survey of various systems/models of instructional design with a focus on the integration of eLearning and technology as a component of the design process. Development of an instructional Design Plan will include reflecting on Instructional Design Models, conducting a needs analysis, designing instruction around goals and objectives, and defining instructional methods and strategies enhanced with technology to guide the teaching/learning process. credits: | Instructional Design With Technology | 3 |
| This course is designed to provide educators, trainers, and professional developers with experience utilizing various multimedia tools to enhance curriculum and support instructional improvement. Students will learn to integrate a variety of effective media types (still photos, graphics, audio, video, and text) as they create instructional videos, informational videos, and eBooks. Students will also investigate essential issues surrounding the use of multimedia in the learning environment. credits: | Integration of Multimedia Production and Curriculum | 3 |
| 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. credits: | Curriculum Construction | 3 |
| The role of the school leader is multi-faceted and increasingly complex to say the least. Today’s school leader must be skillful in all of the following: creating a safe, functional learning environment; managing fiscal resources; managing human resources; program compliance and legal requirements; all forms of communication; all in addition to being an instructional leader. In the role of the instructional leader, the principal charts the path for continuous improvement and increased student achievement all while focusing on building and retaining positive relationships with students, staff and community. In this course, students will become familiar with all facets of school leadership and have the opportunity to apply skills learned in simulated classroom experiences and course assignments. Prerequisite: EDU568 (or EDU610) and EDU569 (or EDU620) credits: | Managerial Leadership | 3 |
| This course will introduce the student to the content knowledge, performance competencies, implementation strategies, and evaluation criteria needed by school administrators. This course is designed to provide the student with current Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) informational guidelines relative to leadership of a quality curriculum needed for state accreditation. Administrative functions and responsibilities surrounding instructional curriculum; as well as horizontal and vertical alignment issues and their relation to student achievement will also be discussed. Prerequisite: EDU568 (or EDU610) and EDU569 (or EDU620) credits: | Instructional Leadership | 3 |
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