MEd Program Structure
Session Structure:
The hybrid structure is as follows:
MEd Summer/Fall Semester 1
3 classes with pre-campus, on-campus, post-campus
1 online class
Total 12 hours
MEd Spring Semester 2
2 online classes
Total 6 hours
MEd Summer/Fall Semester 3
3 classes with pre-campus, on-campus, post-campus
Capstone Course
Total 12 hours
Pre-campus session: Students are at home; begins in early spring (between mid February and mid April) and includes significant coursework within a variety of assignments: reading of texts and articles, writing, analysis, data gathering, and reflection. Basically, independent directed study. This independent study gives background to, and prepares students for, the on-campus summer session.
On-campus session (summer): Students are at Covenant. The summer session consists of one week on campus per course. Occurring late June through mid-July, classes meet 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. A time of intense study and interaction with faculty and fellow students. Break times and an extended lunch hour are integrated into the daily routine.
Post-campus session: students are back at home to finish up their MEd courses. Projects, exams, research, papers incorporate what students are and have learned to their own school setting.
All in all, students are engaged in coursework about 10 months out of each year in the program.
All Students Complete the Following Courses:
EDU 610 - Foundations for Curriculum Development
A study of various foundational principles that guide in the selection of goals, content, and materials in the curriculum.
EDU 620 - Introduction to Research
An introduction to research methods and designs and their application to educational settings.
EDU 630 - Learning Theory Applied to Teaching
A comprehensive survey of current research on learning and its implications for classroom practice.
EDU 712- Shaping School Curriculum K-12
An application of a biblical world view to the process and products of curriculum development and assessment for the K-12 school or school system. The course examines the steps in developing a course of study from a school's mission statement through the assessment process.
EDU 750-The Nature of Knowledge and Curriculum Integration
This course examines the epistemological foundations for an integrated school curriculum. It clarifies the structure of knowledge, the nature of truth, and the place of “knowledge” in the postmodern world. These considerations are brought to bear on the task of integrating an academic curriculum.
EDU 740-Supervision of Instruction
The educational leader is a key member of an instructional team focused on effective teaching and learning in the classroom. Two aspects of instructional leadership are explored in this course 1) Supervision--those professional community practices that lead to teacher development growth; and 2) Evaluation-those administrative practices that lead to judgements regarding novice, veteran, and marginal teachers.
Educational Leadership Specialization Courses:
EDU 725 - Development of Personnel
Taken in the second year. This course is a study of the instructional leader’s role
with faculty and staff. This includes a study of recruitment, selection, and hiring,
personnel utilization/staffing, supervision/
personnel evaluation and conferencing. Additionally, the course focuses on the use
of job descriptions, staff development, adult learning, the promotion of change, new
teacher induction, and professional learning communities.
Prerequisites: EDU 720
EDU 745 - School Law, Standards, and Policy
Taken in the second year. This course is a study of the legal foundations of education–law,
standards, and policy. Constitutionally-based case law is examined for its impact
on public schools. Contract law is examined for its impact on private and religious
schools. Tort law is examined for an understanding of legal liability. Legal audits
assess the meeting of federal and state statutory requirements. State standards are
reviewed. An historical, philosophical, and biblical framework for school law is presented.
Prerequisites: EDU 720
EDU 760 - School Business Management
Taken in the third year. This course is a study of the principles and methods of school
business management based upon a biblical perspective of leadership, planning, and
stewardship of time and resources. As a context for specific professional practice,
students study external forces that affect their schools, e.g. globalization, the
digital revolution, and other socioeconomic trends. The implications of these forces
for professional practice are studied and applied to strategic, instructional, and
technology planning, budgeting and finance, compensation, purchasing, facilities capitalization,
the strategic allocation of resources, time management, and board relations. To give
students direct experience on how technology can contribute to the learning process
and can leverage scarce resources and increase ROI, portions of this course are blended
with online collaboration tools.
Prerequisites:
EDU 785 - Field Experience in Educational Leadership
Capstone course taken during the third year; students begin the work inprevious years.
In this course students are required to observe, participate in, and reflect on activities
which deepen understanding and develop skills necessary for effective practice. Field-based
experiences are intended to extend coursework to
the school setting, providing real-life learning and a critical link between theory
and practice. The set of planned experiences involves at least 250 clock hours of
participation. Students are required to begin field work during their first year of
the program. The requirements for this capstone course include taking the GACE Educational
Leadership Assessment during the final year in the program, and producing a 20-25
page scholarly paper which includes a literature review. The final notebook for this
course is due March 1 of the semester the student intends to graduate. This course
is taken as an independent study, and students register for EDU 785 during their final
year of study in the program.
Prerequisites:
Integrated Curriculum and Instruction Specialization Courses:
EDU 730 - Implementing Instructional Strategies
This course is a study of strategies, particularly technological, for planning instruction
to create a better learning environment for all students. Instructional strategies
are examined in the light of learning principles and other research findings. The
class endeavors to embody a biblical view of learners, teachers, curriculum, and the
global community in which they all interact.
Prerequisites: EDU 630
EDU 735 - Integrative Approaches to Curriculum
This course focuses on the process of designing curricula that are integrated and
conceptually focused. Units of instruction are designed which focus on major enduring
understandings and principles, and reflect a biblical world view, resulting in instruction
that enables classroom teachers to engage their students and help them remember and
apply the concepts they learn.
Prerequisites: EDU 610 and 630
EDU 765 - Educational Assessment
A study of the principles and practices of measurement, testing, assessment and evaluation for making decisions in education. Topics will include the development of traditional, performance, and product assessments, writing assessment, affective assessment, standardized assessments and evaluating curriculum.
EDU 790 - Project in Integrated Curriculum and Instruction
Capstone course taken during the third year; however, students may begin the work
in previous years. In this course, a major project links research to practice within
school settings. Projects typically build on plans for integrated curriculum and instruction
developed in EDU 735. In EDU 790, those plans are implemented within an appropriate
action research framework. EDU 790 constitutes a capstone culminating performance
for the ICI specialization and incorporates content and integrates insights from all
coursework throughout the program. This course is taken as an independent study in
the last year of the program, and the project research is evaluated by two graduate
professors.
Prerequisites: EDU 620 and 735