Syllabus
Master of Science in Education
EDU 707: Instructional Leadership (Spring 2023)
Credits - 3
Description
Instructional leaders must ensure that the teaching and learning taking place in a school is rigorous, relevant, and designed to meet the needs of all students. Participants will explore current models and trends in curriculum design and instructional practices with a focus on using research and data to guide decision-making about content and pedagogy. This course will also look at the role an instructional leader plays in serving as a change agent to promote best practices in a school.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
EDU 707 is aligned with InTASC (Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium) Core Teaching Standards and PSEL Standards (Professional Standards for Educational Leaders). Given this backdrop, the following objectives have been identified for EDU 707 and matched to the InTASC and PSEL Standards.
Students will:
- Learn models of curriculum development. (InTASC Standard 7; PSEL Standards 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)
- Use research-based strategies to devise instructional activities. (InTASC Standards 8, 9; PSEL Standards 4, 5, 6, 7)
- Understand theories of learning and human development and incorporate them in the design of curriculum, including differentiation to meet diverse student needs.(InTASC Standards 1, 2, 4; PSEL Standards 4, 5, 7)
- Learn a process for designing effective classroom or school district curriculum, instruction, and assessment that includes implementation and monitoring of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. (InTASC Standards 6, 7, 8, 9; PSEL Standards 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
- Design a unit that responds to a class or school learning challenge, uses a curriculum map to take into consideration the broader curriculum, uses standards and research-based teaching strategies and includes quality assessments. (InTASC Standards 3, 6, 7, 8; PSEL Standards 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10)
- Plan lessons and units that appropriately use research-based strategies. (InTASC Standards ; PSEL Standards 4, 5, 6, 7)
- Analyze benefits in collegial support for implementing and monitoring curriculum and strategies for overcoming challenges. (InTASC Standards ; PSEL Standards 5, 6, 7)
Assignments
Your coursework leads to a culminating project that is due Tuesday of Week 8. The Curriculum Adoption Plan consists of 4 phases and incorporates concepts you will learn about throughout the course. During the course, you will participate in 5 discussions (Weeks 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8) and 5 assignments (Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8).
Reference the Assignment Overview video in Week 1 for a preview of all course assignments.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Assignment | 100 Points |
|---|---|
| Discussions (Weeks 1, 4, 5, 7), 3 points each | 12 |
| Week 1 Assignment: User Manual | 3 |
| Week 2 Assignment: Curriculum Trend Analysis | 10 |
| Week 3 Assignment: Presentation | 20 |
| Week 4 Assignment: Curriculum Interview | 20 |
| Week 8 Reflection Discussion | 10 |
| Week 8 Assignment: Curriculum Adoption Plan | 25 |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
Course Schedule:
Week 1: Jan 4 – Jan 8
Week 2: Jan 9 – Jan 15
Week 3: Jan 16 – Jan 22
Week 4: Jan 23 – Jan 29
Week 5: Jan 30 – Feb 5
Week 6: Feb 6 – Feb 12
Week 7: Feb 13 – Feb 19
Week 8: Feb 20 – Feb 26
|
Week |
Topic |
Assignments |
|
Week 1
|
Laying the Foundation |
Week 1 Discussion: Sir Ken Robinson’s Talk (Initial post due by Friday. Responses due by Sunday) Week 1 Assignment: User Manual (Due Sunday) |
|
Week 2
|
Curriculum Trends |
Week 2 Assignment: Curriculum Trend Analysis (Due Sunday) |
|
Week 3
|
The 4th Industrial Revolution & Curriculum 4.0 |
Week 3 Assignment: Presentation (Due Sunday) |
|
Week 4
|
Competency-Based Education & Evaluating Curricula |
Week 4 Discussion: CBE (Initial post due by Wednesday. Responses due by Sunday) Week 4 Assignment: Curriculum Interview (Due Sunday) |
|
Week 5
|
Assessing the Curriculum | Week 5 Discussion: Curriculum Research (Initial post due by Wednesday. Responses due by Sunday) |
|
Week 6
|
The Curriculum Adoption Process and the Instructional Leader as a Change Agent | If you haven’t already, begin working on the Curriculum Adoption Plan (Due Tuesday of Week 8) |
|
Week 7
|
Curriculum Mapping | Week 7 Discussion: This week’s topics (Initial post due by Wednesday. Responses due by Sunday) |
|
Week 8
|
Course Reflection |
Week 8 Discussion: Reflection (Due Friday) Week 8 Assignment: Curriculum Adoption Plan (Due TUESDAY) |
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
- Education Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/education/
- Library Tutorial: Find an article
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
UNE Student Academic Success Center
The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:
Information Technology Services (ITS)
- ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Policies
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the Turnitin Student quick start guide.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Attendance Policy
Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.
Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.