500

This course prepares Curriculum and Instruction with Advanced Professional Specializations M.Ed. and Ed.S. degree candidates for successful pursuit of their graduate program of studies at NLU. As an introductory experience, the course welcomes new candidates to NLU and the National College of Education (NCE), introduces them to NCE?s institutional identity, history, mission, values, and learning technologies, supports candidates? creation of an electronic portfolio and expressions of professional identity, helps them explore applicable codes of educator ethics, and sets the stage for successful pursuit of academic concentrations and professional endorsements within the Curriculum and Instruction with Advanced Professional Specializations program. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 1 semester hour

This course provides an integrated experience for candidates in the Curriculum and Instruction concentration of the M.Ed. and Ed.S. programs. Candidates analyze the interrelatedness of relevant current educational issues and engage their skills of reflective practice to examine their professional goals, understandings, development, and advocacy initiatives. Focus during this course is on examining and analyzing the current trends in preK-12 education as they relate to 21st century skills so that candidates develop advanced curricular capacities in content areas. Candidates will initiate a self-study to demonstrate their growth in in content knowledge and targets for continued professional development. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course, candidates explore the various types of curricular design and how they are recognized in practice. Through engaging in readings, discussions and field based research, they will explore their current practice in their chosen area of curricular expertise, including how they have made decisions on what to teach, how those decisions are in alignment with their philosophical stances, and how they currently do or do or do not enact their beliefs in their learning communities. The coursework will direct them to identify aspects of their practice that could be improved to meet the needs of their students using the conceptual thinking model and then arrive at a deeper understanding of that specific content area. Pre-requisite(s): None but having previously taken CIC 511 is highly encouraged. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course, the focus of the course content is to explore a specific area of enacted curriculum and analyze its current implementation for gaps, biases, and the hidden curriculum. Candidates in the program will be supported to demonstrate an understanding of how to create meaningful surveys to elicit clear and meaningful data from their students or stakeholders and then how to analyze the results of the enacted change based on data collected. To further their expertise as content area specialists, they will be guided to construct a plan for future implementation based on their data analysis and teaching/ learning contexts. Pre-requisite(s): None but having previously taken CIC 511 and CIC 521 is highly encouraged. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

The course supports Curriculum & Instruction with Advanced Professional Specializations M.Ed. and Ed.S degree candidates with a formative mid-program examination of candidates? progress in pursuit of the M.Ed. or Ed.S. degree with Advanced Professional Specializations. The course prompts candidates and faculty to evaluate candidates? content knowledge and competencies after taking CIC 501 and content-centered courses in their selected Advanced Professional Specializations. As a midprogram experience, the course provides a platform for candidates to: (1) reflect on and describe their gains in content knowledge and curriculum theory across courses; (2) revisit the concept of educator dispositions in comparison to classroom realities; (3) elaborate on their evolving professional identities; (4) engage in a case study analysis involving educator ethics; and (5) update their in-progress electronic portfolios capturing evidence of new knowledge and capacities as experienced teachers. Pre-requisite(s): CIC 501. Co-requisite(s): None. 1 semester hour

CIC 595E serves early career teachers as part of NLU?s Advanced Teacher Practices Series, exploring topics of compelling interest to educators seeking to become highly effective teachers. This course is the first in a series of three related courses that explore the concept of the grounded teacher and present five precepts that serve as requisite indicators for performing as a poised and self-assured teacher who successfully uses tenets of positive discipline and effective classroom management. Successful participants will gain a conceptual framework for performing as an impactful teacher and will reflectively apply the grounded teacher framework to their own professional practice. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hour

CIC 597 supports M.Ed. and Ed.S. degree candidates in the Curriculum & Instruction with Advanced Professional Specializations program with a culminating addition to the candidates? professional portfolio and a summative assessment of candidates? final results in their Advanced Professional Specializations. Faculty assess candidates? progress after taking CIC 501, CIC 555, CIC 597, and content-centered courses in their academic specializations. As a capstone experience, the course provides a platform for candidates to integrate work across courses, engage in a final reflection on educator ethics, and write a concluding introspective narrative on the holistic experience of earning their advanced credential. Pre-requisite(s): CIC 555. Co-requisite(s): None. 1 semester hour