When promising learners are not engaged and challenged, a whole nation can lose tremendous potential. This focus area emphasizes developing effective programs and instruction for creative and innovative learners and instilling those learning skills in all students.
Creative and Innovative Education Focus Courses - 9 credit hours
885.505 Creativity in Education
ED.885.505.Creativity in Education.3 Credits.
Graduate students will examine the psychological and educational aspects of creative thinking. Participants review studies of the characteristics of creative children and adults, the creative process, and the identification of potentially creative children and adolescents. The course introduces teaching strategies and curriculum materials for fostering creative behavior at both the elementary and secondary school levels.
885.501 The Gifted Learner
ED.885.501.The Gifted Learner.3 Credits.
Graduate students survey a historical overview of gifted education and examine research literature, intelligence theorists, and current practices used with gifted learners to gain perspective on the academic, social, and affective nature and manifestations of giftedness. Special needs populations are examined for unique characteristics and needs to further support the premise of a diverse gifted audience. Emphasis will be placed on gifted learning characteristics as they inform identification, planning, and support strategies. Participants explore the potential role they play in working with gifted youth, recommending program delivery options, and the identification process.
885.510 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for Advanced Learners
ED.885.510.Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for Advanced Learners.3 Credits.
Graduate students explore the various approaches to differentiating curriculum, instruction, and assessment for advanced learning. Strategies and techniques that are supported by research and best practice are discussed and analyzed. Candidates design interventions that translate theories about gifted education into practice in their education contexts.
Core Requirements - 24 credit hours
813.652 Introduction to Global Education Policy and Analysis
ED.813.652.Introduction to Global Education Policy and Analysis.3 Credits.
The course provides an introduction to international comparisons of education systems as it reviews the history, comparisons and the educational systems in Europe, Asia and the OECD countries. International education systems and policies are examined on the local and national levels. Methodologies for comparison are explored. Education leaders will become knowledgeable of the systems in competitor countries in order to make their schools academically competitive in the global economy.
Students will participate in a variety of informal educational experiences, from guest lectures and one-on-one mentor conversations, to exploring how the use of museums, cultural institutions, and other real-world scenarios can be leveraged to promote learning. Students will both learn from these experiences as well as gain exemplars to implement in their own educational systems.
855.610 Seminar in Teacher Leadership
ED.855.610.Seminar in Teacher Leadership.1 - 3 Credits.
Students in the final year present and evaluate their projects and plans for implementing change in their work environments. In addition, participants examine selected topics and current issues in educational leadership.
855.619 Global Leadership
ED.855.619.Global Leadership.3 Credits.
This course explores the nature of leadership in the current global society. Students will analyze the behaviors, practices, characteristics and qualities of effective global leaders across a variety of sectors. Students will understand global competence and learn how to become a globally competent leader.
855.631 Global Trends in Education: Challenges and Opportunities
ED.855.631.Global Trends in Education: Challenges and Opportunities.3 Credits.
This course explores key global trends in education to introduce students to field of global, international, and comparative education as well as the role of international organizations in the identification of and response to shared educational challenges. Using case examples, podcasts, research evidence, and discussion students describe and analyze the impact of climate change, migration, and technological advancement on educational equity, access, quality, and innovation in diverse global contexts. Students develop a critical understanding of the ways in which education is influenced by complex global issues, but also conceptualize education as a strategic vehicle for solving global problems and improving lives on our planet. Course assignments foster creative thinking, technical, communication, analytic, collaboration, and podcasting skills. In a final group assignment, students create a podcast to investigate a global educational issue and the opportunities for innovation and improvement.
881.611 Action Research for School Improvement
ED.881.611.Action Research for School Improvement.3 Credits.
Students explore the role of the educator as an action researcher, with special emphasis on formulating and refining research questions as well as on selecting appropriate methodologies for classroom or school-based research. Students review research as a tool for assessing and improving teaching/learning environments.
Students review 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. Examples include direct instruction, cooperative learning, dimensions of learning, creative problem solving, and applications of technology to thinking and learning. Students develop expert teaching skills and learn to diagnose and deliver instructional strategies that are most appropriate in specific circumstances.
Select two of the following courses:
855.609 Introduction to Entrepreneurship in Education
ED.855.609.Introduction to Entrepreneurship in Education.3 Credits.
This course provides students with the foundational skills necessary to think and behave entrepreneurially within educational systems and organizations in order to solve intractable problems. Students will formulate an understanding of themselves as entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities around them, and develop a method for solving a problem relevant to them. Further, students will learn the role of capital and socially conscious capitalism in creating sustainable ventures.
887.615 Explorations in Mind, Brain, and Teaching
ED.887.615.Explorations in Mind, Brain, and Teaching.3 Credits.
During the past decade, the learning sciences have produced a vast frontier of knowledge on how the brain processes, stores, and retrieves information. Educators have increasingly recognized a role as consumers of this emerging knowledge. Participants in the course will review this research, examining how it intersects with the correlates of a model of research-based effective teaching including the teaching of the arts across content areas. Topics of study will include the brain’s memory systems, the impact of emotions on learning, the processes involved in higher order thinking and learning, and issues related to child development. Participants will apply course studies to the creation of learning units that emphasize application of knowledge and the integration of the arts.
893.653 AI in Education
ED.893.653.AI in Education.3 Credits.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education, influencing how we learn, teach, and—perhaps—think about understand knowledge itself. This course critically examines AI as both a tool and a mirror, reflecting human cognition, creativity, ethics, and systemic biases. Through hands-on experimentation, critical analysis, and applied projects, students will explore AI’s potential to enrich and expand educational goals and practices while questioning its limitations and potential dangers. Designed for a broad range of educational professionals, this course balances theoretical inquiry with practical skill development. Students will engage with AI tools, analyze their impact, and apply them in meaningful ways to their professional contexts.
Course Sequence
Fall
885.505Creativity in Education
855.631 Global Trends in Education: Challenges and Opportunities
855.610Seminar in Teacher Leadership
855.600Extended Learning I
Two of the following: 887.615Explorations in Mind, Brain, and Teaching
855.609Introduction to Entrepreneurship in Education
893.653AI in Education
Spring
885.501 The Gifted Learner
855.619 Global Leadership
813.652 Introduction to Global Education Policy and Analysis
881.622 Advanced Instructional Strategies
855.610 Seminar in Teacher Leadership
855.601 Extended Learning II
Summer
885.510Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for Advanced Learners