This annotated graduate transcript provides a record of all completed coursework as I finish the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program with a focus on P-12 School and Postsecondary Leadership at Michigan State University. The coursework is organized by semester and course titles and professor's names are included with each description.
Fall Semester 2023:
ED 800 – Concepts of Educational Inquiry
Dr. Kristy Cooper
This course used diverse styles of qualitative research methods to explore six critical issues facing modern education: social reproduction, educational activism, critical pedagogy, schools and socializing institutions, and culturally sustaining pedagogy. Each unit was organized around a book with students participating in a discussion group and completing a writing assignment analyzing the book and the issues it raised. A final recorded presentation allowed students the opportunity to tie together the units and reflect on connections to their own professional and life experiences. This course exposed me to fascinating new research methods and one of the readings, Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School, inspired me to critically evaluate my own understanding of public P-12 education as a community member and parent.
Spring Semester 2024:
EAD 801 – Leadership and Organizational Development
Dr. Lara Dixon
Students in EAD 801 were introduced to leadership theory and explored the needs of organizations through diverse materials like books, articles, podcasts, Ted Talks, and practitioner samples. In group meetings organized around each unit and the creation of applied projects like infographics and recorded presentations, students were able to identify their own leadership styles and apply them to professionally relevant topics. One important aspect of the class was the ability to identify our own questions, concerns and hesitations surrounding our leadership of people and within our organizations, ultimately applying our new skills in these areas to our own professional contexts.
CEP 801 – Psychological Development: Learner Differences and Commonalities
Dr. David Wong
This course examined human development from conception through early adulthood, focusing on how development at each stage affects individuals as learners. We examined specific areas of learning and delved into theories explaining how change occurs and why. This course had a unique structure, emphasizing self-directed reading where students identified their own readings and research topics framed by the common textbook readings. Additionally, this course required frequent individual written and verbal discussions with the professor and teaching assistant to reflect upon our self-directed reading and connect them to the themes of each unit of the course. I used this flexibility to investigate the impact of early childhood experiences on later learning and to explore how communities can support learners at various stages of development.
Summer Semester 2024:
CEP 815 – Technology & Leadership
Mr. Kyle Shack
This course explored managing of the relationship between technology, teaching and learning. By looking at situations through multiple lenses, students were able to examine the complexity of this relationship and prepare to address the diverse needs of all those involved. Through many practical examples and scenarios, students explored the pressure facing those in leadership roles when it comes to decision making around the issue of technology integration and use. Each student was also able to identify a specific issue to address with the creation of a vision statement, asking us to identify critical issues and make recommendations on how educational organizations and communities can work to address them. For my vision statement, I explored the issues of information overload, modern digital literacy, and the impact of technology on community building.
EAD 824 – Leading Teacher Learning
Dr. Melissa Usiak
This course was focused on the professional development and support of teachers primarily in a P-12 environment. It offered me the valuable opportunity to step outside the higher education setting to explore how educators at other levels continue to develop their skills and adapt to evolving technologies and practices. Through projects like the development of a yearlong training plan and budget, students were able to find ways to integrate the course readings and lectures into their own unique professional environments, and I was able to incorporate my postsecondary setting into my own plan.
Fall Semester 2024:
EAD 853 – Education Finance & Policy
Dr. Lara Dixon
This course offered an in-depth look at the financial structures that shape public education, with a focus on the ways in which funding policies and structures of the State of Michigan impact school districts and their students. We examined the complexities of budgeting in education and explored how leaders effectively communicate financial decisions to their communities. A key component of the course was developing and refining our own communication and decision-making styles around fiscal leadership. Guest speakers provided valuable real-world insights into the challenges and responsibilities of managing public education budgets.
EAD 861 – Adult Learning
Dr. Sara Bano
In EAD 861, students we asked to think broadly about education and learning as it relates to adults in both formal and non-formal settings. Students explored the motivating factors for adults to learn, as well as the conditions and structures that respect and support the unique needs of adults in learning environments. This course asked us to move beyond our narrow definitions of learning, education, and intelligence to understand the diverse and complex ways that adults engage in learning. Through reading and multi-media resources, we explored the core principles, theories, and practices that shape adult learning.
Spring Semester 2025:
EAD 870 – Foundations of Postsecondary Education
Dr. Dongbin Kim
This course provided a historical overview of postsecondary education in the United States, beginning in the colonial era and tracing the development of institutions and the opportunities for learners through social, economic, and political change. We explored how broader social forces shaped access to and experiences within higher education. Two major writing assignments allowed students to pursue individual areas of interest and explore these concepts in greater depth. Through my research, I was able to compare the foundation of normal schools to land grant institutions and also examine the evolving experience of mothers in higher education over the past century.
EAD 863 – Training and Professional Development
Dr. Sara Bano
In EAD 863, we examined the theory and practice of adult learning, with a focus on training and professional development. We explored the development, design and delivery of training and development programs to diverse adult learners in a variety of occupational settings. Students were able to use these principles to develop and deliver their own training for a professionally relevant topic and audience, then use the experience to reflect upon the challenges and lessons learned from facilitating such programs. Course readings further encouraged us to question dominant societal narratives around what constitutes valuable knowledge, skills, and intelligence.
Summer 2025:
ED 870 - Capstone Seminar
Dr. Matthew Koehler
In this capstone course of the MAED program, students develop an authentic portfolio to showcase their work and reflect upon the professional, educational, and personal experiences that have shaped their development. Students are encouraged to deeply consider their experiences in each course, select representative samples of their work to highlight for their audience, and identify areas for growth in the future. As part of the portfolio creation process, students also develop skills in designing and building a website, while practicing their ability to communicate effectively about their contributions to a learning community, both as learners and leaders.