CIC - Curriculum and Instruction, Core

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 enables school professionals to transition from analyzing data pertaining solely to individual classroom decision-making to collaborating on and leading teams whose purpose is to understand data and its ramifications for improving student performance across schools – and potentially school districts. Participants will learn how to use data to ask vital questions, think critically, and problem solve about issues with colleagues that occur in school contexts. Evaluating data-informed decisions and using data-informed decisions to craft policy, as well as data literacy ethics, will be addressed. It offers insight into the dynamics, challenges and effective practices of leading collaborative teams generally, while understanding the nature of conflict in decision making. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

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. Finally, candidates will examine current educational critical issues and their implications for their professional contexts. For example, they will engage in discussions and assignments, including what culturally responsive teaching and leading and teaching equitable Asian American community history (TEAACH) might look like in their contexts. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

Candidates will explore various types of curriculum—including intended, enacted, attained, hidden, and null—to examine how these frameworks influence instructional decision-making and classroom practice. Through critical analysis of their current professional educational settings, students will identify gaps, biases, and elements of the hidden curriculum. In particular, they will design and administer targeted surveys to gather meaningful data from students or stakeholders, develop well-constructed survey items and response scales, and analyze the results to assess the impact of curriculum implementation. Based on their findings, candidates will propose evidence-based instructional improvements tailored to their teaching and learning contexts. This course supports educators in developing deeper curricular awareness and applying reflective, research-informed practices to promote more equitable and effective teaching and learning outcomes.

The course supports M.Ed. and Ed.S candidates pursuing concentrations in Curriculum & Instruction with Advanced Professional Specializations (CIAPS) program, organizing a formative mid-program examination of candidates’ academic progress as well as their professional growth. The course prompts candidates to evaluate growth in knowledge and competencies after taking CIC 501 and classes in their selected Advanced Professional Specializations concentrations.

This workshop is designed for early career teachers as they develop more effective learning environments and instructional delivery strategies. Candidates will focus on themes that support their growth as classroom teachers. Themes include classroom procedures, building relationships with students, communicating with parents, proactive management strategies, and developing, understanding, and delivering consequences. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 0 semester hour

This workshop is designed for early career teachers as they develop more effective learning environments and instructional delivery strategies. Candidates will focus on themes that support their growth as classroom teachers. Themes include elements of lesson opening and closing, modeling and questioning effectively, formative assessment, giving effective praise, teacher stress, professional relationships and working with parents. Pre-requisite(s): CIC 585AF. Co-requisite(s): None. 0 semester hour

This workshop is designed for early career teachers as they develop more effective learning environments and instructional delivery strategies. Candidates will focus on themes that support their growth as classroom teachers. Themes include the differentiation and identifying student profiles, interest, and readiness. Pre-requisite(s): CIC 585AF and CIC 585AG. Co-requisite(s): None. 1 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