Master of Science in Education - Instructional Leadership

This program is designed to provide further professional development and skills to classroom teachers who are in the profession and already hold a teaching license. (Students may be accepted to this program without holding a valid teaching license in special circumstances at the discretion of the program director.)  The program enables the teacher to improve classroom teaching skills and increase understanding of the process of education and the art of teaching.  The program requires eighteen (18) semester hours of required courses and allows for fifteen (15) semester hours of course work related to the teacher's interest areas.  The total master’s degree requires thirty-three (33) semester hours plus 3 zero credit portfolios to assess the progress of learning throughout the program. Students may use one or more of the add-on license tracks toward the electives in this degree.

Optional add-on WI DPI licensure tracks:

  • Alternative Education
  • ESL
  • Bilingual
  • Gifted & Talented Teacher/Director

Program Learning Outcomes 

  1. Knowledge of Students - Accomplished educators draw on their knowledge of how students learn and develop in order to understand their students and guide curricular and instructional decisions.

  2. Knowledge of Content and Curriculum - Accomplished educators draw on their knowledge of subject matter to establish goals and to facilitate student learning within and across the curriculum. 

  3. Learning Environment - Accomplished educators establish a caring, inclusive, stimulating, and safe school community where students can take intellectual risks, practice democracy, and work collaboratively and independently. 

  4. Technology and Instructional Resources - Accomplished educators are knowledgeable about and, where available, use current technologies and select, adapt and create engaging resources to promote student learning. 

  5. Knowledge of Teaching Practice - Accomplished educators create elegant and powerful approaches to instructional challenges and rely on their extensive pedagogical knowledge to make curricular decisions, select instructional strategies, develop instructional plans and formulate assessment plans. 

  6. Meaningful Learning - Accomplished educators require students to confront, explore, and understand important and challenging concepts, topics, and issues to improve skills in purposeful ways. 

  7. Assessment - Accomplished educators understand the strengths and weaknesses of different assessment methods, employ multiple methods of assessment, base their instruction on ongoing assessment, and encourage students to monitor and reflect on their own learning. 

  8. Reflective Practice - Accomplished educators regularly analyze, evaluate, reflect on, and strengthen the effectiveness and quality of their practice. 

  9. Family Partnerships - Accomplished educators work to involve families in their children’s education, help the community understand the role of the curriculum in today’s world, and, to the extent possible, involve the community in support of instruction. 

  10. Contributions to the Profession - Accomplished educators work with colleagues to improve schools and to advance knowledge and practice in their field. 

  11. Christian Ethical Leadership - Accomplished educators model Christian servant leadership through consistent, moral, and ethical behaviors and, by example, inspire others to do likewise in their personal, professional, and community life.

Curriculum

Required Courses (18 credits)
EDG 5310Human Learning and Motivation3
EDG 5320Assessment for Learning3
EDG 5315Instructional Strategies for Effective Teaching3
EDG 5225Curriculum Leadership3
EDG 5100Educational Research Methods3
EDG 7345Instructional Leadership Capstone3
or EDG 7600 Graduate Education Thesis Seminar
EDG 7326Instructional Leadership Portfolio I0
EDG 7327Instructional Leadership Portfolio II0
EDG 7328Instructional Leadership Portfolio III0
Electives (Choose 15 credits)15
Disciplinary Literacy
Improvement in Literacy Instruction
Literature for Children K-12
The Adult Learner
Language Development and Language Arts in Early Childhood Education
Modalities of Digital Learning
Applying Technology in Content Areas
Multimedia for the Classroom
Strategies for Teaching and Learning with Adults
Developmentally Appropriate Assessment Practices in Early Childhood Education
Educating Students at Risk
Alternative Education
Books & Pictures
Digital Citizenship and Ethics
Leadership, Collaboration, and Coaching
Theories of Learning and Design
Instructional Design
Other electives as approved by program director
Total Hours33

Curriculum - ESL and Bilingual

Participants in the ESL and Bilingual programs are required to complete 18 additional CORE credits in the traditional Instructional Leadership master track in order to earn a Master of Science in Education - Instructional Leadership.

ESL Courses

EDG 6300Cross Cultural Communication for Teachers of Language Learners3
EDG 6302Basic English Linguistics for Teachers of Language Learners3
EDG 6304ELL Literacy: Reading, Writing, and Grammar Strategies3
EDG 6306Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners3
EDG 6308Curriculum and Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language3
EDG 6310Observation, Analysis, and Practicum in ESL Classrooms3
EDG 7323Instructional Leadership Portfolio: ESL0
Total Hours18

Curriculum - Bilingual Education

Bilingual Education Courses

The following courses will need to be taken to obtain the Bilingual license.

EDG 6300Cross Cultural Communication for Teachers of Language Learners3
EDG 6302Basic English Linguistics for Teachers of Language Learners3
EDG 6312History, Politics, and Methodology of Second Language Acquisition3
EDG 6314Observation, Analysis, and Practicum in Bilingual Classrooms3
EDG 7324Instructional Leadership Portfolio: Bilingual0
Total Hours12

Curriculum - Gifted and Talented

Gifted and Talented Teacher License Courses

EDG 6320Issues and Trends in Gifted Education3
EDG 6322Unique Needs of the Gifted Child3
EDG 6324Instruction of Students with Gifts and Talents3
EDG 7335Practicum in Teaching Gifted and Talented Students3
EDG 7325Instructional Leadership Portfolio: Gifted and Talented0
For Gifted & Talented Coordinator License:
EDG 6326Coordinating Gifted and Talented Programs3
Total Hours15