All those who wander
are not lost.

— J.R.R. Tolkien

As teachers, we constantly face
a variety of challenges to grow professionally
in order to meet the diverse needs of our students.

     Rather than focusing in one area of specialization,
     the Curriculum and Instruction Personalized Option
     provides the unique opportunity for educators
     to gain support to meet their professional challenges
     by customizing their degree, choosing electives
     from among any graduate courses
     within the university.

          The program is designed
          to give practioners a framework
          for continually looping
               between theory and daily practice
          and for differentiating instruction
               to accommodate the diverse needs of learners.

           Designed for you
                                                                          Designed by you

This concentration is ideal for teachers, administrators, and other educational professionals who want the flexibility of designing a program that meets their unique needs.

Focus is placed on designing, implementing, and evaluating curriculum; on making instructional decisions that meet diverse learner needs; on clarifying relationships between beliefs, values, and practice; and, on integrating theory and practice.

Participants include educators with a wide range of experiences: self-contained and departmental classroom teachers, curriculum designers, publishers, staff developers, team-leaders, resource instructors, and educational professionals at the pre-K through adult education levels.

As they progress throughout the program, participants build on their base of experience and understanding, identify areas in need of increased understanding, and highlight goals for continued professional development. A technology-based program portfolio supports this process and provides an opportunity for continual collaboration between the students and faculty.

Electives

M.Ed. Program
Core Courses

The M.Ed. Personalized Option Concentration affords students the opportunity to select 20 semester hours (sh) of electives in any area of graduate education that is approved by their academic advisors.

Depending on one's personal and professional goals, electives may be:

• chosen from a variety of subject area disciplines

• concentrated within a particular discipline

• mixed and matched among education and content specific courses.

Electives are most typically selected from courses in Curriculum and Instruction, Technology, Writing, Literature, Mathematics, Social Studies, Fine Arts, Science, Psychology, Health, Leadership, Administration, Special Education, and/or Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle Level, Secondary Education.
The options are limitless!

In addition to the electives, five program core courses are carefully blended into the program to support the Curriculum and Instruction program outcomes.

These courses are:

CIC 503     Curriculum Design and

Evaluation     (3sh)

CIC 504     Instructional Decision

Making     (3sh)

CIC 592     Seminar: Educational

Inquiries     (3sh)

EPS 541     Cognition and

Instruction    (2sh)

ESR 505     Educational Inquiry and

Assessment     (3sh)

Choosing Your Options

Students in the Curriculum and Instruction Program may choose from three degree options: M.Ed., M.S.Ed., C.A.S. Please see the Curriculum & Instruction homepage for a description of these options and their corresponding requirements.

The required program core courses of the M.Ed. and C.A.S. options are available through two models: individual course option and mini-cluster. In both models, students personalize the remaining portion of their program by choosing electives from among any graduate courses throughout the university.

The individual course option is designed for students who desire the flexibility of attending classes on a variety of evenings and/or at a variety of locations. Course availability is highlighted each quarter in The National College of Education Quarterly, in the Curriculum and Instruction section for each campus.

The mini-cluster option is for students who wish to attend class on the same evening throughout the academic year, with the same group of students, and at the same designated location. These students benefit from a fixed tuition rate, which is designated at the time of registration.

Information about projected cluster groups throughout the Chicagoland area may be obtained from the Enrollment Office (800-443-5522 x4430/x3371/x2743/x8053).