Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Technology

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Program Overview

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Technology focuses on free and easily accessible technologies; this program prepares teachers for practical technology integration in all grade levels and content areas.

Our program is structured to accommodate adult students, most of whom have full-time jobs and other obligations. Classes meet on teaching weekends, an alternate weekend schedule of about two weekends a month. Students also have the choice of taking an asynchronous online course option. The Educational Technology program is designed to be completed in four semesters (two years) including summers. To finish in this timeline, you can plan to take two courses per semester.

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Technology and Certificate programs are offered in an in person or hybrid format and also an entirely asynchronous format to international students in some countries.

Program Mission

The mission of the educational technology graduate program is prepared students to teach technology applications, use technology to support student learning of subject-area content, and provide professional development, mentoring, and basic technical and instructional assistance to other professional educators on their campuses and/or in their districts, states or countries

Program Aim

The program aims to advance the effective use of educational technology by supporting teacher leaders, promoting technology-enhanced curriculum, and exploring promising innovations that use emerging technologies.

Objectives

Objectives of the program include:

• planning and designing learning and environments
• leadership and vision
• technology facilitation
• procedures, policies, planning and budgeting for technology environments
• social, ethical, legal and human issues
• teaching, learning and curriculum
• assessment and evaluation
• productivity and professional practice

Career Options

The program is designed for teachers and professionals who want to become leaders in technology on school campuses and school districts or in corporate or institutional settings. Graduates will be prepared to teach web-based technology apps, use technology to support student learning and provide professional development, mentoring and basic technical and instructional assistance to others.

Learning Outcomes

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Technology program has six program outcomes. Upon completion of the M.Ed. in Educational Technology, students will be able to:

• Students will create their professional identity, connect with other educational technology leaders, and reflect on their learning and practice as an educator in the digital age.
• Create a ready-to-implement course or unit re-design based on a blueprint plan that details scope and sequence, formative and summative assessments, plans for feedback, and a clear protocol for communication and workflow via an LMS. The re-design must transfer a traditional course, unit, or program to a flipped, blended, 1:1, or completely online environment.
• Using knowledge of human cognition, multimedia learning theory, and digital design principles, students will plan and create multimedia instructional materials that enhance their professional or educational practice.
• Students will apply design-thinking to address issues of social justice within the field of educational technology.
• Students will design and create a professional website that will serve as their connection hub with other educational professionals. The website will include a blog, a multimedia gallery, a teaching philosophy statement, teaching/professional background, and relevant social sharing links.
• Students will create products (radio-style audio story and a multimedia screencast) that demonstrate their skills at multimedia production.

Program Faculty

Educational technology faculty research includes K-12 technology integration, design and facilitation of online learning, strategies and principles of blended learning, online tools to support teaching and learning in a hybrid format, instructionally appropriate technology integration strategies within teacher education, digital technologies in makerspaces, and the role of reflective practice in teaching and learning. Faculty presents their research at national and international conferences and publishes books, book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles in top venues in their field.

Curriculum Overview

The curriculum focuses on the discerning use of technological tools to increase student engagement, motivation, and active learning. Master's candidates are encouraged to leverage their learning for immediate applicability; course projects require students to apply new skills to discipline-specific content needs.

The Educational Technology program helps educators:

• Prepare to evolve with the rapidly changing educational and technological landscapes.
• Understand the structure and function of educational technology systems.
• Apply technology-enhanced educational practices in and out of the classroom.

The culminating assessment for this master’s degree is a capstone project where you will integrate the skills and knowledge learned throughout the program to create a product that will be useful to a well-defined target audience (e.g. for students, as professional training, for parents, etc.). The project will showcase your understanding and skills plus serve the needs of a real target audience.

Course Work

The bulk of the 36-hour master of education degree consists of educational technology courses. Course topics include models of integration, management and implementation, instructional design and issues in the field. The degree also requires a cognate with courses available in educational administration, curriculum and instruction, developmental education, adult education and reading.

Assignments

Your grade in this course will be based on your performance on a series of assignments that appear on this online syllabus. At any time, you can view the assignments. This list of assignments provides you with a snapshot of what you need to do in this course. All the rest is optional. It is totally up to you how much of the other material you will want to complete. Your instructor will help guide you, depending on the topics you choose to pursue.

Courses

Application Requirements

• statement of purpose (approximately 500 words) describing background and career goals including:
• what the student hopes to achieve by completing the program
• how the student’s goals tie into the mission of the educational technology graduate program
• background in teaching and education
• experience with using/integrating technology in the classroom
• The items listed below are required for admission consideration for applicable semesters of entry during the current academic year. Submission instructions, additional details, and changes to admission requirements for semesters other than the current academic year can be found at www.iiu-edu.us.
• baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. official transcripts from each institution where course credit was granted
• completed online application
• a 2.75 overall GPA or a 2.75 GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)
• GRE not required
• $75 nonrefundable application fee

or

• $90 nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials

Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on ourexempt countries list.

official TOEFL iBT with minimum individual scores of

• 20 speaking
• 18 reading
• 19 listening
• 18 writing

This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.