University News
New Graduate Program Options in WIU's Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies Dept.
October 13, 2010
New grad program options address the changing professional landscape of education.
MACOMB/MOLINE, IL -- The Western Illinois University Department of Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies (EIS) has redesigned its graduate program options to address the changing professional landscape of education. The program will now offer three distinct tracks for students pursuing an advanced (master's level) degree in the program, including: the language, culture and education track; the cognition and instruction track; and the social foundations of education track. Additionally, the department will offer a transdisciplinary studies track for school districts wishing to establish cohorts seeking specific, targeted professional development for their staff members, which, according to Reinhard Lindner, chair of the EIS department, is an option the Havana (IL) School District recently elected to pursue.
In addition to the new tracks, the EIS department will offer a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate program, which will enable interested students to pursue a post-baccalaureate certificate.
According to Lindner, the ultimate aim of the newly restructured EIS graduate program and its different track offerings is to assist in the development of more proficient, flexible and empowered practitioners, who will have an immediate and demonstrable positive impact on student learning, their current professional setting and their profession as a whole.
"The educational and interdisciplinary studies (formerly educational foundations) department has, for many years, served teachers and educational professionals in the region -- P-12 and beyond -- in realizing their personal and professional goals," noted Lindner. "We are proud of the service we have provided to our students over the years, but times and needs change. In response to ever-increasing expectations by policymakers, professional organizations and the public, the preparation and professional development and accompanying skill sets of teachers and educational professionals is undergoing considerable transformation today. Contemporary teachers and educational professionals -- many experts, professional organizations and policy makers have argued -- need to know more than the content they teach and sound pedagogical practices."
According to Tom Cody, EIS professor and graduate program coordinator, this emerging new view of the profession prompted the department to redesign its graduate program offerings in order to help better prepare students -- who will be future teachers and educational professionals -- and to help them understand how to address student diversity, how to make data-driven decisions and, most importantly, how to maximize the learning and performance of all students. In addition, he noted, the program will provide future teachers and education professionals the necessary awareness about, and understanding of, the political, historical, legal and policy context in which their professional field is embedded.
"Thus, we have redesigned the graduate program tracks to specifically to address these issues. Fundamentally interdisciplinary in nature, and recognizing the needs of specific students may vary, the program affords students the opportunity to choose from specific tracks representing distinct foci," Cody noted.
According to Susan Raley, (Galva, IL), who attends graduate courses at the WIU-QC campus, the EIS program is ideal for her as a working professional.
"As a practicing teacher, I find myself constantly incorporating what I have learned through the program into my daily work," she explained. "Since my first semester in the program, I am more engaged and reflective about my own teaching. The renewed energy and focus I have as a result of the contagious passion and enthusiasm of my professors have launched me into a new era of my career."
The EIS graduate program's restructured track and certificate offerings are listed below, with a brief description about each.
- Language, Culture and Education Track
This track is designed to deepen understanding of how cultural and linguistic factors impact students in the contemporary American classroom, P-12 and beyond. It also seeks to equip teachers and related educational professionals with the tools they need to successfully work with an increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse student body. Students in this track may concurrently pursue a WIU TESOL certificate. - Cognition and Instruction Track
This track is focused on empowering educators in making data-driven decisions and helping them understand the learning process from the perspective of contemporary cognitive science. Students choosing this track will acquire conceptual and practical tools, grounded in sound theory and research, which will prepare them to analyze human cognition, performance and motivation deeply, thereby enabling them to have a greater positive impact on student learning. - Social Foundations of Education Track
This track is designed to provide deep insight into the ethical, social and political issues, as well as debates and conflicts that shape and influence educational institutions in the U.S. Students in this track will gain the skills needed to respond to the dynamic social, political and policy contexts of modern schools and schooling, thereby empowering them to navigate the often conflicting challenges and demands schools and educators face in contemporary American society. - Transdisciplinary Studies
This track is designed for school districts wishing to establish cohorts seeking specific, targeted professional development of knowledge and skills that further the understanding of, and ability to, effectively address issues or problems within their educational or professional communities. The cohort model allows for a flexible combination of courses from any, or all, of the EIS graduate tracks to be applied to a specific district's particular needs and goals. - TESOL Certificate
The EIS graduate program also allows interested students to pursue a post-baccalaureate certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). A student interested in earning a TESOL certificate need to complete 18 hours of directed coursework to earn his or her TESOL certificate. This certificate is designed to aid those interested in working in programs or settings aimed at teaching English as second language. Typically, students earning this certificate work overseas or for organizations that teach English as a second language as part of their mission. The program is not designed to provide certification in a K-12 setting. It also does not lead to an M.S. degree unless a student is accepted and enrolled as a regular degree-seeking candidate in the department. Acceptance into the certificate program does not substitute for (or allow a student to bypass) regular graduate admission requirements.
The department continues to offer a masters degree in college student personnel.
"The redesigned EIS graduate program is aimed at providing our graduates with a skill set enabling them to succeed in their field, as well as preparing them to pursue educational opportunities beyond their current level if they so choose," Lindner noted.
Graduates of the EIS program currently work as teachers, instructors, educational consultants or policy analysts in schools, colleges and other professional settings, he added.
For more information, contact Heather Munro or Lisa Turke in the EIS department, at (309) 298-1183 or via their individual email addresses at H-Munro@wiu.edu or LA-Turke@wiu.edu. Visit the EIS department's newly redesigned website at www.wiu.edu/coehs/eis/.
Find WIU's EIS department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/WIU-Dept-of-Educational-and-Interdisciplinary-Studies/114947811897025.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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