Online and In-Person Options
The EDTC master’s program has two formats: online or in-person. Online classes take place on the Web. Most of the courses are asynchronous, which means that there are no scheduled times when students must meet together online. A few of the courses, however, have occasional synchronous meeting times when all of the students log on to UD’s videoconferencing network. These weekly Web meetings happen in the evenings, typically on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Specific dates are listed each term in the schedule of courses.
National Educational Technology Standards
Both the ISTE and AECT standards are informed by a knowledge base of books and articles from the scholarly literature on educational technology. This theoretical grounding in scholarship fits the School of Education’s view of its faculty and students as reflective practitioners who learn from the experience of others in developing their own reflective practice. Appropriate readings from the ISTE and AECT knowledge bases are assigned and interwoven throughout the various courses in the EDTC program. Follow these links to see the standards:
Educational Technology (EDTC) Program Requirements
Students admitted to the M.Ed. in Educational Technology (EDTC) program must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and make steady progress toward assembling the portfolio of items required for graduation.
All students take required core courses (6 credits) in curriculum (EDUC 638) and in technology & cognition (EDUC 650). All students enroll in three required educational technology courses (9 credits): EDUC 611, Introduction to Educational Technology; EDUC 685, Multimedia Literacy; and EDUC 621, Internet Technologies. Students complete the master’s coursework by taking educational technology electives that cover a broad range of topics across K-12 education (ISTE) as well as higher education and industry (AECT).
Students who write a master’s thesis take 12 elective credits plus 6 thesis credits. All other students take 18 credits of electives. It is in consultation with their advisor that EDTC students decide whether to write a thesis and which specific courses to elect in order to prepare appropriately for their intended workplace. The vast majority of students choose to create a capstone ePortfolio instead of writing a thesis.
Note: EDUC 639 is an educational technology course number that appears multiple times in the list of EDTC course requirements and electives. Each time, EDUC 639 has a different course title. The School’s graduate curriculum committee recommended this use of EDUC 639 to enable the EDTC program’s faculty to create new course offerings that address needs in this fast-paced field without consuming a new course number each time.
As outlined below, the EDTC program consists of some required courses and a selection of optional courses. The required courses cover educational technology foundations, focusing on principles and practices common across the disciplines and reflecting on the effects of multimedia and the Internet on current teaching practice. The optional courses explore educational technology topics in more depth in specific content areas or technologies in which the candidate wishes to prepare for providing effective leadership in order to make a positive impact on the future of teaching and learning.
The EDTC program consists of three blocks of courses plus a fourth block of exit requirements. In all, 33 credits are required for graduation.
Block 1. Core Courses: 6 credits
Every EDTC student must take the following core courses that ground the candidate in curriculum, technology and cognition. Both of these courses are 3 credit hours.
- EDUC 638: Learning Technologies Across the Curriculum
- EDUC 650: Technology and Cognition
Block 2. Specialization Courses: 9 credits
Every EDTC student must take the following 3-credit specialization courses that introduce the candidate to the field of educational technology and provide authentic practice in multimedia and Internet technologies.
- EDUC 611: Introduction to Educational Technology
- EDUC 621: Internet Technologies
- EDUC 685: Multimedia Literacy
Block 3. Electives: 18 credits
In consultation with their advisor, EDTC students typically enroll in 18 credits of the courses listed below. Candidates earning the Computer Science Education Certificate substitute its courses for 9 credits of the electives listed here. Candidates earning the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship & Technology Innovation take 12-18 credits of entrepreneurship certificate courses in lieu of the electives listed here. Candidates working to become Delaware certified through Alternative Routes to Certification (ARTC) may substitute graduate level ARTC courses. Candidates earning this master’s degree along with School Library Media (SLM) certification take seven SLM courses instead of electing the courses listed here.
- EDUC 646: Assistive Technology for Secondary Schools and Work
- EDUC 652: Introduction to Assistive Technology
- EDUC 653: Assistive Technology: High Incidence Disabilities
- EDUC 654: Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- EDUC 655: Assistive Technology: Autism/Severe Disabilities
- EDUC 656: eLearning
- EDUC 692: Educational Technology Capstone
- EDUC 762: Digital Literacies
- EDUC 773: Action Research
- EDUC 777: Fostering Technology Based Collaboration
- EDUC 804: How People Learn
- EDUC 815: Design of Learning Environments
- EDUC 819: Disciplinary Knowledge
- EDUC 869: Thesis (6 credits taken by candidates choosing the thesis exit option)
- EDUC 639: Ed Tech Topics. Students may take any course numbered EDUC 639 as long as the topic is different each time. Topics have included:
- EDUC 639: Societal Implications of AI
- EDUC 639: Emerging Technologies
- EDUC 639: Digital Assessment Strategies
- EDUC 639: ePortfolio Web Design
- EDUC 639: Google Apps in Education
- EDUC 639: iPad Apps for Educators
- EDUC 639: iPad Application Development
- EDUC 639: E-book Authoring
- EDUC 639: Mobile Web Design
- EDUC 639: Instructional Design
- EDUC 639: AI in Education
- EDUC 639: ChatGPT & AI Chatbots
- EDUC 639: Google Workplace
- EDUC 639: Apple Teacher Certificate
- EDUC 639: Computational ThinkingEDUC 639: YouTube
- EDUC 639: Learning with AI
Block 4. Exit Requirements
In order to graduate, students are required to submit a Capstone ePortfolio or complete a 6-credit curriculum research project with approval of their advisor, leading to a master’s thesis. Thesis candidates typically enroll in 6 credits of EDUC 869: Master’s Thesis after completing 12 credits of the restricted electives listed above. Most candidates exit the program without writing a thesis by submitting their Capstone ePortfolio after taking 18 credits of the restricted electives listed above.
Performances
Regardless of which specific courses the students elect to take, all EDTC degree candidates must complete the following performances:
Multimedia eLearning Environment. This is a multimedia web in which candidates create a blended learning environment using multiple methods of assessment including collaborative learning.
Needs Assessment. This is a term paper with a literature review that candidates write during their first year in the program.
Curriculum Project. This is field experience during which candidates keep a reflective journal documenting plans, experiences and improvements made in a local school or workplace setting.
Instructional Design: The candidate designs and develops one or more lessons or modules on a topic of strategic importance to the curriculum of the local school or workplace. ISTE-C candidates must create teacher professional development informed by the principles of adult learning.
School or Workplace Technology Plan: This is a strategic plan that explains how the local school or workplace will go about achieving strategic goals by using technology to provide instruction, collect data and evaluate results in order to determine the extent to which standards have been met. The plan includes a work schedule, hardware and software configuration, a proposed budget and a budget explanation.
Action Research Project: This is a major research paper that the candidate writes toward the end of the master’s program. In an action research project, the candidate conducts a local experiment in order to determine whether a nationally recognized best practice implemented in the local school or workplace can achieve results akin to those described in the research literature.
National Standards Capstone ePortfolio: In the capstone ePortfolio, the candidate submits the six performances listed above. For each performance, the candidate explains how it enabled them to practice one or more of the ISTE or AECT standards.
EDTC Master's Program Aligns with National Standards
The EDTC program contains two tracks. Each track is aligned with national educational technology standards. The program tracks are:
Approximately half of the candidates who enroll in the EDTC program are K-12 teachers. The other half consists of candidates who aspire to educational technology careers in higher education, government, and industry. In order to accommodate the needs of both constituencies, the EDTC program has two rubrics for each performance. One rubric is based on the AECT standards, and the other follows the ISTE standards for coaches.
AECT Standards
AECT stands for Association for Educational Communications and Technology. The AECT was founded in 1923. It has a rich history that is documented at the association’s AECT History page. The AECT maintains a knowledge base of educational technology. Readings from this knowledge base are incorporated throughout the courses in the EDTC program.
A quick way to review the AECT Standards is to review the EDTC alignment matrix for AECT. This matrix visualizes the manner in which the EDTC program embodies the AECT standards.
ISTE-C Standards
ISTE stands for International Society for Transforming Education. It is a major nonprofit association that is working to advance the effective use of technology in K-12 education and teacher education. ISTE maintains a knowledge base of educational technology that is incorporated throughout the courses in the EDTC program.
A quick way to review the ISTE Standards for Coaches is to review the EDTC alignment matrix for ISTE-C. This matrix visualizes the manner in which the EDTC program supports the ISTE-C standards.
CAEP Standards
The University of Delaware’s teacher preparation programs are accredited through the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Forms
During your study in the EDTC program, you will need to fill out a few forms. The following sections explain how to submit them.
Application for Educational Technology Internship or Practicum - As noted in the EDTC program assessment plan, all EDTC students must carry out an action research project (assessment #5) and create a technology plan (assessment #7) in an actual school or workplace setting. In order to obtain approval for this activity to take place in the local school or workplace setting, the student must complete the Application for Educational Technology Internship or Practicum. The person identified on this form as the “Local Supervisor” will serve as the external evaluator of the student’s research project and technology plan.
Graduate Transfer of Credit Form - With permission of the advisor, the candidate may transfer up to nine credits of graduate coursework earned at another institution or at UD prior to being admitted to the EDTC program. In order to qualify for such a transfer, these credits must not have been applied to or counted as part of any other degree, license or certification program. To initiate such a transfer, the candidate must complete and submit the Graduate Transfer of Credit Form.
Application for Advanced Degree Form - Last but certainly not least comes the Application for Advanced Degree Form, which the candidate must submit during the first week of the semester in which the candidate plans to graduate.
