EED 595: Directed Comprehensive Studies
Teaching and Learning MA Option
Dr. Susan Belgrad
Office: 818-677-4901
Mondays
Fall, 2014
I. Course Description:
EED 697 Comprehensive Studies is the capstone experience for graduate work in the Teaching
and Learning MA Option. This course is designed to provide encouragement, support, and
opportunity for you to complete your research report and the MA Portfolio. Assignments
focused on leadership and professionalism are also part of the course, the final class of your MA
program.
EED 697 will culminate with the comprehensive examination -- your portfolio
presentation – during the Week of November ___from 5:00 to7:00 P.M.
At that time, your Portfolio MUST be complete, including your inquiry project report,
and you'll engage in conversations with members of the faculty and Master Program
teachers to present your Portfolio. At the conclusion of the Portfolio Showcase, you
will submit the portfolio to your instructor for scoring by the program faculty and/or
Program Graduate Advisor. Passing portfolio scores are reported to the Graduate
Studies Office to indicate that the comprehensive exam requirement has been met.
III.
II. Conceptual Framework of the College of Education
The faculty of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education, regionally focused and
nationally recognized, is committed to Excellence through Innovation. We believe
excellence includes the acquisition of professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions
and is demonstrated by the growth and renewal of ethical and caring professionals faculty, staff, candidates - and those they serve. Innovation occurs through
collaborative partnerships among communities of diverse learners who engage in
creative and reflective thinking. To this end we continually strive to achieve the
following competencies and values that form the foundation of the Conceptual
Framework.
o
We value academic excellence in the acquisition of professional knowledge and skills.
o
We value the use of evidence for the purposes of monitoring candidate growth, determining the impact of
our programs, and informing ongoing program and unit renewal. To this end we foster a culture of
evidence.
o
We value ethical practice and what it means to become ethical and caring professionals.
o
We value collaborative partnerships within the College of Education as well as across disciplines with
other CSUN faculty, P-12 faculty, and other members of regional and national educational and service
communities.
o
We value diversity in styles of practice and are united in a dedication to acknowledging, learning about, and
addressing the varied strengths, interests, and needs of communities of diverse learners.
o
We value creative and reflective thinking and practice.
II. Course Requirements
A. Methodology:
The class as a whole will meet on ten occasions during the semester, as noted below,
including the Portfolio Presentation. On other dates, the instructor will meet with
individuals or pairs of students to support and discuss progress with the research project or
address questions regarding your Portfolio. Additional individual meetings may be
conducted via email or scheduled for other times; or an additional whole class session may
be scheduled if needed.
B. Assignments/Assessments:
Each student will be responsible for organizing research project and artifacts of
significant achievement of Induction and CSUN Student Learning Outcomes into a
Final Academic Portfolio. The following items will be included in the portfolio:
1. Reflective Pieces
2. Theoretical Understanding from analyses/discussions of reading assignments
and applications in elementary classrooms;
3. Final Inquiry Research Project Report
4. Educational Awareness: Evidence of understanding of the changing role of the teacher in the
classroom/school; content and intent of Common Core State Standards; evidence of knowledge on
reaching and teaching diverse learners; evidence of applying knowledge and research in education,
and.
5. Teacher Leadership--evidence of leadership as a teacher mentor or child advocate
An assignment sheet and rubric will be distributed that provides background and
information along with and specific details to complete the required work.
The student's participation in the Final Portfolio Showcase is Mandatory.
C. The Research Report: Suggestions for Success
The following are general guidelines agreed upon by the faculty in the Michael D. Eisner College of
Education:
1. Aim for a length of about 30 pages, double-spaced, 12 point type size not including references.
2. Use APA format/style correctly and consistently.
3. The use of first-person narrative is acceptable and appropriate.
4. Use headings to help a reader follow the organization of your report.
5. Provide a title page. Include a descriptive title (colons will be common) and your name.
6. Typical parts of the body of the report include the following:
a. An introductory section that creates interest in the topic, states and discusses the research
question/topic/projected outcome and its significance (i.e.) why you think it is important.
b. A literature review (background section) that defines key terms and provides information
about research and professional writing giving foundation to your study.
c. Methodology or Procedures section that describe the study's context, how data was
collected, and how data was analyzed.
1) Context: describe the school, the students, the teacher(s), but avoid using specific school or
student names.
2) Data collection: describe the several data sources and collection processes, as well as the
reasons for these choices. You may refer readers to an appendix (where, for example, you may
have a survey and a sample student response.). This section will be in "past tense" when you
write the report.
3) Data analysis: explain how the different types of data were considered and analyzed (tallied,
percentages calculated, essays scored using a rubric, content analysis, etc.). This, too, will be in
"past tense."
d. Findings sections that describe the outcomes of your study. There are usually two main choices for
organizing this part: by results (most common) or by data sources (less common). Charts/graphs are
recommended in this section.
An example: If the title of your study is "A Program of Journal Writing: Impacts on English
Learners' Writing Attitudes and Achievement in Two Fourth Grade Classes," the results
section might be organized in one of these ways:
Organized by key results
- Student attitudes toward writing (citing evidence from surveys, journals, essays)
- Length of student writing (citing evidence from surveys, journals, essays)
- Sentence structures of student writing (citing evidence from surveys, journals, essays)
- Coherence of student writing (citing evidence from surveys, journals, essays)
Organized by data sources
- Survey findings (on attitudes, length, sentence structures, coherence of writing)
-Journal findings (on attitudes, length, sentence structures, coherence of writing)
- Essay findings (on attitudes, length, sentence structures, coherence of writing)
-A discussion section that comments on the findings: what you learned doing this research and
implications for your teaching, connections with other studies, expected/unexpected results,
additional questions for research. This often proves to be one of the most interesting parts to
write.
-A short conclusion that provides closure and may refer back to the introduction or emerge from the
findings discussion. Sometimes E and F are combined.
e. References: a minimum of ten (10) references, using a direct match system (if . it's cited in the report, it
should appear in the references; if it's listed in the references, it should be cited in the report). Many will have
around 15 citations, few of which may be internet references. Be sure to use APA!
f. Any appendices. Appendices are generally labeled Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.
D. Recommended Texts
American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition. (2009). APA Publication Manual
Online Web-based Resources
California State Dept. of Education frameworks
English-Language Arts Framework
History-Social Science Framework
Mathematics Framework or NCTM’s Principles and Standards of School Mathematics
Reading Framework
Science Framework
E. Resources
Online Web-based Resources
CSUN Writing Center: 677-2033:
Individual and group tutorial. In person or by fax and phone and email.
Areas of study range from
grammar and other aspects of mechanics through sentence and paragraph structure to techniques for
organizing essays, exams and papers. Operates Monday through Friday on an appointment basis.
See web page for instructions on scheduling: Go to CSUN web page, choose students, choose student
services, choose writing center.