CGE Proposal for New Graduate Course
Approved by CGE 11/03/09
CGE COURSE PROPOSAL COMPONENTS:
1.0 Department
Gallaudet’s PhD Program in Educational Neuroscience (PEN)
Interdisciplinary: Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2)
Education
Interpreting
Linguistics
Psychology
Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences
Reports to: Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School
2.0 Course Number
PEN 803 - This a PhD level course that graduate students will take during the third year of
their PhD program. Course is to be taken fall semester prior to spring PEN 898 Dissertation
Proposal.
3.0 Course Title
Guided Studies: Theory
4.0 Course Credits
4.1 How many credits will this course carry? Note: The standard computation of credit is one
(1) semester-hour per 50 minutes of instruction per week for an equivalent of fifteen (15)
course meetings.
3 credits
4.2 If the course includes non-classroom instruction or lab sessions, or if the credit hours
vary in some way from the standard, provide an explanation.
The students will participate in a traditional course structure and non-classroom learning, or,
“field experience” within Gallaudet University. Students will meet with the instructor for
direction and assignment of specific core readings for their (now selected) dissertation
domain/discipline and question within Educational Neuroscience; for example, a student may
choose to focus on the domain within Educational Neuroscience that investigates children’s early
language learning, another student may choose to focus on children’s learning of math and
numeracy, etc. The instructor will also provide detailed guidance, timeline oversight, and
feedback on the student’s written Comprehension Exam that will culminate at the end of this
course by December 1, and the Presentation component of the Comprehensive Exam that will
occur on December 15 to the student’s Comprehensive Exam Committee. At the same time, this
course entails significant “field experience, ” whereupon the student—now in their third year—
will advance their capacity to bring a body of work to fruition based on independent scholarly
library research and literature review. Through this “field experience,” students will gain
advanced knowledge of their unique question, be guided to a more advanced level of
independent scholarship, and apply critical analysis skills to write their Comprehensive Exam,
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CGE Proposal for New Graduate Course
Approved by CGE 11/03/09
whereupon components may also form the foundational Literature Review for their upcoming
course, the Dissertation Proposal (PEN 898, Dissertation Proposal spring Semester).
4.3 If variable credit is proposed (e.g., 1-3 hours), explain how this will be utilized and
determined.
This is a 3 credit course.
5.0 Formal (Catalog) Description
Provide a formal course description of the course, adhering to length and style characteristics
of college catalog listings, including pre-requisites, fees, and any information regarding
cross-listings if applicable. The description is to be written in the third person and must
appear exactly the same on the proposal form, Course Record form and syllabus.
In this third of a three-part sequence of intensive guided study courses (in class and field experience),
Guided Studies (III): Theory (PEN 803), students advance their knowledge knowledge, critical analysis,
and independent scholarship in one select domain of Educational Neuroscience of the student’s choice.
Through a combination of course work and “field experience” as independent library scholarship,
students will advance to writing a paper in research grant proposal format in which they identify a
research question of important contemporary scientific and educational significance in Educational
Neuroscience, along with an in depth and detailed literature review. The student will also provide a
presentation of this work at the end of the course. In addition, the grant proposal and presentation
constitute the student’s Comprehensive Examination, and is also separately presented at the end of the
semester to the student’s Comprehensive Examination Committee.
6.0 Prerequisites
6.1 List the prerequisites and/or co-requisites for this course.
Completion of PEN 801, PEN 802, and PhD Qualifying Exams
6.2 Provide a brief rationale for prerequisites and/or co-requisites,
The student must have successfully completed the written/oral PhD Qualifying Exams and the
core courses of the PhD program, as well as the two preceding Guided Studies sequence I and II.
They must be ready to start work on the dissertation phase of the program.
6.3 If prerequisites and/or co-requisites involve other departments of instruction, provide
evidence of acknowledgement and cooperation from these departments (e.g. letters of
support).
n/a
7.0 Rationale for proposed course
7.1 Why is this course being proposed? Provide a rationale.
This course will help students hone in on a specific domain within Educational Neuroscience of
their choice, which may serve as the basis for their doctoral dissertation research and the
dissertation’s literature review. It provides a solid balance between structure (in setting clear
goals to narrow in on a dissertation topic) and independence, which is vital to the execution of an
independent dissertation study and to the writing of a dissertation document. The course is
“step-wise” in its design and will naturally bring the student to identify a dissertation topic in
preparation for the next semester’s course, PEN 898, Dissertation Proposal.
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CGE Proposal for New Graduate Course
Approved by CGE 11/03/09
7.2 Describe any actual or apparent overlap with current course offerings. If other
departments are impacted by this course, provide evidence of consultation with and support
from those departments (e.g. letters of support).
n/a
8.0 Grading System
State whether letter-grade or pass/fail system will be utilized; if the latter, provide a brief
rationale.
Letter-grade. The student grades are calculated according to their participation in and
performance of their assignments described in section 11
9.0 Course Characteristics
9.1 If the course is to be cross-listed (within a single department, or across more than one
department), provide a rationale and full documentation of steps taken to assure such
listings.
N/A
9.2 If the course is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, provide a rationale for
doing so and explain any differences in requirements for undergraduate and graduate
students.
This course is intended to be for graduate students.
9.3 Explain how this course fits with the other department offerings. Is this course a required
course (in which case it must be accompanied by a proposal for Change to Existing Program)
or an elective course?
This is a required course in this new PhD program and therefore there is no “Change to [an]
Existing Program.”
9.4 Describe the intended student-audience for this course. If substantial numbers of students
from outside the department are expected to enroll in this course, provide evidence of support
and cooperation from these departments in terms of enrollment and compatible scheduling.
This course is only offered to graduate students in PhD program in Educational Neuroscience
so as to advance their educational learning outcomes in this PEN program.
9.5 What is the anticipated starting date for this course? How frequently and in which
semester(s) will the course be offered in the future? How many sections of this course will
typically be offered simultaneously?
Fall 2015, offered annually to PEN graduate students only, and in their third year of study,
fall semester. There is only one section. The course occurs in a particular sequence in the
PEN graduate student’s study, and it will therefore not be offered simultaneously with
another section. No conflicts of this type are anticipated.
10.0 Instructor
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CGE Proposal for New Graduate Course
Approved by CGE 11/03/09
Describe necessary instructor competencies and qualifications to teach the course.
The course requires an instructor who holds an earned doctorate degree, and who possesses
experience and expertise in university instruction and research.
11.0 Course Format and Procedures
Describe how the course will be conducted, in terms of class meetings and teaching
procedures. For example, will the course be taught online only, or as a hybrid of online and
classroom meetings? Will the course incorporate lectures, discussions, lab sessions, smallgroup or individualized instruction, practicum or field experiences, student reports or
projects, competency-based modules, or other types of instructional procedures?
There will be no online meetings. Continuous formal lectures over the entire term are not a
feature of this course. Instead, there will be core meetings with the course instructor and the
class, as well as significant “field experience” involving independent library scholarship. We
do not anticipate a large number of students to be participating in this course, as it is an
advanced graduate level course for the PEN program only. The student will receive
significant individualized instruction/feedback. Course instructor will also provide
instruction and guidance on the (i) final research report (one component of the
Comprehensive Exam) and the (ii) oral presentation of the final research report (another
component of the Comprehensive Exam. (See syllabus for full descriptions of assignments.)
12.0 Evaluation of Course and Course Instructor
Describe how course instruction and the course itself will be evaluated, including any longterm strategies for evaluating the course as part of the department offerings.
The course will be evaluated based on student responses to the course evaluation (students
will complete a course evaluation at the end of the semester), and the instructor’s evaluation
of the students, as per the course/program SLOs. See course evaluation rubrics below. The
course itself will also be evaluated as part of the PEN PhD program evaluation scheduled for
one year after its creation, and regularly thereafter.
13.0 Resources
Describe the immediate and future impact the offering of this course is likely to have on the
department's personnel, physical, and financial resources.
None anticipated.
14.0 Alignment of proposed course goals with those of academic program
14.1 Program mission statement
The program’s mission is to lay bare the advances, and to advance, the exciting new multidisciplinary
field called Educational Neuroscience—a discipline that is bound by two driving overarching goals: (i) to
marry leading scientific discoveries about how children learn knowledge that is at the heart of early
schooling (e.g., language, reading, number, science, social-emotional) with core challenges in
contemporary education, and to do so in principled ways through “two-way” communication and mutual
growth between science and society; (ii) to conduct state-of-the-art behavioral and neuroimaging research
that renders new knowledge that is useable, and meaningfully translatable, for the benefit of society
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CGE Proposal for New Graduate Course
Approved by CGE 11/03/09
(spanning parents, teachers, clinicians, medical practitioners, and beyond). Educational Neuroscience at
Gallaudet University provides a unique strength in, and contribution to, pioneering advances in the
education of young deaf children.
The new PhD Program in Educational Neuroscience also seeks to propel forward Gallaudet University’s
goals to provide its students with the most cutting-edge knowledge, powerful critical analysis and
reasoning skills, and utterly advanced knowledge of, and expertise in, research and its principled
application (here, neuroimaging and behavioral research), which are vital to education and society.
14.2 Program Student Learning Outcomes
1. The students will acquire a foundational knowledge of the educational, neurological, behavioral and
cognitive determinants, and sociocultural practices that impact all human learning, especially learning in
the young deaf visual learner.
2. The students will be exposed to a range of specialized topics and principles and scientific methods and
understand the ethical principles of research conducted with participants.
3. The students will develop knowledge of the meaningful and principled, mutually beneficial, two-way
means and methods to translate scientific discoveries to education and education to science.
4. The students will develop research skills and critical thinking by demonstrating the ability to conduct
independent research leading to dissertation and publication.
5. The students will develop professional communication and technology skills.
6. The students will demonstrate increasing independence throughout the training period, and show a
readiness for entry-level faculty research positions.
14.3 Course Student Learning Outcomes
List the Student Learning Outcomes for your proposed course. Then in table format, using
the template provided below, list the learning outcomes and show how the course and
program SLOs align by placing checks in the appropriate cells.
Note: The three Guided Studies Courses in this PEN PhD program have the same overarching
learning goals and outcomes that include gaining specific hands-on knowledge in topics at the
core of the PEN PhD program mission. Guided Studies 1: Translation (Clerc Center and TwoWay Translation) provides hands-on opportunities to understand the meaningful, principled twoway marriage that is possible between science and education and education and science. Guided
Studies II: Research provides hands-on opportunities to advance in the core research tools and
methods of Educational Neuroscience so that the student gains knowledge in how to do
meaningful science with translational impact. Guided Studies III: Theory provides hands-on
opportunities to advance in the specific core domain in which the student will become an expert
in the field of Educational Neuroscience (e.g., how young children and the visual learner learns
math, language, or reading, and the like); indeed this invaluable course will make possible the
student’s advancement in knowledge that will serve as the foundation of their doctoral proposal,
doctoral research, and doctoral written and oral defense.
In this Guided Studies: III Theory the Learning Outcomes include:
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CGE Proposal for New Graduate Course
Approved by CGE 11/03/09
1. The student will identify a specific domain within Educational Neuroscience of great interest
(one that they may decide to focus on in their dissertation research and dissertation)
2. The student will learn the key components of the domain, including the prevailing questions
and methods
3. The student will identify an important research question for additional study and learn its
unique salience to education and science, as well as its translational significance
4. The student will identify key background literature and will situate their unique research
question in this literature (what has come before, what remains unanswered, what would we
know if we had the answer to this specific question, as well as its translational/educational
significance)
5. The student will write his/her ideas in a persuasive and compelling manner that culminates in
a research report written in APA Grant Proposal Format and presentation (effectively, the
written/oral Comprehensive Exam)
see table below
14.4 Learning Opportunities
Briefly describe the Learning Opportunities (eg. assignments, projects, activities, reports,
field experiences, etc.) designed to achieve the course Student Learning Outcomes. List them
in table format, using the template provided below, and briefly state how they will be
assessed (eg. what assessment methods will be used?).
1. Identification of domain, questions, methods
2. Annotated bibliography for Literature Review
3. Weekly thought-theory blogs/portfolio entries
4. Draft of research report written in APA Grant Proposal Format
5. Final research report written in APA Grant Proposal Format
6. “oral” presentation or written work
see table below
14.5 Assessment Methods
Attach assessment tools used in this course (include grading scales, rubrics, checklists, etc.)
to the syllabi accompanying this proposal. Do not attach them to the proposal itself.
see syllabus and table below
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CGE Proposal for New Graduate Course
Approved by CGE 11/03/09
PEN 803 Guided Studies: Theory
Course student
Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Opportunities
Discussion with course instructor
and discussions with other class
1. The student will
members; reading of relevant
identify a specific
literature; scholarly library field
domain within
experience (literature review;
Educational
ability to write in APA grant
Neuroscience of great
proposal format) Participation in
interest (one that they
discussions, “identification of
may decide to focus on
domain” assignment, annotated
in their dissertation
bibliography, weekly
research and
thought/theory blogs/portfolio
dissertation)
entries, draft of research report,
final research report, and
presentation (written/oral
Comprehensive Exams).
Discussions with instructor/class;
scholarly library field experience
(literature review; thought-theory
2. The student will
blog/portfolio) Participation in
identify the key
discussions, “identification of
components of the
domain” assignment, annotated
domain, including the
bibliography, weekly
prevailing questions and
thought/theory blogs/portfolio
methods
entries, draft of research report,
final research report, and
presentation (written/oral
Comprehensive Exams).
Critical analysis/synthesis of
theory as reflected in discussions
3. The student will
with instructor from scholarly
identify an important
library field experience (literature
research question for
review) Participation in
additional study and
discussions, “identification of
learn its unique salience domain” assignment, annotated
to education and science, bibliography, weekly
as well as its
thought/theory blogs/portfolio
translational significance entries, draft of research report,
final research report, and
presentation (written/oral
Comprehensive Exams).
4. The student will
Discussions with instructor/class
identify key background (advisor); scholarly library field
literature and will situate experience (literature review;
their unique research
ability to write in APA Grant
question in this literature Proposal Format). Participation in
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Program Learning
Outcomes
Assessment
Method
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
Participation in
discussions
(rubric),
blogs/portfolio
entries (teacher
observations),
final research
report, and
presentation will
be assessed by
rubrics
x
x
x
x
x
x
Participation in
discussions
(rubric),
blogs/portfolio
entries (teacher
observations),
final research
report, and
presentation will
be assessed by
rubrics
x
x
x
x
x
x
Participation in
discussions
(rubric),
blogs/portfolio
entries (teacher
observations),
final research
report, and
presentation will
be assessed by
rubrics
x
x
x
x
x
x
Participation in
discussions
(rubric),
blogs/portfolio
entries (teacher
x
x
x
x
x
x
CGE Proposal for New Graduate Course
Approved by CGE 11/03/09
(what has come before,
what remains
unanswered, what would
we know if we had the
answer to this specific
question, as well as its
translational/educational
significance)
discussions, “identification of
domain” assignment, annotated
bibliography, weekly
thought/theory blogs/portfolio
entries, draft of research report,
final research report, and
presentation (written/oral
Comprehensive Exams).
observations),
final research
report, and
presentation will
be assessed by
rubrics
5. The student will write
his/her ideas in a
persuasive and
compelling manner that
culminates in a research
report written in APA
Grant Proposal Format
and presentation (in turn,
the written/oral
Comprehensive Exams)
Discussions with instructor/class;
scholarly library field experience
(literature review; ability to write
in APA Grant Proposal Format);
Draft of written research report in
APA Format, final written research
report in APA format, presentation
of the final written work
Participation in
discussions
(rubric),
blogs/portfolio
entries (teacher
observations),
final research
report, and
presentation will
be assessed by
rubrics
8
x
x
x
x
x
x