UVa Course Catalog (Unofficial, Lou's List)
Complete Catalog of Courses for the Education Leadership, Foundations and Policy Department    
Class Schedules Index Course Catalogs Index Class Search Page
These pages present data mined from the University of Virginia's student information system (SIS). I hope that you will find them useful. — Lou Bloomfield, Department of Physics
Education-Leadership, Foundations, and Policy
EDLF 2000Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) and Professional Development (0)
The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) provides undergraduates from outside UVA with research and PD experience under the guidance of UVA Faculty conducting education research. This internship program is designed to encourage undergraduates students to pursue graduate study and consider careers in academic, policy, or research organizations. Interns work on research focusing on schools, classrooms, and other youth settings.
EDLF 2050What the Innovators Do: Strategies to Transform the Lives of Youth (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Inequalities persist at every level of education. Throughout this course we will study innovations designed to address these disparities. We will investigate the process by innovations are designed and will critically assess the efficacy of a wide range of innovations. The course will feature numerous guest speakers involved in innovation design and implementation, including leaders in the private, educational, and government sectors.
EDLF 2070Effective Altruism (3)
Effective altruism (EA), a school of thought in applied ethics, explores how we can do the most good using evidence-based methodologies. In doing so, we will cover issues such as charitable giving, global poverty, career choices, privilege, power, and your own beliefs. Groups will select a topic, such as sexual harm prevention, economic inequality, or climate change, to explore how we can pursue positive change.
EDLF 2080Fundamentals of Health and Social Sciences Statistics (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This introductory statistics course covers descriptive and inferential statistics for application in the health and social sciences. It provides a systematic development of the concepts, principles, and tools of statistics with an emphasis on representation, analysis, and drawing conclusions from authentic data grounded in the health and social sciences.
EDLF 2090Talking to the Other Side: Dialogue Across Political Divides (3)
Is it worthwhile to talk with people who disagree with us on political issues, and if so, how and why? How do forms of inequality such as due to race, ethnicity and socio-economic status impact public dialogue? This class equips students with the skills to engage in conversations with people who disagree politically as well as introduces students to debates about the role of such dialogue in schools and other public spaces.
EDLF 3000Research Design for Social Innovation with Youth (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
What are the makings of good research in youth development? How do our methods help us more clearly measure what matters in settings for youth? This course will provide an introduction to applied social-science research methods and design. Students will engage a hands-on semester research project while learning the foundations of ethics, method, and design for research in the field of youth development.
EDLF 3010US Society and Education (3)
This advanced seminar is designed to familiarize students with the history of K-12 education in the United States from 1945 to the present. We will examine and interrogate education within broader political and social contexts, including postwar politics, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Culture Wars.
Course was offered Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
EDLF 3150Introduction to Child Growth and Development (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This survey course introduces several prominent theories of child development and explores the related empirical research. Emphasis is placed on applying developmental principles to parenting and professional practice. Major topics include: the historical basis of child study, the life cycle, maturational milestones, diversity in development, cognitive, emotional, moral development, and biological foundations.
EDLF 3160Introduction to Educational Psychology (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Most college students have spent 16,000+ hours in educational settings. That's a lot of time devoted to learning new information. This course addresses questions such as: Why does learning take so long? What really happens inside the brain? What keeps people motivated to learn? Are some environments better than others for learning? What societal conditions impact learning? Are people similar or different in the way they learn?
EDLF 3170Introduction to Adolescence (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Psychological and social development during adolescence are affected by multiple factors, such as biological, social and cultural changes, and larger macrosystem influences. We will examine how these influences shape development generally during the 2nd and 3rd decades of life. We will explore questions of identity, relationships, health and culture by considering key questions that adolescents explore such as "Who am I," and "Where am I going?"
EDLF 3180Lifespan Development (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
In this course, we will explore the journey we all share, asking "How do individuals grow and change throughout life?" We will take a topical approach, with particular focus on biological, psychological, and social development from birth through older adulthood. We will seek to understand our own developmental processes, as well as the role of race, class, gender and culture on others,' and question our beliefs about what it means to "grow up."
EDLF 3200Examining the Effectiveness of Social Innovation (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
In this course, we will explore whether innovations intended to improve outcomes for children and youth "work." How can we judge whether a particular approach is more effective, efficient, sustainable or just than present solutions? This class is a chance to better understand how to use evidence in the process of developing effective social innovations.
EDLF 3220What is Education For? (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
What is the purpose of your education? Why have you devoted so much of your life to it? This class explores opposing ideas about the aims of education. Should schooling prioritize skill-building, creativity, or reflection? Does education only reproduce social norms, or does it have the power to change society? We examine such questions in regard to our own education, philosophical texts, and efforts to promote schooling worldwide.
EDLF 3240Education in Multicultural Societies (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
What does it mean to educate in and for a multicultural society? Using the U.S. as a case study, this interdisciplinary course looks at the ways in which education is shaped, enacted, and experienced by diverse communities both locally and globally. By exploring diverse knowledge bases that contribute to a multicultural society, students will critically examine educational practices and policies to reimagine the purposes and goals of education.
EDLF 3250Intro to Citizenship & Activism: Critical Exam of Jefferson's University (3)
This course examines ideas about citizenship, engagement, student activism, and social justice within the context of the University. It will examine, through lecture, discussion, readings, and an applied action research project, the various definitions of political engagement, activism, and social change as they are relate to current issues at the University.
EDLF 3333Lessons from a Toy Store: Behavioral Economics and Education (3)
Policy makers have made substantial investments over the past several decades to improve educational outcomes for economically-disadvantaged students, yet disparities remain. The purpose of this class is to 1) apply insights from behavioral economics to diagnose why education policies do not always achieve their desired goals, and 2) identify strategies for improving students' educational outcomes
EDLF 3420Athletics in the University (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course addresses the history, organization, finance, governance, leadership and symbolism of athletics as a key part of the political economy of the contemporary university. With student athletes as a primary unit of analysis we will review the history of intercollegiate athletic competition, the symbolic role of athletics in society and the future of athletics on post-secondary campuses.
EDLF 3440Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course will focus on the social and psychological factors related to participation in sport and physical activity over the life span. Personal factors that influence sport & exercise behavior (e.g., personality, self-perceptions, age, gender, race), situational factors (e.g., observational learning, motivational climate, socioeconomic level), and psychological methods for enhancing sport and exercise behavior will be reviewed.
EDLF 3460Race and Identity in Youth Development (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course is designed to examine how race/ethnicity, diversity, & identity matter in the lives of youth with a focus on educational settings. We will use theory and research to question stereotypes about youth achievement and will explore how individual, interpersonal, and structural factors help to explain associations between group membership & educational outcomes. Students should have previously taken an intro level social science course.
EDLF 3470Hip-Hop, History, and Education (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course explores the history of hip-hop as an educational and social movement in the United States. The course explores the intellectual linkages between hip-hop and education; hip-hop as a tool for knowledge dissemination on a multiplicity of social issues; hip-hop as literacy, and hip-hop as a pedagogy of critical consciousness.
EDLF 3490Education, Power and US Democracy (3)
In this course, students will use course texts and classroom discussions to explore the how schools have been integral to teaching what the role and responsibilities of citizens in a US-style democracy, as well as how schools also reveal the boundaries of this form of citizenship. The course will start from the formation of the common schools in the US and span the twentieth century, and will feature readings that employ a transnational lens.
Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2022
EDLF 3491Inequality in US Social Policy (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course provides a historical overview of major social problems and the social contexts, policies, and programs developed in response. Attention is paid to the experiences of vulnerable groups and processes and contexts that facilitate or constrain social change. Using a historical analysis, students gain an understanding of how policies, institutions, and organizations shape and respond to complex human needs and issues of social justice.
Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
EDLF 3492Political Dialogue (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Will civil discourse save democracy or deepen oppression? Why does speech matter so much to political struggles? What does it mean for political dialogue to be successful? This course integrates theory with practice as students engage in political dialogue, then draw on their experiences, primary source research, the popular press and political theory to analyze the relationship between political dialogue and democracy.
Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2022
EDLF 3500Special Topics in Educ Leadership (1 - 6)
Offered
Spring 2025
Topical offerings in educational leadership.
EDLF 3610Immigrant Youth and Families (3)
Questions of immigration have been at the fore of the national political conversation in the United States over the last decade. This course provides a developmental perspective on immigrant youth and families, with particular attention to educational contexts from early childhood through early adulthood.
EDLF 3620The Art and Science of 21st Century Parenting (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Parenting has a huge impact on the development of children and youth. New knowledge in this field is full of surprising discoveries. Students will gain a deep understanding of diverse parenting contexts through the lens of psychological and developmental theories, while examining relevant research and policy. The course also emphasizes practical skills, preparing students to support parents to optimize the development of their children.
EDLF 3895Front Lines of Social Change I: Women's Center Internship (3)
Front Lines of Social Change I explores gender equity and social justice theory. FLSC I provides the Women's Center internship cohort a structured classroom environment to actively reflect upon their experience; engage in professional development; and learn about the field, including gender equity issues addressed by the internship. FLSC I (fall) and FLSC II (spring) are required components of the Women's Center internship for all new interns.
Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
EDLF 3896Front Lines of Social Change II: Women's Center Internship (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Front Lines of Social Change II explores gender equity and social justice theory. FLSC II provides the Women's Center internship cohort a structured classroom environment to actively reflect upon their experience; engage in professional development; and learn about the field, including gender equity issues addressed by the internship. FLSC I (fall) and FLSC II (spring) are required components of the Women's Center internship for all new interns.
Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
EDLF 3985Internship (1 - 6)
Students apply academic experiences in professional and/or research settings; reflect and critically and constructively analyze experiences from multiple perspectives; and view the work as connecting course content authentic contexts. Students work as professionals with site supervisors and instructors to complete related assignments and relevant background research on the professional and academic resources available.
EDLF 4000Dream it, Design it, Do it: Youth and Social Innovation Capstone (3)
With a team, you will design and implement an innovation to address a community issue facing youth. You will become an expert in the issue, and develop the skills needed to 1) assess a social issue, 2) evaluate and integrate multiple perspectives on social issues, 3) collaborate with a diverse team of stakeholders to design and implement an innovation to address a social issue, and 4) assess and revise an innovation to improve its effectiveness. Prerequisite: YSI major
EDLF 4020Helping Skills for Health Professionals (3)
This course will focus on key interpersonal and psychological knowledge, skills and applications to guide successful practice with clients in health-related contexts. Effective communication and cultural competence serve as foundational skills, and strategies (motivational interviewing, managing stress, goal setting) will be reviewed and practiced. Topics will align with American College of Sports Medicine and other similar certifications.
EDLF 4080U.S. Education Policy (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Education policy has taken center stage in a variety of national, state and local debates such as teacher evaluation, universal pre-K, school accountability, and charter schools. These are issues around which there is often contentious debate, much of which is polarized and simplistic. This class will explore a few current education policy debates through the lenses of conceptual models and empirical evidence.
EDLF 4082The Politics of Public Education (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Understanding "what works" in education is useless unless we know how to pass, implement, and sustain political support for effective education policy. To that end, this course explores the politics of U.S. K-12 education policy 1954-present. We examine policy formulation and implementation, key institutions, actors, and theories of policy-making, and the role of racial and economic inequality in influencing education policy.
Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021
EDLF 4083Keeping Our Enemies Closer: Political Dialogue in Polarized Democracies (3)
Will civil discourse save democracy or deepen oppression? Why does speech matter so much to contemporary political struggles? What is it like to talk to people across the political spectrum and what would it mean for these conversations to go well? This course integrates theory with practice as students examine whether, how and when people learn through dialogue and deliberation and with what meaning for democracy.
EDLF 4110Numbers Are People: The Ethics of Data-driven Decision-making in Education (3)
Data and analytics are often used to answer questions in education because they are seen as objective. Yet, these approaches can involve classifying people, such as deeming some students in education as "below basic." While these labels are given for altruistic purposes, there is evidence they can be stigmatizing. In this course, we will consider the ethics of data use in education, including when it does and doesn¿t serve the public good.
Course was offered Fall 2024
EDLF 4605Anthropology of Education (3)
This course will examine the relationship between culture and education and the ways in which the study and understanding of education can be enhanced by attention to culture. Using cases drawn from studies of learning and schooling in cultures around the world as well as among minority cultures and societies in the United States , students will be challenged to begin to see education through cultural comparative frames of reference.
EDLF 4606Schools & Society: Culture, Politics, & Globalization of Western Education (3)
Is it inevitable that classrooms and schools look similar across the world? Why have modern education systems been adopted by societies with a diversity of local histories, cultures, and resources? This course examines the effort to increase access to modern Western schooling, explores countervailing conceptions of education, and considers what is gained and lost in modern schooling.
EDLF 4610Civil Rights Movement and Education (3)
This course is a "bottom-up" history of education seminar on African Americans' struggle for equal education during the civil rights movement. As "bottom up" history, the course explores and seeks out overlooked and untold stories of youth and teacher activism. The course will include learning how to do oral history and engagement with the local community.
EDLF 4620International Human Rights Activism and Education (3)
How do educators and activists spread messages about human rights? What might make them more likely to succeed? What are the ethical and political implications of using education as a tool for moral persuasion? Students will engage with these questions, as well as engage critically with debates over whether the human rights system offers an appropriate way to achieve justice in diverse contexts.
EDLF 4993Independent Study (1 - 6)
Offered
Spring 2025
Independent Study
EDLF 4995Directed Research (1 - 6)
Offered
Spring 2025
Directed Research under supervision of faculty member.
EDLF 5010Child Learning and Development (3)
This course examines children's learning and development in the elementary school grades. The course, designed for students who plan to become teachers, focuses on cognitive development (e.g., the role of the brain in learning, misconceptions, transfer) and social development (e.g., relationships, moral development). Three themes emerge: individual variability and diversity, development, and translation from research to practice.
EDLF 5011Adolescent Learning and Development (3)
This course examines adolescent learning and development and is designed for students who plan to teach in secondary schools. Adolescent cognitive, physical, and social development is considered from a multi-level (e.g., school, family, community) perspective. In identifying links between these domains and learning, three themes emerge: individual variability and diversity, developmental trends, and translating educational research to practice.
EDLF 5020Introduction to Applied Developmental Science (3)
Introduction to how research in developmental science intersects with applied work with children and youth. Students will learn foundational principles of development, examine how they apply to contemporary issues (e.g., disparities in educational opportunities), and highlight challenges present in the field. Students will also learn about programs and services designed to address these issues for children, youth, and families.
EDLF 5030Policy in Action: Partnered Research in Education Settings (3)
District policy makers make high-impact decisions on a fast track. They seek to make choices that promote equity, but timelines are short and these problems are messy. In this class, we partner with real-world decision makers facing a specific policy problem of educational equity. We will lay out policy alternatives, weigh evidence, and provide clear, feasible recommendations that have a chance to inform those policy decisions in a very real way.
Course was offered Spring 2022
EDLF 5040Education and Neuroscience (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
In this course we will cover theories, methods, and research at the intersection of education and neuroscience and the implications of this work for educational practice. Major topics include research on student development in reading and math, as well as the development of foundational skills that support student learning, including executive functions, emotion regulation, and motivation.
Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2022
EDLF 5050Ethics and Education (3)
This course focuses on the social, cultural, and philosophical analyses of the moral dimensions of education, professions in the field of education, educational research, policies, and practices. It introduces students to moral theories and principles and provides frameworks for ethical thinking, inquiry, and decision making. And it investigates how educational research, policies, and practices reflect social and cultural norms and values.
Course was offered Spring 2023, Spring 2010, Fall 2009
EDLF 5060Research Methods for Education & Human Development (3)
This course introduces students to basic concepts and methods of empirical research common to the fields of education and human development. It focuses on the relationship between research problem, questions and design and introduces students to techniques for collecting, analyzing, and evaluating research data.
Course was offered Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
EDLF 5160Life Span Development (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course will focus on biological, psychological and social development from birth through older adulthood. Topics will be presented via discussion of underlying theory, research, and application, with attention to how gender, race, SES, and cohort impact development. Concepts of consistency and change will be stressed. Throughout, students will be encouraged to examine and even question their own beliefs about what it means to "grow up".
EDLF 5260Cognitive Psychology and Education (3)
This course will include both cognitive psychology and education perspectives, focusing on what cognitive psychology can tell us about how people learn and how to apply that knowledge in education. We will focus on the ways that cognitive psychology research can be designed and evaluated to be most informative in addressing practical questions of education and learning, including research questions, populations, methods, etc.
EDLF 5270Adult Development and Aging (3)
This course will focus on key issues in adult psychological and physical development. We will explore development from a biopsychosocial perspective, examining topics such as health, cognitive function, personality, interpersonal relationships, and work. This will be a theory-to-practice class, with an emphasis on current theories of optimal or successful aging. In particular, we will focus on how adults respond and adapt to changes in their health, their environment, and their sense of self. Contexts for development will include education, health care, the family, and the community, with attention to individual differences (gender, race, ethnicity).
EDLF 5300Academic Writing (1)
Students are introduced to the principles of academic writing through practice using specific strategies for writing clear and audience-appropriate academic documents. Students learn to identify elements of clarity & style that constitute successful academic writing and will practice writing clear and audience appropriate texts for academic audiences. In addition, students analyze writing and research discourse practices.
Course was offered Fall 2017
EDLF 5301Academic Writing for Practitioner-Scholars (1)
Students analyze the principles of excellent academic writing including research papers, conference proposals, & Capstones focusing on the development of a clear, interesting, & rigorous research paper. Students also receive detailed feedback on their writing. During editing & redrafting activities, attention is given to the structure & logic of the author's argument, the use of details & visuals, the placement of transitions, word choice, & flow.
EDLF 5310Data Management for Social Science Research (3)
This course introduces strategies for effectively working with large-scale quantitative data for social science research. Topics covered include: data cleaning, recoding and checking; merging data from multiple sources; reshaping data; documenting processes; writing programs and macros to reduce errors; and presenting descriptive data through tables and graphs. Students will utilize Stata, a statistical software package.
EDLF 5320Managing "Big Data" for Policy and Social Science Research (3)
This course teaches students how to effectively manage large-scale, "real-world" policy data. The aim is for students to develop strong skills in using data for descriptive policy analysis and social science research. In addition, students learn how to use Stata, a versatile statistical software package, to effectively work with large datasets.
EDLF 5330Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis I (3)
The course covers descriptive and inferential statistics. Students learn to identify the type of data, select appropriate statistic and graphical methods, analyze data, and interpret the results. Specific methods include the t-test, chi-square test, correlation, simple linear regression, one-way ANOVA, and repeated measures ANOVA. Calculations are done by hand and with statistical software.
EDLF 5410Strategy in Higher Education and Intercollegiate Athletics (3)
This course is designed to provide students with a broad overview of strategic management within the corporate, academic and intercollegiate contexts. Basic concepts and learnings in the area of strategy will be explored paying particular attention to higher education and athletics strategy and will cover fundamental strategy formulation i.e. planning, competitive analysis, market positioning; and the application of learnings to implementation.
EDLF 5420Athletics, Higher Education and Society (3)
This course addresses the history, organization, finance, governance, leadership and symbolism of athletics as a key part of the political economy of the contemporary university. With student athletes as a primary unit of analysis we will review the history of intercollegiate athletic competition, the symbolic role of athletics in society and the future of athletics on post-secondary campuses.
EDLF 5425Governance of Collegiate Athletics (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Examination of the governance structure of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its conferences. Focus is on the historical evolution of NCAA governance; understand the legal, financial, educational, and diversity issues which underlie decisions in intercollegiate athletics. Students will examine compliance and enforcement issues in that stem from rules and regulations emanating outside of the college/university setting
EDLF 5470The Psychology of Motivating Yourself and Others (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course will focus on understanding motivation theory and research, and then applying these understandings to our lives in two main ways. First, we'll develop a deeper awareness of our own motivations, including personal strengths, obstacles, and opportunities for growth. Second, we'll apply our insights to help build more motivationally-supportive environments (e.g., school, sport, work, family, community).
EDLF 5490Interventions in Physical Activity (3)
Students will learn psychological skills, methods, and self-regulatory strategies, and how helping professionals (e.g., coaches, therapists, teachers, fitness specialists) can use these skills and methods to positively affect physical activity participation, performance, motivation, and enjoyment. Theories, research, and application will be stressed, with attention to how individual differences (age, gender, race, ethnicity) impact performance.
EDLF 5500Selected Topics (1 - 6)
Pilot courses to meet new program requirements and changing needs in the field. Used also to offer experimental courses, and courses under development, these courses are announced and offered on a semester-to-semester basis. May be graded or S/U, depending on the instructor, and may be repeated.
EDLF 5700Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity in Youth Development (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course is designed to examine race and ethnicity as social constructs and to explore how they matter in the lives of youth through a critical examination of youth development research, policy and practices. We will identify dominant group narratives and analyze how research and policy contribute to these narratives, and how individual, interpersonal, and structural factors mediate the associations between group membership and youth outcomes
EDLF 5710Ethnography and Education (3)
Seminar in the conceptual and methodological issues involved in the use of ethnographic methods in research in education. The course examines the roots of ethnographic inquiry in anthropology and considers notions of culture and cultural understanding and the politics/ethics of writing and representation in the education context.
EDLF 5711Globalization, Childhood, and Culture (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Cultural contexts are powerful influences on child development and learning and have long been recognized as shaping the very notion of what a child is across time and place. This course considers contemporary sociological and anthropological efforts to rethink notions of child development, learning, parenting, risk, etc. to recognize both the impact of cultural differences and to recognize the cultural agency of children. Globalization has become a major influence on children and childhood as well and the course will also examine this phenomenon in the light of issues concerning culture and children's welfare. The course is designed to stimulate students' critical thinking about culture and its role in raising and educating children.
EDLF 5720Inequalities in US Schools: A Historical Perspective (3)
This course seeks to uncover and address questions of educational inequality through a historical perspective. In the course, students will consider questions such as: What have been the forms of inequality and the processes that support it throughout US history? How has societal inequality historically shaped American education? How have schools served to disrupt and perpetuate societal inequalities in the US?
Course was offered Spring 2024
EDLF 5810Introduction to Higher Education (3)
This course introduces students to the range of topics, theoretical frameworks, and research strategies appropriate to the study of higher education.
EDLF 5820Organization & Management of Colleges and Universities (3)
This course introduces college and university management functions, organizational arrangement, administrative style and behavior, functional areas of administrative operations, decision-making, and long-range planning.
EDLF 5830College Student Experience (3)
This course examines trends and changes in the characteristics of college students and institutions they attend, as well as the larger social context in which they operate. It will explore emerging theories and methodologies that address student experience and research related to how college affects students.
EDLF 5980Practicum (1 - 6)
Practicum
EDLF 5985Internship (1 - 6)
Offered
Spring 2025
Students apply academic experiences in professional and/or research settings; reflect and critically and constructively analyze experiences from multiple perspectives; and view the work as connecting course content authentic contexts. Students work as professionals with site supervisors and instructors to complete related assignments and relevant background research on the professional and academic resources available.
EDLF 5993Independent Study (1 - 6)
Offered
Spring 2025
Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
EDLF 6010Financial Management & Budgeting in Higher Ed (3)
This course examines contemporary policies and practices in the financing of American higher education. The interpretation and uses of financial data, sources and methods of securing funds, budget processes, and policies and issues regarding the financing of higher education are some of the topics covered.
EDLF 6020Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Higher Education (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course explores the dynamics of race/ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality in higher education policy, theory, and practice. Using a variety of theoretical frames and emerging research, the course will examine group differences in experience and perspective within American higher education.
EDLF 6030Student Affairs in Colleges and Universities (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course is a survey of current theory and practice in student affairs programming, organizations, and administration in institutions of higher education. It emphasizes philosophy, services provided, and trends and issues within the profession, including research and literature analysis.
EDLF 6040Intercollegiate Athletic Administration (3)
This course is designed for graduate students interested in enhancing their understanding of intercollegiate athletics administration. We will explore principles, techniques, regulation, and process related to the management of college athletics. It is important in today's dynamic environment of collegiate athletics that student's value effective leadership and management principles.
EDLF 6080Education Policy (3)
An introductory course in which principles of assessing educational policies are applied to the evidence currently available across a range of policies. Areas of education policy may include early childhood education, charter schools, accountability, teacher recruitment, retention and assessment, and bridging from K-12 to high education. Discussions focus on linking policies to outcomes for students.
EDLF 7060Critical Perspectives on Educational Policy (3)
This course will examine the foundations of educational policy from critical theoretical perspectives rooted in the social sciences and humanities in a graduate level seminar intended for both disciplinary students and students pursuing specialized work in educational studies. The goal of the course is to examine from a variety of critical perspectives, the core issues that underlie contemporary debates over public and educational policy.
EDLF 7080Education Policy: Professional Seminar (3)
The purpose of this seminar is to assist students in developing to develop an understanding of policy and policy studies through common, shared readings of important texts, acquaintance with other important texts in policy studies and through individual student readings and reports. The goals of the seminar will be accomplished through participation in discussions with the professor, guest lecturers, and student guests and through the preparation of a Policy Brief.
EDLF 7085Equity & Access: A Policy Perspective (3)
This class will examine actual and proposed public policy initiatives that are designed to move our educational system toward true equity and access for all children.
Course was offered Fall 2013
EDLF 7110Professional Seminar in Higher Ed. (1)
Offered
Spring 2025
Orientation to graduate study, research ethics, scholarly writing, professional preparation for career paths in higher education, and analysis of internship experience.
EDLF 7120Master's Capstone in Higher Education (3)
This course is the culminating experience for the M.Ed. in Higher Education and prepares students for leadership roles in their professions by providing a high quality cumulative experience that integrates prior theory and content into practice.
EDLF 7130College Student Development (3)
This course promotes an understanding of contemporary, traditional-aged college students from sociological, psychological, and historical perspectives. Topics include the social and cultural context of entering college students, student development theory, student outcomes assessment, student attrition, and the dynamics of student change.
EDLF 7132Legal Aspects of College Administration (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course examines the broad legal framework of higher education, including constitutional and contractual rights to due process, equal protection, and free speech; legal and policy issues regarding tenure, promotion, intellectual property, and the constitutive role of the state in higher education; and tort liability and the impact of federal statutes such as the ADA, Title IX, and FERPA on the administration of colleges and universities.
EDLF 7134Research on Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (3)
We will explore research literature to better understand the learning process, factors that influence learning, and practices that promote learning. You will take a 'deep dive' into a literature area of interest. Through engaging in evidence-based discussions, evaluating and synthesizing the literature, and developing written/oral arguments, you will gain skills and knowledge that will help you become a successful scholar in your field.
Course was offered Fall 2021
EDLF 7140LEAD II: Professional Learning (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
The commitment to effective professional learning increases educator effectiveness, providing a vehicle through which leaders can navigate change and seek improvement in their schools. Leaders who foster an environment of adult learning and build capacity to lead learning enhances the quality of instruction and student outcomes. Providing the tools and resources, leaders can create accessible means to develop new knowledge, skills, and practices.
EDLF 7150Educational Psychology (3)
Overview of the contributions of psychology to the teaching-learning process. Topics include learning theory, individual differences, motivation, human development and personality, teaching methodology, and measurement and evaluation.
EDLF 7180Tests and Measurements (3)
Proposed: This introductory course concentrates on the evaluation and interpretation of assessment tools. Topics include reliability and validity; social and ethical considerations of testing; summarizing and interpreting measurements; and the use of standardized tests, rating scales, and observational scales. .
EDLF 7200Child Development (3)
An introductory graduate course in which prominent theories of child and adolescent development are introduced, supporting research considered, and applications for teaching, counseling, and parenting explored. Major topics include: child development as a field of study, research strategies and ethics in the study of children, the human genome, biologically influenced development, constructing knowledge, cognitive development, socio-cultural influences, development of moral autonomy, and the life cycle.
EDLF 7210Adolescent Development (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Intermediate-level course designed to explore classical and contemporary concepts of adolescence. Attention will be paid to all aspects of development physical, social, emotional, and cognitive. Emphasis will be placed on the interrelationships among these domains and the treatment of adolescent problems.
EDLF 7290Seminar in Educational Psychology (1 - 3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course explores educational psychology as a profession and provides a forum for discussing current problems in the field of Educational psychology and the local program. This seminar is appropriate only for Educational Psychology majors in the Learning and Development specialty. Restricted to Master's Degree Students
EDLF 7300Foundations of Educational Research (3)
An orientation to designs and procedures utilized in educational research, emphasizing basic principles for conducting, interpreting, and criticizing published articles representative of educational problems and issues.
EDLF 7330Single-Subject Research (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Detailed examination of the design and interpretation of single-subject research. Foci for the course include rationale for single-subject research; methods for planning, implementing, and evaluating studies; and issues in the use of these methods.
EDLF 7401Seminar: Educational Studies (3)
Topical seminar. Focus changes from offering to offering.
EDLF 7402Program Evaluation (3)
An overview of current program evaluation approaches, this class is designed to provide an overview of the theories behind and approaches to evaluation as well as to begin to train students in evaluation design and methods. Theoretical, methodological, and empirical readings emphasize the terminology of educational evaluation and the variety of theoretical and design approaches to evaluation. Consideration is also given to the application of evaluation approaches and designs to non-educational settings.
EDLF 7403Survey Design & Instrument Construction (3)
This course provides students with practical experience in survey research. Topics focus on survey design, administration, analysis, and reporting. Specific topics include item writing guidelines, cognitive interviews and pilot testing, survey implementation and planning, sampling methods, data analysis, and presentation of survey results. Particular attention is given to strategies for ensuring reliable survey responses and valid inferences.
EDLF 7404Qualitative Analysis (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This class serves as an introduction to the central concepts of qualitative methods in research and evaluation. Primary emphasis is on the development of skills required to conduct qualitative research, with a focus on research design, specific methods of inquiry, and approaches to analysis. The philosophy and epistemology of qualitative approaches are also discussed. Empirical readings provide examples of qualitative research within education and related fields.
EDLF 7405Seminar in Program Evaluation (3)
A topical seminar. Topics change from offering to offering.
EDLF 7410Mixed Methods Research Design (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course provides an introduction to mixed methods in social science/educational research. We will consider the types of questions that mixed methods can answer and discuss the benefits/challenges of mixed methods research. We will cover research design, sampling, and analysis, including reading exemplars of mixed methods research. Students will apply the theoretical/methodological tenets learned by designing their own mixed methods study.
Course was offered Fall 2022, Fall 2020, Fall 2018, Fall 2016
EDLF 7420Quantitative Methods II: General Linear Models (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course provides a theoretical and applied understanding of the general linear model in the context of continuous outcomes. Focus is on multiple regression with continuous predictors, dichotomous and multi-category predictors (i.e., ANOVA in a regression framework), and models that include combinations of these predictor types. Emphasis will also be placed on moderation and mediation, and model assumptions.
EDLF 7430Education Science Seminar (3)
This advanced seminar in education science takes a multidisciplinary approach to theory and identification of important research questions. The seminar focuses on strengths and limitations of descriptive research, program development efforts, efficacy trials, and scale up efforts. Readings expose variation in research practice partnerships and describe educational research related to student subgroups.
Course was offered Spring 2017
EDLF 7500Special Topics (3)
Pilot courses to meet new program requirements and changing needs in the field. Used also to offer experimental courses, and courses under development, these courses are announced and offered on a semester-to-semester basis.
EDLF 7601Social Foundations of Education (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
What is "social" about education? How are schools connected to larger issues in society? Using the lenses of history, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology we explore education as a social institution. Our goal is to develop a deeper insight into the processes, practices and values that shape education as we explore themes such as social inequality, social justice, and cultural diversity, and the changing nature of schooling in a global world.
EDLF 7602History of American Education (3)
The development of education in the United States since colonial times, emphasizing the social-historical forces and ideological concepts that determined the direction and nature of education in the United States to the present.
EDLF 7603Philosophy of Education (3)
Inquiry into the applicability to present problems of selected philosophical themes and approaches. Issues include conceptions of pupils, theories of learning and teaching, educational equity and justice, indoctrination, and the adequacy of educational research itself.
EDLF 7604Sociology of Education (3)
Studies the sociological theory and research that applies to a systematic analysis of education as its functions in modern society. Selected social and educational problems are discussed to interpret the sociological nature of the educational process and the role of the school as a complex social organization. Research of educational outcomes and consequences is considered. The effects of school on social stratification are also considered.
EDLF 7605Anthropology of Education (3)
Anthropology's unique contribution to the study of human life centers around the concept of culture and the methodology of ethnography. In the course of the semester, we will examine the relationship between culture and education and the ways in which the study and understanding of education can be enhanced by attention to culture. Using cases drawn from studies of learning and schooling in cultures around the world as well as among minority cultures and societies in the United States , students will be challenged to begin to see education through cultural comparative frames of reference.
EDLF 7606Schools & Society: Culture, Politics, & Globalization of Western Education (3)
Why does school look so similar across the world in spite of vast differences in resources, culture, and history? What countervailing notions of education might be displaced through the spread of formal Western education? This class explores the effort to expand access to formal schooling globally and probes the meanings, problems, and opportunities provided by modern education systems.
EDLF 7607Asian Education (3 - 6)
Explores the cultural, philosophical, social, and political foundations of education in China, Korea, and Japan, with particular emphasis on how contemporary development and issues in education change require close attention to sociocultural and international contexts.
Course was offered Summer 2014, Summer 2012
EDLF 7609Futurism and Education (3)
An interdisciplinary approach focusing on the theoretical contests of the future; the science and practice of futurism; the human condition; trends and projections of the future; ethical considerations; teaching strategies; and educational policy for the future.
EDLF 7610Research in Higher Education, Student Affairs and Athletic Administration (3)
This course is designed to introduce the quantitative and qualitative social science research process to students, as well as to help familiarize students with some of the more popular forms of assessment within the fields of higher education, student affairs, and athletic administration.
EDLF 7618Education Choice: Independent Schools (3)
This course will increase students' understanding of the social foundations of nonpublic k-12 educaton in the U.S. Students will learn how to apply different educational theories to the private school setting & use qualitative research methods to investigate specific private school issues. This course is based upon a scaffolding of both knowledge & skills & is appropriate for students with no direct experience with the private education arena.
Course was offered Fall 2012
EDLF 7620Globalization in Education: Theory & Practice (3)
This course examines developments reflecting critical influences and ideas shaping particular manifestations of globalization and their impacts on education in both industrialized and developing countries.
EDLF 7622Ethics, Protocols & Practices of International Research (3)
This course examines the ethics and protocols of conducting international research, particularly in developing countries.
EDLF 7630Education in Multicultural Societies: Global Perspectives (3)
What does it mean to educate in and for a multicultural society? This course offers a global comparative view of education in multicultural societies around the world. We will explore how different societies' experiences with multiculturalism have lead to a variety of challenges for educational systems globally. What are these challenges and what are some potentially promising approaches?
EDLF 7640Higher Education and Society (3)
This seminar explores the relationship between higher education and society from a sociology of higher education/ sociological perspective.
EDLF 7701Seminar: Social Foundations of Education (3)
This is the capstone course in the Social Foundations Master of Education (M.Ed.) program. It is an education issue-based seminar emphasizing research, analysis and disputation on a range of topics central to scholarship in the Social Foundations academic discipline. The course requires intensive, supervised student engagement in developing and defending fact and theory-based arguments related to selected contemporary educational challenges.
EDLF 7702Women and Education (3)
Examines the role of women in education from historical, sociological, philosophical, and psychological perspectives. Focuses on issues related to girls and women in current educational settings.
Course was offered Spring 2015
EDLF 7804Public School Administration (3)
Introduction to school administration, including the organization and structure of the school system; legal basis for school administration; authority, responsibility, and control of different levels of government for education; the administration and supervision of the instructional program; and the application of theories of leadership and organization to enduring problems of schooling. Prerequisites: Restricted to students who are admitted into a degree and/or endorsement program in Administration and Supervision, or permission of instructor.
EDLF 7805Cultivating Professional Capacity (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Through research based practices and theoretical framing, students learn to build schools' professional capacity through recruitment, interviewing, induction, professional development, evaluation, and compensation. The process is considered in school and policy contexts with attention to ethical and diversity considerations. Students develop actionable plans for employing, supporting, and retaining professional capacity as a leader.
EDLF 7806Family and Community Engagement (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course covers the basic principles of engaging families and the community in the life of a school, a fundamental responsibility of school leaders. Topics include communication with the school community and families, community partnerships, crisis communications, and research-based engagement practices. This course will provide tools and resources for building positive relationships with staff, parents, and the community at large.
EDLF 7807Leadership Experiences, Applications & Development (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
The role of principal is complex and demanding, but no other individual in a school is better positioned to impact student achievement and faculty morale. Students consider the school as an organization, and examine the routines and tools school leaders and teachers use to analyze and act on its management and climate, and then apply improvement science to identify effective and ineffective practices for a problem of practice in the specific area.
EDLF 7808Strategic Alignment of Planning and Resources (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course represents the analysis of the problems and principles involved in finance in an individual school with special emphasis on budgeting procedures and accounting systems. Prerequisites: Restricted to students who are admitted into a degree and/or endorsement program in Administration and Supervision, or permission of instructor.
EDLF 7810Legal and Educational Policy Context (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course explores laws and policies that shape U.S. public school teaching and learning environments, covering Supreme Court cases and federal legislation. The course introduces legal principles and guidelines for fulfilling leadership duties and protecting the respective rights of student and teacher. Students will be prepared to make fair and ethical decisions, enhancing educational opportunities for all students.
EDLF 7811Leadership for Teaching and Learning (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course gives students conceptual and philosophical frameworks for leading good instruction and creating conditions for teaching and learning in schools and districts. Students reflect on their own instructional filters and deepen understanding of what we know about effective teaching and learning. Considering various instructional issues, students learn to supervise and evaluate instruction, connecting supervision with professional growth.
EDLF 7812Leadership for Continuous Improvement (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course provides educators with tools to initiate and sustain continuous improvement to promote all student's academic success and well-being. Drawing on improvement science, the course provides frameworks and protocols for understanding and leading systemic change in schools and school systems. Activities include authentic application of approaches used to support high-quality teaching and leading in P-12 school systems across the country.
EDLF 7813Leadership for EdTech (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Examines how, as a team, school leaders analyze the relationship of the integration of technologies to teachers' beliefs & practices & to local school culture, structures, & policies. Students will evaluate factors critical for successful implementation of educational technology; identify & deconstruct the distributed leadership of educational technology in a school setting; & plan comprehensively for a system of practice to lead EdTech.
EDLF 7815Leadership for Equity of Diverse Populations (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Leadership for Equity of Diverse Populations seeks to support special populations in schools. It proposes that effective leadership for all special student populations involves particular knowledge and requires a strong equity orientation.
EDLF 7856Topical Seminar (1 - 3)
Seminar on topics or issues.
EDLF 7993Independent Study: Leadership and Policy Studies (1 - 6)
Offered
Spring 2025
Under close guidance of an individual faculty member, students work on areas of particular interest that cannot be met in regularly scheduled courses. Enrollment in this course is limited to three credits in a master's degree program.
EDLF 8000Seminar in Instructional Computing (3)
This seminar offers advanced study of special topics and issues related to use of computers in education with an emphasis on recent developments in the field.
Course was offered Spring 2013
EDLF 8000TNon-UVa Transfer/Test Credit (3)
EDLF 8010Proseminar in Interdisciplinary Issues in Education Science (1)
Offered
Spring 2025
The VEST proseminar is a set of activities designed around the speaker series. Students will read and critique academic articles, hear nationally renowned speakers present their recent work, and engage in conversation and dialogue with our visiting speakers. The primary goal of the proseminar is to improve your ability to critique research.
EDLF 8011Researcher-Practitioner Partnership Experience (1)
Offered
Spring 2025
The primary goal of this course is to provide a structure to support you in planning and designing your Research-Practitioner Partnership Experience project. We will discuss how to find and contact a potential partner, how to begin a conversation about research with a partner, how to listen to the partner's needs, how to guide a discussion that focuses your project on a specific research question, and how to write the RPE proposal.
EDLF 8012Contemporary Issues in Education Science Seminar (1)
This course will cover a single emerging research issue on a rotating basis. Examples of topics include data visualization, program innovation, tools for open science, communication of findings to broad audiences, and grant-writing. The explicit focus is to cover topics that are not currently covered or emphasized by existing coursework for VEST fellows but are indispensable to cutting-edge research in the education sciences.
Course was offered Spring 2023
EDLF 8150Advanced Tests and Measurements (3)
A comprehensive analysis of traditional, latent-trait, criterion-referenced, and psychophysiological tests. This course builds upon EDLF 7180 and 7190, and is assigned for students who need to further their study of measurement theory and practice. Prerequisite: EDLF 7180 and 7190.
EDLF 8160Advanced Child Development (3)
A doctoral seminar in which prominent theories and key empirical studies in child development are introduced, discussed, and critically evaluated. Emphasis is placed on the study of developmental processes rather than static changes or normative milestones. The course is built around selected empirical, methodological, and theoretical readings. Development of cognition, temperament, and moral autonomy are emphasized.
EDLF 8260Social Development in Context (3)
This is a doctoral seminar on theory and research on children and adolescents in context. The course focuses on families, child care, peer relationships, schools and classrooms as contexts that foster (or hinder) youth development.
EDLF 8310Generalized Linear Models (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Focus is on the generalized linear model (GLM) for cases when variables have specific non-normal conditional distributions, with emphasis on common data analytic challenges that arise in real world settings. Topics include nonlinear relationships, nominal and ordinal outcomes, discrepant data, and bootstrapping methods. Course materials are grounded in applied examples from the social and health sciences.
EDLF 8311Design and Analysis of Field Experiments (3)
A rich body of literature has emerged about the design, implementation, and analysis of experiments in field settings. This course introduces students to advances in the design and analysis of field experiments; provides opportunities for students to read and discuss well-known field experiments that have had important implications for policy; and discusses methodological issues related to both experiments and non-experiments.
EDLF 8315Causal Inference in Educational Policy Research (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
An advanced methods course on quasi-experimental statistical techniques for generating unbiased effect estimates when random assignment is not feasible. Underlying theories, identifying assumptions, and applications are presented for techniques drawn from a variety of disciplines including economics, sociology, and psychology including regression discontinuity, instrumental variables, difference-in-difference, matching, and fixed effects.
EDLF 8318Applied Econometric Analysis in Education Policy Research (3)
Education policy research increasingly leverages econometric methods applied to large-scale datasets. This course bridges the gap between prior training in econometrics or causal inference and the application of these techniques (regression adjustment, fixed effects, difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, regression discontinuity, matching) through discussion of empirical articles and replication or simulation exercises.
Course was offered Fall 2023, Spring 2022
EDLF 8330Bayesian Statistics (3)
Analysis of basic theory, rationale, and application of Bayesian statistics and techniques. Topics include Bayes' theorem, conditional probabilities, posterior densities, and Bayesian inference for the binomial and normal models. Emphasizes case studies and computer-assisted data analysis. Prerequisite: EDLF 7310 and 8300, or instructor permission.
EDLF 8340Measurement Theory I (3)
Additional topics include test equating, dimensionality assessment, and connections to other latent variable models. Application of these methods to educational and psychological testing and the use of statistical software is emphasized. Prerequisite: EDLF 7310, 8300, 8310, or instructor permission.
EDLF 8350Multivariate Statistics (3)
Presents the theory and rationale of selected multivariate statistical techniques. Topics include multivariate analysis of variance canonical correlation, discriminant analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Emphasizes computer-assisted analysis and the application of appropriate statistical methods to research data. Prerequisite: EDLF 8300 and 8310, or instructor permission.
EDLF 8360Multilevel Modeling in Education Research (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course is designed to familiarize students with the basics of multilevel modeling. Topics include random effects ANOVA models, means-as-outcomes models, random coefficients models, intercepts- and slopes-as-outcomes models, contextual models, random effects ANCOVA models, linear growth models, nonlinear growth models and cross-classified models. Prerequisite: EDLF 7420 or equivalent.
EDLF 8361Structural Equation Modeling (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
The major topics include exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis models, a variety of structural equation models, growth curve models, and multi-sample modeling analysis. The major focus of the course is both on the conceptual understanding of latent variable modeling and on practical application of these models in research and measurement. Students will work with data sets and computer programs to gain practical research experience.
EDLF 8380Special Topics in Qualitative Methods: Case Study Research (3)
This course is intended for graduate students who have used or plan to use case study methods in their own research. The course will examine the foundations, logic, design, and ethics of case study research in education and the social sciences. The class will explore single-, multiple-, and mixed-methods case study designs and methods of data collection, interpretation, and analysis.
EDLF 8382Educational Inquiry for Practitioners (3)
Problems of practice through systematic inquiry are the focus of this course. We explore the intersection of theory and practice with emphasis on the design of thoughtful, ethical inquiry about educational problems of practice. There is a co-requisite (EDLF 5301: Academic Writing for Practitioners that is focused exclusively on academic writing to address problems of practice).
EDLF 8383Qualitative Inquiry with Data Management & Analysis (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
We focus on problems of practice (POP) through systematic qualitative inquiry, specifically focusing on qualitative processes, questions, and strategies to conduce meaningful inquiry in educational systems. Specifically, the focus is on identifying a qualitative question to address POP and the creation of a qualitative design to address the POP. Co-requisite of EDLF 8384 Lab of practice.
EDLF 8384Lab of Practice of Qualitative Inquiry (1)
Offered
Spring 2025
This Lab of Practice complements qualitative fieldwork methods in educational settings focusing specifically on observations, interviews, artifacts, and beginning data reduction and analysis that are the focus of EDLF 8383: Qualitative Inquiry. The Lab is an opportunity to engage in fieldwork on a very small scale allowing for practicing the major qualitative methods for generating qualitative data.
EDLF 8385Survey Inquiry for Practitioners with Data Management and Analysis (3)
Focus is given to Problems of Practice (POPs) through systematic quantitative inquiry, specifically focusing on survey processes, questions and strategies used to conduct meaningful inquiry in educational settings. The course begins with the process for survey development followed by basic statistical processes and procedures for organizing and analyzing data from surveys. A co-requisite for the class is EDLF 8386: Survey Lab of Practice.
EDLF 8386Lab of Practice of Survey Inquiry (1)
This Lab of Practice complements EDLF 8385: Survey Inquiry. The Lab provides a structured opportunity to engage in survey work on a very small scale allowing for practicing the main ideas focused on in EDLF 8385: Survey Inquiry.
EDLF 8387Practical Evaluation for Practitioners (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
The intersection of evaluation theory and practice is focused on with an emphasis on the design of thoughtful, ethical evaluation inquiry about problems of practice (POPs) associated with educational programs. The course focuses specifically on developing the knowledge, skills, and understandings regarding evaluation and the collection of information to make judgments about an education initiative or program.
EDLF 8400Program Evaluation Design (3)
Explores problems of designing, conducting, and reporting evaluation research studies. Time is spent examining philosophies of science that underlie evaluation studies; conceptualizing a total evaluation study; planning for the use of time and resources in conducting an evaluation study; assembling the evidence for or against a particular proposition; analyzing costs; and learning how to avoid common pitfalls in working with clients and program participants to design and conduct an evaluation study.
EDLF 8410Advanced Seminar In Program Evaluation (3)
A topical seminar that focuses on advanced topics in program evaluation. Topics change from offering to offering.
EDLF 8430Evaluation of Teaching (3)
Evaluating teaching in worthwhile ways involves understanding the needs and abilities of teachers, tasks teachers must accomplish, the environmental effects on teachers, and behaviors demonstrated in teaching. This course examines the independent and interactive effects of these four factors. Emphasizes formative evaluation (i.e., helping teachers improve via in-class observation and feedback) and the translation of research results into practice. Requirements include various combinations of project work, writing, and tests.
Course was offered Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009
EDLF 8440Advanced Qualitative Analysis (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Advanced course in methods and practices of qualitative research. Students determine their own philosophy of inquiry and become increasingly proficient in the application of qualitative methods. Assumes an introductory course in qualitative methods. Focuses on research design and proposal development, data collection and analysis techniques, and presentation of findings. The course is field-based and guides students through the complete qualitative research cycle.
EDLF 8450Qualitative Data Analysis with Computers (3)
An advanced course in qualitative research methods that emphasizes the application of qualitative analysis using a qualitative data analysis software package as a tool. Readings focus on various approaches to qualitative analysis and the issues surrounding software use in relation to these approaches. A general knowledge of qualitative research design and methods and comfort with computers is assumed. Part of each class serves a workshop to learn a qualitative data analysis program and, therefore, the class is most useful for students who have data to analyze. EDLF 7404 (Introduction to Qual) or equivalent cours is required: EDLF 8440 (Advanced Qual) is recommended
EDLF 8481Advanced Seminar in Foundations of Education (3 - 6)
Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
Course was offered Spring 2015, Spring 2014
EDLF 8500Special Topics (1 - 6)
Special topics in education leadership, foundations and policy.
EDLF 8640Inequality in Higher Education (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Why is there so much inequality in college entry and completion? How can higher education provide opportunity while sorting, selecting, and certifying students? What is the relationship between higher education and economic prosperity? By addressing these, and related questions, we will examine the complex interplay between inequality and opportunity and the relationship between higher education and the society at large.
EDLF 8650Educational Policy Formulation and Implementation I (3)
Analyzes current theories of political allocation and processes of public policy formulation in relation to selected current issues in education. Students acquire knowledge and skills required to interpret and conduct research studies related to educational policy.
EDLF 8651History of Higher Education (3)
This course emphasizes the historical development of American higher education, the growth of colleges and universities, and the major philosophical and sociological forces that have shaped their development.
EDLF 8653Curriculum in Higher Education (3)
This course examines curricular structures and processes in postsecondary institutions. It includes historical, political, and theoretical perspectives on the curriculum, as well as state and national policies shaping curricular design in higher education.
EDLF 8654Organization and Governance in Higher Education (3)
This course addresses the organization of and governance and decision-making in postsecondary institutions. Through the application of theoretical frameworks based in a variety of social theories, it focuses on the impact of politics, culture, and policy on the organization and governance of higher education.
EDLF 8660Leadership in Higher Education (3)
This course is designed to provide students with a broad overview of, and principles related to, leadership in both the business/corporate and academic contexts. While there is significant overlap in these two industries, business and the academy, higher education has unique and complex challenges due to the design, nature, and current climate in the industry. The course will focus on leadership theory as the foundation for theory and practice.
Course was offered Spring 2021
EDLF 8661The Adult Learner (3)
Study of adults as learners, the implications of their characteristics for adult learning, and the practice of adult education. Attention is given to current issues facing adult education.
EDLF 8662Politics and Education (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Applies political and social theories to politics, policy and power in K-16 education. Concepts: role of the State, pluralism, rational choice, mobilization of bias, public goods, interest groups and social movements. Key issues: access and success, equity, school choice, stratification, governance, and reform. Goal is to enable students to conduct research using political theory and policy frameworks in educational settings.
EDLF 8663The American Professoriate (3)
This course provides students with an understanding of the role and circumstances of American faculty members and the issues and policy forces that affect the professoriate. It explores aspects of the professoriate and institutional policies and external factors that shape the viability and vitality of the profession.
EDLF 8664The Community College (3)
In this course students study the institutional character of the community college, including a review of its history, purposes, clientele, organization, financing, programs, societal functions, and current issues.
Course was offered Spring 2012
EDLF 8665Contemporary Issues in Higher Education (3)
Surveys selected major problems or issues facing contemporary American higher education.
EDLF 8680Economics and Education Policy (3)
This course is designed for those without training in economics who want a better understanding of how economic concepts and methods are used in analyzing education policy issues. It examines market concepts and forms of government involvement in the market and uses economic research in education. Students develop the skills of economic analysis by applying them to current issues in public education.
EDLF 8690Educational Policy Formulation and Implementation II (3)
Provides in-depth analysis of processes of policy development at federal, state, and local levels; processes of policy implementation; and critical issues in the analysis of implementation strategies and policy effects.
EDLF 8700The Presidency in Higher Education (3)
The Presidency in Higher Education explores the historical, conceptual, and contextual components of college and university presidents. Through humanities and social scientific research as well as case studies, students will understand how the presidency has evolved overtime as a result of specific internal and external influences, including power, legitimizing authority, governance, pathways, change, and institutional contexts.
Course was offered Spring 2014
EDLF 8801Moral and Ethical Dimensions of Leadership (3)
Explores the moral and ethical dimensions of leadership within the context of education. Assumes that educational administration is fundamentally an ethical undertaking, or, as Christopher Hodgkinson claims, 'philosophy in action.' Readings, activities, and discussions are all designed to assist practicing and aspiring administrators, as well as other educators, in the explication and resolution of ethical dilemmas. Considers different moral positions and encourages students to examine both personal values and professional ethics.
Course was offered Spring 2020, Spring 2010
EDLF 8802Organizational Theory (3)
Examines organizational and administrative theory and its uses in the management and functioning of school systems. Attention is given to the requisites for adequate theory and to methodological considerations in the study of organizations and administrative processes.
EDLF 8803Organizational Change (3)
Examines the relationships between the intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, political, and professional contexts of change. Topics include the nature of instructional change, case studies of successful and unsuccessful organizational change, planning for instructional improvement, and implementing and evaluating change.
EDLF 8810Fundamentals of School Evaluation (3)
The purpose of this course is to introduce experienced education practitioners to a new way of thinking about evaluation. In this course, we discuss evaluating programs, polices, and decisions in schools. This course leverages the expertise of the class to develop a set of skills that will lead to improved schools. The focus in this course is on identifying problems of practice, formulating appropriate hypotheses, and designing evaluations.
Course was offered Summer 2017, Fall 2015
EDLF 8820Fundamentals of Leadership Theory (3)
Students will analyze various diverse perspectives, assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses of leadership theories and models. Theories and models will be situated in the American public education context with a special focus on educational leadership at the school and district levels.
EDLF 8821Politics, Policy and Advocacy (3)
This course is designed to develop aspiring leaders' understanding of educational policy, the politics of education, and advocacy in education. Course readings and activities facilitate the ability to identify problems and unpack issues with implications for educational politics, policy and advocacy; gather and analyze data; identifying where and how to act to influence decisions through direct advocacy or action; and reflect upon this work.
EDLF 8822Vision, Values, & Decision-making in Educational Leadership (3)
This course explores relationships among educational values and vision, the definition of organizational problems, and the identification of relevant solutions. Approaches such as equity audit, appreciative inquiry, force-field analysis and root-cause analysis help students connect the identification and framing of priority issues with approaches to organizational decision-making that translate vision and values into organizational development. Prerequisite: Students in the (ExSel Ed.D. program)
EDLF 8823Designing Learning Environments (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This course examines research on learning and motivation in order to assist educators & educational leaders in thinking about the effectiveness of traditional & innovative designs for learning. A special focus concerns the development of learning environments for students in persistently low-performing schools & schools serving diverse populations. The course culminates in a practicum requiring the design of an innovative learning environment.
Course was offered Spring 2023, Fall 2020, Spring 2016
EDLF 8824Optimizing Human Capital in Organizations (3)
Participants in this course will explore how theories of motivation, research and personnel practices can enhance the development of both human and social potential within an educational organization. In addition, we will explore how values and beliefs shape those practices and can be used to enact leadership for social justice and equity. All students should be a member of the Ed.D. Admin & Supervision cohort group.
EDLF 8825Developing High-performance Organizations (3)
Developing High-performance Organizations is a doctoral-level course for ExSEL students and others interested in understanding how organizations evolve, develop, improve, and decline. Students examine case studies, research on efforts to improve organizational performance, and methods for studying organizations over extended periods of time.
EDLF 8826Leadership for Equity and Improvement (3)
The course offers a practice-focused, evidence-based, and critical examination of equity-oriented improvement in educational settings. Students explore equity issues from stakeholders' points of view and draw on principles and approaches of improvement science to develop working theories of change. Critical reviews of existing research and in-class working sessions provide the foundation for students' investigation of an improvement project.
Course was offered Summer 2024, Summer 2022, Summer 2019
EDLF 8980Practicum (1 - 6)
Practicum
EDLF 8981Practicum in Educational Administration (3 - 6)
Practicum in Educational Administration
EDLF 8984Master's Internship: Social Foundations (2)
Two year educational experience (2 credits per semester for each of four semesters) Prerequisites: Instructor Permission.
Course was offered Spring 2010
EDLF 8986Masters Internship: Administration and Supervision (1 - 12)
Masters Internship: Administration and Supervision
Course was offered Fall 2009
EDLF 8988Administrative Internship (1 - 3)
Offered
Spring 2025
Administrative Internship
EDLF 8998Masters Research Internship (1 - 12)
Offered
Spring 2025
Designed to give masters students experience conducting research in professional settings appropriate to their disciplines. Prerequisites: Permission of Advisor
EDLF 8999Masters Thesis (1 - 6)
Offered
Spring 2025
For master's research, taken under the supervision of a thesis director.
EDLF 9000Advanced Seminar: Administration and Supervision (3)
Required for all doctoral degree candidates; deals with dissertation proposal development for students in educational administration.
EDLF 9740Internship in College Teaching or Supervision (1 - 6)
Offered
Spring 2025
Opportunities for experienced doctoral students to teach courses or partial courses at the University, or to supervise student teachers under the guidance of a faculty member. Opportunities are arranged by the students with the assistance of the sponsoring faculty member.
EDLF 9800Higher Education Seminar: Current Literature (3)
May be repeated for credit.
EDLF 9810Research Seminar in Higher Education (3)
Offered
Spring 2025
This is a seminar for advanced doctoral students, in which they develop research topics and strategies and write the qualifying paper.
EDLF 9820EDLF Dissertation Seminar (3 - 6)
This seminar is designed as workshop to assist students in the dissertation process. Instructor/students will work collaboratively to design/conduct research and foster students' dissertation progress. Students are expected to work closely with their dissertation advisors and other committee members throughout the dissertation process. Feedback from the instructor will in no way supersede the judgment of the dissertation advisor or committee.
Course was offered Spring 2011, Fall 2010
EDLF 9985Internship (1 - 12)
Students apply academic experiences in professional and/or research settings; reflect and critically and constructively analyze experiences from multiple perspectives; and view the work as connecting course content authentic contexts. Students work as professionals with site supervisors and instructors to complete related assignments and relevant background research on the professional and academic resources available.
EDLF 9991Ed.D. Research (1 - 12)
Offered
Spring 2025
Ed.D. Research conducted under the guidance of capstone committee. 12 hours required for graduation. Permission of Instructor required.
EDLF 9993Independent Study (1 - 12)
Offered
Spring 2025
Under close faculty guidance, students work on an area of interest not covered by the curriculum. A plan of study must be signed by the faculty sponsor and filed in the student's permanent file in the Office of Student Affairs. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
EDLF 9995Independent Research (1 - 12)
Offered
Spring 2025
Independent Research
EDLF 9998Doctoral Research Apprenticeship (3 - 12)
Offered
Spring 2025
Designed to give doctoral students experience conducting research in professional settings appropriate to their disciplines. Prerequisites: Advisor Permission Required.
EDLF 9999Doctoral Dissertation (3 - 12)
Offered
Spring 2025
Doctoral Dissertation Research completed under the guidance of dissertation committee. 12 hours is required for graduation. Permission of instructor required.