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Online Programs
The Illinois Experience - Wherever You Are
The College of Education is committed to creating innovative programs that make the Illinois experience accessible to everyone - whether you live right here in Urbana-Champaign, California or Thailand. With nine different online master's degree programs to choose from, you're just a decision away from joining the University of Illinois. We understand the work/school/life balance, so most of our high quality programs can be completed in two years. Here is a quick overview of your online opportunities in the College. From here, you can visit the websites of the individual programs to learn more about the degree and about how you can apply.
Curriculum Technology and Education Reform (CTER)
Global Human Resource Development
Global Studies in Education
Community College Teaching and Learning (CCTL)
Health Profession Education
Middle Grades Endorsement
New for Fall '08!
Masters of Education (EdM) with Emphasis in:
Teaching Critical Thinking
New Learning and New Literacies
Diversity and Equity Issues in EducationNew for Spring '09!
Masters of Education (EdM) with Emphasis in:
Educational Leadership and Policy
Curriculum Technology and Education Reform (CTER)
CTER was created to serve practicing teachers and administrators with a focus on Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform (CTER) . This online set of courses offers an opportunity to earn a coherent, high-quality master's degree online, with most of the interactions through personal computers and Internet connections at home or at local schools.
Global Human Resource Development
The Global HRD graduate program is designed for individuals currently working in or aspiring to HRD positions in either the private or public sector. This program is focused on employee training and development, organization development, and the use of information and technology to improve individual and organizational performance. Emphasis is placed on HRD leadership in both domestic and international settings.
Visit the Global Human Resource Developement website
Global Studies in Education
The Global Studies in Education (GSE) Online program is based on the realization that the world has become inextricably interconnected as well as interdependent, and educators cannot afford to ignore this new reality. They need to extend their knowledge of the world and develop critical skills to understand the changing economic, political, and cultural contexts within which education takes place. At the same time, the new contexts provide educators with wonderful new opportunities to enhance the quality of their teaching by linking up with educators around the world.
Based on this understanding of global interconnectivity and interdependence, this program seeks to assist P-16 educators to incorporate global perspectives into their existing curricula and pedagogies. It is designed to provide them with an opportunity to consider the ways in which globalization affects their work, so that they are better equipped to challenge their students to develop a more international outlook. This program is on-line, and offers a range of opportunities for educators to work with educators around the world and apply course theories in practice. In addition, prospective students in other related fields are encouraged to join our program and provide fresh perspectives on these important educational topics.
Visit the Global Studies website
Community College Teaching and Learning (CCTL)
The CCTL Online curriculum is designed to increase the teaching effectiveness of community college faculty and build the instructional leadership of supervisory personnel. This curriculum is focused on the effective design and implementation of quality instruction, contemporary instructional technologies, and other instruction using innovations such as peer-based collaboration and active learning strategies. The sequence of courses will collectively provide participants with a foundation of instructional theories, skills, and practices to support existing professional development efforts in community colleges. The CCTL Online curriculum is a cost-effective professional development model that is accessible to all faculty and instructional leaders in community colleges, irrespective of fields of specialization or location.
Health Profession Education
The master's in Human Resource Development (HRD) with an emphasis in Health Profession Education (HPE) is designed for individuals interested in HRD within clinical healthcare settings. The curriculum emphasizes training and development, curriculum design, organization development, and leadership development. The program serves education/training personnel, nurses, administrators, medical residents, and other healthcare professionals with an interest in continuing education, leadership, and organization development. Courses are highly interactive and provide participants with a specialized focus on HRD within clinical healthcare settings. This innovative program is offered in collaboration with the Department of Medical Education at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.
Visit the Health Profession Education website
Middle Grades Endorsement
In the state of Illinois, educators earn an Elementary, Secondary, or Special certificate for teaching at the elementary or secondary school level. To teach in a departmentalized middle grade setting (grades 5-8), educators also need a “middle grade endorsement” on their teaching certificate. The University of Illinois offers three online courses that meet the State Board course requirements for the middle grades endorsement: EPSY 430, EPS 427 and CI 410.
Visit the Middle Grade Endorsement website
Educational Leadership and Policy
This Master of Education degree in Educational Organization and Leadership (EOL) represents an opportunity to build upon the shared expertise of EOL faculty across our two program areas of Educational Administration and Leadership (EAL) and Higher Education (HE). This program strives to develop primary, secondary, and post secondary educational leaders, administrators, and policy analysts who seek to understand and address critical P-12 and higher education issues. Students will study different educational leadership and policy practices and theories with particular focus paid to educational access, equity, and excellence. Students in this program will have the opportunity to specialize in either P-12 leadership and policy or in higher education leadership and policy.
Visit the Educational Leadership & Policy website
New Learning and New Literacies
This exciting, new online master’s degree program is designed to help teachers create more engaging learning environments for their students, and to integrate new media and technologies into the classroom. New learning encourages students to be active designers of their own knowledge, in contrast to old teaching in which knowledge was handed down to them. New literacies let students use new, digital media to enhance the ways in which they learn and understand, thus improving the learning process. Participants in the program will interact and collaborate with fellow learners in other geographical locations using today’s social networking technologies. The Program has been designed and coordinated by Dr. Bill Cope and Dr. Mary Kalantzis.
Visit the New Learning & New Literacies website
Diversity and Equity Issues in Education
This unique online program aims at providing educators a holistic approach to issues related to diversity and equity in P-16 learning environments. The program's focus is developing teachers and administrators who are knowledgeable in learning theories, leadership in diverse environments, disability, race, gender and sexual orientation issues, and issues of social class and poverty. Participants will learn how to address the need to create a positive educational environment in which all learners feel safe, have opportunities to freely engage in the pursuit of knowledge, and are motivated to learn. This program will provide a solid foundation of learning theories, best practice models, and innovative teaching and learning techniques for addressing the diverse learner.
Visit the Diversity & Equity Issues website
Teaching Critical Thinking
The Teaching Critical Thinking (TCT) program is designed primarily for educators returning for advanced degrees and professional training. The emphasis is heavily on theoretically informed classroom practice. The program will help graduates (1) Learn how to teach these skills; (2) Learn what critical thinking means in today's multimedia- and technologically-oriented society; and (3) Become more effective advocates for critical thinking skills in today's educational environment.