EDUC 618 - Teaching and Learning for Democracies

This course is intended for educational leaders at all levels and in all professional positions who are concerned with the quality of teaching and learning, educational outcomes, and the institutional contexts that support effective teaching and learning. While we explore the foundations that shape curriculum to understand what currently exists, the reality of the present moment is that K-12 and higher education as a system and a knowledge industry is under enormous pressure to fundamentally change. The entire system of knowledge generation and dissemination is in flux. K-12 education is focused on teaching for the test, and widespread calls for “disruptive innovation” throughout the entire educational system is coming from policy-makers and for-profit providers. Demographic shifts, the defunding of public post-secondary education, rising costs, digital learning technologies, the student debt burden, and the dominance of contingent faculty labor all contribute to an urgent focus on questions of access, equity, and social justice in relation to education’s purpose in a democracy and its contribution to the public good.

The core challenge of this course is to prepare educational leaders to lead institutions that do not yet exist. The course explores methods of teaching and learning that most effectively achieve curricular outcomes and innovative practices that enhance teaching, student learning, and promote a democratic society. This course explores the kinds of institutional environments needed to support quality teaching and learning. We will reflect on our readings, our own practice, and on research questions related to teaching, learning, and curriculum that yield evidence that can inform practice related to improved teaching and learning.
Credits: 3

Academic Catalog

EDUC 618 - Teaching and Learning for Democracies