King's College Graduate Courses - Spring 2009

Course Descriptions - Master's in Reading

Educ 500 - Educational Research for Teachers. This course deals with understanding, developing, and utilizing data as applied to educational problems. The course will include an overview of quantitative and qualitative educational research. The major emphasis of the course will be teacher involvement in the action research process. This course is normally taken just before undertaking the Reading Research Project (Educ 575). Permission required. (3 credits) back to top

Educ 515 - Reading in the Content Area. The course emphasizes strategies that enhance a student's ability to understand content-area reading. Understanding the complexity of expository texts will be reviewed, along with techniques for improving vocabulary, comprehension, and study skills. (3 credits) back to top

Educ 516 - Reading Disabilities: Diagnosis and Prescription. The course will review strategies for improving reading, writing, and study skills. Intervention based on assessment results to provide effective instruction will also be discussed. This course is the first half of the Reading practicum experience, which concludes with Educ 550. Educ 550 will be offered in Summer 2008. (3 credits) back to top

Educ 519 - Reading Instruction for the Exceptional Child. This course is designed to familiarize K-12 classroom teachers and reading specialists with children of varied exceptionalities, including behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, mental retardation, ADD/ADHD, and physical disabilities.  While a theoretical base will be presented, the course will center around gathering useful pedagogical information from various sources that develop the literacy ability of these children and enhance instruction in all subject areas. (3 credits) back to top

Educ 520 - The Writing Process K-12. This course examines writing as a means of facilitating language development and learning.  Practical means of implementing writing and the writing process into all aspects of the curriculum are examined, along with the reading-writing connection and writer’s workshop. The goal is to develop an understanding of the purpose for writing in K-12 classrooms. (3 credits) back to top

Educ 575 - Reading Research Project. Each student will engage in a reading research project in an area of special interest. Upon completion of the project, students will write a professional-quality academic paper. Prerequisite: Educ 500. Permission required. (3 credits) back to top

Course Descriptions - Graduate Certificate in English as a Second Language (ESL)

Educ 600 - Basics of English Grammar, First and Second Language Acquisition and Instructional Strategies for Second Language Acquisition. This course focuses on the grammar and structure of the English language including the components: lexical, syntactical, phonological and morphological and semantic. Theoretical perspectives of first and second language acquisition are examined. Students develop activities to demonstrate selected instructional strategies and theoretical acquisition perspectives. (3 credits) back to top

Educ 605 - Instructional Materials, Technologies and Their Development. This course is designed around the methods, strategies, research and resources that enable students to develop and implement an ESL program, to help English Language Learners acquire English language and academic cognitive understanding and skills. Students design resource and teaching materials, implement them with their students, and provide reports to the class. Emphasis is placed on working with colleagues in schools, to help them understand that they, as well as ESL teachers, must adapt and modify content/lessons to enable ESL students to develop social and academic cognitive English. (3 credits) back to top

This course is being offered through the ESL graduate certificate program, but it may also be taken as an elective in the Reading program.

Educ 610 - Assessment and Evaluation of Student, Program, Instruction, Family Involvement and Support Services. This course emphasizes multiple assessment models to determine English language performance and proficiency. Models include: paper and pencil tests, authentic assessment, and conferencing evaluation methods. Emphasis is placed on linking instruction with assessment results using individual and small group activities. Students design an ESL Unit to be implemented with ESL students in their classrooms. Additional ways of assisting families to participate in their children's learning are examined. Finally, the ESL placement and annual state tests mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) are examined. (3 credits) back to top

Educ 615 - Cultural and Linguistic Diversities, Approaches and Collaborative Methods for Developing Cultural Awareness. In this course, cultural and linguistic diversities are examined through the mosaic of groups immigrating to the United States. The analyses focus on: time period of immigration, reasons for immigrating, and differences among immigrating groups in education, occupation, religion, native language, ESL mode or type used with these groups, and other variables. Methods of working with culturally and linguistically diverse families and ways to collaborate with them and their needs are examined. (3 credits) back to top

Course Descriptions - Master's in Health Care Administration

HCA 500 - Introduction to Health Services Systems. This course is designed as a comprehensive introduction to the organization of the U.S. health care “system.”  It examines the major institutions, professions, and political forces that influence the provision of health care services in the United States.  Students explore the development of each major component of the medical care system from an historical perspective by examining the changes in their organization and role over time.  They also consider the major problems presently confronting each aspect of health care and discuss alternative means of resolving these issues for the future. (3 credits) back to top

HCA 505 - Epidemiology for Health Care Managers. This course is an in-depth study of the distribution and determinants of health, disease, and disability in human populations. Specific topics include: descriptive and analytical epidemiology, community assessment, and study design. Case studies that involve all of the tools of epidemiology are utilized. The student becomes aware of the uses of epidemiology in population-based medicine and managerial decision making. (3 credits) back to top

HCA 511 - Quantitative Business Methods for Health Care. This course focuses on the development and use of statistical analysis in health care. Students are introduced to the essential definitions, concepts, and tools of statistical analysis and Excel statistical functions. Students will use their knowledge of statistics and Excel to identify and run appropriate statistical tests based on the goal(s) of the analysis and data availability. Statistical tests covered include chi-square, t-test, analysis of variance, regression, and Logit. The goal of the course is to improve policy and administrative decision-making in health care settings using statistical techniques. This is a required course for the master's program. (3 credits) back to top

HCA 521 - Community Health Administration  This course examines community health initiatives designed to protect and advance the general health of the public. Topics to be covered include: history of public health, epidemiology, community assessment, public health management, health education, child health programs, communicable and chronic diseases, environmental health, and the future of the public health. Particular attention is paid to partnering with managed care organizations in order to acquire needed resources. (3 credits) back to top

HCA 572 - Health Law. This course will explore the legal aspects of the health care environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on the court system's effect on the health care executive. Topics to be discussed include the following: medical negligence, employment/agency relationships, prolongation of life, patients' rights, and corporate liability. (3 credits) back to top

HCA 575 - Health Promotion. This course explores the various methods of delivering messages related to good health habits. The development, implementation, and evaluation of health messages will be discussed. Health education and promotional strategies will be outlined, in addition to the evaluation of various case studies of successful health communication programs. (3 credits) back to top

HCA 595 - Leadership and Executive Skills for Health Care Managers. This course focuses on a value-added and process-centered method of goal attainment. Topics include leadership theories, culture, human resources management, contingency and transformational theories, communication skills, mentorship, and team building and change theories. (3 credits) back to top

HCA 597 - Total Quality Management in Health Care. This course integrates all the major topics covered in the required courses, including accounting, finance, statistical analysis, epidemiology, operations management, information management, ethics and law, and leadership, and incorporates them into a final course experience. The focus of this course is to use all the learning experiences in the program to be able to apply continuous quality improvement processes to health care organizations. Students will apply the various disciplines they have learned to cases involving real-life applications of quality management in health care delivery systems. Prevention of medical errors and compliance with patient rights will also be covered. This is the capstone course in the graduate program in health care administration program. It is usually taken as the final course in the program. (3 credits) back to top

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