King's College Graduate Courses - Fall 2008

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)

Educ 510 - Developmental Nature of Reading . The nature of literacy learning is explored from the perspective of children constructing meaning and being actively involved in their learning. The reading-writing relationship and authentic assessment procedures are stressed. (3 credits)

Educ 515 - Reading in the Content Area . This 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)

Educ 517 - Organizational, Administration and Supervision of Reading Programs . The effectiveness of managing reading programs will be explored. The human resources, structural, economic, political, and symbolic relationships impacting on instruction will be examined. The organizational framework of actual settings and leadership styles will be analyzed. (3 credits)

Educ 520 - The Writing Process K-12 . This course examines writing as a means of facilitating language development and learning. Practical means of impletmenting 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 of the course is to develop an understanding of the purpose for writing in K-12 classrooms. (3 credits)

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

Educ 5240 - Spell it Right! . This course will focus on helping all students become better spellers. Teachers are judged by the public on how well their students spell. All teachers want a spelling program that's going to work! When we look at our students' writing, we know there must be a better way. And there is a better way to teach spelling in order for students to spell correctly not only on tests, but in everyday writing activities. (3 credits)

          This course is beting offered through the Professional Development Center. It can be used as an elective in the Reading program.

Educ 5840 - Assessment Practices in the Classroom . This course will examine the multi-faceted role of assessment in the classroom. In a standards-driven curriculum, what are the options for classroom assessment to gauge learning while preparing students for high-stakes standardized testing situations? This course will examine a range of issues surrounding assessment practices, including the complexity of teaching literacy, improving the learning environment, diversity and gender issues in assessment practices, student self-assessment, the use of scoring rubrics, applealing to different learning personalities when assessing students, the use of portfolios, classroom-based assessment tasks, and informal assessment strategies for teachers. In addtion, No child Left Behind will be discussed regarding its impact on classroom assessment. (3 credits)

          This course is being offered through the Professional Development Center. It can be taken in substitution for Educ 521 (Alternative Assessment), an elective in the Reading program.

Educ 5843 - Engaging Students with Texts . This course is designed to assist teachers in preparing students to enter, engage, and extend texts of all kinds. Participants will review selected theories designed to improve the reading of various texts. Classroom instruction will involve modeling of reading activities, review of sample lessons designed to promote interactive learning, and development of lessons participants may use in their own classrooms. The course is taught by Thomas Jones, M.S., educational consultant and retired high school teacher in the Wyoming Valley West School District. (3 credits)

          This course is beting offered through the Professional Development Center. It can be used as an elective in the Reading program.

Course Description - Graduate Certificate, Early-Childhood Program Director

Educ 566 - Organization and Administration of Early-Childhood Education . This course is designed to simulate the process of organizing and administering early-childhood programs serving children aged from newborn through age five. It examines establishing, managing, staffing, training, and supervising personnel. Additionally, it will cover financial and legal considerations, physical space requirements, nutrition and meals, marketing the program, and accessing important sources for any early childhood program. Participants will develop program tools based on child-development theory, educational practice, and governmental regulations. They will also explore recent educational research on supervision styles, while studying the organizational framework of actual settings. (3 credits)

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

Educ 605 - Instructional Materials, Technologies and Their Development . This course is designed around the methods, strategies, research and resources that enable participants to develop and implement an ESL program, to help English Language Learners acquire English language and academic cognitive understanding and skills. Participants 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)
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. Emphasis is placed on linking instruction with assessment results using individual and small group activities. Students complete an ESL Individualized Education Plan and implement it with ESL students in their classrooms. As a final project, students develop and present an evaluation plan either for ESL students in a particular grade or for an ESL program across multiple grades. Finally, the ESL tests mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) are examined, and students become proficient in using each instrument. (3 credits)

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. As a culminating project, students work in groups to solve a problem, issue or concern they have within cultural and linguistic diversities in schools and communities. (3 credits)



Course Descriptions - Master's in Health Care Administration

HCA 502 - Human Resources Management . This course surveys the activities and decision-making functions of the human resources manager, including personnel planning, recruitment, interviewing, training and development, compensation practices, benefits administration, maintaining personnel records, employee communication, labor relations and succession planning, wtih an emphasis on the legal dimensions of these various activities. Attention is also drawn to the professional and legal responsibilities of the individual manager or team leader in matters such as employee rights, privacy, sexual harassment, discrimination in the workplace, employee evaluations, workers' compensation and recruitment of personnel. This comprehensive review occurs from the unique perspective of the health services organization. Note: this course is required for the master's degree unless a student has already taken HCA 503 (Organizational Behavior) . HCA 503 is no longer being offered; starting in Fall 2006, HCA 502 became required instead. (3 credits)

HCA 507 - Health Care Financial Management . This course introduces both the theory and concepts behind financial decision making in the health services industry. The primary goal of this course is to provide an operational knowledge of financial management theory and concepts. Students will be given the opportunity to apply these ideas to real-world healthcare business settings and to use spreadsheet analyses to help make better financial decisions. It is strongly recommended that students take HCA 541 before taking this course. This course is required both for the master's degree and for the certificate in Executive Leadership. (3 credits)

HCA 512 - Medical Practice Administration . This course examines the unique management requirements of medical practices. Special emphasis will be placed on budgetary systems, collection policy, and reimbursement techniques. This course will be offered on-line, via the internet. This course is being offered instead of HCA 521 (Community Health Administration) as an elective in the master's program; it can also be used for the certificate in Public Health Administration. (3 credits)

HCA 541 - Managerial Accounting for Health Care Administration . This course is intended to provide an overview of the subject of accounting. Students will learn financial and managerial accounting concepts with an empasis on contemporary management control theory as applied in the health services industry. The course begins with the characteristics of the management control function. It then examines the nature and purpose of financial statements and introduces fund accounting. The course concludes with coverage of full cost accounting, the measurement and use of differential costs, and pricing decisions. This is a required course for the master's program . (3 credits)

HCA 573 - Health Care Information Systems . This course is an introduction to information and its key role in the effective functioning and management of health care organizations. It provides students with sufficient background on fundamental terminology pertaining to computer hardware and operating systems to communicate effectively with technical personnel. It explores clinical-care and administrative application of the computers in health services delivery. This is a required course for the master's program for students who started prior to Fall 2007. It is an elective for students who started in or after Fall 2007. (3 credits)

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