Until summer of 1997, both the Master's degree and Ed.D. and Ph.D. degrees with emphasis in information technology in education, as well as all information technology in education courses were located in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (CI Dept.) .
These courses have now been moved to the Counseling and Educational Psychology (CEP) Department. We have also updated most of the course content and descriptions.
The Master of Science degree (M.S.) in Educational Psychology is offered with an emphasis in information technology in education. This emphasis (39 credits) provides graduate level training for educators and prospective educators. The use of information technology in teaching and learning is the focus of this emphasis. While a portion of the course work focuses on skill development, emphasis is on examining conceptual frameworks relating to the use of information technology in education. It is assumed that the typical student will have a background in education with an interest in exploring educational uses of information technology in the classroom. However, this is not a prerequisite for admission into the information technology in education emphasis.
II. ADMISSION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR THE M.S. DEGREE
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
a. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or better on a scale of 4.0, or a GPA of at least 3.0 for courses taken during the last half of the undergraduate program.
b. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores must be recorded within the past five years. GRE scores on the Verbal and Quantitative sections must sum to at least 750.
c. Information on Graduate Record Exam (GRE): Applicants can obtain GRE application materials from Testing Services, Thompson Student Services Building, Room 105, (775) 784-4638. Also, Sylvan Learning Center, 960 West Moana Lane, Reno, NV, (775) 829-2700, provides GRE testing services on an individual basis. For applicants whose first language is not English, a minimum TOFLE score of 500 is required.
d. Formal application must be made to the Graduate School (Student Services Building), (775) 784-6869. Allow time to complete the paper work to meet CEP's deadlines.
e. The following information must be sent directly to the CEP Departmental
Admissions Committee, Counseling and Educational Psychology Department/281,
University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0213.
(1) A letter of application that includes:(i) degree choice ( M.S. in educational psychology, emphasis in information technology in education)
(ii) a statement of professional career goals (what do you plan on doing with your degree?).(2) A resume indicating educational, career, and other experiences relevant to becoming a specialist in information technology in education.
(3) Three letters of recommendation from professionals assessing your potential for professional graduate level training as a specialist in information technology in education.
f. Each applicant will receive from the graduate school notification of acceptance
or rejection approximately eight weeks after the application deadline.
g. Within two weeks following notification from the graduate school, a letter from the CEP department will be sent to successful candidates informing them of the CEP faculty member who has been assigned as each student's program advisor.
III. PROGRAM OF STUDY
40-42 credits are required for completion of the M.S. degree in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in information technology in education.
CEP636 Cognitive Learning (3 cr.)
CEP700 Introduction to Educational Research (3 cr.)
CEP705 Advanced Human Growth and Development (3 cr.)
CEP738 Learning Theories (3 cr.)
b. Specialty Courses for the Information Technology in Education emphasis (15 credits)
CEP610 Information Technology in Education (3 cr.)
CEP611 Programming Languages in Information Technology in Education
(Writing your own
Home Page on the World Wide Web) (3 cr.)
CEP612 Methods Using Information Technology in Teaching & Learning (3 cr.)
CEP613 Computer Telecommunications in Education (3 cr.)
CEP758 Multimedia and Presentation Technology in Education (3 cr.)
c. Practicum Course Requirements (3 credits)
CEP617 Field Work & Practicum in Information Technology (3 cr.)
d. Elective courses (6 credits)
Two 700 level courses outside the CEP department which is on the approved Program of Study Form.
e. Comprehensive examination, CEP795 (1 - 3 credits)
Students must be enrolled for at least three credits each semester while they work on their program. Therefore, if comprehensive examination is taken in a semester in which no other courses are taken, it must be taken for three credits. Otherwise, it can be taken for one credit.
NOTE
The comprehensive examination is not offered in the summer, and CANNOT BE TAKEN AT ALL UNTIL ALL CORE COURSES ARE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED (no core course can be taken concurrently with the comprehensive exam).
IV. ADDITIONAL EMPHASIS REQUIREMENTS
a. Complete A Program of Study Form:
The program of study form must be submitted as soon as 12-15 credits of course work have been completed. This form can be obtained in the CEP Department. It is completed in consultation with the advisor.
b. Three Credit per Semester Requirement:
The Graduate School requires that students admitted to the department must enroll in at least three credits per semester or they will be withdrawn from graduate standing..
c. Performance Assessment
Performance assessment of students' dispositions, knowledge and skills will occur upon acceptance to the program, midway through the program, and at program completion.
Entry Assessment - Upon acceptance to the program, students will complete a pretest consisting of (a) 100 multiple-choice questions covering program CORE course content, (b) the Defining Issues Test (DIT), a standardized measure of principled reasoning skills, and (c) the Hunt Paragraph Completion Test, a standardized measure of cognitive complexity. These measures will be administered to new students at the beginning of their first semester of coursework after admisssion to the program. At the time of pretest activities, student will be informed of the need to maintain a portfolio that includes representative samples of items that meet professional International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards.
Midpoint Assessment - Midpoint assessment occurs when students develop their formal program of study (after completion of 12-15 credits of coursework). At this time, students will submit a professional portfolio for review by educational psychology faculty. The portfolio will contain products representative of required coursework in the program. If weaknesses are noted, faculty will meet with students to determine remedial procedures. (These may include retaking a course, writing a paper, taking additional coursework or other relevant tasks.)
Exit Assessment (Comprehensive Examination) - After completion of all coursework, students enroll in CEP795: Comp Exam. The Comprehensive Exam consists of a series of posttest activities including (1) a multiple choice exam on core course content knowldege, (2) The Defining Issues Test (to determine if gains have been made on principled reasoning scores), and (3) The Hunt Paragraph Completion Test (to determine if gains have been made on cognitive complexity scores). Scores on the Defining Issues Test and the Hunt Paragraph Completion Test are used for program evaluation only.
Students must pass the CORE course content knowledge exam with a score of at least 70 percent. Students who do not pass the exam will be required to take either an oral or written exam over areas of determined weaknesses. The student will work with the adviser to determine the content of the written exam.
During the semester in which students take the comprehensive examination, they will submit their completed portfolio to their adviser who will arrange for review by educational psychology faculty. Content of the student portfolio must demonstrate competency in information technology in education and will be evaluated by the adviser and other educational psychology faculty using a scoring rubric.
If weaknesses are noted, students may be asked to retake coursework, write a paper, or work individually with faculty. Faculty will also conduct structured exit interviews with students to determine satisfaction with their program.
FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES, CHOOSE THE FOLLOWING LINKS:
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT
PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT
At least two months before the comprehensive examination is to be scheduled, students should meet with their major adviser.
d. Six Year Program Completion Requirement:
Degree requirements for the M.S. degree must be completed in six calendar years from the date of the first course listed in the approved Program of Study Form.
e. Application for Graduation:
This form should be obtained at the Office of Admissions & Records.
V. ACCREDITATION, LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION
Both the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NASC) accredit the College of Education. The M.S. is not designed to address initial licensure requirements. For licensed teachers, it meets Nevada teacher licensure requirements for teaching computers and related technology.
VI. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Prospective student meetings are held at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Students will be notified by letter of meeting dates and times. To obtain a University of Nevada catalog contact the ASUN Bookstore, Mail Stop 194, (775) 784-6597. A University of Nevada Graduate School catalog can be obtained by contacting the graduate school, Mail Stop 326, 784-6869.
VII. FACULTY TO CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION
LaMont Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology/281
College of Education Building, Room 3045
University of Nevada
Reno, NV 89557-0213
(775) 784-6327
E-mail: ljohnson@unr.edu
or
Cleborne D. Maddux, Ph.D.
Foundation
Professor
Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology/281
College of Education Building, Room 3045
University of Nevada
Reno, NV 89557-0213
(775) 784-6637, ext. 2061
E-mail: maddux@unr.edu
or
Leping Liu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology/281
College of Education Building, Room 3045
University of Nevada
Reno, NV 89557-0213
(775) 784-6637, ext. 2060
E-mail: liu@unr.edu
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