Online

K-12 teachers can take these 15-week online courses to earn 'graduate level' credit in various subjects including reading, technology, health, and coaching.

COURSES:

Effective Strategies for the Autistic Student Certificate (Special Needs/Gifted Instruction)

This four course online series, co-sponsored by Link Autism Leadership, focuses on educational, social, and behavioral support strategies effective when working inside and outside the classroom with students on the autism disorder spectrum. The first course also provides a broad overview of the disorders and key structures for potentially recognizing the specific disorders. Courses may be taken individually.

EDNU 9971 Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders 3 Credits

This course is purposed toward familiarizing participants with autism spectrum disorders including high and low functioning autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Participants will become familiar with each disorder, familiarized with interventions from a systems perspective, an overview of IDEA, least restrictive environment, and other lawful mandates, and finally practical strategies and specialized, scuffled instruction in general education classrooms (elementary and secondary) designed for children with ranging autism disorders.

EDNU 9978 Meeting Academic Needs for Children with Autism 3 Credits

This course is purposed toward familiarizing participants with educational strategies to be used for children with autism spectrum disorders including high and low functioning autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Opportunities for virtual learning, on the job training, life skills education, and special education law will be offered as an extended understanding in meeting basic educational needs for individuals with autism disorders.

EDNU 9989 Behavioral Supports & Interventions for Children w/Autism 3 Credits

This course is purposed toward familiarizing participants with behavioral support strategies to be used for children with autism spectrum disorders including high and low functioning autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in an educational environment. This course will also present long-range behavioral strategies and supports.

EDNU 9990 Social Supports for Children w/Autism Disorders 3 Credits

Participants will become familiar with understanding social characteristics of autism that will be applied within education environments, and participants will be familiarized with social interventions from a systems perspective. Special education requirements will be overviewed. Participants will also be provided with practical social strategies and specialized instruction for general education classrooms.

Language Arts/Reading/Writing/Literacy

EDLU 9003 Reading & Writing in the Content Areas 3 Credits

In order to be successful in content area classes such as social studies, science, and mathematics, students must be able to read a variety of informational texts and produce written documents. This course will give teachers the tools they need to integrate literacy strategies into content learning to help raise student achievement. Students will be able to locate web-based tools, strategies, and lessons that foster literacy skills in all content areas. They will also have developed a preliminary lesson plan portfolio incorporating these tools and strategies.

EDLU 9541 Teaching Reading in the 21st Century 3 Credits

This course is designed for both experienced educators and newcomers interested in incorporating the reading strategies to help students achieve their educational standards and objectives using current trends and research. This course will help educators develop effective teaching methods and instructional strategies that capitalize on students interest and use that familiarity to improve students' academic performance.

Teaching Methodology

EDAU 9556 Basics of Instructional Coaching 3 Credits

In this basic course, you will be able to define coaching and the history of coaching, differentiate instructional coaching from other coaching practices, understand coaching as a mediation process, evaluate theoretical best practice, and begin planning your role as an Instructional Coach through contributing to the work in your practice. After taking this course, you will be theoretically informed and ready to support your instructional coaching processes.

EDAU 9562 Professional Learning Communities and Instructional Coaching 3 Credits

This course is designed to teach Instructional Coaches effective integration and development of Professional Learning Communities in an educational environment. Participants will learn effective group facilitation, training techniques, agenda setting, curriculum mapping, and specific strategies for overcoming obstacles to implementation, supported by research-based practices ensured to produce positive impacts on the educational environment.

EDAU 9563 Communication and Instructional Coaching 3 Credits

In this course, participants will be able to define and utilize the six main attributes of effective coaching communication. After taking this course, participants will be theoretically informed and ready to support their instructional coaching processes by using these communication practices with staff and modeling them to students in the classroom.

EDAU 9564 Targeted Instructional Strategies and Instructional Coaching 3 Credits

This course addresses the demands and complexity of the work involved with Instructional Coaching. Topics that will be explored include lesson planning with colleagues, developing instruments that increase capacity, steps included in pre and post observations, and gradually introducing video tape in the educational environment to increase performance of the Instructional Coach and the teaching staff. This process-oriented course will culminate with a Virtual Portfolio as the final assessment piece that could be used in a job interview for an Instructional Coach position.