Developmental Education (DE)

DE 5305. Education in Multicultural Contexts.

This course examines learner development across the PK–16 education system using multicultural analytical frameworks that are examined comparatively and grounded in established educational theory and research. Students analyze school structures, instructional practices, and policy contexts to understand how educational pathways are formed and how learning environments influence the progress of various populations of learners. Course content focuses on a range of factors that may shape educational experiences across grade levels and contexts. Through research projects and presentations, students evaluate a variety of multicultural educational models and varying institutional practices. Assessment emphasizes analysis, review of research, and effective written and oral communication.

DE 5321. The Community College.

This course introduces the history, development, organization, functions, and contemporary issues of U.S. community colleges, with a focus on their role in postsecondary student success. Students examine student populations, governance, campus culture, administrative procedures, support services, curricular patterns, faculty composition, and the integration of developmental and adult education. Course content emphasizes understanding how institutional structures, policies, programs and practices support student learning, engagement, and retention. Students review professional literature, analyze institutional examples, and apply knowledge to practical strategies that promote student success in postsecondary settings.

DE 5324. Teaching Learning Strategies and Critical Thinking in Postsecondary Contexts.

The course addresses theory, empirical research, and pedagogical practices that inform how teachers and other educational practitioners facilitate students’ development of learning strategies, problem solving, and critical thinking in postsecondary contexts. Course content emphasizes applied learning through evaluating existing curriculum and instruction related to learning strategies and critical thinking, with consideration of both historical and contemporary perspectives in research and practice. Students integrate research-based recommendations into teaching demonstrations and curriculum designs that examine instructional approaches designed to support strategic thinking and expand their knowledge and skills with individualized emphasis in areas relevant to their educational practice.

DE 5326. Curriculum Design in Postsecondary Developmental Education.

This course explores the principles and processes of curriculum design and implementation in postsecondary contexts. Students examine relevant research, trends, and issues within the professional and scholarly literature to inform curriculum decision-making in college and university contexts. Students build skills in assessing instructional needs, designing curriculum across contexts, and examining factors that shape educational practice. Emphasis is placed on applied inquiry through investigations in curriculum planning, analysis, and assessment. Course content provides a foundation for developing and evaluating postsecondary curricula and instructional approaches.

DE 5327. Student Motivation and Self-Regulation.

This course examines research-based theories of student motivation and self-regulation across developmental and postsecondary contexts. Students analyze major theoretical frameworks, including overlapping and competing perspectives, and consider their implications for educational practice. Course content addresses social influences on motivational and self-regulatory processes. Through review of scholarly literature, students apply empirical findings to educational settings, including interventions and programs. The course prepares students to engage with motivation and self-regulation as complex, multidimensional constructs in academic contexts.

DE 5339. Assessment and Evaluation in Developmental Education.

This course examines the essential components of assessment and evaluation in developmental education contexts. Course content emphasizes key phases in program evaluation such as planning evaluation goals, creating a logic model, implementing evaluation plans with quantitative and qualitative approaches, engaging with stakeholders, and using evaluation data to examine program effectiveness and efficiency. Students examine the role of assessment in developmental education contexts, including the use of classroom assessments, placement tests, and formative and summative evaluations. Students iteratively develop an evaluation plan for a program relevant to postsecondary student success.

DE 5365. Managing Postsecondary Transition and Developmental Education Programs.

This course focuses on theoretical and practical elements of managing postsecondary transition programs, with emphasis on developmental education programs. Course content focuses on research-informed practices in postsecondary leadership, including how to lead and manage developmental education programs as well as postsecondary transition programs such as summer bridge programs. Students apply leadership models and research to existing practice, analyze various transition programs, and apply course concepts to develop and refine management approaches and program structures. Students expand their knowledge and skills related to managing postsecondary transition and developmental education programs with individualized emphasis in areas relevant to students’ practice.

DE 5373. Grant Development and Management.

This course introduces Master’s students to the essential mechanics of grant seeking and project management within educational contexts. Students learn to navigate public and private funding databases and develop the technical writing skills necessary to draft persuasive proposals and transparent budgets. Course content emphasizes the entire lifecycle of a grant including the development of comprehensive budgets, management projects for accountability, and usage of electronic grant-seeking strategies. Through stakeholder interviews and collaborative needs assessments, students gain practical insights into the practitioner's perspective of grantsmanship and skills to develop professional funding applications in educational environments.

DE 5375. Understanding Learners in Postsecondary Contexts.

This course investigates the evolution, characteristics, demographics, goals, and needs of learners in Postsecondary and Developmental Education contexts. Emphasis is placed on analyzing internal factors, including the cognitive, affective, and psychosocial needs of students, and external factors, including social, political, and institutional systems, that can impact learners' educational experiences. Students explore the history of the field of postsecondary and developmental education and its contemporary applications. Course content provides an overview of research-informed programs and instructional strategies examined in postsecondary education.

DE 5378. Problems in Postsecondary Student Success.

This course examines topical problems faced by practitioners in developmental education and postsecondary student success, with attention to emerging issues and perspectives that shape contemporary postsecondary contexts. Students examine educational problems, trends, and issues related to students, faculty, educational systems, and policies at the postsecondary level. Students engage in scholarly and professional research on current and emerging local, state, national, and international educational issues to analyze the opportunities and challenges facing postsecondary education within a rapidly changing society.

DE 5379. Independent Study.

This course allows students to engage in independent, faculty-guided study of a selected topic or applied area in postsecondary student success, emphasizing analytical inquiry and specialized learning beyond regularly offered courses. Students examine specialized topics through the analysis of scholarly literature, application of appropriate research methods, and synthesis of findings into a structured project. Activities may include, but are not limited to, literature review, academic writing, or applied project work, as appropriate to the topic and learning plan. The scope, methods, and deliverables of the course are determined in consultation with the supervising faculty member. Emphasis is placed on independent, inquiry-based learning with appropriate guidance consistent with disciplinary standards. The independent study may be repeated once for credit with different emphasis.

DE 5384. Internship in Postsecondary Student Success.

This course provides master’s students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experiences conducting a field-based project related to postsecondary student success in an authentic setting at a host institution. Students complete a one-semester, 150-hour practicum in an approved institution or agency outside of their own employment. Internship students support educational activities at the internship site involving program planning, management, budgeting, and evaluation. With mentorship from a supervising faculty member, students draft a project overview and action plan.

DE 7199. Dissertation.

This course supports the completion of original, independent research in postsecondary student success under the direct supervision of the student’s dissertation research advisor. Students analyze theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and analytical strategies relevant to their dissertation studies. Course content emphasizes evaluation of research design, data collection and analysis, and scholarly argumentation. Through sustained engagement with the research process, students assess the coherence, rigor, and contribution of their work to the field. During candidacy, continuous enrollment in dissertation coursework is required.

DE 7299. Dissertation.

This course supports the completion of original, independent research in postsecondary student success under the direct supervision of the student’s dissertation research advisor. Students analyze theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and analytical strategies relevant to their dissertation studies. Course content emphasizes evaluation of research design, data collection and analysis, and scholarly argumentation. Through sustained engagement with the research process, students assess the coherence and rigor of their work within disciplinary expectations. During candidacy, continuous enrollment in dissertation coursework is required.

DE 7301. Understanding Learners in Postsecondary Contexts.

This course provides students with foundational knowledge on the evolution, characteristics, demographics, goals, and needs of learners in Postsecondary and Developmental Education contexts. Course content emphasizes analyzing the internal factors, including the cognitive, affective, and psychosocial needs of students, and external contextual factors, such as social, policy, and institutional systems. These are examined analytically as influences on learner experiences that impact learners' educational experiences. Students explore the history of the field of postsecondary and developmental education and its contemporary applications. Students conduct careful analysis of scholarly literature to explore multiple facets of postsecondary learner development.

DE 7302. Policy Structures in Developmental Education.

This course examines the historical and contemporary policy structures shaping developmental education and postsecondary student success. Students analyze theoretical foundations and empirical research guiding developmental education structure and placement across postsecondary systems, and evaluate the legal and policy implications that can influence students' educational outcomes. Through interdisciplinary inquiry, students synthesize research and policy documents on curricular, institutional, and system-level dimensions of developmental education policy, practice, and reform across local, state, and national levels.

DE 7303. Teaching and Learning in Developmental Education.

This course focuses on principles for effective teaching and learning in developmental education, including institutional development, learner development, intellectual development, and self-development. Topics include theories of teaching and learning, pedagogies, assessment and evaluation techniques, and research‑supported practices. Through a survey of foundational and contemporary scholarship on pedagogies and empirical research examining practices to support adult and postsecondary learners, students examine the interrelated factors that shape postsecondary student success in developmental education and related contexts.

DE 7305. Education in Multicultural Contexts.

This course examines learner development across the PK–16 education system using multicultural analytical frameworks that are examined comparatively and grounded in established educational theory and research. Students analyze school structures, instructional practices, and policy contexts to understand how educational pathways are formed and how learning environments influence the progress of various populations of learners. Course content focuses on the range of factors that may shape educational experiences across grade levels and contexts. Through research projects and presentations, students evaluate a variety of multicultural educational models and varying institutional practices. Assessment emphasizes analysis, synthesis of research, and effective written and oral communication.

DE 7321. The Community College.

This course examines the history, development, organization, functions, and contemporary issues of American community colleges, emphasizing their role in postsecondary student success. Students explore student populations, governance, campus culture, administrative procedures, support services, curricular patterns, faculty composition, and the integration of developmental and adult education. Course content emphasizes understanding how institutional structures, policies, programs and practices support student learning, engagement, and retention. Students evaluate community college structures, policies and programs, and analyze and compare strategies used to address student success in postsecondary settings.

DE 7322. Learning Support Services in Postsecondary Settings.

This course addresses theory, research, and practice in non-course-based learning support services in postsecondary contexts. Course topics include postsecondary tutoring, supplemental instruction, academic coaching, mentoring, advising, research support, and related services provided in learning support contexts such as student success centers, writing centers, and early alert systems. Students investigate scholarly and practical issues related to administering and providing learning support services. Course content emphasizes application of theory and research to the development and implementation of pedagogical and administrative approaches to analyze how services are designed to address varied student needs as described in the literature.

DE 7323. Academic Support for Students with Learning Disabilities.

This course examines learning disabilities and executive function differences affecting academic performance in postsecondary education. Students review theoretical perspectives related to the etiology and characteristics of learning disabilities and analyze the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional dimensions of students with learning disabilities across the lifespan. Course content applies learning and teaching theories to instructional strategies, academic interventions, and assessment practices to support college students with learning disabilities. Students evaluate research and neuropsychological literature relevant to postsecondary instruction, examine principles of effective teaching and curriculum design, and review federal and state legislation governing services and disability accommodations in postsecondary settings.

DE 7324. Teaching Learning Strategies and Critical Thinking in Postsecondary Contexts.

This course addresses theory, empirical research, and pedagogical practices that inform how teachers and other educational practitioners facilitate students’ development of learning strategies, problem solving, and critical thinking in postsecondary contexts. Course content emphasizes applied learning through evaluating existing curriculum and instruction related to learning strategies and critical thinking, with consideration of both historical and contemporary perspectives in research and practice. Students integrate research-based recommendations into teaching demonstrations and curriculum designs that examine instructional approaches related to strategic thinking. Students expand their knowledge and skills related to teaching learning strategies and critical thinking through synthesizing scholarly and applied literature to address gaps in the field.

DE 7327. Student Motivation and Self-Regulation.

This course examines research-based theories of student motivation and self-regulation across developmental and postsecondary contexts. Students analyze major theoretical frameworks, including overlapping and competing perspectives, and consider their implications for educational practice. Course content addresses social influences on motivational and self-regulatory processes. Through review and synthesis of scholarly literature, students evaluate empirical findings and methodological approaches to consider applications to educational settings, including interventions and programs. The course prepares students to engage with motivation and self-regulation as complex, multidimensional constructs in academic contexts.

DE 7380. Managing Postsecondary Transition and Developmental Education Programs.

This course focuses on theoretical and practical elements of managing postsecondary transition programs, with emphasis on developmental education programs. Course content focuses on including how to lead and manage developmental education programs as well as postsecondary transition programs such as summer bridge programs. Students apply leadership models and research to existing practice, analyze various transition programs, and apply course concepts to develop and refine management approaches and program structures. Students expand their knowledge and skills related to managing postsecondary transition and developmental education programs by synthesizing scholarly literature to generate original ideas that identify areas for further research and scholarly discussion.

DE 7381. Practicum in Postsecondary Student Success.

This course provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experiences conducting a field-based project related to postsecondary student success in an authentic setting at a host institution. Students complete a one-semester, 150-hour practicum in an approved institution or agency outside of their own employment. Practicum students participate in leadership activities at the practicum site involving program planning, management, budgeting, and evaluation. With mentorship from a supervising faculty member, students draft a project overview and action plan.

DE 7399. Dissertation.

This course supports the completion of original, independent research in postsecondary student success under the direct supervision of the student’s dissertation research advisor. Students analyze theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and analytical strategies relevant to their dissertation studies. Course content emphasizes evaluation of research design, data collection and analysis, and scholarly argumentation. Through sustained engagement with the research process, students assess the coherence, rigor, and contribution of their work to the field. During candidacy, continuous enrollment in dissertation coursework is required.

DE 7599. Dissertation.

This course supports the completion of original, independent research in postsecondary student success under the direct supervision of the student’s dissertation research advisor. Students analyze theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and analytical strategies relevant to their dissertation studies. Course content emphasizes evaluation of research design, data collection and analysis, and scholarly argumentation. Through sustained engagement with the research process, students assess the coherence, rigor, and contribution of their work to the field. During candidacy, continuous enrollment in dissertation coursework is required.

DE 7699. Dissertation.

This course supports the completion of original, independent research in postsecondary student success under the direct supervision of the student’s dissertation research advisor. Students analyze theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and analytical strategies relevant to their dissertation studies. Course content emphasizes evaluation of research design, data collection and analysis, and scholarly argumentation. Through sustained engagement with the research process, students assess the coherence, rigor, and contribution of their work to the field. During candidacy, continuous enrollment in dissertation coursework is required.

DE 7999. Dissertation.

This course supports the completion of original, independent research in postsecondary student success under the direct supervision of the student’s dissertation research advisor. Students analyze theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and analytical strategies relevant to their dissertation studies. Course content emphasizes evaluation of research design, data collection and analysis, and scholarly argumentation. Through sustained engagement with the research process, students assess the coherence, rigor, and contribution of their work to the field. During candidacy, continuous enrollment in dissertation coursework is required.