Independent Study #I
Choosing Seminar or Conference of One’s Choice
University of the Pacific 1, 2, 3 graduate level semester credits available
PDSI 9903 – Educational Advanced Professional Development – Independent Study #I
Download UOP Registration Form and email to: [email protected]
University of the Pacific, Stockton, California
1-3 graduate level credits
(15 documented educational hours per credit, travel time not included)
- Transcript Request
- Official Transcript Request Form
- Official Transcripts (All programs except law and dental)Online orders, visit National Student Clearinghouse .Cost: $5 per transcript plus a $2.25 order processing fee. To check the status of an order, visit the Transcript Order Status Tool.Email, telephone, and fax requests will not be honored, nor will transcripts be emailed or faxed.
Event Description
Whether you chose to attend a Leadership Conference in Las Vegas or a Literacy Coaching Conference in New York, teachers who attend can apply their work to Summer Institutes Independent Educational PD Course. In this independent study course, you will have the opportunity to receive graduate credits by fulfilling the requirements listed below, on your own time, completing coursework within 3 months of each seminar. Credits can be used toward additional teaching certification credits, earning salary advancement credits or obtaining professional clock hours.
Independent Study calls for a strong understanding of concepts learned at each professional development session, designing lesson plans created from knowledge learned from these events, and reflection summaries demonstrating skills learned, including how these will impact you as a teacher and how these will impact your students. This course is designed for educational professionals at all levels. For teachers just beginning in the profession or for those who have been teaching for some time, this course will give you a chance to re-evaluate your philosophy, technique, style, and communication ability. In summary, the approach is toward teaching the student the theory, principles, concepts, and practices that can be applied in the dynamic, ever changing, challenging, and rewarding field of education. The most important question that we would like to have answered after attending your conference is: “What did you learn at this conference to help you effectively transfer knowledge to your students as their educational professional?”
Educational Independent Study Credit Requirement Guidelines:
To earn one semester hour of university credit each educator will complete 15 professional hours and will follow the procedures indicated below. This credit will be earned through University of the Pacific for $149 per credit hour. You can earn up to 3 credits at 15 contact hours per credit.
- Register online with Summer Institutes Independent Study.
- Download the University of the Pacific Registration form
- You will determine the amount of credits you wish to earn when you register online.
- All accompanying work for one, two or three credit hours for course requirements will be evaluated by the Summer Institutes’ staff.
- It will be the discretion of the Summer Institutes’ staff to award the appropriate credit(s) as determined by the quality and thoroughness of the required work. Participants will be notified should their work not meet the requirements for the credits that they applied for.
- The requirements may be either mailed or e-mailed to the Summer Institutes’ staff. The material must be submitted no later than three months after the completion of the clinic/camp.
PLEASE NOTE – Semester units (hours) or non-degree graduate-level credits are awarded for successful completion of coursework. In addition, these courses will be listed on a university transcript. Designed exclusively to meet the needs of educators and administrators for professional upgrading and salary advancement, these credits are not applicable to a degree program at Pacific. District approval is recommended before enrolling, as tuition is non-refundable. These units do not count toward undergraduate degree requirements
All materials must be post marked within three months of the completion of the clinic/camp. If materials are not submitted by that time without contacting the director, Scott Ricardo, you will receive an “Incomplete Grade.”
Earn Credit Hours through the University of the Pacific
Summer Institutes partners with the Center for Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) at the University of the Pacific to offer professional development programming where students can earn graduate-level professional development units (PDUs) for successful completion of applicable coursework. Learn more
Independent Study #1
Choose from 1, 2, or 3 Credits
Research tells us that quality teacher practices and methods positively affect student achievement (Wilson, Floden, & Ferrini-Mundy, 2001; Hirsch, 2006). Professional development methods that enhance a learner’s understanding of knowledge and strategies, coupled with personal reflection and thought, leads to a greater change in practices in the classroom; thus affecting student achievement (Hirsch, 2006). Professional development design that includes knowledge, experiential learning, and a personal opportunity in which to transfer learning, may influence the implementation of new strategies and practices in the classroom environment (Dixon, 2010). Summer Institutes online is firmly anchored to these notions.
Learning Objectives
The relationship between professional learning and student results requires “standards-based professional learning, which creates and supports the changes in educator knowledge, skills, and dispositions, which effect the change in educator practice which in turn creates change in student results” (Standards for Professional Learning, www.learningforward.org).
Participants will:
- Expand leadership skills as teachers, coaches, principals, and members of a school community.
- Learn best practices and current research to support teaching, student learning, and leadership principles.
- Gain new course curriculum ideas from learning activities and conference discussion forums.
- Learn new techniques to develop positive relationships with students, parents, and staff.
- Gain a broad knowledge of interdisciplinary topics and how to implement interdisciplinary studies into the curriculum.
- Evaluate educational opportunities and be better prepared to develop lessons that allow for alignment with ever evolving state standards.
- Focus efforts and outcomes towards growth in the Professional Teaching Standards of: The Learner and Learning, Content Knowledge, Instructional Practice, and Professional Responsibility.
Course Assignments
1. Complete the Pre-Planning log sheet below:
Please indicate the appropriate number of hours (minimum two (2) hours) that you have devoted to the pre-planning portion of your conference experience. Acceptable activities include but are not limited to research and readings, activity coordination, setting of academic goals to achieve, selection of presentations to attend.
| Date | Activity | Hours |
|---|---|---|
Signature_______________________ Date___________________
Click here to download this log in Word format!
This activity log sheet will be sent to the Summer Institutes Staff at the conclusion of the conference. All paper work is due no later than three months after your conference. Failure to turn in paper work will earn the student an “Incomplete Grade.” Incomplete grades turn into a No Pass grade after one year. ALERT: Please do not procrastinate on getting your work done and turned in by post-marked date within three months of the completion of the conference. No refunds.
- Each participant will summarize each of the speakers or meetings that they are required to attend. A daily journal is required. Please log your hours of attendance, presenters, staff discussions & Professional Learning Community (CPLC) times & discussions. These may be meetings that are not on the conference schedule, such as breakfast meetings, luncheons, time spent in meetings with teachers sharing best practices, buzz sessions, personal sessions with peers, any of the forums on the schedule & breakout sessions
- For any of the speakers or meetings, the participant is required to indicate how the information they received will relate to their own academic program. Also, how will the participant implement the techniques, system(s) or style of transferring knowledge that they have learned into their own academic program?
- Write about each activity separately. Use the subheadings below to report on each activity. Label subheadings clearly.
- Activity Description: Describe each activity in detail, using narrative form (no bullets, no numbers, no incomplete sentences). List all materials that you and the participants used (e.g. handouts, books, props, etc.) Describe each activity thoroughly as if the reader were not familiar with the topic.
- Learning Objectives: Write specific learning objectives for each activity. Include what you wish to achieve and how you will accomplish it.
- Appropriateness of Activities for Targeted Students: Explain how the activities meet appropriate development needs of the participants/students.
- Correlation of Activities to the Conference: Discuss how the activities relate to the conference content.
- Self Evaluation: Write a self-evaluation of your own strengths and weaknesses as you developed and implemented these activities. Discuss what you would do differently next time and suggest areas for improvement, if any.
- Develop three lesson plans based upon the new information you gained from this conference. The plans must be typed.
- Type a three-paragraph summary that brainstorms the connections from this conference to classroom for implementation.
- Provide an evaluation outline that summarizes the skill and concepts learned, self-reflected exercises, evaluation created with session outcomes and the participant growth.
- Submit a synopsis paper. Paper shall answer the following questions about the educational conference you chose to attend:
- What new knowledge and information, from this online course, enhanced your current teaching style?
- Which connections were experienced that aligned with your specific teaching focus, content, and population?
- How did this online course increase your current level of professional teaching standards to reflect personal growth?
- What beneficial information could you share in your school community with others?