Full Course Description List:

MSHE Courses

(5 credits)

Historical perspectives on the development of higher education are useful in understanding the characteristics of our current system and future trends. The social, political, and economic context in which four-year colleges, community colleges, and universities operate is introduced in this course. Education professionals explore how institutions of higher education apply business principles to renew their commitment to student learning and achieve their mission and goals effectively. They also become familiar with the philosophy, requirements, and community of Walden University and the M.S. in Higher Education program.

(5 credits)

The success of any business is tied directly to its ability to serve its customers effectively. In higher education, those customers are students. In this course, education professionals examine fundamental principles of student learning and development as well as the implications of these principles for adult learners from a variety of backgrounds who have diverse needs and are in different stages of the educational process. They investigate and discuss factors affecting students’ educational goals and aspirations, their ability to stay in college, and the impact of their educational experiences on their learning and development; through this exploration and discussion, education professionals gain a better understanding of the ways leaders can improve these outcomes.

(5 credits)

Effective leadership within colleges and universities depends on the ability to identify important aspects of an organization's structure and culture as well as to adapt one's behavior to that culture. In this course, education professionals examine patterns of organization, governance, and culture in higher education, and they assess strategies for working effectively within governance structures and organizational cultures to achieve desired goals. They engage in readings and assignments that emphasize the organization's ability to learn and change in response to internal and external factors, including the ever-changing use of technology in academic programs and services.

(5 credits)

To understand adult learning, one must ask and answer complex questions: Who is the adult learner? What is the social context of learning? What motivates adult learners? In this course, education professionals explore the theories and frameworks that inform the field of adult learning today. They identify, compare, and contrast foundational and emerging perspectives on adult learning with the aim of transforming theory into practice. They engage in an integrative course project through which they synthesize and apply various theories to real-world situations, including their own development; summarize how the idea of wisdom impacts their experiences as adult learners; interview an adult learner; and assess various perspectives in regard to educating diverse learners.

(5 credits)

A number of best practices in adult teaching and learning have been identified based on decades of research and experience. Education professionals in this course examine these evidence-based practices to build their skills and gain strategies to facilitate learning in a variety of settings. They also explore promising new ideas and emerging trends in the field of adult learning.

(5 credits)

Given the wide variety of settings in which adult learning takes place, it is no small challenge to plan and implement robust learning experiences that can be effectively evaluated. This course examines the ingredients essential to successfully promote learning, including multiple needs assessment models, approaches to program design, implementation strategies, and models of evaluation and assessment.

(5 credits)

Faculty members and staff are the most important resource in any higher education institution. In this course, education professionals focus on strategies for human resource management in higher education, including recruitment and staffing, professional development, compensation, performance evaluation, and legal considerations. They investigate issues specific to faculty members, including promotion and tenure, collective bargaining, and collaboration with adjunct faculty members. They also examine the skills needed to coach, support, motivate, and facilitate collaboration among staff, enabling the organization to move toward desired outcomes.

(5 credits)

As costs escalate and resources dwindle, the effective, ethical, and socially responsible management of financial resources becomes an increasingly important skill in higher education. Education professionals are introduced to the fundamentals of financial administration in four-year colleges, community colleges, and universities in this course. They explore financial issues specific to higher education, such as budget management, asset management, state appropriations, administration of financial planning, and fundraising. They also engage in practical learning activities through which they develop and assess strategies for deploying and managing resources to achieve established goals.

(5 credits)

 Student success depends not only on the quality of the institution’s academic programs but also on the quality and availability of student services. In particular, the growing need to help increasingly diverse student populations succeed in college requires innovative approaches to retention and support initiatives. In this course, education professionals explore strategies to plan, organize, and manage student services and programs effectively as well as for ensuring that these programs meet legal and regulatory requirements. They also engage in coursework that emphasizes the design and deployment of programs and services, which enables students from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational goals.

(5 credits)

Higher education institutions achieve their goals primarily through instructional programs as well as through student support programs and services. Stakeholders at all levels within and outside the organization, including students, administrators, employers, legislators, and the public, expect institutions to demonstrate that their programs accomplish desired goals and that processes are in place to support data-driven improvement. In this course, education professionals engage in the cyclical process of program planning and assessment, including establishing goals and outcomes, creating and implementing an assessment plan, sharing results and determining strategies for improvement, and involving faculty, staff, and students in the assessment process.

(5 credits)

To understand adult learning, one must ask and answer complex questions: Who is the adult learner? What is the social context of learning? What motivates adult learners? In this course, education professionals explore the theories and frameworks that inform the field of adult learning today. They identify, compare, and contrast foundational and emerging perspectives on adult learning with the aim of transforming theory into practice. They engage in an integrative course project through which they synthesize and apply various theories to real-world situations, including their own development; summarize how the idea of wisdom impacts their experiences as adult learners; interview an adult learner; and assess various perspectives in regard to educating diverse learners.

(5 credits)

A number of best practices in adult teaching and learning have been identified based on decades of research and experience. Education professionals in this course examine these evidence-based practices to build their skills and gain strategies to facilitate learning in a variety of settings. They also explore promising new ideas and emerging trends in the field of adult learning.

(5 credits)

Given the wide variety of settings in which adult learning takes place, it is no small challenge to plan and implement robust learning experiences that can be effectively evaluated. This course examines the ingredients essential to successfully promote learning, including multiple needs assessment models, approaches to program design, implementation strategies, and models of evaluation and assessment.

(5 credits)

Emerging technologies are rapidly altering the field of adult education today. Innovative technologies are removing traditional boundaries to learning and encouraging a global perspective on school, work, and communications. New developments in software, multimedia applications, Internet technologies, and mobile computing are transforming the educational landscape and empowering learners around the world. This course explores how educators and students can leverage these advances to enhance the learning process and improve outcomes in today¿s digital information society.

(5 credits)

Supporting and retaining  students until graduation is central to the mission of all institutions of higher education. In this course, education professionals investigate strategies for increasing student success throughout their college experience, from admission to graduation. They explore the ways in which faculty and staff throughout the institution can work collaboratively and leverage resources, such as emerging technologies, to create positive learning experiences. Educators focus on the interplay between academic and student support programs as well as how to design and implement such programs to maximize opportunities for student success.

(5 credits)

In this course, education professionals explore strategies for leading change in programs and services to support student success and retention. Education professionals engage in research and discussion on a variety of issues, such as assessing needs, developing programs, and seeking resources through fundraising and grant writing. They also engage in activities that focus on ways that change efforts can support an institution's mission and strategic goals, such as increasing the participation of traditionally underrepresented populations in key program areas and building more inclusive communities of learners. 

(5 credits)

Effective learning experiences start with a clear plan. Decisions about what to teach, how to teach, and how to ensure students are achieving important learning goals confront every college instructor. Education professionals are introduced to concepts of planning curriculum and courses, establishing goals and outcomes, aligning outcomes with professional or disciplinary standards, prioritizing content, and planning for student engagement and active learning in this course. They engage in discussions and activities that emphasize the development of decision-making processes, which they can use to create effective plans for learning. Through an integrative course project, education professionals apply course concepts as they develop a learning plan that incorporates learning goals and teaching and assessment strategies.

(5 credits)

A growing body of literature on effective practices in higher education highlights the importance of student engagement in the learning process. In this course, education professionals explore principles and processes for creating meaningful, student-centered learning experiences in a variety of educational contexts, including ways of using technology to support learning. They focus on how they can address the needs of diverse learners using active learning strategies, share responsibility for learning with their students, and empower their students to become more self-directed. Education professionals also learn to anticipate and address the challenges that self-directed approaches might create for students who are more familiar with traditional learning environments.

(5 credits)

Assessment in college teaching involves several critical processes: giving students meaningful tasks that allow them to demonstrate their learning; providing feedback that enables students to improve their performance; and using data about student learning to continually improve teaching. Education professionals are provided with opportunities to design and discuss approaches to evaluation and assessment that support learner motivation and development, track progress toward outcomes, and gain information they can use to inform their own practice, including ways that technology can augment these approaches. Through this course, education professionals can learn what it means to engage in teaching scholarship - the process of investigating their teaching and sharing demonstrably effective approaches with their peers.

Pre-requisites

MSHE 6758 (may be concurrent)

(5 credits)

Online learning represents the fastest growing sector of higher education and is used in a variety of contexts. Education professionals in this course analyze how online learning can serve as a supplement to textbooks and traditional classroom instruction, a substitute for face-to-face time in blended or hybrid classes, and the exclusive method of learning in fully online courses and programs. They explore how online learning presents special opportunities as well as challenges to faculty and  students. Through the development of an online learning experience, education professionals practice strategies for planning, facilitating, and assessing learning online, and they gain a better understanding of how to use online learning technologies to enhance learning and motivate students.

(5 credits)

Globalization is a phenomenon affecting almost every aspect of society, from politics to commerce to entertainment. Higher education is no exception; technology and social mobility increasingly lead to opportunities for collaboration and competition among institutions globally. In this course, education professionals investigate trends and issues in higher education worldwide, including ways in which institutions serve the needs of an increasingly mobile student population. Through assignments designed to provide practical application of course content, education professionals consider globalization through a variety of contexts, such as in their personal and professional lives, student experiences, and challenges and opportunities. They also explore international differences in institutional organization and governance, operations and services, accountability, and articulation; they use this knowledge to inform later study of program development and administration.

(5 credits)

The master's capstone experience provides education professionals the opportunity to integrate and apply their learning to real-world issues or problems. Education professionals research and create a product that addresses a critical issue in a particular institution or area of higher education. Examples of such products include a design for a program or service that could be implemented at a particular institution, a professional development program or resource, or a position paper that addresses a particular issue in depth. Education professionals choose an issue or problem that is of sufficient scope to enable them to apply theories, concepts, and practices gained from multiple areas of prior coursework. (Prerequisite(s): All other courses.)

Pre-requisites

• MSHE 6155
• MSHE 6156
• MSHE 6263
• MSHE 6157