Doctor of Education in Teaching and Learning with Emerging Technologies (EdD TLET)

This course prepares doctoral students to critically examine contemporary issues in online and distance education, current research, and emerging trends in technology-enabled education. It involves the investigation of historical use of technology in education, the impact of emerging technologies on teaching and learning, and strategies for making informed decisions concerning the use of technology in the curriculum. Topics such as instructional systems design, application of teaching and learning theories in technology-enabled environments, emerging technologies, equity and access, and mobile learning are explored and evaluated for consideration as research project topics. 

The primary deliverable of this course is the identification of the proposed research topic, potential research questions to be explored, and a preliminary literature review with annotated bibliography

Transformative learning involves changing perspectives or frames of reference by critically reflecting on personal assumptions, biases and beliefs and then consciously making and implementing plans that bring about new ways of defining and interpreting beliefs, habits of mind, or points of view. This course provides an overview of transformative learning theory and challenges learners to reflect on how an online education environment might be conducive to
transformative learning. Participants will explore approaches for implementing these theories in online environments whereby the learner is regarded as being actively engaged through critical reflection and discourse to question assumptions, expectations, and context. The course emphasizes the role of the online instructor as facilitator who builds an open environment for meaningful dialogue and reflection.

This course is designed for advanced level graduate students. The aim of this course is to help students to become more competent, confident and critical members of their chosen academic discourse communities by developing their abilities to successfully write at an acceptable scholarly level. The goal of this course is to assist students in developing the writing skills necessary to meet a range of anticipated writing tasks that they will encounter during their academic career. Students will learn how to utilise key features of discourse, for example audience and purpose, organization and structure, information flow, vocabulary, grammar, etc. to analyse research articles and to enhance their own writing. Students will be introduced to the recommended Style Guide for the discipline as one of the primary resources for the course.

This course is a broad overview of assistive technologies commonly being introduced into school and online learning settings to empower and support persons with varied physical and learning disabilities. The focus is on reaching all learners through incorporating the appropriate use of augmentative and alternative communication and other assistive technologies and applying the effective instructional methodology to address the needs of diverse learners. This course will provide opportunities to learn about assistive technology for students with disabilities and the integration of technology into teaching and learning. Students will explore types of assistive technologies, functional assessments, and resources available to learners in technology mediated environments. A variety of assistive technologies ranging from low to high tech will be evaluated. Students will learn to apply a process for problem-solving during the selection of appropriate tools to meet individual student needs. Students will conduct literature-based research to explore these topics and propose an implementation of an assistive technology that has the purpose of addressing a selected disability or group of disabilities.

This course will present students with an overview of current practices and principles of assessment. The characteristics and uses of both formative and summative assessment instruments and procedures will be studied with emphasis on formative assessment and effective standards-based instruction. This course builds assessment competency by analysing recent trends in assessment for evaluating and documenting student performance and progress toward desired outcomes. Students examine the use of rubrics in assessment , and evaluate different models, such as Bloom’s taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge, in creating rubrics associated with competency-based assessment. Learners will investigate valid grading procedures and discuss ethical issues linked to assessment methods and uses of assessment information.

This course challenges educators to evaluate the needs of individual students in the diverse population within the Caribbean context. It specifically examines pertinent issues related to equity and diversity within the Caribbean educational systems such as second language learners, sexual orientation, and special needs, as well as contemporary topics such as race, gender, culture, and religion. Focus is placed on improving student achievement through differentiated curriculum and instruction. Some approaches explored will include teaching for understanding, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making; as well as best practices associated with accommodating different teaching and learning styles. Three instructional approaches to teaching in a diverse setting are explored: differentiation, Universal Design for Learning, and culturally responsive instruction. Students will explore digital methods to modify, extend, and differentiate instruction to positively impact student learning and engagement based on individual student needs.

This course explores the theory and implementation of educational games, simulations, and interactive virtual environments for improved instructional engagement. In this course students will be encouraged to explore the theories of educational gaming, and the practical aspects of evaluating and implementing games, simulations, and virtual environments for teaching and learning. Learners will examine how educators can leverage students’ interests in digital culture to extend their learning and keep them engaged. Participants will explore the foundational, social and cultural implications of using this technology approach in a digital classroom. Students will conduct literature-based research to explore these topics and propose future implementations of gamification or simulations that have the purpose of promoting and sustaining student engagement. The goals of this course are: 

• To appreciate the implications for the future of Caribbean education arising from the integration of technology in varied virtual teaching and learning environments 
• To investigate where simulation and gamification can be employed in course contexts to increase student engagement

The course is designed to develop student’s skills in qualitative data analysis. It explores a variety of approaches to qualitative inquiry including, phenomenology, grounded theory, narrative, ethnography and action research.

The course is designed to develop skills in quantitative data analysis. It explores a variety of approaches to quantitative inquiry including; regression (linear, multiple, logistic), correlation, path analysis and multivariate models. Students will also be introduced to statistical software to assist in the management and organization of quantitative data

Social media has become an important part of our private and professional lives and as such, it presents new challenges and powerful learning opportunities for students and educators at all levels. Although the world of social media has been, to a large extent, dominated by the two social media giants— Facebook and Twitter - new entries into the social platform space are expanding rapidly. Learning how to interact on various social media platforms is crucial to survive and thrive in this age of digital communication. In this course, students will explore key issues in social media technologies and their application to the educational environment. Topics may include the value of social media for distributed education, current and future trends in social software, delivering content using specific applications (blogs, wikis, podcasts, webcasts, etc.), the impact of social media tools to transform teaching and learning, and issues of course design to support learner engagement and online social media use in distributed and mobile environments. Students will conduct literature-based research to explore these topics, and propose future implementations of social media that have the purpose of promoting and sustaining student engagement.