S.05-122
GS2005.36
1. PROPOSAL FOR MEDIMAIPHD PROGRAMS IN
2. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & LEARNING DESIGN
Educational Technology and Learning Design
MEd., M.A. and Ph.D.
1. Educational Technology and Learning Design
I. Executive Summary ? 0
I- 0 o°-2

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

S.05-122

Senate Committee on University Priorities

Memorandum

TO: Senate

FROM:

John Wat

Chair, SC

Vice Pres

demic

RE:

Proposal forM.Ed, M.A. and Ph.D. in

DATE:

Noverr!('16, 2005

Educational Technology and

Learning Design (SCUP 05-060)

At its October

19,

2005 meeting SCUP reviewed and approved the proposal from the

Faculty of Education for a Masters of Education, a Masters of Arts, and a Doctor of

Philosophy in Educational Technology and Learning Design.

Motion

That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors, the proposal for the

M.Ed, M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Technology and Learning Design in the Faculty of

Education,

including the following new courses: EDUC 890, 891, 892, 893, 894, 

930, 931, 932 

end. -

c: T. O'Shea

K. O'Neill

C. Amundsen

.

SOUP 05-060

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES

MEMORANTiUM

TO: ?

Senate Committee on University Priorities

FROM:

Jonathan Driver, Dean of Graduate Studies

Chair, Senate Graduate Studies Committee

SUBJECT: Faculty of Education: New program proposal (GS 2005.36)

M-E., M.A.. Ph.D. in Educational Technology & Learning Design

DATE: ?

September 29, 2005

cc: ?

lorn O'Shea, EDUC

At its meeting of 12th September 2005 Senate Graduate Studies Committee approved a

new program proposal - M.Ed., M.A., Ph.D. programs in Educational Technology &

Learning Design in the Faculty of Education, with the understanding that the existing

technolomaster's

program

is replaced

in Curriculum

by the new

and

master's

Instruction

program.

ith

request

speclaflzalicn

SCUP recommend

education and

approval of the new programs to Senate.

The program includes proposals for eight new graduate courses:

• EDUC 890-4 Educational Media as Foundations of Curriculum

EDUC 891-4 Learning Design in

Tech

nology-Mediated Environments

EDUC 892-4 Cognitive Tools and Multimedia Learning

EDUC 893-4 Organizational & Social Aspects of Learning Technology Design

EDUC 894-4 Methods for Research and Inquiry in Learning Technologies

EDUC

0-4 Considering the Future of Learning Communities

EDUC 931-4 Group & Organizational Learning Technologies

EDUC 932-4 Learner-Centred Design

(

SGSCSC

T E

CHGS2OO

GS2005.36

PROPOSAL FOR MEDIMAIPHD PROGRAMS IN

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & LEARNING DESIGN

12 May ?

2004

August

2004

October

2004

December

2004

"Notice of Intent" and supplementary information

approved "in-principle" by Senate Committee on

University Priorities

Received by Dean of Graduate Studies

Reviewed by Assessment Committee for New

Graduate Programs

Received revised program proposal from Faculty of

Education

14 March ?

2005 Sent proposal to six external reviewers by Dean of

Graduate Studies

.29 April ?

2005 Received five external reviewers' reports by Dean

of Graduate Studies

.9 may

2005 Sent five external reviewers' reports to Faculty of

Education by Dean of Graduate Studies

June ?

2005 Received response to external reviewers' reports

from Faculty of Education

21 June ?

2005 Reviewed and approved by Assessment Committee

for New Graduate Programs

August

2005 Received revised proposal by Dean of Graduate

Studies

30 August

2005 Submitted to Senate Graduate Studies Committee

ASSESSMENT COMMEE FOR NEW GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSTY

CDVEDTECH O9!O1/5

•

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

DEAN

GRADUATE STUDIES

• ?

MEMORANDUM

To: ?

Jon Driver, SGSC

FROM: ?

Trude Heift, ACNCP

SUBJECT:

Program

Educational

Proposal

Technology

and

DATE: ?

August

30,

2005

Learning Design

that

At the

the

ACNGP

proposed

meeting

graduate

programs

21 June

2005

Educational

the committee

Technology

unanimously

and Learning

ecommended

Design

(M.A., M.Ed., PhD) be forwarded to SGSC, with the recommendation that they he

approved, pending the following revisions:

Clarification of requirements of M.A. and M.Ed. degrees;

Distrihjon of the technology versus in-class components;

Description of the goals for the three degrees;

Clarification of the composition of the cohorts;

5) Description of the Program Institute;

6) Description of required versus recommended readings for all courses.

addressed.

These changes have now been made and the concerns raised by ACNGP have been

L: ?

I, ?

•

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

'\.

Memorandum

I ?

LjQ: O

ISTUDIES

TO: ?

Jon Driver, Chair, Senate Graduate Studies Committee

FROM: ?

Thomas O'Shea, Director, Faculty of Education

SUBJECT:

Educational Technology and Learning Design Program

DATE: ?

August 30, 2005

The attached graduate program (Educational Technology and Learning Design

Program) is now ready for the Senate Graduate Studies Committee review

process. Can you please include this on the September 12, 2005 Agenda.

Thank you,

--:.

DrThomas O'Shea

Director

Graduate Programs

cc: Trude Heift, ACNGP

TO'S: 11

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES

MEMQRANDUl'1

To: ?

Dr. Cher y

l Amundsen

FROM:

Trude Heift, ACNGP

Dr. Kevin O'Neill

SUBJECT: Educational Technology and

DATE:

June 21, 2005

Learning Design

Dear Drs. Amundsen and O'Neill:

Thank you very much for your presentation at the ACNGP meetin

on June 21. The

committee was very pleased with the explanations you provided at the meeting and

recommends the following modifications of the graduate program proposal in

Educational Technology and Learning Design to go forward to SGSC:

Modify the requirements for the MA and MEd degrees (the same number of

credits for both).

Clarify the distribution of the technology versus in-class components.

Clarify the goals for the three degrees (MA, MEd, PhD) by including a

description of how the courses assist in achieving these goals.

In your response to Dr. Wright, you describe the composition of your cohorts.

Please include your response in the proposal.

With respect to the Program Institute, describe the funding available to you and

your experience with a similar project.

For week 8 of all course proposals specify that students will participate in the

Program Institute and not attend classes. Also, indicate required versus

recommended readings for all course proposals.

Include the vectors in the course proposal forms and obtain course approvals

from the Faculty of Education.

Include a calendar description in the proposal.

Please send us a copy of the revised proposal and I will forward the recommendation to

SGSC. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thank you very much for your hard work on the proposal.

Best regards,

Program Proposal

Educational Technology and Learning Design

MEd., M.A. and Ph.D.

ni'

Educational Technology and Learning Design

I. Executive Summary

This is an opportune time to launch a program focused on the practical and professional

concerns of educators in schools, post-secondary institutions and the workplace regarding

the use of learning technologies. Contemporary trends in our educational practices, our

economic models of work and performance, and our hopes for the role of computers in

many aspects of our lives, all illustrate a need for applied programmatic research and

education in this area.

The infrastructure and tools required for effective learning technology practices are

gaining increasing presence in schools, colleges, universities and workplaces. The

potential for quality learning experiences, increased performance and valuable social

rewards has never been greater. However, we remain largely in a "technology push"

mode - pursuing innovations for their "impression value" rather than their potential to

support fundamental improvements in how people teach and learn. This program,

developed as a collaborative effort between the Faculty of Education and the new School

of Interactive Arts and Technology in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, would bring

together cohorts of K-12 teachers, postsecondary and workplace educators to develop a

broadly interdisciplinary appreciation of the potential of new media for learning.

Together, the students in the program will develop transferable skills and insights by

designing technology-supported learning resources for formal and non-formal learning

environments. They will thus have the opportunity to become articulate in a wider range

of areas than is typically available in any one program, leading not only to a set of

thoughtful graduates, but to a new basis for constructive dialogue in the field at large.

The needs of this community are complex and cannot be met by any single tradition.

Practitioners want access to the best scholarly research from the fields of organizational,

cultural and Media studies and from educational psychology, as well as a range of inquiry

methods including those normally used in software development. Programs in

educational technology or instructional systems or educational psychology rarely meet

these needs.

This will be a cohort-based program. Each cohort will intentionally be selected to

represent a mixture of professionals from K-12, workplace and post-secondary settings.

The program will be unique in bringing together different traditions in a constructive

interdisciplinary manner. Key strengths of this program lie in the accommodation of

different but related traditions of discourse about learning and technology, and

opportunities in every course for students to engage in design that is of direct relevance to

their own professional contexts. These designs may include the development of Media

artifacts, plans for their use, and/or formal evaluations of technology-based innovations

for learning.

The Master's program begins with a careful consideration of the role of media in

learning, from historical and cultural perspectives (EDUC 890). From here it progresses

to engage students in critique and design based on frameworks for learning design and

categories of learning technologies (EDUC 891). Students will probe the well-established

findings of cognitive research on individual learning (EDUC 892), and consider how this

. ?

knowledge can usefully constrain design, in light of recent work on how learning is

accomplished by groups in complex organizational settings, with their own customs of

media use (EDUC 893).

Finally, stocked with questions emerging from their provisional designs for Media

artifacts and ways of using them in each of our courses, students will begin to master the

complex art and science of evaluating and improving innovations for learning (EDUC

864; EDUC 894). With these tools in hand, they will be capable of producing rigorously

analyzed contributions to either or both, research and practice in the context of their

choice. As is the practice in the SFU Faculty of Education, the overall goal of the M.Ed.

degree is to bring what is learned to the enhancement of one's professional practice and

to have the ability to critique and draw on literature relevant to this purpose. The M.Ed.

degree is considered a terminal degree. The M.A. degree is a research degree and

students are expected to be skilled in the evaluation and design of relevant research. The

Ph.D. program builds on the M.A. program, further emphasizing design from a research

perspective.

II. Curriculum

The proposed program will develop students' abilities to design learning activities, Media

and curricula for the contexts of schools, post-secondary institutions, the workplace, and

other informal learning environments. A key strength of this program proposal is the

multiple perspectives that are clearly articulated throughout the coursework. These are

. ?

intended to support students to engage in constructive dialogue leading to informed and

reflective practice. Informed by historical-cultural, organizational and cognitive theories,

the program will emphasize the dynamic role of theory and research in professional

practice.

We believe that the program warrants graduate degree status because, in achieving the

goal of developing reflective professionals, it must (a) select academically successful

students for admission, (b) engage students with a number and quality of courses that are

commensurate with other graduate programs at Simon Fraser University, (c) develop

students' abilities to put together the big ideas from the fields studied with sophisticated

technical skills to accomplish meaningful work in their professional realms, and (d)

develop first-hand competence with relevant research methods required for the

completion of a research thesis (M.A. and Ph.D students). We strongly doubt the

pragmatics of developing a non-degree program that would have the emphasis on

application, research and theory that we envision.

Requirements for the M.Ed. and

M.A.

De2ree

All courses were co-developed by small teams with membership from both the Burnaby

and Surrey campus groups. This is reflected on the course proposal forms (see Appendix

A). More than one instructor is listed for each course, and it is expected that these

individuals will alternate teaching the course.

S ?

Core Courses

EDUC 890

Educational Media as Foundations of Curriculum

Cultural-historical study of Media and technologies in education;

epistemic foundations; Mediation and re-Mediation; history of

EDUC 891

educational theory and practice.

Learning Design in Technology-Mediated Environments

Behaviorist, cognitive, constructivist, situative theories; computer-

supported collaborative learning; design analysis and assessment.

EDUC 892

Cognitive Tools and Multimedia Learning

Cognitive theory and research in multimedia learning; adaptive

learning systems; individual differences; self-regulated learning.

EDUC 893

Organizational and Social Aspects of Learning Technology Design

Networked society; activity theory; organizational culture; expansive

learning; behaviour in networks; organizational learning; change and

planning; social information systems; the learning society.

EDUC 864

Research Designs in Education

Introduction to major research methods in education.

EDUC 894

Methods for Research and Inquiry in Learning Technologies

Analysis of Mediated discourse; video and text; phenomenographic

analysis; new literacy methods; reflective practice; action research;

software for qualitative analysis; mixing methods and evaluation.

Elective Courses

Electives for the Master's program will draw from a number existing courses in the Faculty

of Education to address such topics as networked learning (EDUC

853),

program

development (EDUC 816) and evaluation (EDUC 822), and problems and practices

associated with instructional innovation (EDUC 830). Selected courses that are part of the

graduate program in School of Interactive Arts and Technology will also be available to

students in Educational Technology and Learning Design.

Program Institute

A unique element of the Master's and Ph.D. programs in Educational Technology and

Learning Design will be a Program Institute held every semester. Circa week 8 of each

semester, every course in the program will substitute a program-wide institute for the

regular class of the week. All students enrolled in, and faculty affiliated with, program

courses in operation that semester will gather for a Friday afternoon (4:30 - 8 pm) and all-

day Saturday institute. Goals served by the institute include:

1. Students develop presentation skills in poster, demo, and symposium Media, and

observe others' skills in these formats.

1. Provides a timeframe for students and faculty regarding comprehensive exam and thesis

milestones.

1. Creates a venue for program-wide intellectual community with a social weave.

Each institute (one per semester) includes these activities:

A keynote colloquium followed by communal buffet dinner. Speakers may be

faculty with the program or visiting scholars.

Friday night poster fair: M.Ed. students who will present their portfolio

(comprehensive exam) in the period between the current and the next institute will

present posters outlining their learning paths to date. M.A. and Ph.D. students

who will defend their theses in the period between the current and the next

institute will present posters describing their research to date.

Saturday morning thesis proposal symposium: Students who are ready to form

thesis supervisory committees will make a brief (20 - 30 minute) presentation to

faculty and students on their thesis proposals, followed by a Q&A period.

Saturday lunch-hour research updates: Research teams affiliated with the program

will present research findings, including demos of applications, opportunities for

the audience to explore multimedia learning objects, and conventional paper

presentations. This will span roughly 11 am - 1:30 pm as an "intellectual" mall

and food court event (i.e., people rove about to "sessions" while eating).

Course summary meeting: The penultimate event of each institute will be a

2.5-

hour meeting that substitutes for the suspended class of the week. At this meeting,

the course leader and students will analyze and synthesize information presented

during the institute, drawing out and analyzing relations specifically keyed to the

topic(s) of the course. Students enrolled in more than one course in the semester

will choose their option of course summary meeting, or instructors may find

creative ways to commingle rosters and activities.

• ?

A concluding social event.

We recognize that the Program Institute varies from the usual non-credit seminar

structure in the Faculty of Education. We already have experience with a similar

requirement in our existing master's program for which students meet four times over the

course of an academic year with programming developed jointly by faculty and students.

In terms of monetary and staff resources that will be needed to run the Program Institute,

we have been formally advised that graduate programs offered at the Surrey campus

garner at least $9000 per year per student. We plan to use a portion of these funds to

cover the administrative and other costs associated with the Program-wide Institute.

Summary of requirements for M.Ed. and M.A. degree:

M.Ed. degree: Six core plus two elective courses, successful comprehensive examination

and participation in the Program Institute.

M.A. degree: Six core plus one elective course, successful thesis defense and

participation in the Program Institute.

The number of credits required by the M.Ed. and M.A. degree are the same, a total of 40

credits. This breaks down as follows:

0 ?

(M.Ed. degree)

(M.A. degree)

Five core courses @ 4 credits each

One core course (EDUC 864) @

credits ?

One core course (EDUC 864) @

credits

Two elective courses @

credits each ?

One elective courses @

credits

Comprehensive exam @

credits

Thesis @ 10 credits

Schedule of Course Offerings:

Typically in Master's programs in SFU's Faculty of Education, students follow the

cohort they entered with through their core courses, one per semester. The first four core

courses for the Master's in Educational Technology and Learning Design (EDUC 890-

893) have been designed in such a way that they can be taken in any order. This was done

with the intent of providing students with the option to take two courses per semester, if

their work schedules and budget permit it. In the year the program opens, only one course

will be offered each semester. However, starting in the second year the program is

offered, first-year students will be able to take the courses that their second-year

counterparts are enrolled in. This arrangement will enable students to take 8 credits per

semester if they can arrange educational leave with their employers.

[]

Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

. ?

As the Ph.D. degree builds on the Master's program, admission will require a background

that is cognate. Due to the uniqueness of the Master's program, we expect that in many

cases Ph.D. candidates will need to take a selection of Master's courses as part of their

individualized study plans.

Required:

EDUC 901 History of Educational Theory

EDUC 902 Contemporary Educational Theory

EDUC 866 Advanced Qualitative Methods in Educational Research

EDUC 975Advanced Quantitative Methods in Educational Research

EDUC 983 Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

EDUC 899 Doctoral Thesis

Participation in the Program Institute (non-credit)

Successful completion of two for-credit special topics seminars (see below)

Most students will also be strongly advised to follow a Directed Readings course

(EDUC 910) with their supervisors prior to the Comprehensive Examination.

Special topics seminars:

Faculty associated with the program will regularly offer special topics seminars focusing on

different aspects of Educational Technology and Learning Design (See Appendix B for three

examples). The purpose of these courses is to provide an apprenticeship-like research

experience within the program itself, rather than solely through research assistantships. Special

topics seminars will be continually developed to allow the program to accommodate the rapidly

changing nature of this field. Ordinarily, each student will be expected to take at least one

seminar offered by his or her chosen senior supervisor. The student may choose to take the

second seminar in SlAT, provided that it is deemed appropriate by his or her senior supervisor.

Summary of requirements for the Ph.D. degree:

A minimum of six courses (four of

these are specified above, the remaining two to be chosen from the special topics

seminars available), participation in the Program Institute, the successful completion of

the comprehensive exam, and the successful defense of a thesis. The average time to

completion for a Ph.D. student, assuming an earned Master's degree from our own

program or a close cognate, would be four years. Assuming an intake of three students

per year, this would result in a steady-state enrolment of approximately twelve students at

the Ph.D. level.

III. Transition to the New Programs

This proposed program will replace the existing Education and Technology Master's

program in the Faculty of Education, for which intake will cease after Fall. 2005. The

faculty involved from the Burnaby campus have already adjusted their teaching schedules

so that the old program can be maintained while the new one is started up. Two new hires

• ?

in Educational Technology, which were recently advertised and are expected to be in

place for Fall 2005, are integral to this plan. New faculty will teach the new courses in

the Master's program while current faculty close down the existing program.

As the current Education and Technology Master's program takes M.Ed. students 2 1/3

years to complete, taking each course in sequence with their cohort, each of the existing

of courses will need to be offered once more to allow the 2005 cohort to finish. Students

in the existing Master's program will be permitted to take courses from the new program

as electives when these courses come on stream; however, since the new program has a

very different structure from the existing one, students admitted to the existing program

in 2005 will not be permitted to take the new courses to meet core requirements. We do

not plan to offer a formal route for students in the existing program to switch to the new

program.

IV. Learning Methodologies

This program focuses on professionals' situated needs, by providing faculty consultants

to support these needs and by specifying tasks and selecting resources that contribute to

their professional practice. Courses are designed to provide significant opportunities to

use learners' actual professional problems and life experiences, together with established

theory and formal research, as the basis for developing practice.

Courses in the program do not adhere to one particular delivery model. Instead, a

combination of face-to-face and on-line work is an expected part of each course, as

appropriate to the course's learning goals. It is not planned for the program to be offered

entirely on-line, as it is currently infeasible to offer the kind and quality of graduate

pro g

ram we seek to offer entirely at a distance.

Consistent with tradition in the Faculty of Education, face-to-face meetings of courses

will take place one evening each week, starting at 4:30pm. This accommodates the

schedules of working professionals as far as is possible while offering a four- or

five--

credit-hour courses in only one trip to campus per week.

Master's courses may be held on either the Burnaby campus or the new Surrey campus.

Adequate space and computing resources exist in both locations at the present time. In

Burnaby, the Faculty has a well-resourced Centre for Educational Technologies that

includes an Instructional Lab adequate to the needs of the proposed courses, as well as a

drop-in lab of Mac and Windows computers, mobile iBook labs, digital video cameras,

audio equipment, and other resources useful to a program of this kind. The Burnaby

campus library's existing resources for the Master's program will be enhanced to support

the Ph.D. program.

The Surrey campus also has more than adequate computing resources for this program.

The Faculty of Education has a dedicated teaching space on the new campus that would

be suitable for any of the proposed Master's courses. This is equipped with a mobile

iBook lab, digital video and still cameras, and printers. Elsewhere on the Surrey campus

are larger University labs which could be scheduled. Library resources at Surrey would

need to be substantially enhanced to support the program, however. A final decision

about the location of the proposed Master's program is expected in the coming months.

The first four courses in the Ph.D. program will be offered on the Burnaby campus only,

as these are shared with other Ph.D. programs in Education. Other Ph.D.-level courses

may be offered at either the Burnaby or Surrey campuses, according to the needs and

interests of both students and faculty.

Class activities for both the Master's and Ph.D. programs will involve both individual

and team tasks. Assessment of student learning will be accomplished through traditional

processes and products (e.g., seminars and papers), as well as design projects tailored to

students' particular professional contexts, and web-based portfolios.

A unique element in our proposal is the non-credit Program Institute described in the

above section, entitled "Curriculum". The Institute will serve as a venue for students at

all stages of completion to be part of a program-wide intellectual and social community,

in which they can develop skill in presenting their formative ideas, and solicit relevant

advice for developing them, irrespective of their career goals.

Program Consultations and Evaluation

This program has been developed as a collaborative effort among ten faculty members --

six associated with the Education and Technology Master's program, and four faculty

associated with the current programs at SFU Surrey. The collaboration of faculty at SFU

Surrey and the SFU Faculty of Education has spanned the past two years, and has

consisted of regular meetings in which the group shared research perspectives, teaching

and learning philosophies, curriculum approaches and perspectives on the needs of our

intended audiences. All courses were co-developed by small teams representing each of

the campus groups. It is intended that there will be shared responsibility for teaching,

revision, and updating of course content. Continuous formative and summative

evaluation will be carried out to ensure the quality and relevance of the program to our

audience. Regular revision and updating is imperative for a program of this nature as the

technologies and methodologies are continuously evolving.

In the development of this program, we invited six current graduate students (in programs

at Surrey and on the Burnaby campus) to review the core courses for the Master's

program. The reviews were largely positive, but did point to a number of issues that were

subsequently addressed by the various course development teams. We also consulted

with Rob Woodbury, the current Director of Graduate Programs SFU Surrey, who has

carefully read this proposal and given his support (see attached letter).

Finally, we presented this program proposal to and received the endorsement of the

Faculty of Education Graduate Programs committee, the Executive committee, and the

faculty at large. Minor revisions suggested by each of these bodies were taken into

consideration and, in most cases, incorporated.

VI.

Distinctiveness of the Proposed Programs

Our review of Canadian institutions offering Master's and Ph.D. level programming

related to Educational Technology indicates that the programs offered at Concordia

University in Montreal and the University of Calgary are most similar to the programs we

propose, at least in degree structure. Both Universities offer a Ph.D. and M.A., while the

University of Calgary also offers a M.Ed.

/LL

Our closest neighbor, UBC, offers an MET degree (Masters of Educational Technology),

which is described on the web site as follows "The MET degree supports a professional

development, course-based program (non-thesis)." The MET is an entirely on-line

degree, offered jointly with the Monterrey Institute of Technology (Mexico), and

administered by a non-academic unit, Distance Education and Technology. The broader

mandate of this unit is to support Faculties at UBC in developing distance education

opportunities. Altogether, we believe the UBC MET program is sufficiently different

from the degree we propose, both in delivery format and content, that it does not pose a

conflict.

The University of Saskatchewan also offers a M.Ed. degree (with both thesis and non-

thesis routes) as part of the Educational Communications and Technology program. Since

students pursuing a M.Ed. are almost always, in our experience, students who live

locally, we do not believe we will be competing with the University of Saskatchewan for

students at this degree level.

Further comparison of programs in the paragraphs below will be limited to Concordia

University and the University of Calgary, since we are proposing to offer research-based

degrees at both Master's and Doctoral levels. We compare three aspects of our proposed

program with those offered at Calgary and Concordia: the interdisciplinary program

content, the integration of theory, critique and application, and the focus on developing

scholarly research.

Interdisciplinar

nature: Our proposed program has a broad theoretical foundation drawn

from learning theories in the fields of Psychology and Educational Technology, as do the

other two programs. We go beyond this to draw on theories of individual and group

learning from a socio-cultural perspective, from the field of organizational behavior and

change, and the field of design. Our students will begin their program with a course that

provides a careful consideration of the role of media in learning, from historical and

cultural perspectives. Ph.D. students will build on this with the first two courses in their

program that are based broadly on an analysis of established and contemporary

educational theories. These courses will be shared with other doctoral students in our

Faculty, and draw on the strengths of our non-departmental structure. This stands in

contrast to the programs offered at the University of Calgary, where the focus is squarely

on Systems Theory and learning theories from the field of Psychology, and the practical

application of the principles of Instructional Design. Concordia University maintains this

same orientation, and includes aspects from the area of Human Performance Technology.

Our more inclusive curriculum is mirrored by our more inclusive plan for admissions.

Our goal is to draw a clientele of K-12 teachers, postsecondary instructors, and

workplace educators, to create cohorts as diverse as those in our existing Master's in

Education and Technology program. These cohorts already consist of individuals capable

of developing together a broadly interdisciplinary appreciation of the potential of new

media for learning, and carrying out cutting-edge research and development. A unique

aspect of our proposal is our Program Institute, that will further this goal by supporting a

program-wide intellectual community, bringing all students together once each semester

for a weekend, as part of their regular coursework.

/5-

The integration of theory, critique and application: Each of the new courses in our

• ?

program was designed to include a design project developed and critiqued from one or

more theoretical perspectives and contexts of use. This was a central consideration in

each course design. While it is difficult to precisely compare this facet of our program

with others based only on published course descriptions from the other two institutions, it

appears that these aspects are often taken up in separate courses at Concordia and the

University of Calgary.

The focus on developing scholarly research: Concordia University and the University of

Calgary both have; of course, a focus on research, and provide both coursework and

supervision to support students in this aspect of their studies. The University of Calgary

requires a course in research methodologies and includes the course, the Evaluation of

Technology Projects, as a possible elective. No required research methods course is listed

for the Ph.D. degree. Concordia University lists Fundamental Methods of Inquiry for

Educational Technology as a core course for the M.A. degree, and requires, at the Ph.D.

level, both course in advanced research design and a course entitled Quantitative methods

in Educational Technology.

Our new program is in concert with the Concordia program at the master's level,

requiring both a general course in research methodologies appropriate to Education

(EDUC 864) and a course specifically exploring methods for research and inquiry in

learning technologies (EDUC 894). At the Ph.D. level we build on this with advanced

courses in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Ph.D. students will

•

also be required to take two research apprenticeship courses of their choice, in fields of

research and development to which the affiliated faculty contribute. Finally, a primary

purpose of our Program Institute is to create a venue for the presentation and critique of

developing research ideas and an explicit preparation for future scholarly endeavors.

In sum, we believe that our program design is unique in Canada, and will provide

opportunities for qualified students to pursue studies in Educational Technology who are

not presently being served by other institutions. We believe this program will help also

help to build British Columbia and Canada's international standing in the burgeoning

field of Educational Technology.

VII.

Fee Structure

Tuition fees for both the Master's and Ph.D. programs will correspond to SFU's fees for

full-time, general research programs. (As of this writing, $1,417.90 per semester.)

VIII.

Student Funding

While the Faculty of Education cannot currently offer entrance scholarships to more than

a handful of students, there will be ample opportunity for Master's and Ph.D. students

who need income to seek paid work on campus. All of the faculty who will staff these

new pro

rams maintain active programs of funded research, and will normally be able to

• hire several students as research assistants. There are also many opportunities for

graduate students to serve as sessional instructors (particularly for courses in our

undergraduate Education and Technology Minor) and tutor-markers. In the short history

/h2

of our current Education and Technology Master's, students in need of paid work on

campus have normally found it.

IX. Admission

The program would admit up to 25 new Master's students each year, and 3 Ph.D.

students. From this, we predict a steady-state enrolment of approximately

Master's

students (roughly 32 M.Ed. and 18 M.A.) and 12 Ph.D. students when the program is

fully operational. These estimates are based on an average of 2 years to completion for

Master's students, and 4 years for Ph.D. Bear in mind that the program is structured so

that students may take up to two courses per semester at the Master's level if they are not

working full time.

Potential pool of applicants:

There is a need for informed, competent, reflective and discerning individuals who will

lead the successful integration of learning technologies in all kinds of educational

settings. We expect that as in the current Master's offering in Education and Technology,

students in these new programs will derive strength and gain perspective from the range

of professional contexts their fellow students represent:

• K-12 teachers who-want to meaningfully integrate learning technologies to

support and extend the learning of their pupils.

• Staff in the K-12 context who are responsible for continuing education of

classroom teachers as regards learning technologies.

• Full-time and part-time workers in the corporate environment seeking

advancement as trainers, instructional designers, and organizational change

agents.

• Staff in university and college support units with roles related to teaching and

learning with technologies (e.g. library, computing services, human resources,

new media centres) wishing to become key players in the transition to second

generation learning technology integration.

• Post-secondary instructors wanting to expand the use of learning technologies in

their disciplines, faculties, and colleges.

Admission requirements:

The program, consistent with current SFU policy, will require a minimum of a Bachelor's

degree (for Master's) or Master's (for Ph.D.) with a competitive GPA for entry.

Preference will be given to applicants with backgrounds in disciplines cognate to

Educational Technology, including Computing Science and Psychology. As part of the

application package, a letter of intent will be expected in each application that

demonstrates preliminary understanding of the field, as reflected in stated research

interests, realistic personal goals for study, and good written English skills. The letter of

intent will be valuable in assessing the "match" between prospective students' needs and

available supervision. The admission of students will not be contingent on the availability

of financial support.

Admissions Decisions and Supervisory load:

Following established practice in our Master's in Education and Technology, the faculty

allied with the new Master's and Ph.D. programs will meet annually (generally in March)

to make admissions decisions, and to assign pro-tern advisors to incoming students. As it

S ?

is in the best interests of thesis-route students to have committed advisement, no student

will be admitted without a firm commitment from a faculty supervisor who can both

manage the workload, and is considered by the admissions committee to be a good

"match" for the student's stated goals and interests. In the case of MA applicants for

whom appropriate, committed advisement is not available, the committee may offer

admission in the M.Ed. (non-thesis) route.

Change of Route for Master's Students:

MA students may,-at any time, apply to the Graduate Programs office to switch to the

M.Ed. (non-thesis) route. No special consent will be required. M.Ed. students may also

apply to switch to the MA route, though consent will be granted only with the written

approval of a prospective thesis supervisor. Supervisors may require that specific courses

be completed, or that a thesis proposal be written, prior to switching routes. In all cases,

students switching routes must meet the requirements listed above for the degree they

wish to earn.

Faculty

The new programs will be served by a complement of 9 tenured or tenure-track faculty: 7

located on the Burnaby campus of SFU (see list below), as well as 2 new appointments in

Educational Technology to be housed at the Surrey campus. While all of the faculty teach

in a variety of programs across the Faculty of Education, we will have a large enough

portion of each faculty member's teaching load to offer the proposed programs without

hiring any sessional instructors.

Cheryl Amundsen, Ph.D. (Educational technology)

Suzanne de Castell, Ph.D. (Media, culture and curriculum)

John Nesbit, Ph.D. (Educational Psychology)

Kevin O'Neill, Ph.D. (Learning Sciences)

Jan Van Aalst, Ph.D. (Science Education and Technology)

Phil Winne, Ph.D. (Educational Psychology)

David Zandvliet, Ph.D. (Science Education and Technology)

Curriculum Vitae for the current faculty are given in Appendix C.

XI.

Acknowledgement

We gratefully acknowledge the participation of three colleagues from the SFU Surrey

campus in the preparation of this proposal:

Mike Dobson, Ph.D. (Educational Technology)

Tracey Leacock, Ph.D. (Cognitive Psychology)

Janet McCracken, Ph.D. (Educational Technology)

Calendar Descriptions

Educational Technology and Learning Design Ph.D.

This program is intended to develop broad-minded and highly qualified Educational

Technology researchers and designers who may serve in academia, research and

development labs, corporations, school boards or other settings. Organized in close

conjunction with the Master's in Educational Technolo

y and Learning Design, the

program emphasizes an apprenticeship model of learning in which students work closely

with faculty members on research projects at the leading edge of their fields. Admitted

students must satisfy all requirements for the MA in Educational Technology and

Learning Design. Applicants are welcome from a wide variety of educational and

technical backgrounds, though they may be required to take courses from the MA

program before beginning coursework at the Ph.D. level.

Core Courses

EDUC 901-5 Seminar in the History of Educational Theory

EDUC

902-5

Interdisciplinary Seminar in Contemporary Educational Thought

EDUC

866-5

Advanced Qualitative Methods in Educational Research

EDUC

975-5

Advanced Quantitative Methods in Educational Research

EDUC

983-5

Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

EDUC 899-10 Doctoral Thesis

Two special topics courses offered by faculty affiliated with the program

Participation in the Educational Technology Program Institute (non-credit)

Most students should also take a Directed Readings course (EDUC 910) with their senior

supervisors prior to the Comprehensive Examination.

Each student's supervisory committee may require further work in the Faculty of

Education or other faculties. Students are encouraged to draw additional courses from

related units outside the Faculty of Education.

Educational Technology and Learning Design MA/MEd

This program leads to either the MA (thesis) or MEd degree (comprehensive

examination). It is intended to develop professionals who can take a scholarly approach

to the design of learning technologies, plans for their use, and/or formal evaluations of

technology-based innovations for learning. Designed to accommodate either students

who are employed full-time during the day or who take leave from work to study full

time, the program supports diverse cohorts including professionals from a variety of

fields including K-12 teachers, college instructors, instructional designers, and aspiring

academics. Applicants are welcome from a wide variety of educational and technical

backgrounds. Depending upon the coursework on their transcripts, students may be

admitted conditionally upon completing prerequisite courses in the Faculty of Education.

• ?

Core Courses

EDUC 890-4 Educational Media as Foundations of Curriculum

EDUC 891-4 Learnin

Design in Technology-Mediated Environments

EDUC 892-4 Cognitive Tools and Multimedia Learning

EDUC 893-4 Organizational and Social Aspects of Learning Technology Design

EDUC 864-5 Research Designs in Education

EDUC 894-4 Methods for Research and Inquiry in Learning Technologies

MA Requirements

Five credits of elective coursework

EDUC 898-10 Master's Thesis

MEd Requirements

Ten credits of elective coursework

EDUC 883-5 MEd Comprehensive Examination

In the following sections, several course proposals bear the names of

non-tenure-track faculty members who were involved in developing them.

The long-term status of these faculty members at SFU is uncertain.

The Faculty of Education wishes to acknowledge the important contributions of these

scholars to the proposal, while also assuring the Senate that regardless of their future

status, the Faculty of Education will have both sufficient and appropriate

faculty resources to offer all of the courses detailed here.

APPENDIX A

MASTER'S LEVEL CORE COURSES

Course Title

Page

Educ89O( I ) Educational Media as Foundations of Curriculum

Educ 89](2) Learning Dcsign in Technology-Mediated Environments

AlO

Educ

892(3)

Cognitive Tools and Multimedia Learning

A19

Educ

893(4)

Organizational and Social Aspects of Learning Technology Design

A26

Educ ?

94(6) Mcthods for Research and Inquiry in Learning Technologies

A38

Senators wishing to consult detailed information on the new courses should 

contact Bobbie Grant, Senate Assistant, 604 291-3168 or email bgrant@sfu.ca 

APPENDIX B

[ - -I

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF

PHD. GRADUATE SEMINARS

TO BE OFFERED

Course Title

Page #

Educ 930 Considering the Future of Learning Communities

Educ 931 Group and Organizational Learning Technologies

1310

Educ 932 Learner-Centred Design

315

Senators wishing to consult detailed information on the new courses should 

contact Bobbie Grant, Senate Assistant, 604 291-3168 or email bgrant@sfu.ca 

SIN-ION FRASER UNIVERSITY

DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES

MEMORANDUM ?

TO: ?

KEVIN O'NEILl..., CHERYL AI\[LJNDSEN

EDUCATION

FROM:

TRUDE IIEIFI, ASSOCIATE DEAN

SUBJECT:

EDUCNI'.[ONAL TECHNOLOGY & LEARNING DESIGN

DATE:

MAY 9, 2005

CC:

\CNG I'M EMJ3IRS

You will find enclosed five reports of six external reviewers on

the

proposal for the

MEd/MA/PhD program of Educational Technology

Learning Design.

We will

send you the other report upon receipt. Prior to meeting with the Assessment Committee

• ?

for New Graduate Programs, I would appreciate a written response to issues raised by the

external reviewers, if possible b

Friday, June 3, 2005.

For

our information, the reviewers were asked to respond to the following points:

• The academic merit and structural integrity of the proposed program

• The adequacy of the faculty and other resources available to the proposed program for

achieving its intended goals

• The demand for the proposed program among prospective students

• The demand for graduates of the proposed program

meeting will be scheduled for further discussion of the Educational Technology &

Learning Design proposal. I will ask you or a representative of the Education to attend the

meeting in order to answer any questions which the committee may have.

TH:vb

......

Enc. ?

.. .

* Senators wishing to review the external review reports should contact 

Bobbie Grant, Senate Assistant, at 604 29.1-3168 or email bgrant@sfu.ca 

It)

Cfl

C 1

cli

ci)

Lt)

('4

('1

csJ

cli

E - L

sIL

51.

06 In

ocs

00 Fn

ojj

oö•&

06 ?

o .2 o

o.2 C))

02 0)

0 .2 0)

o 2 o

0 .2 0)

.0OC

CO CE

CoCE

(OCE

cu ?

-E

COCE

Do(0

DOCO

D000

DOCO

WE-_i

WF—J

0WQ)

WI—_i

DOuG)

WE-_i

DOQ)

WE-—i

DQjG)

WF-.J

>..

cuco

(1)

ci)

I-

o°-2

C')

>.COc

C',

U )

Li WE-

C..

—

(C)

_r_

. 0