Required Courses

2025-2026

EDU 510 Fundamentals of Educational Research ★3 (Fall 2025)
Explores the findings of educational research, and works to apply the results of research to educational problems. Focuses on conceptualizing methods of educational research to specific and individual educational sites and issues.
EDU 597 Developing Number Sense ★3 (Winter 2026)
Number sense involves a wide range of number concepts and relationships that begin in infancy and can develop throughout ones lifetime. This course focuses on what number sense is, why it is important, and research-based strategies to support student understanding of number.
EDU 597 Supporting Student Mathematics Learning ★3 (Spring 2026)
Teachers’ implicit assumptions about learning influence their decisions about the tasks chosen, questions asked, tools available, classroom setup, and assessments posed. In this course, teachers will be asked to examine their assumptions about mathematics learning alongside historical and contemporary research and perspectives on learning.
EDU 597 Culturally Responsive Mathematics Practices ★3 (Summer 2026)
This course examines and develops culturally responsive teaching practices and explores regenerative mathematics in PreK-12 mathematics by drawing on perspectives and examples from Indigenous traditions and peoples, wisdom traditions, and mathematics education for social justice.

2026-2027

EDU 597 Word Reading: Evidence-informed instruction and assessment for literacy ★3 (Fall 2026)

This course focuses on the role of word reading in a comprehensive understanding of literacy acquisition. Topics include developmental phases of word reading skill; linguistic processes contributing to word reading and spelling; current psychological models of the role of word reading in reading comprehension; learning disorders related to word reading and how students with these disorders can be identified and supported; and empirically validated approaches for assessment and instruction to strengthen word reading skills for typical and struggling readers.

EDU 597 Reading Comprehension: Evidence-informed instruction and assessment for literacy ★3 (Part A - Fall 2026)
This course focuses on the role of reading comprehension in literacy acquisition. Topics include the typical trajectory for reading comprehension skill development; text reading fluency; the role of knowledge in reading comprehension; effective reading comprehension strategies; and empirically validated approaches for assessment and instruction of reading comprehension for typical and struggling readers.
EDU 597 Reading Comprehension: Evidence-informed instruction and assessment for literacy ★3 (Part B - Winter 2027)
This course focuses on the role of reading comprehension in literacy acquisition. Topics include the typical trajectory for reading comprehension skill development; text reading fluency; the role of knowledge in reading comprehension; effective reading comprehension strategies; and empirically validated approaches for assessment and instruction of reading comprehension for typical and struggling readers.
EDU 597 Writing: Evidence-informed instruction and assessment for literacy ★3 (Winter 2027)
This course focuses on current theories of reading comprehension, and the cognitive and language underpinnings of reading comprehension difficulties.
EDU 514 Planning for Educational Change ★3 (Spring 2027)
Explores how educational research can enhance educational change toward school improvement and focuses on utilizing appropriate research methods to create a site-based research proposal for a specific site.

2027-2028

EDU 515 Applying Educational Research ★3 (Fall 2027)
A supervised applied research assignment to develop and apply knowledge and skills related to data collection, data analysis techniques, and research report preparation.
EDU 900 Program Synthesis ★3 (Winter 2028)

A reflection and synthesis of learning from the Master of Education in Educational Studies in relation to the concepts of leadership and school/educational improvement that are the foundations of the program.

Grading

The program uses the University of Alberta's 4-point scale grading system. For more information about the University of Alberta grading system, see the grading system at the Office of the Registrar.