Online M.A. Program - Computing in Education

For 25 years, the Program in Computing in Education at Teachers College has been offering an Intensive version of its M.A. program for teachers or others who work with schools, in which participants come to Teachers College in New York only for July sessions. For a fuller description of the Intensive program, click here. Beginning in the Fall 2007 term, the program began offering a version of this program in which all courses are offered online. This online version has been approved by the New York State Education Department.

The online program has the same content as the Intensive M.A. program. Instead of coming to Teachers College for courses in July, online M.A. students will be able to take all program courses online. A two-day workshop at Teachers College will also be available for program students on Wednesday and Thursday, July 2nd and 3rd, 2008, so that they can have the opportunity to meet and talk with other students and instructors in the program (and to see New York).

Like the Intensive Program, the online program will be a 32-credit M.A. degree program in Computing in Education for teachers or others working with schools.

For more information on courses, workshops, and program requirements, program personnel, and more, please see the program web site at http://online.tc.columbia.edu/oice.

Courses in the online program use a set of online tools, including an online course platform such as Blackboard, and a realtime Web video meeting platform (Adobe Connect). Almost all of the core courses in the program have already been offered online for a number of years, and this new online M.A. program will unify students' experience with a new community Web portal for communication and sharing information. All of the software and course platforms we have used or are considering are accessible via Macs or PCs. Students in the program will need to have Web cameras, of which there are many inexpensive versions available.

Also like the Intensive M.A. program, students in the online M.A. program will choose between two concentrations of study, Teaching and Learning with Technology, and Technology Leadership. The advisor for the latter concentration will be Dr. Ellen Meier, and for the former Dr. Howard Budin. The two co-direct the Center for Technology and School Change at Teachers College.

Teachers College has three terms per year: Fall (from the beginning of September to the end of December); Spring (from late in January to mid-May); and Summer (from late May until August). Online courses will be offered during each of these terms. In the fall and spring terms, courses run for 15 weeks, and in the summer for about 10 weeks. We believe that taking two courses per term is a reasonable load for students, and by doing this the M.A. degree can be completed within two years. Students may start the program in any term. In any given term, three or four online program courses will be offered, and all of our core courses will be offered at least once within any two-year period.

In addition to regular courses, students may take up to 6 credits of independent study work during the program. Our M.A. program has a requirement of a final degree project, which is planned individually with each student, and some independent study may be done in preparation for the final project.

For inquiries about the program, or to request an application, please contact Seynabou Diop at the Center for Technology and School Change by telephone at 212-678-4189 or by e-mail at Diop@tc.edu.