Instructional Technology and Media EdM

Instructional Technology and Media (TEIT)

The Instructional Technology and Media degree programs examine the relationship between the design of technology, digital media, cultural context, social interaction, and learning. Courses provide extensive exposure to theories of cognition and design, as well deep dives into applications of these theories in practice.

Consequently, while students will encounter a wide range of cognitive, social, and design theories, students are encouraged to consider the power, equity, and ethical implications of context and culture in their application across learning spaces and environments. Faculty and students’ current areas of exploration include state of the art technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, the design of toys and digital games, maker education and digital fabrication, robotics and social pedagogical agents, artificial intelligence and computational literacy.

Students graduating from the program in Instructional Technology and Media have pursued a wide variety of career paths, in accordance with their goals and interests. Some of these include:

• Teaching, and research positions in higher education;

• Administrative and teaching positions in elementary, middle, and high schools;

• Creating educational technology startups and joining established industry leaders such as PBS, Nickelodeon, Google, Amazon, Sesame Workshop;

• Research and design positions in informal learning contexts such as museums and non-profit organizations to leverage new media technologies in effective and empowering ways;

• Research positions and design of technology-based training in corporations;

• Conducting formative and evaluative research on the use of media in/for learning, both within classrooms and beyond;

• Designing and implementing innovations in the use of new media for educational, social or civic purposes; or

• Working in government or nonprofit settings to shape the conversation and policy around new media and learning through research and policy work.

Participants in all CMLTD program areas share a basic conviction that good design in educative matters starts with careful attention to the needs and characteristics of the individuals that the design will serve. For example, the ability to understand the individual through empirical research and empathic engagement will make the design of instructional technology not only technically proficient but educationally valuable as well. In all, this attention to the individual in society and culture defines the technological humanism we seek through all components of the programs in CMLTD—a humanism that combines the use of sophisticated technology with humane commitments for guiding purposes.

Master of Education (60 points required)

An Ed.M. degree represents roughly the equivalent of two years of full-time study. It serves for some to mark progress toward a doctorate and for others to initiate intermediate professional qualifications for students who have previously completed a master’s degree at Teachers College or another institution. Up to 30 points of graduate credit earned elsewhere may be counted toward the minimum 60-point requirement. Ed.M. candidates who have completed an M.A. in CMLTD or an equivalent program should select further courses to broaden and deepen their mastery of the field. Those who are transferring a significant number of points from a different specialty toward the Ed.M. should include a selection of CMLTD core program courses in their remaining coursework. In addition to completing the minimum course requirements and developing a skill specialization, candidates for the Ed.M. degree culminate their work through a research or development project submitted to the faculty.

Master of Education (Ed.M.) programs are offered in Communication and Instructional Technology and Media. In each of these Ed.M. programs, students must take coursework totaling at least 60 points. The following are required of all Ed.M. students:

Core Requirement: (1 point)

• MSTU 4000 is a requirement for 1 credit in the first semester of study.

• MSTU 4900 IP Seminar is a requirement for 0 credits in the last semester of study.

Foundational Knowledge: At least three areas must be represented. (9 points)

• Cognitive Issues and Technology
  • MSTU 4133 Cognition and Computers
  • MSTU 4088 Introduction to Learning Sciences and Educational Technology
• Social Issues and Technology
  • MSTU 4005 Equity, Ethical, and Social Issues in Educational Technology
  • MSTU 4020 Social and Communicative Aspects of the Internet
• Cultural Issues and Technology
  • MSTU 4028 Technology and Culture
  • MSTU 5002 Culture, Media, and Education
• Educational Practice and Design
  • MSTU 4001 Technology and School Change
  • MSTU 4050 Online Schools and Online Schooling K-12
  • MSTU 4083 Instructional Design of Educational Technology

Research Methods and Design: (3 points)

Students must complete one research method or research design course offered either in or outside the CMLTD program. Suggested courses include the following:

• HUDM 4122 Probability and Statistical Inference

• ITSF 5000 Methods of inquiry: Ethnography and Participant Observation

• MSTU 5025 Researching Technology in Educational Environments

• MSTU 5001 Assessing the Impact of Technology In Schools

Breadth Requirement: (6 points)

All students must complete 6 points at Teachers College outside of the Communication, Media and Learning Technologies Design Program (that is, courses with a prefix other than MSTU). Suggested: HUDM 4120 Basic concepts in statistics; ITSF 5000 Methods of inquiry-Ethnography and participant observation; and/or other basic research/inquiry courses without an MSTU prefix.

Additional Requirements: for Ed.M. students in Instructional Technology and Media (TEIT)

• MSTU 4083 Instructional Design of Educational Technology
  • Counts toward the Foundational Knowledge area
• Two programming courses must be taken. This requirement can be met by taking the two-course Interactive Media programming sequence.
  • MSTU 5003 and 5013 Theory and Programming of Interactive Media I & II
• 5 points of additional MSTU courses
• Other courses chosen in consultation with an advisor

Integrative Ed.M. Project

The Integrative Ed.M. Project is a research or development project that should result from independent effort equivalent to that of a 3-point course. Like the M.A. integrative project, it should provide tangible evidence of a student’s skills and strengths and should represent the student’s interests, as well as display the specialized skills developed for the degree.

Students accepted for a doctoral program should earn the Ed.M. as an integral part of their doctoral work. However, the Ed.M. can be far more than a stepping stone to a doctorate. It allows for great flexibility, and students can use it to lay a strong foundation for significant positions of leadership that demand high levels of skill but do not require doctoral-level academic certification. For instance, students can put together a very effective 60-point program dealing with “school media for curriculum innovation.” In a similar way, one can develop a very strong grounding in educational software development through the Ed.M. degree. It can serve many purposes. One needs to think through one’s aspirations and use the scope of the Ed.M. program to build academic and experiential foundations in accordance with one’s achievement goals.