MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) – Kansas State University’s College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education will begin issuing online graduate certificates in digital media for educators.
Kansas State University officials said the multidisciplinary certification is designed for teachers and academics, especially those looking to improve their skills and confidence in the areas of digital audiences, analytics, education and communications technology, social media, and communications. It is said to be designed for working adults such as administrators and graduate students. . Classes will begin in spring 2024, and prospective students can apply to the program now.
K-State officials said educators can choose from three paths to advanced degrees. Master of Science in Mass Communication, Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction, or Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.
“Today’s educators and administrators at all levels must develop digital media, educational and communication technology, and social media skills to effectively teach in digital learning environments and to match the technology skill level of learners in many situations. We need to upscale and reskill,” said Alan Boyer, Digital Innovation Program Director at AQ Miller School of Media and Communication.
K-State officials said Boyer, a K-State master’s program alumnus and member of the school’s national advisory board, worked with Deepak Subramony, professor and coordinator of the educational technology graduate program in the School of Curriculum and Instruction. He said he designed this program.
“Online Graduation Certificate with Digital Media for Educators is one of K-State’s next generation of higher education digital innovations, with blended learning and online learning taking an important place in K-12 and higher education during today’s pandemic. It deals with the realities of the environment afterwards,” Boyer said.
K-State officials said Boyer and Subramony are adjusting existing courses, modalities and lab experiences to help students analyze digital audiences and analytics to best meet students’ needs. He said he has created a fully online graduate certificate program that allows students to assess and select educational and communication skills. In the classroom, leverage social media data visualization techniques, understand cultural and social issues in educational technology, and manage strategic communications.
According to Subramony, K-State officials believe that the capabilities of education and communication technology will be increasingly critical to the success of teaching and learning in the current information age, which has been greatly enhanced by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. He said it has become essential.
“In the spring of 2020, as educators and students were forced to switch to emergency remote learning mode virtually overnight, the impact of insufficient technology skills was blatantly foregrounded and the impact of effective instruction and meaningful instruction was clearly foregrounded. There have been serious negative consequences for student learning,” Subramony said. He said. “The coursework that makes up our certificate program is directly aimed at building skills that are critical to success in today’s post-pandemic educational landscape.”
According to a study by the University of Virginia, K-State officials say many educators are less proficient in digital, instructional, and communication technologies, teach less content than usual, and do not cover any new content. He said that he recognized that. Curry School of Education partners with EDTech Evidence Exchange. Specifically, 86% of teachers and 84% of administrators said they expected the need for educational technology to increase over the next three years. Of the survey participants, 61% were teachers, 25% were school administrators, and 14% were district administrators.
“Interdisciplinary collaboration with partners in the Faculty of Education will build knowledge and skills to enable educators to use digital tools, audience data, and instructional and communication technologies to deliver high-impact instruction. ” said Chris Culbertson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. .
K-State officials said the program’s 15-hour curriculum includes four required courses and one elective. Required courses with no prerequisites are Social/Cultural Issues in Educational Technology, Change Management in Educational Technology, Evaluation of Educational Media Products, and Digital Media Audiences and Analysis. The three selection options are Communications and Technology, Strategic Communications Management, and Social Media Data Visualization.
“The School of Education is proud to work with our colleagues in the College of Arts and Sciences to create a pathway for transferring new content knowledge to classroom teachers, who will ensure that future college students are equipped to learn. ‘Taking advantage of the power of digital tools and innovation,’ said Debbie Mercer, dean of the College of Education.
K-State officials say the online diploma in digital media for educators is a new addition to the AQ Miller School of Media Communications’ portfolio of digital workforce development initiatives on campus, online, in the community, in government and in industry. He said that it was added to.
K-State officials said click here for more information about the Graduate Certificate in Digital Media for Educators.
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