Program Overview

Educational Studies (EDUS) Program

The Educational Studies (EDUS) program at Virginia Commonwealth University offers a comprehensive range of courses designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the educational system, its complexities, and the various factors that influence learning and teaching.

Course Offerings

The program includes a wide variety of courses, each with its own unique focus and objectives. Some of the courses offered include:

• EDUS 101: Teacher Cadet Program - An introduction to the teaching profession, including personal attributes, learning styles, student growth, and the structure of public education.
• EDUS 200: Education in American Society - An examination of the American educational system, including its complexities, societal influences, and critical issues affecting its future.
• EDUS 202: Diversity, Democracy, and Ethics - A critical exploration of public education in the United States, focusing on sociocultural, historical, and philosophical contexts.
• EDUS 203: Pop-cultural Foundations of Education - An analysis of the relationship between education, schools, and society as presented in popular culture.
• EDUS 268: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Education - An introduction to the applications of AI and ML in education, including their implications for teaching, learning, and assessment.
• EDUS 300: School and Society - A study of the historical, sociological, and philosophical backgrounds of educational theories and practices.
• EDUS 301: Human Development and Learning - An examination of human development across the lifespan, with a focus on child and adolescent psychology and learning theories.
• EDUS 304: Educational Psychology for Teacher Preparation - The application of psychological principles to the teaching-learning process, with an emphasis on learning and development.
• EDUS 305: Educational Psychology - A study of the application of psychological principles to the teaching-learning process, including theories of learning and development.
• EDUS 400: Independent Study - Opportunities for supervised research and independent study in selected areas.
• EDUS 401: Assessment in Diverse Settings - An exploration of assessment theories, approaches, and instruments used to measure student performance in diverse educational settings.
• EDUS 476: Methods for Residence Hall Assistants - A course designed for resident assistants, focusing on student development concepts, peer assistance, and group techniques.
• EDUS 494: Topical Seminar in Education - A seminar for group study of topics, issues, or problems related to teaching, learning, and development.
• EDUS 500: Workshop in Education - A workshop focusing on a single topic within a curriculum area, offering exposure to new information, strategies, and materials.
• EDUS 514: Parent-child Relations - A methods course in parent-child communications and problem-solving.
• EDUS 594: Topical Seminar - A seminar for group study of topics, issues, or problems related to teaching and learning.
• EDUS 601: Philosophy of Education - A study of basic philosophies that have contributed to the present-day educational system.
• EDUS 602: Adolescent Growth and Development - A study of contemporary learning theories and their implications for teaching adolescent learners.
• EDUS 603: Seminar in Child Growth and Development - An intensive study of child growth and development, with an emphasis on current research.
• EDUS 604: Adult Development - An introductory study of adult development from a life cycle perspective, with implications for educators working with adults.
• EDUS 605: Child and Adolescent Development - An examination of the cognitive, social, and physical development of children and adolescents.
• EDUS 606: Review of Research - An application of research findings to a specific educational area of study.
• EDUS 607: Advanced Educational Psychology - The application of psychological principles to the teaching-learning process, with a focus on comprehensive development of individual learning experiences.
• EDUS 608: Educational Statistics - An introductory-level statistics class focusing on techniques of inferential analysis.
• EDUS 609: Learning and Motivation in Education - An examination of perspectives on learning and motivation in school settings.
• EDUS 610: Social Foundations of Education - A study of significant social issues involved in the development and operation of schools and educational institutions.
• EDUS 612: Education and the World's Future - An examination of education in relation to future changes in population, energy, transportation, family, and other areas.
• EDUS 613: Educational Change - A course developing skills for planned program change through systematic inquiry, systems analysis, and systems approaches.
• EDUS 614: Contemporary Educational Thought - A critical examination of educational ideas and programs emanating from contemporary writings on education.
• EDUS 617: Advanced Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers - The application of psychological principles to the teaching-learning process in the secondary classroom.
• EDUS 620: Human Development in Education - An examination of issues in human development as they relate to the education of youth and young adults.
• EDUS 621: Motivation in Education - An examination of issues in motivation as they relate to teaching and learning.
• EDUS 631: American College and University - A study of the historical and contemporary foundations of American higher education.
• EDUS 632: Understanding Social Foundations and Contemporary Issues in American Higher Education - An examination of the purpose of higher education and its changes over time.
• EDUS 633: Academic Leadership in Higher Education - An analysis of leadership in higher education, including challenges and emerging roles.
• EDUS 639: Race, Ethnicity, and Education - A cross-disciplinary examination of issues related to race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity in education.
• EDUS 640: The Academic Profession - An introduction to the roles and responsibilities of faculty members in institutions of higher education.
• EDUS 641: Independent Study - An individual study of a specialized issue or problem in education.
• EDUS 650: College Teaching and Learning - A course providing students with positive, informative, and useful experiences to develop an understanding of effective instruction.
• EDUS 651: Topics in Education - A course for the examination of specialized issues, topics, readings, or problems in education.
• EDUS 658: Community-Based Action Research for Education Stakeholders - An introduction to a research approach that engages school and community stakeholders.
• EDUS 660: Research Methods in Education - A course providing an introductory understanding of educational research and evaluation studies.
• EDUS 661: Educational Evaluation: Models and Designs - A comprehensive review of major evaluation theories and models.
• EDUS 662: Educational Measurement and Evaluation - A course providing an understanding of basic concepts of educational measurement and evaluation.
• EDUS 663: Applied Multivariate Statistics in Education - An examination of multivariate statistical analysis and evaluation research methods.
• EDUS 664: Multilevel Modeling in Education - An examination of multilevel statistical analysis and evaluation research methods.
• EDUS 665: Assessment Issues and Design for Classroom Practice and Education Policy - A course exploring all aspects of assessment in preK-12 educational settings.
• EDUS 667: Applied Structural Equation Modeling in Education - A course providing students with an understanding of basic concepts and statistical procedures of structural equation modeling.
• EDUS 668: Applied Machine Learning in Education Research - An advanced-level course integrating machine learning techniques in educational research.
• EDUS 672: Internship - A study and integration of theory with practice in clinical or off-campus settings.
• EDUS 673: Democracy, Equity, and Ethics in Education - A course engaging participants in a critical exploration of education issues and inequities.
• EDUS 690: Academic Writing and Publishing - A course assisting doctoral students in developing and refining a journal article manuscript for publication.
• EDUS 701: Urban Education - A study of urban education from historical and contemporary perspectives.
• EDUS 702: Foundations of Educational Research and Doctoral Scholarship I - An interdisciplinary seminar focusing on the nature of scholarly inquiry and the worth of situating research within its wider social and political contexts.
• EDUS 703: Foundations of Educational Research and Doctoral Scholarship II - A continuation of EDUS 702, deepening understanding of scientific inquiry and applying an understanding of epistemology to a critical analysis of various philosophies of research.
• EDUS 706: Educational Theory and Praxis in Historical and Contemporary Contexts - A seminar focusing on philosophies of education, considering how broader social phenomena affect educational institutions and change.
• EDUS 707: Socio-cultural Perspectives on Schooling, Society, and Change - A seminar analyzing contemporary schooling in the U.S. from a sociological-cultural perspective.
• EDUS 710: Quantitative Research Design - An examination of quantitative research designs and concepts commonly utilized in conducting research in applied educational settings.
• EDUS 711: Qualitative Methods and Analysis - A course examining qualitative research designs and inductive analysis.
• EDUS 712: Mixed Methods Research - A course examining mixed methods research designs, including philosophical perspectives and challenges.
• EDUS 713: Critical Methods in Educational Research for Justice and Equity - A course focusing on critical educational research in the scholar-activist model.
• EDUS 714: Qualitative Data Analysis - A graduate seminar surveying methods of text analysis, focusing on developing skills for systematic analysis of textual data.
• EDUS 720: Seminar in Cognition and School Learning - An examination of topics in cognition explaining students' learning, including expertise, problem-solving, and cognitive strategies instruction.
• EDUS 721: Advanced Seminar in Social Processes in Education - An examination of the theoretical/conceptual and empirical bases of various social processes and their relationship to educational outcomes.
• EDUS 780: Researching Lived Experience: Post Phenomenology - An advanced qualitative research course focusing on "sensitive" approaches to the study of lived experience.
• EDUS 790: Educational Research Seminar - A seminar providing doctoral students with opportunities to investigate research areas related to their doctoral studies.
• EDUS 795: Professional Seminar in Educational Issues - An interactive seminar discussing contemporary educational issues based on research in the historical, philosophical, psychological, sociological, political, and economic foundations of education.
• EDUS 890: Dissertation Seminar - A seminar designed to develop and refine the skills applicable to the preparation of an acceptable draft of a dissertation prospectus.