Science
Education Course Descriptions
SCE 5301 Critical Issues in Science
Education (3 semester hours) Examination of classic issues in science and
technology and the relationships developed between them. Topics include
population and population growth, food and food sources, energy and energy
sources, water needs/solutions, diseases and cures, housing-safe and adequate,
environmental issues-personal and political, and security-local and global. (Offered through the MAT-SE online strand only.) (3-0) Y
SCE 5305 Evaluating Research in Science Education (3 semester hours) Examination of
selected topics in the methodological and philosophical foundations of science
education as applied to contemporary issues affecting today's students. Topics
include current research on hands-on/inquiry teaching, concept mapping, student
misconceptions, learning/teaching styles, alternative assessment, gender
differences, learning environments, action research, and knowledge transfer to
provide a context for the history of science literacy and educational literacy;
quantitative and qualitative research methods; and professional writing
techniques. Prerequisite: one semester teaching experience in science or
consent of instructor. Also offered through the MAT-SE online
strand. (3-0) Y
SCE 5308 Research Design and Methodology (3 semester hours) Application of the methodological and
philosophical foundations of research in science education pertaining to an
individual research question. Topics include educational research ethics and
design, measuring instruments and data manipulation, methodological rigor,
evidence-based conclusions, and publication genres to support the development
of a professional presentation and formal research paper. Also
offered through the MAT-SE online strand. Prerequisite: SCE 5305 (3-0) Y
SCE 5309 Critical Thinking (3
semester hours) Study of critical issues, problem-solving techniques and
reasoning abilities as they relate to science/mathematics education in today's
classrooms. (3-0) Y
SCE 5334 Instructional Strategies in Science (3 semester hours) Designed for the master teacher/department
leader, strategies for fostering an integrated science program based on
national and Texas curriculum and assessment standards are presented through
hands-on activities. (3-0) T
SCE 8398 Thesis Research (3 to
6 semester hours) May be repeated. (3-0) Y
SCI 5319 Energy and the Environment (3 semester hours). This course
addresses the issues of human impact on the environment and how we, as
stewards, can make sound technical decisions about strategies to ameliorate
those effects. Topics will include -- from the perspective of both energy
supply and environmental effects -- global climate change, energy basics and
conservation, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and alternative sources of energy
(solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass). (3-0) Y
SCI 5320 Astrobiology (3
semester hours) The ultimate integrated
science, astrobiology brings together from the fields of astrophysics,
planetary science, terrestrial geosciences, and of course, biology, an
understanding how the history and diversity of life on our own planet relates
to the possibilities for life on other worlds. (2-3) T
SCI 5321 Science for Elementary School Teachers (3 semester hours) Fundamental concepts in chemistry, physics,
life and earth sciences, with particular emphasis on their applicability to the
elementary science curriculum, including laboratory activities. (May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.) (2-3) Y
SCI 5322 Basis of Evolution (3
semester hours) Through discussions of the nature of science, Charles
Darwin's travels, natural selection, the geologic record, and other topics,
students will be acquainted with the scientific data that supports evolutionary
theory. (2-3) T
SCI 5323 Laboratories and Demonstrations for Middle School Science Teachers
(3 semester hours). This course will emphasize ways that laboratory work and
demonstrations help pre-high school students to acquire lasting understanding
of concepts in chemistry and physics. Through a variety of laboratory
exercises and demonstrations, teachers will be encouraged to select appropriate
materials for their curriculum. Development of laboratory and
demonstration presentation skills as well as new modules will be included in
the course work.(2-3) Y
SCI 5324 Ecology (3 semester
hours) General ecological principles as related to productivity,
population diversity, communities and ecosystem functions. Field data collection
techniques included. (2-3) Y
SCI 5326 Astronomy: Our Place in Space (3 semester hours) This course focuses
on developing student understanding of how our planet fits within a larger
astronomical context. Topics will include common misconceptions in astronomy,
scale in the solar system and beyond, phases of the moon, seasons, navigating
the night sky, our sun as a star, properties and lifecycles of stars, galaxies,
and cosmology. (2-3) T
SCI 5327 Comparative Planetology (3 semester hours)
Every world in our solar system is unique, but none
more so than our own planet Earth. In this course we will explore the
astrophysical, chemical, and geological processes that have shaped each planet,
moons and the myriad of rocky and icy bodies in our solar system. We will
also investigate what discoveries of worlds orbiting other stars may tell us
about our own solar system and home world. (2-3) T
SCI 5328 Marine Science (3
semester hours) The purpose of this class is to
acquaint students with issues surrounding our use of the oceans and their
resources. Students will also gain skills in writing an on-line lesson plan and
in preparing a research report. (2-3) Y
SCI 5331 Conceptual Physics I: Force and Motion (3 semester hours) The primary focus of
the class will be deepening the participants' conceptual understanding of
physics, always with the added component of applicability to the pre-college
classroom. We
will use an inquiry-based approach and examples of physics in the everyday
world. Foundational concepts of forces, Newton's laws, energy, and momentum
will be covered. (3-0) T
SCI 5332 Conceptual Physics II: Energy in Motion (3 semester hours) The primary focus of
the class will be deepening the participants' conceptual understanding of
physics, always with the added component of applicability to the pre-college
classroom. We
will use an inquiry-based approach and examples of physics in the everyday
world and connections to other fields of science. The second class in the
Conceptual Physics series will build on concepts from the first in an
exploration of transfers of energy and forces within and between systems of
particles. Topics will include states of matter, fluids, waves and sound, and
thermodynamics. (3-0) T
SCI 5333 Conceptual Physics III: Physics in the Modern World (3 semester hours) The primary focus of the
class will be deepening the participants' conceptual understanding of physics,
always with the added component of critical thinking with regard to
applications to the pre-college classroom. We will use an inquiry-based approach and examples of physics in the
everyday world and connections to other fields of science. The third class in
the Conceptual Physics series will build on concepts from the prior two in
explorations of interacts between particles of matter. Topics will include
inter- and intra-molecular forces, light, electricity and magnetism, and the
nature of the atom. (3-1) T
SCI 5334 Instructional Strategies in Science (3 semester hours) Designed for the master teacher/department
leader, strategies for fostering an integrated science program based on
national and Texas curriculum and assessment standards are presented through
hands-on activities. (3-0) T
SCI 5335 Environmental Field Methods (3 semester hours) Hands-on activities explore the properties
and qualities of water through traditional and digital sampling methods.
Designed for teachers, this inquiry-based course addresses information
technology and environmental science standards in the context of real-world
constructivist practice. May be repeated for credit as topics
change. (2-3) T
SCI 5330 Special Topics (3
semester hours) May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 9 hours.
(3-0) Y
SCI 5340 Statistics in Science/Mathematics Education (3 semester hours) Understanding and
application of statistical techniques needed in the design and interpretation
of research in Science/Mathematics Education. Includes
descriptive and inferential statistics, regression, computer-based tools, and
other appropriate topics. (3-0) Y
SCI
5425 Integrated Science for Teachers (4 semester hours) Investigation of science
standards using pedagogical models of best practice applicable to a variety of
learners in diverse contexts. Inquiry-based investigations
feature various topics in physical, earth and life sciences-with a hands-on
emphasis on the latest scientific research and educational applications. Courses are offered online only. (May be
repeated to a maximum of 12 hours as topics cycle through earth, life and
physical sciences.) (4-4) Y
SCE 5V06 Special Topics in Science Education (1-3 semester hours) (May be repeated for credit to a maximum of
9 hours.) ([1-3]-0) S
SCI 5V06 Special Topics in Science (1-3 semester hours) (May be repeated for credit to a maximum of
9 hours) ([1-3]-0) S
Mathematics
Education Course Descriptions
EMTH 5310 Seminar: The Teaching of
Mathematics and Computer Science
(3 semester hours) A forum for
sharing ideas on current issues in the teaching of mathematics and computer
science, grades 8-12, through participant presentations and discussions. Some
work on mathematics history is included. Prerequisite: One year of teaching
experience in mathematics or computer science. (May not be
counted as credits toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in Mathematical Sciences.)
(3-0) Y
MTHE 5320 Usual and Unusual Problems Using Secondary Mathematics (3 semester hours) For
teachers only. Emphasis on (1) problem solving, (2) linking
'college mathematics' and 'secondary mathematics', and (3) using technology.
Content varies from term to term with courses in algebra, geometry, precalculus, calculus, probability/statistics, discrete mathematics,
mathematical modeling. (May be repeated to a maximum of 18
semester hours.) (May not be counted as credits toward
the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in Mathematical Sciences.) (3-0)
S
MTHE 5330 Topics in Mathematics (3
semester hours) Special topics for mathematics teachers. (May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 9 hours.) (May not be counted as credits toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in
Mathematical Sciences.) (3-0) R
MTHE 5V06 Special Topics in Mathematics (1-3 semester hours) (May be
repeated for credit to a maximum of 9 hours) (May not be counted as credits
toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in Mathematical Sciences.) ([1-3]-0) R