Instructional Technology

The Master of Science in Instructional Technology (ITEC) is designed to provide candidates with the knowledge and skills needed to become technology leaders and practitioners within their professional arenas (e.g., education, business, government, non-profit organizations).  By its design, the program offers a broad view of the field of instructional technology (e.g., history, theory, technology, management) yet is flexible enough to allow candidates to select an area of concentration reflective of their vocational interests.  These areas of concentration, which provide specialized training in three technologically distinctive fields, are (a) distance education, (b) media design and development, and (c) technical support of instructional technologies.  Developing skills for leadership in and administration of these technological fields is the overarching goal of the ITEC program.

The ITEC program is designed around an overarching goal of assisting individuals in acquiring the skills for leadership in and administration of instructional technology.  More specifically, graduates will possess skills and knowledge needed to effectively

a.  provide professional expertise in the area of instructional technology,
b.  administer vocationally-related technology programs,
c.  integrate principles of various technologies for achieving organizational goals,
d.  incorporate technology design principles to meet diverse organizational/population needs,
e.  collaborate in problem-solving endeavors.

Admission to the University of Central Arkansas’ Graduate School will be a prerequisite for enrolling in courses.  For full admission, candidates must have an undergraduate degree with a 2.7 GPA, and test scores (GRE or Praxis I) OR verification of a valid standard educator license. Conditional admission may be granted for one semester. Conditionally admitted students do not qualify for financial aid.

To be accepted into the degree program in instructional technology, an individual must:

1.  Meet the general admission requirements of the university;
2.  Provide the department with copies of transcripts of all previous academic work;
3.  Provide Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test scores to the Graduate School or Praxis I or verification of a valid standard educator license to the department.

Enrollment in regular courses, workshops, or special programs does not imply automatic admission to the degree program.  No action will be taken relative to admission until all materials/information are received.  Admission materials/information should be received by the department prior to registration for the second term of course work.

Submission of an application and its approval constitutes an agreement by the individual to accept any field/practicum assignments in locations where the objectives of practicum experiences can be met.  Failure to accept practicum assignments relieves the department and the university of responsibility relating to an individual’s practicum experience or program of study.

A maximum of six semester hours of graduate degree credit with grades of “B” or above may be transferred from another UCA graduate program or another regionally accredited institution.  Candidates must specifically request consideration of transfer work completed prior to admission to the program.  After admission to the program, approval to transfer work from another institution must be approved prior to enrolling in the courses.  No internship hours may be transferred.

As a culminating experience in the graduate preparatory program, candidates must satisfactorily complete a program professional paper/project and successfully defend the paper/project (formal presentation).  The program professional paper/project must demonstrate the candidate’s ability to meet competencies as outlined by the program goals, the Association of Educational Communication and Technology (AECT).  The program professional paper/project must reflect the candidate’s ability to assimilate competencies demonstrating growth and the ability to collect, evaluate, and analyze data and information.

The Instructional Technology degree is comprised of 36 semester hours of graduate credit.  The program consists of an 18 hour core (six 3-hour courses), 12 hours (four 3-hour courses) of advanced study in a selected area of concentration (i.e., distance education, media design and development, or technical support of instructional technologies), and 6 hours (two 3-hour courses) of electives allowing for further individualization of the candidate’s program.  ITEC candidates will complete either the Apprenticeship in Instructional Technologies course or the Seminar:  Trends/Issues in Instructional Technologies course as the capstone practicum experience.  In order to exit the program, the candidate will be required to successfully complete all coursework and create a professional product (e.g., a research study, a professional portfolio, an organizational specific technology plan) illustrating his or her technology skills in leadership and administration and reflecting the candidate’s philosophy.

[4.1]  Core Curriculum (18 Hours)

ITEC       6350        Instructional Design
ITEC       6360        Intellectual Property and Copyright
ITEC       6368        Technology Planning and Leadership
LEAD      6321        Research Methods

Choose one of the following leadership courses:

CSPA     6311        Leadership and Decision-Making
SLMA     6310        Foundations of School Leadership
SLMA     6312        School-Based Organization Leadership

Choose one of the following (to be completed the last semester):

ITEC      6391        Apprenticeship in Instructional Technologies
or
ITEC      6392        Seminar:  Trends/Issues in Instructional Technologies

[4.2]  Areas of Concentration

(The candidate selects one of the following areas.)

[4.2.1]  Distance Education (12 Hours)

Choose four of the following:

ITEC      6305        Foundations of Distance Education
ITEC      6315        Dist Ed Course Design, Delivery, Implementation, and Evaluation
ITEC      6325        Distance Education Technology
ITEC      6370        Leadership in Distance Education
ITEC      6330        Web-based Teaching and Learning

[4.2.2]  Media Design and Development (12 Hours)

Choose four of the following:

ITEC      6340        Design and Production of Media I
ITEC      6341        Design and Production of Media II
ITEC      6354        Multimedia
ITEC      6337        Computer Graphics and Animation
ITEC      6351        Instructional Product Development

[4.2.3]  Technical Support in Instructional Technologies (12 Hours)

Choose four of the following:

ITEC      6357        Diagnostic Tech for Computer Maintenance and Repair
ITEC      6318        Microcomputer Networking
ITEC      6365        Networking Technologies
ITEC      6310        Special Projects
ITEC      6355        Instructional Software Design and Programming

[4.3]  Electives (6 Hours)

Choose two of the following:

CSPA    6311       Leadership and Decision-Making
SLMA    6310       Foundations of School Leadership
SLMA    6312        School-Based Organization Leadership
ITEC     5345        Fundamentals of Web Design
LIBM     6342        Photographic Techniques
LIBM     6343        Educational Photography
LIBM     6335        Computer Application Software
LIBM     6375        Global Information Resources
ASTL    6303        Teacher Leadership (Spring Only)
ASTL    6310        Integrating Media and Technology into Teaching and Learning

[4.4] Retention Requirements

To be recommended for a degree, candidates must meet the following requirements:

1.  Complete all required course work with at least a 3.00 GPA with with a maximum of six hours of “C” grades:
2.  Complete satisfactorily all student assessments required as part of the state and AECT accreditation process;
3.  Complete satisfactorily the program required professional paper/project.

[5.1] Instructional Technology – Distance Education

[5.1.1] Core Curriculum (3 hours)

ITEC 6375 Global Information Resources
*** Courses may be substituted with consent of program coordinators

[5.1.2] Distance Education (12 hours)

Choose four of the following:

ITEC 6305 Foundations of Distance Education
ITEC 6315 Distance Education Course Design, Delivery, Implementation, and Evaluation
ITEC 6325 Distance Education Technology
ITEC 6370 Leadership in Distance Education
ITEC 6330 Web-based Teaching and Learning

[5.2] Instructional Technology – Media Design and Development

[5.2.1] Core Curriculum (3 Hours)

ITEC 6335 Computer Application Software
*** Courses may be substituted with consent of program coordinators

[5.2.2] Media Design and Development (12 Hours)

Choose four of the following:

ITEC/LIBM 6340 Design and Production of Media I
ITEC/LIBM 6341 Design and Production of Media II
ITEC 6353 Multimedia
ITEC 6337 Computer Graphics and Animation
ITEC 5345 Fundamentals of Web Design

[5.3] Instructional Technology – Technical Support

[5.3.1] Core Curriculum (3 Hours)

ITEC 6375 Global Information Resources
***Courses may be substituted with consent of program coordinators

[5.3.2] Technical Support (12 Hours)

Choose four of the following:

ITEC 6357 Diagnostic Techniques for Computer Maintenance and Repair
ITEC 6318 Microcomputer Networking
ITEC 6365 Networking Technologies
ITEC 6310 Special Projects
ITEC/LIBM 6355 Instructional Software Design and Programming

Follow this link for ITEC course descriptions: course link.

Follow this link for courses descriptions in LIBM: course link.

Follow this link for courses descriptions in CSPA: course link.