Using research in UNE Online courses to empower teachers

Research is a powerful tool. The ability to take a subject and complete your own primary research is invaluable when it comes to informed decision making. At UNE Online, research is at the heart of what we do.

As new teaching practices are in constant flux within the field of Education, UNE is continually working to align our courses to become even more intentional about the type of research that is required within each class. Classes integrate a thread of research through each 8-week session in order to teach students to not only be conversant on the differing terms and concepts that are presented in each class, but to gain the skill of initiating their own research.

In the majority of our courses, research articles needed for the lessons are provided for the students. But as we move forward with developing new courses and refreshing existing courses, our instructional designers, subject matter experts, and program staff are taking a hard look at this methodology. They’re systematically evaluating each course and working in teams to begin to strengthen the structure of a research-based model in order to empower teachers to become sophisticated consumers of research.

Learning advocacy

Self-advocacy is learning how to speak up for yourself, learning how to get information so that you can understand things that are of interest to you, knowing your rights and responsibilities, problem-solving, listening and learning, and learning about self-determination.

We recognize the importance of students to be able to advocate for themselves – so when new terms come up, or policies change, students are empowered to review the existing research on the topic, or even conduct their own primary research. Teachers are often informed about decisions that were made on the administrative level, and expected to comply. We are teaching these teachers to analyze issues through a scholarly researcher lens, so they can present a logical and fact-based argument to either support or challenge the information presented by their administration.

Empowering teachers to become consumers of research

In UNE Online classes, we promote the role of educator as researcher. Not only writing literature reviews and analyzing other people’s findings – but we are actively teaching students how to go out and find the information themselves. So when, in the real world, they find themselves without a professor to recommend articles in order to research their issue, they know how to find primary sources and analyze the findings on their own. Students are researching and analyzing the results in order to gain insight.

Here are two prime examples of how UNE Online is structuring courses to get the very best research results.

A masters degree will not teach you how to teach. We expect you have your methodologies down cold when you come in the door. Earning your master’s degree will take your learning to another level by enabling you to deepen your practice, advocate for your classroom and school need, and be a leader among your peers.

if you are interested in the online Graduate Programs in Education or if you would like more information, please reach out to an Enrollment Counselor at (800) 994-2804 or via email at education@une.edu. Or, if you’re ready to apply, fill out your online application at online.une.edu/gateway-portal-page.