Welcome to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction -the largest in the College of Education and one of the largest on the ECU campus. Across our 8 program areas, the department offers 14 undergraduate and graduate degrees and 2 graduate certificates. Students enrolled in Department of Curriculum and Instruction programs are eligible to apply for one of more than 20 scholarships.
We invite you to explore each program through the links on the department homepage to discover many of the wonderfully creative projects we have underway. The department continues to be on the cutting edge in teacher education with an innovative faculty representing a wide array of disciplines. As a leader in the design and delivery of distance education, the department offers elementary, middle grades and special education undergraduate degree programs in partnership with community colleges through Wachovia Partnership East. The department also offers distance education graduate programs including the only totally online MAEd in Special Education in North Carolina. MAEd degrees in Elementary Education and Reading Education have been offered off-campus to student cohorts through partnerships with Halifax, Carteret, Onslow, Nash, and Granville County Schools.
The department offers graduate certificates in Assistive Technology and Autism, a rich menu of Reading Modules for Continuing Education Units (CEU), and other initiatives. Annually, the department sponsors the Mary Lois Staton Reading/Language Arts Conference, celebrating 28 years, and the Gifted Education Conference.
The department houses the largest and best equipped Irene Howell Assistive Technology Center in the state which provides assistive technology services to local schools and families.The center has 4 missions, in the following order of priority: (a) Provide students and faculty at ECU with assistive technology experiences, (b) Conduct and encourage research, scholarship and creativity around assistive technology; (c) attain funding for the center through individual and collaborative activities; and (d) Provide services to agencies, school and families that enhance professional preparation or provide funding for the center.
We have a rich history of partnerships with area schools. In partnership with Pitt County Schools, the department operates a Summer Learning Center that serves children with disabilities during the summer months while providing a training environment for undergraduate majors in special education, and an Academically-Intellectually-Gifted (AIG) Summer Center as part of its Academically-Intellectually Gifted licensure program. In our linked courses in Elementary Education, undergraduate students enrolled in their methods course sequence work in area elementary schools teaching side-by-side each day with master teachers and university faculty. Our Middle Grades Education faculty work in area middle schools along with their students.
All of our programs feature technology rich learning experiences. For example, our English Education faculty and Elementary Education are exploring innovative applications of podcasting technology in their courses. Faculty in our History Education program utilize teleconferencing in undergraduate and graduate classes to connect students in on-campus methods courses with master teachers in the field.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction provides an administrative structure which facilitates expanded and improved opportunities for collaboration across disciplines, innovative curriculum design, and new degree options. We invite you to visit us on campus or through our website to learn more about department opportunities. Please contact our office staff if you would like more information.
Sincerely,
Dr. Carolyn Ledford
Associate Professor Emeritus and Interim Chair
