Program Courses - 2023 PT Cohort:

There will be in-person residency requirements throughout the program, supplemented with synchronous and asynchronous modalities.

NOTE:  Students are responsible for contacting the teacher certification branch to determine if a program and constituent courses meet requirements for upgrades to licenses or new endorsations for a change in job designation. Please also be aware that it is the student's responsibility to monitor their own program and to ensure that will meet degree requirements.

Course Descriptions:

EDUC 5633 - Curriculum Foundations
What are the historical and current curriculum foundations that support outdoor learning?
This course is designed to examine the history and nature of curriculum and the basic principles of the curriculum making process in the context of outdoor learning.  In this course, curriculum as a field and as a practice is examined through foundational theoretical models. Recent innovations in outdoor learning serve as reference points through this course.

EDUC 5053 - Topics in Education: Curriculum Practice in Outdoor Learning Contexts
How do we apply the theoretical concepts from the previous course in our professional contexts?
This course highlights planning based on Curriculum Foundation as it relates to integration of subjects in authentic experiences in the outdoor learning context.

EDUC 5513 - Research Design in Education
How can we develop a critical research orientation to the scholarship of learning in outdoor contexts?
Course content encourages participants to develop a critical research orientation to their professional work while acquiring a facility for designing projects and analyzing current scholarship in outdoor learning.  For those students who wish to extend their research experience and to undertake an MEd thesis, the course will introduce both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

EDUC 5053 - Topics in Education: Indigenous Education
How do indigenous ways of knowing influence teaching and learning in outdoor settings?
This course will examine the historical and colonial history as a framework for understanding Indigenous views and value for outdoor learning. Students will explore the ways in which outdoor learning sites can be used to support Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and learning.

EDUC 5843 - Instructional Design
How do we situate the promise of outdoor learning in principles of effective  instructional design?
This course investigates current and emergent developments in instructional design pertinent to educators who want to teach outside the classroom. A major focus is the application of models to specific curricular areas in elementary and/or secondary schools as applied in outdoor contexts.

EDUC 5053 - Topics in Education: Leadership in Outdoor Learning Contexts
How do educators manage and lead in outdoor learning contexts?
Learning in the outdoors has the potential to offer an inclusive environment for a broader range of learners. It does however presume careful planning, organizational skills and leadership strategies. This course will focus on both forming equitable learning settings as well as promoting efficient leadership skills.

EDUC 5643 - Major Theoretical Developments in Curriculum Studies
What are the current and emerging curriculum developments in outdoor learning?
This course focuses on current and emerging issues in the field of curriculum studies as they pertain to outdoor learning. Students are invited to critically examine the impact of emerging theories that influences curriculum development in schools, with a particular focus on outdoor contexts for curriculum delivery.

EDUC 5053 Topics in Education: Capstone Project
How can I combine all my learning in this degree to conduct a research-informed project?
This culminating capstone course is intended to bring together theory and practice covered across this degree.  Participants will be guided through collaboration and mentorship to complete a research informed action-research project relevant to their current interests, strengths, contexts, and professional practice in the area of outdoor learning.

FOR THESIS STUDENTS

EDUC 5113 Qualitative Research in Education
How can we prepare formally for outdoor education research?
This course will examine the traditions and paradigms of interpretive research in educational contexts. Practical, ethical, and theoretical issues will be shared through class readings, discussion, and practical application. Opportunities are provided for students to learn and practice a variety of interpretive research methods and strategies.

EDUC 5523 Quantitative Research in Education
How can we prepare formally for outdoor education research?
This course provides a background for the educator who must use statistics in research, evaluation, and planning. In this course, the fundamental statistical tools are reviewed and statistical methods applicable to educational problems are introduced.

The deadline to apply for the 2023 Cohort was January 31, 2023.

Information on future cohorts will be provided here as it becomes available.

Applications consist of the following components:

• Application (online)
• Letter of Intent (uploaded)
• Resume (uploaded)
• Two Reference Letters (one academic, one professional)
• Official Transcripts (for all post-secondary studies; mailed)

Instructions for Letter of Intent for MEd-Curriculum: Outdoor Learning Across the Curriculum:

In addition to the general application procedures for graduate studies, the “letter of intent” is an important artefact that helps the reviewers of applications know and understand you, your background, your intentions, and your interest/motivation in this program.  It often helps reviewers differentiate among applications; they are especially important when there is tremendous demand for a program.

Please use the following prompts and questions to guide your letter of intent.  Please keep your letter of intent to a maximum of two pages.  You do not need to speak to each point; rather we suggest you write to the points that will be most helpful allowing us insight into your background, passions, curiosities, etc.

• Describe your personal and professional experiences that position you to join this cohort with a focus on outdoor learning across the curriculum.
• What recent community employment or education experiences demonstrate your commitment to outdoor learning across the curriculum in a range of contexts?
• What do you hope to learn through your participation in this graduate program?
• Cohort Graduate study in the area of Outdoor Learning Across the Curriculum is constructively challenging in both its content and learning process. In terms of your own professional growth: why this program and why now?

Mailing Address:
Acadia University, Graduate Studies
18 University Ave, 214 Horton Hall, Box 70, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6

Applicants should be advised that the application process is competitive. Students in the pool of applications often meet the minimum requirement yet distinguish themselves through other aspects of the application documentation and/or process. Given the number of applications received, the faculty is not resourced sufficiently to respond to queries about unsuccessful applications.

Info Session (Zoom Recording) from Oct 12, 2022:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/eJyfmE_0OV8hrPZ2j8EhUMUfo-yI8QDEKvWwdA1cNWY-5RKRzfh4oG3hHuZZzY2b._kIHUsEBbsDN0SHJ?startTime=1665601249000
Passcode: ?7MLKw*Z

Fees:

• Graduate application fee: $50.00
• 30 credit-hour program at $1,237.50 per 3 credit-hours (subject to change)
• EDUC 5143 ($200 for Acadia course plus fees and other costs for journey plus travel and equipment)
• Ancillary fees will apply to some courses

Please visit our Graduate Admissions page to learn more about entry requirements.

If you have any questions about the application process for a graduate education program at Acadia, please contact our Graduate Studies Office, by emailing gradadmissions@acadiau.ca

NOTE: Students are responsible for contacting the teacher certification branch to determine if a program and constituent courses meet requirements for upgrades to licenses or new endorsations for a change in job designation.