Welcome to ED 312 - Culture and Diversity in Education


Course Description 

Culture and Diversity in Education is designed to help you reach a certain level of cultural sensitivity.

In this course you will consider individual and circumstantial responsiveness to differences that exist in language, race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, ability and religion. In addition to these variables, this course introduces concepts that surround language acquisition and development. This class will analyze historic and present day relationships between American educational systems and existing cultural dynamics. You will be encouraged to identify biases and discriminatory practices along with their possible causes and influences on the education process. Even though this course is online, it is not an independent study course and you will be required to complete weekly lessons and collaborate with other class members in different assignments.

Course Objectives

In this course you will learn to:  

Course Architecture

This course will run in fourteen one-week lessons with an introductory lesson at the beginning and a conclusion lesson at the end. 

Each lesson:

You will also complete a semester-long project working with a small presentation team of your classmates to identify an ill-defined problem in a diverse school setting and discussing possible solutions to the situation. You will present your ideas in a video format using Jing.

Preparatory activities should be completed on time so that you are adequately prepared for the rest of the week's activities. Because some activities require input from other class members, please be conscientious and respectful by completing your part as early as possible so others can benefit from the activity as well. Some activities will ask you to explore what you are learning with members of the class; others will provide an opportunity to talk with people you know outside of class. 

Teach One Another is a vital part of the BYU-I learning model, and BYU-I online courses are not exempt. Teaching others what you have learned helps you to understand and remember ideas/concepts/insights much better. Additionally, learning to have your views challenged and improved through the perspective of others is an important skill for any educator to possess, especially when dealing with culture and diversity. If you will take advantage of the various opportunities within this course to strengthen your sensitivity to the course's issues and increase your understanding for how to help your students navigate them, you will find the insights and skills you acquire will be useful long after you have finished the course.

BYU-I online courses are designed with 3-4 hours of activities weekly for each academic credit received. Therefore, you will need to be able to devote at least 6-8 hours each week to this course in order to do well. If you know you will not be able to devote this much time to the class, please consider taking the course at another time when you can make such a commitment.

Content

Lesson 01

Online and course-specific orientation, getting acquainted

Lesson 02

Values as a Part of Culture

Lesson 03

Values and Religions of the World

Lesson 04

Social Economic Status and Cultural Class

Lesson 05

Ethnicity Culture and Race

Lesson 06

Ethnicity Culture and Race

Lesson 07

Age and Gender

Lesson 08

Ability and Learning Styles

Lesson 09

Cognition and Language

Lesson 10

Cognition and Language

Lesson 11

Semester Project Presentations

Lesson 12

Semester Project Presentations

Lesson 13

Essay Final 

Lesson 14

Course wrap-up and Letter to Future Students 

Activities

Getting Started

Course Activities

Weekly Wrap-up

Service Learning Activity

(Due in lessons 7 & 13)

Additional Activities

Note

Some lessons have additional assessment activities such as: Mid-term Feedback, Final, or Course Evaluation.

You may notice that points vary for the One-Liners and Reflections. In the first few lessons of the course, points will be lower so that you have time to learn and understand the assignment expectations. After lesson 3, points will remain the same. Likewise, each Application Activity Report will be more points with each submission.

Preparation

This course is designed to engage both your mind and your heart. Thus, it is important to prepare both intellectually and spiritually each week. Consistent personal prayer, scripture study, and attention to your covenants will provide a great support to your academic studies. While this is not a religion course, what you study here will help you to grow spiritually. When you are prepared, the Holy Spirit can provide guidance and direction that will make a great difference in your life.

As you interact with others in various assignments, please remember to be kind, considerate, and respectful of differing viewpoints. You can differ in opinions (sometimes the best learning comes when others challenge your thinking) but still be civil. Any violation of basic common courtesy --including interaction with the instructor -- will negatively impact your grade.


Course Requirements

Course Texts

No text; all necessary materials are supplied within the course

Grading Policies

Final Grade Breakdown

A = 93+; A- = 90-92; B+ = 87-89; B = 83-86; B- = 80-82; C+ = 77-79; C = 73-76;

C- = 70-72; D+ = 67-69; D = 63-66; D- = 60-62; F = below 60

Class Policies

Course Questions/Problems/Concerns

This course has a Course Discussion Board in the Course folder on the left hand menu where you are encouraged to post general course questions/problems/concerns, etc. Using this board will inform other class members, the instructor, and others of the issues you find and allow the proper people to correct them for everyone. Please check this board throughout the semester. If you are experiencing the same problem as another student who has already reported it, you can make an additional post so others know the seriousness of the problem. If you know the answer to a question, you are encouraged to post solutions. Helping to solve your classmates' problems is another way to teach one another. Additionally, your instructor is monitoring this board and will inform you of fixes and solutions here.  

Note

You should only email your instructor directly if the problem is of a personal nature. OR sometime your instructor has a reason he/she would like to be informed of problems another way. If this is the case, your instructor will explain the change. Otherwise, please use the questions /problems /concerns board as the preferred way to report any problems.

Late Work Policy

Work that is late hampers your ability to fully participate in the course and will be accepted only at your instructor's discretion. Inform your instructor before the assignment is due. Any late work that is accepted is subject to a penalty as determined by your instructor.

One of the purposes of the discussions boards and small group meetings is to work together with your classmates, and they will already have moved on to new assignments. Thus, points for the discussion boards and small group meetings cannot be made up once the week is over. Each lesson opens several days in advance to allow flexibility. Assignments can be turned in early. Do not expect an instructor to bend the course due dates to accommodate your personal scheduling conflicts, including weddings and vacations. However, if you know you will be unable to meet a due date for any particular assignment, an instructor may be able to work with you if you makeprior arrangements to submit your work.

Disclaimers

The instructor reserves the right to change any part of this syllabus at any time during the semester in order to adapt to changing course needs. You will be notified prior to any changes that may take place.


Course Activities & Assignments

Click on the links below to access the directions for the activities and assignments found in this course. You can also access these pages at any time in the Course "Resources" folder under "Assignment Expectations & Examples."

Reading/Video/PowerPoint Expectations

Weekly Group Discussion Expectations

One-Liner Expectations & Examples

Reflection Expectations & Example

Application Activity Report Expectations & Example

Service Learning Report Expectations

Semester Project Expectations