Course Descriptions By Program

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ESP100 - Social Contexts of Disability in Popular Media

This is a discussion-based class designed to develop an awareness of disabilities as they are portrayed in modern popular media. This course specifically investigates representations of disability in mainstream media, as well as the impact that such portrayals have on people with disabilities and on people without disabilities.

ESP210 - Special Education Foundations and Collaboration

This course is designed to provide information and skills necessary for accommodating exceptional learners in a variety of school arrangements. The primary focus is foundations and characteristics of special education and students with exceptionalities and collaboration/consultation for the successful inclusion of students with exceptionalities into the inclusionary classroom.

ESP211 - Special Education History, Theory & Exceptionality

This course is designed to provide information and skills necessary for individuals interested in the philosophy found within special education identification and practices. The course also serves to provide information regarding the definition, prevalence, etiology, characteristics, and general educational practices as they relate to individuals with exceptionalities.

ESP311 - Assessment and Positive Behavior Interventions

This course is required for all education or related services majors and is intended to provide future teachers with the fundamental knowledge, skills, and disposition: how to administer, score, and interpret both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment devices; how to design appropriate learning environments to promote positive learning and reduce interfering behaviors; and how to design and implement schoolwide and classroom positive behavior interventions and supports.

ESP312 - Applied Behavior Analysis for Special Educators

This course is designed to provide a strong foundation and knowledge of basic principles of learning through the introduction of Applied Behavior Analysis, the science and technology of behavior. The focus is on current practices for group / individual data collection, program selection, and implementation. Basic research design, positive practices, group contingency, and behavior reduction techniques are emphasized. [At least 30 hours of field experience are required.]

ESP339 - Special Education Field Experience I

The Special Education Field Experience I is a course taken by students majoring in Special Education. Students spend 45 hours in a school setting to gain experience with students with disabilities. This will be a collaborative experience between the student, university supervisor, and collaborating teacher. The collaborating teacher certified in special education and at least two years experience teaching students with disabilities. While fully immersed in the school-based setting, university students may observe, assist, tutor, instruct, assess, and/or manage students. Within the experience students will reflect and self-critique their current skills, knowledge, and disposition related to all school-age students they encounter.

ESP349 - Special Education Field Experience II

The Special Education Field Experience in Low Incidence Disabilities is a course taken by students majoring in Special Education. Students spend 45 hours in a school/agency setting to gain experience with students with low incidence disabilities. This will be a collaborative experience between the student, university supervisor, and collaborating teacher/professional. The collaborating teacher/professional certified in special education with at least two years experience with students/adults with disabilities. While fully immersed in the field-based setting, university students may observe, assist, tutor, instruct, assess, and/or manage students/adults. Within the experience students will reflect and self-critique their current skills, knowledge, and disposition related to all students/adults with disabilities they encounter.

ESP402 - Life Skills Planning & Instruction

This course prepares students to work with children and/or adults who require on-going support in order to participate in one or more major life activity. Students are required to design and implement an instructional program with a person who needs this type and level of support.

ESP403 - Assessment and Prescriptive Teaching

This course teaches students how to administer, score, and interpret both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment devices and how to prescribe programs of remediation based on the results of these devices.

ESP406 - Transition Planning and Instruction

This course deals with special education programs for senior high school students as well as those persons who reside in the community. Emphasis is placed on vocational preparation and training. Specific techniques for task analysis of jobs, daily living skills, and social adaptation constitute a major portion of this course. Emphasis is placed on the development of functional skills that contribute to normalized development.

ESP407 - Early Intervention Special Education

The course is designed to provide future educators with knowledge of history, theories, legislation and litigation associated with early childhood special education. In addition students will develop learning environments, implement research based curriculum, conduct developmental assessments, establish educational teams as well as enhance skills in communicating with team members and facilitate consultation with the targeted population and family members. [Field Experience: 30 Hours]

ESP411 - Special Education History, Theory & Exceptionality

ESP412 - Evidence-Based Practices for PreK-8 Inclusion

Evidence-Based Practices for Elementary Inclusion is offered to Elementary Education majors the semester prior to their student-teaching experience and is a methodology course for pre-service education teachers. The purpose of the course is to prepare elementary pre-service teachers to provide evidence-based language arts and math instruction to students with disabilities in inclusion settings. An emphasis is placed on results of research and proven methods of instruction for teaching beginning reading and math to children with learning difficulties. The course stresses a behavioral approach to teaching, as well as the development and implementation of intervention strategies for various populations of children with exceptionalities in inclusion settings. Additional topics include modifications and adaptations of materials, effective teaching, learning strategies, lesson planning, assessment, and individualized education programs.

ESP413 - Evidence-Based Practices for Secondary Inclusion

Evidence-Based Practices for Secondary Inclusion is offered to Secondary Education majors the semester prior to their student-teaching experience and is a methodology course for pre-service education teachers. The purpose of the course is to prepare Secondary pre-service teachers to provide math language arts instruction to students with disabilities in secondary inclusion settings. An emphasis is placed on results of research and proven methods of instruction for teaching reading and math to secondary students with learning difficulties. The course stresses a behavioral approach to teaching, as well as the development and implementation of intervention strategies for various populations of children with exceptionalities in inclusion settings. Additional topics include modifications and adaptations of materials, effective teaching, learning strategies, lesson planning, assessment, and individualized education programs.

ESP414 - Advanced Evidence Based Practices for PK-8 Inclusion

The course is designed to provide future educators with knowledge of research based practices that may be employed in Pre-K to 8 in academic and nonacademic educational settings. The course will focus the future educator on techniques that will be beneficial for developing skills in core areas such as mathematics, language arts, science and social studies along with those skills that are necessary for navigating non-instructional periods. Specifically, this course will provide future educators with intensive, Tier 3, evidence-based interventions for students with exceptionalities. This course is a continuation of ESP 412 in that it provides more intensive, individualized teaching methods for those students who do not adequately respond to Tier 1 & 2 interventions.

ESP418 - Advanced Evidence Based Practices for Secondary Inclusion

This course serves to provide and prepare special education teachers to use research and strategy based interventions and plan instruction of adolescents in grades 7-12 who receive special education services and may be included in the general education classroom. The course focuses on how to effectively apply the use of evidence-based practices in several curricular areas with an emphasis on the critical areas of English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

ESP419 - Evidence Based Practices for K-12 Inclusion

Evidence-Based Practices for K-12 Inclusion is offered to K-12 majors the semester prior to their student teaching experience and is a methodology course for pre-service education teachers. The purpose of the course is to prepare pre- service teachers to provide evidence-based language arts and math instruction to students with high and low incidence disabilities in inclusion settings. An emphasis is placed on results of research and proven methods of instruction for teaching reading and math to students with cognitive, physical, social, behavioral, and language-based disabilities. The course stresses a behavioral approach to teaching, as well as the development and implementation of intervention strategies for various populations of students with exceptionalities in inclusion settings. Additional topics include modifications and adaptations of materials, effective teaching, learning strategies, lesson planning, assessment, and individualized education programs.

ESP461 - Student Teaching Practicum

The student teaching program is designed to ensure that special education majors are exposed to the full range of children covered under the comprehensive certification, i.e., mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, brain damaged, and physically handicapped. The major practicum provides an intensive experience for the student in two of the handicapping areas for a period of 16 weeks. The practicum seminar component meets weekly to provide special education majors with an opportunity to discuss problems encountered by the students in their teaching experiences. Students are provided with opportunities to demonstrate the effectiveness and functionality of their teacher-made devises, learning centers, and curriculum materials used in their classrooms. Undergraduate students seeking dual certification in both special education and elementary education are also supervised within the special education department for their practicum experience. Teacher candidates are required to have one student teaching experience within special education and another in a regular elementary classroom. All other components remain the same for the student teachers seeking dual certification.

ESP-Special Education