These online courses are available to nondegree seeking students (someone who needs one or two classes in gifted and talented education) or to degree seeking students enrolled in our Three Summers Master's Degree or Sixth Year Program (campus or online option). These courses can be applied to an online Master's Degree or Sixth Year Diploma in Professional Education with an emphasis on Gifted and Talented Education. 

Pre-register now for Spring 2009. Spring 2009 Semester Dates: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 - Saturday, May 9, 2009.

EPSY 5092 (381): Practicum - Mary Sullivan, Instructor  (3 graduate credits)   AVAILABLE SPRING and FALL

EPSY 5194 (384): Seminar in Gifted and Talented* -  Kristina Ayers Paul , Instructor (3 graduate credits) AVAILABLE  FALL and SPRING (limited to master's degree seeking students who are nearing the end of their program--EPSY 360 is a prerequisite)
Explore theories of giftedness, creativity and intelligence. The chosen readings are provocative in the hopes of stimulating some interesting discussions about philosophy and practice in gifted education. This is a capstone course for online master's students and is taken during the spring semester before attending their last Confratute. Students in this seminar are required to attend a seminar the following summer at Confratute. This course is not available to campus Three Summers students.

EPSY 5199 (300): Creative Problem Solving (CPS) - Donald Treffinger, Instructor  (3 graduate credits)  AVAILABLE SPRING
This course covers understanding and applying the Creative Problem Solving components, stages, and tools with hands-on, minds-on practice. Students learn and apply CPS with realistic and real problems and challenges while they assess CPS outcomes. Dr. Don Treffinger will instruct this online course.

EPSY 5199 (300): Critical Issues (Readings) in Gifted Education - Lisa Rubenstein , Instructor (3 graduate credits) AVAILABLE  FALL
Explore current controversies within the field of gifted education. The chosen readings are provocative in the hopes of stimulating some interesting discussions about philosophy and practice in gifted education. We will have many lively discussions and differences of opinion as we read some of the most thought provoking journal articles published in the past 5 years.

EPSY 5199 (300): Underserved Populations and Multicultural Aspects of Gifted Education - Teresa Boyd & Chris Briggs, Instructors (3 graduate credits)   AVAILABLE FALL (ODD NUMBERED YEARS) 
In this course students will gain knowledge and improve personal skill levelsin the ares of multicultural educationin order to serve gifted and talented learners from culturally diverse backgrounds. The class will touch briefly on Christine Bennet's four clusters (curriculum reform, equity pedagogy, mulitcultural competence, and social equity) however the focus will be primarily on "multicultural competence" .

EPSY 5199 (300): Counseling Techniques and Affective Strategies for Teachers of Gifted Students -Meredith Greene, Instructor  (3 graduate credits)   AVAILABLE SPRING Prerequisite: EPSY 368. 
This course is intended for teachers or beginning counselors who already have a foundation course in social and emotional issues facing gifted and talented students. Basic counseling techniques and affective classroom strategies will be introduced and the role of teacher as counselor will be explored.

EPSY 5199 (300): Developing Talent in the Arts - Susan Langley, Instructor  (3 graduate credits)   AVAILABLE SPRING (ODD NUMBERED YEARS)
This course is designed for those interested in the Arts whether an Enrichment Specialist or an Arts specialist.  Through message board postings, readings, and your choice of assignments, we will explore issues related to Arts education including identification, standards, integration across the curriculum, assessment, and technology.  Course work is geared to the participants’ needs and interests.

EPSY 5199 (300): Curriculum Options for Gifted Students Using  the Parallel Curriculum Model - Jann Leppien, Instructor (3 graduate credits)   AVAILABLE FALL (Even Years) The major purpose of this course is to study the theoretical and practical aspects of planning and designing quality curriculum that respects all learners, including students with advanced expertise within a discipline. The Parallel Curriculum Model has been selected to assist educators in designing or redesigning curricular units within the disciplines they teach using all four parallels of the Parallel Curriculum Model.  Participants will apply each parallel's distinct purpose, characteristics, and focusing questions to create or reshape a curricular unit; incorportate Ascending Intellectual Demand curricular opportunities within an instructional unit; and to experiment with these ideas in the classroom.

EPSY 5199 (300): Teaching Mathematically Talented Elementary Students - Janine Firmender , Instructor (3 graduate credits)   AVAILABLE SPRING
What curricula and instructional strategies can we integrate into elementary classrooms to meet the needs of mathematically talented elementary students? This course explores the characteristics and needs of these students and how we can meet those needs through identification, curriculum, differentiation, and programming. It incorporates the curriculum and pedagogy of Project M3: Mentoring Mathematical Minds (http://www.projectm3.org) as well as some of the best research-based practices emerging in mathematics education to provide participants with opportunities to explore their own mathematical understandings and teaching practices.

EPSY 5601 (341): Principles and Methods in Educational Research* - Del Siegle, Instructor (3 graduate credits)   AVAILABLE FALL
This is an introductory course designed to help graduate students understand and evaluate the educational research literature. Through participation in the course, class members will learn the basic concepts and procedures used for conducting educational research. The course is intended to help graduate students become better consumers of research.

EPSY 5710 (360): Introduction to Gifted Education and Talent Development* - Nancy Heilbronner , Instructor (3 graduate credits) AVAILABLE FALL and SPRING
The course covers problems encountered in developing giftedness and talents in students. Topics include the nature of exceptional abilities,  student characteristics, major scientific studies dealing with superior abilities, the history of special provisions, and contemporary educational systems and models in gifted and talented education. 

EPSY 5720 (370): Developing Schoolwide Enrichment Programs* - Joan Jacobs, Instructor (3 graduate credits)   AVAILABLE FALL and SPRING
This course is designed for classroom teachers, enrichment specialists, gifted education coordinators, and administrators. Participants will review the research and history regarding talent development and gifted education. The course will focus on the philosophy and work of Joseph Renzulli and his conception of giftedness as creative productivity. His model and framework for talent development and curriculum modification and differentiation will be explored in depth. Participants will spend the majority of their time learning how to implement a classroom-based or school-based enrichment and talent development program based on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model.

EPSY 5740 (373): Strategies for Differentiating the Grade Level Curriculum - Hope Wilson, Instructor (3 graduate credits) AVAILABLE FALL (EVEN NUMBERED YEARS)
Provides an introduction to instructional and managerial techniques used in addressing individual learning needs, strengths, styles, and preferences of students within a classroom with an emphasis on differentiation strategies that improve student achievement.

EPSY 5750 (365): Creativity* - Wayne Trembly, Instructor (3 graduate credits)  AVAILABLE FALL and SPRING
The major purpose of this introductory course is to study the theoretical and practical aspects of creativity, namely, what is creativity, and how do we develop it in ourselves and students? The course is an introductory overview of major definitions, theories, and research related to the study of creativity and the creative individual. Class members will learn techniques for stimulating creative thinking as well as strategies for adapting existing curricula to develop creative thinking abilities in students. Topics also include the assessment of creative thinking, methods for enhancing personal creative abilities, and techniques for examining the creative process.

EPSY 5760 (366): Improving Students' Thinking Skills - Jann Leppien , Instructor (3 graduate credits)  AVAILABLE SPRING 
Whether in professional careers or in daily life, contemporary society is increasingly in need of individuals proficient at problem solving skills, critical reasoning, creativity, and analysis. Because society needs citizens with these skills, as educators it is our responsibility to nurture and develop these capabilities in our students. Prepare to be both role models of such thinking and developers of such skills in students.

EPSY 5780 (368): Social and Emotional Components of Giftedness and Talent Development - Meredith Greene, Instructor (3 graduate credits) AVAILABLE FALL
Explore current research, psychological theory and practical counseling techniques relevant to the social and emotional components of giftedness. Some topics include perfectionism, gender issues, underachievement, and special populations.

EPSY 6770 (459): Curricular Options for High Ability Learners* - Jann Leppien , Instructor  (3 graduate credits)  AVAILABLE FALL and SPRING
This course covers curriculum theory and techniques pertinent to gifted and talented education. Special attention is given to the development of instructional materials. Students will develop a curriculum unit based on the Multiple Menu Model.

* Required course for Master's and Sixth Year. These courses are completed on campus by Three Summers on-campus students who attend the summer Master's and Sixth Year campus option.