Education courses | 2025-2026 Graduate Catalog | SIU

The goal of this course is to develop student skills as consumers of research in education. This course covers standards and practices in multiple traditions of educational research in order to help students critically read, assess, and evaluate research.

Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an overview of research methods as applied to education. Students will read, discuss, and analyze various research approaches. This course will also examine differences between various approaches to research and how educators in multiple settings and venues use them to address elements of education such as organizational functions, fiscal management, instruction (general and discipline specific), and learning outcomes. (Previously CI 538 and SPED 500).

Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an overview of how to apply research to practice within educational settings and related policy arenas. The research reviewed in this course will focus on an approach to inquiry that strives to improve performance, functions, and outcomes. Students will learn how to use research as a tool to examine elements of their own practice as educators with particular attention to improving student achievement, professional development and performance, administrative leadership, and the overall function of schools, colleges, and universities as organizations. (Previously EAHE 586).

Credit Hours: 3

This course offers an introduction to the reading of quantitative research literature and the development of quantitative research methods. This course emphasizes application to Education; however, students can use the content covered in this course to address areas of scholarly inquiry in various academic fields and disciplines. (Previously EDUC 505)

Credit Hours: 3

The course emphasizes both the evaluation of individual learner performance and program evaluation in the interest of assessing curriculum and instruction effectiveness. This course emphasizes formal and informal means of formative and summative processes utilizing evaluation diagnostics and instrumentation. Content will include qualitative and quantitative data collection strategies, implementing effective evaluations, and complying with accreditation standards and guidelines. (Previously, CI 587, SPED 585, and WED 564).

Credit Hours: 3

This course will concentrate on the development, implementation, and analysis of assessment and evaluation strategies. Course participants will gain hands-on experience by examining the components, design, influence, and outcomes of an educational program, curriculum, or academic unit. Students will learn and practice using assessment and evaluative strategies to improve administrative practice, affect student outcomes, and conduct academic research. Students will have opportunities to consider and devise strategies for sharing evaluation results and using this information to improve instruction, operations, administration, and outcomes. Prerequisite: ERES 530 with a C or better. (Previously EAHE 567).

Credit Hours: 3

The course focuses on the evaluation of individual learner performance in schools, the workplace, and other training activities. Topics in this course will include establishing personalized benchmarks, monitoring individual progress, helping learners to identify their own skills and challenges, and application of these tools and approaches in various settings. Prerequisite: ERES 530 with a C or better or consent of instructor.

Credit Hours: 3

This course introduces students to qualitative research in education. The course examines the foundations, design, methods and analysis of qualitative research. Course materials include both philosophical texts about the foundations and purposes of qualitative inquiry, and methodological readings about the hands-on application of research techniques. This course allows students to explore multiple approaches and tools used in qualitative methods, while considering how to apply them to research. Restricted to admission to doctoral program or consent of instructor. (Previously EAHE 587).

Credit Hours: 3

This course delves into critical perspectives that center voices of different perspectives, cultures, and identities. Critical perspectives examined and applied in this course include feminism, indigenous, critical race theory (CRT), postcolonialism, postmodernism, and queer theory as well as geographic and culturally specific forms of these and other frameworks. This course will promote (re)consideration, deconstruction, reflexivity, and conscious recognition of the ways that social, economic, political, and ethical issues affect research, the populations and communities at the center of a study, and the people conducting this work. Prerequisite: ERES 540 with a C or better or consent of instructor.

Credit Hours: 3

This course focuses on various approaches to collecting data in qualitative research. Topics include interviews and focus groups; case study; ethnography; phenomenology; comparative; and narrative forms used in qualitative research. Students will use this course to practice and improve their data collection skills for application on theses, dissertations, and other projects. Prerequisite: ERES 540 with a C or better or consent of instructor.

Credit Hours: 3

This doctoral-level seminar in qualitative research concentrates on applying methods and approaches. As part of this course, students will design and implement an independent qualitative research project. This course will include attention to methods and methodology, conceptualization, trustworthiness, and analysis. Prerequisite: ERES 540 and ERES 542 (or concurrent enrollment in ERES 542) with grades of C or better. (Previously EAHE 594).

Credit Hours: 3

Seminar designed to explore the literature, methods, and possibilities of historical research in education. (Previously EAHE 530).

Credit Hours: 3

An examination of how to combine qualitative and quantitative research methods and to defend such studies with reference to the tenets of the underlying constructivist and post-positivistic research paradigms. The objective of this course is for students to design and defend a mixed methods educational research study. Prerequisite: ERES 520 and ERES 540 with grades of C or better or consent of instructor. (Previously CI 592).

Credit Hours: 3

The purpose of this course is to help students learn about and navigate the publication process for educational research and scholarship. This course will discuss and apply current American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines required by the School of Education with specific attention to writing reports, annotated bibliographies, and reviews of literature. The course will also emphasize professional vocabulary, format, and writing style. Assignments for this course may include reviewing and critiquing scholarly research, crafting detailed literature reviews, authoring conference, fellowship, and/or book chapter proposals, etc. (Previously CI 493 and WED 561).

Credit Hours: 3

This course seeks to help students prepare, improve, and apply their skills analyzing existing research literature. Students will practice reviewing and analyzing research on a topic of their choice and write a paper synthesizing this body of research. This course will help students enhance their synthesis skills as preparation for preliminary exams, dissertation/capstone, and establishing a research agenda. Prerequisite: ERES 520 or ERES 540 with a C or better. Special approval needed from the instructor. (Previously CI 582).

Credit Hours: 3

This course seeks to help students prepare to fulfill their dissertation/capstone requirements. This course emphasizes both independent study and practical application to help students transition from reading educational research to synthesizing existing literature and clearly presenting original scholarship. Students must have approval from their committee chair to enroll in this course. Students should also obtain an approved Program of Study before initiating this course. Graded S/U only. Special approval needed from the instructor. (Previously EAHE 589 and WED 594).

Credit Hours: 3

Selection and investigation of a problem: use of relevant sources and techniques; collection and analysis, evaluation, interpretation of data, and the writing of a report of the investigation. Emphasizes independent study or small group investigations that students may use as part of their dissertation, capstone, or some other research project. Special approval needed from the instructor. (Previously WED 598).

Credit Hours: 3

Advanced readings in topics related to educational research. Special approval needed from the instructor.

Credit Hours: 1-6

Advanced study and application of research methods on topics related to education and educational research. Graded S/U only. Special approval needed from the instructor.

Credit Hours: 1-6

The internship provides an opportunity for practical experience related to educational research. Each student must obtain prior approval from his/her advisor before registering for or starting an internship/practicum. Additionally, each student must pass all of the assigned internship requirements in order to receive a pass for the course. Graded S/U only. Special approval needed from the instructor.

Credit Hours: 1-6