Ashford University has a single course of study available for this degree. The Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology is the sole MAT option, designed to prepare students for working with educational technology applications within a classroom setting. The degree is meant to enhance the educational credentials of working teachers who have been licensed and have classroom experience. It is also offered as an option for corporate trainers or consultants who want to study the current and projected technological tools available for teaching.
Ashford is a Clinton, Iowa based campus university that has gone into online education to an extensive degree. Their MAT program is not designed to qualify students for teaching licensure in any state; anyone considering applying can check with their state department of education to determine whether the curriculum for this program meets licensing requirements in that jurisdiction. The orientation for this program is teaching with technology rather than the basics of teaching.
The Curriculum
The details of the program stress that it is an option for all sorts of educators, not just classroom teachers. The course of study is designed to teach educational practitioners to incorporate technology, tools, and instructional systems in a variety of learning environments including online learning. If you are interested in becoming an online instructor and vacating your classroom, this degree would be a good beginning. The opening classes for the program delve into instructional design, influence of learning theory on technology application as well as the various technologies available and their application to learning. As with every other form of digital communication, the state of the art becomes obsolete within a matter of months so learning to keep up with the changes that come on line is a skill in itself.
Courses in Instructional Design & Delivery and in Research Design & Methodology prepare the student for working in curriculum and instruction environments in the public school system. The marriage of presentation technology with research functions has overtaken the use of data systems in the classroom and the two fields will continue to mesh in the future. The course in Trends & Issues in Instructional Design & Technology for Online Learning provides the training for aspiring online instructors, an area that virtually every traditional university in the nation is struggling with currently. Colleges aren’t about to hire public school teachers as professors, but they may well need to build a staff that understands instruction as well as the delivery methods used to distribute distance learning.
Classes are delivered in modular format, one at a time. Each class takes six weeks to complete. Students can essentially see or hear the lecture and complete class assignments whenever it is convenient because of the asynchronous design. The degree can be completed in two to three semesters. There is a capstone project required to complete the program, in which students apply a research topic related to an educational need, setting, or interest. The final project should demonstrate the student’s grasp of educational technology and an ability to be creative with it.
