Graduate-Level Electives


All of our courses combine theory and practice. They can be taken separately as an open studies student or as an elective in a graduate program (in consultation with your program advisor). Courses are offered fully online with both synchronous and asynchronous components, unless 'On-Campus' is indicated beside the course title.

Please read the course descriptions carefully, or consult with your program advisor, to be sure the elective is approved for your program, before you enroll.

Questions? Contact us at pluadmin@ualberta.ca


Spring 2024 Electives

Spring term runs from May 6 to June 12, 2024.

EDU 520 Foundations of School Leadership ★3

Instructor: TBA

Explore the foundational dimensions of school leadership including instructional leadership, fostering effective relationships, supporting the application of foundational knowledge about Indigenous Peoples, visionary leadership, leading learning communities, modelling continuous professional learning, developing leadership capacity, understanding the social context influencing schooling, and managing school operations and resources.

Note: This course is a partial fulfillment of the academic requirements for school leader certification through Alberta's Leadership Quality Standard.

Domestic tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and an approved elective in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the certificate program. Synchronous sessions will be included. For details, contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca

EDU 521 School Leadership: Theory and Practice ★3

Instructor: TBA

Prerequisite: EDU 520 Foundations of School Leadership

Hone leadership practices grounded in research to demonstrate mastery of Alberta's Leadership Quality Standard (LQS). Includes a job-embedded learning component in which participants visit, observe, and collaborate with a school leader or leadership team in a school setting of their choice, in which the Alberta Program of Studies is offered. Note: EDU 521 is offered in all semesters but Summer.

Note: This course is a partial fulfillment of the academic requirements for school leader certification through Alberta's Leadership Quality Standard.

Domestic tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and an approved elective in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the certificate program. Synchronous sessions will be included. For details, contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca

EDU 523 System Leadership: Theory and Practice ★3

Instructor: Dr. Cindi Vaselenak

Prerequisite: EDU 521 or Alberta Principal Certification

Synchronous sessions (Zoom):
Wednesdays: May 8, 15, 22 and 29 between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Saturdays: May 11 and 25 between 9:00 a.m. and Noon


This research-based course enables the development of competencies that executives must demonstrate in their professional practice when leading large educational systems. The course extends on concepts and principles pertinent to all levels of educational system leadership.

Note: this course fulfills the academic requirement for superintendent leadership certification in Alberta. It is only offered in the Spring term.

Domestic tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and  in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the GCSL or MES programs. Synchronous sessions will be included. For details, contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca.

EDU 530 First Nation, Métis, Inuit Issues in School Leadership ★3

Instructor: Dr. Diana Steinhauer

The adoption of the new Leadership Quality Standard has presented a new challenge for school leaders in the area of First Nation, Metis, and Inuit education. This course is designed for existing and aspiring school leaders and supports the development of foundational knowledge about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. It explores the history of policy and legislation in relation to First Nation, Métis, and Inuit peoples in Canada. It will further inform knowledge of the current state First Nation, Métis, and Inuit education and explore some of the existing theory in First Nation education policy.

Domestic tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and  in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the GCSL or MES programs. Synchronous sessions will be included. For details, contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca.

EDU 596 Leading School Operations ★3

Instructors: Dr. Maureen Yates and Glen Wilcox

EDU 596 Leading School Operations is designed for aspiring, new, and experienced school leaders, who are seeking to develop and enrich their management knowledge and skills. Leading school operations in Alberta requires the ability to effectively manage the school’s human, financial and material resources as outlined in the Leadership Quality Standard (Alberta Education, 2018). The course provides students with the opportunity to explore the fundamentals of managing school staff, funds, and facilities in the context of a shared vision, community connections, and legal requirements.

This three (3) week course provides an opportunity to explore six (6) themes and interact with colleagues through biweekly synchronous sessions and online dialogue. The three (3) assignments are designed to provide practical experiences to build and enhance your school operations toolkit.

Domestic tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and  in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the GCSL or MES programs. Synchronous sessions will be included. For details, contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca.


Summer 2024 Electives

Summer term runs from July 2 to August 16, 2024.

EDU 520 Foundations of School Leadership ★3

Instructor: Dr. Jean Stiles

Week One: July 22 - 26 - online, synchronous work
Weeks Two and Three: July 29 - August 9 - asynchronous, individual work

Explore the foundational dimensions of school leadership including instructional leadership, fostering effective relationships, supporting the application of foundational knowledge about Indigenous Peoples, visionary leadership, leading learning communities, modelling continuous professional learning, developing leadership capacity, understanding the social context influencing schooling, and managing school operations and resources.

Note: This course is a partial fulfillment of the academic requirements for school leader certification through Alberta's Leadership Quality Standard.

Domestic tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and an approved elective in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the certificate program. Synchronous sessions will be included. For details, contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca

EDU 560 Honouring Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Being, and Doing in Literacy Learning ★3 (On-campus)

Instructor: Dr. Trudy Cardinal
July 8 - 18, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This course is designed to transform understandings of Indigenous ways of nurturing literacy learning. Students will have the opportunity to participate in diverse experiences designed to deepen understanding of the potential of Indigenous knowledges and pedagogies for transforming understandings of Literacy and how we can inspire and nurture literacy alongside our next generations of children and youth.

Domestic tuition: $1477 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies - Indigenous Education and an approved elective in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the certificate program. For details, contact gcesinfo@ualberta.ca

EDU 561 Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Foundational Indigenous Knowledge and Knowing ★3 (On-campus)

Instructor: Dr. Dwayne Donald
July 8 - 18, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This course provides opportunities for students (as Individuals and as part of a collective learning community) to dwell with the key concepts and frameworks that inform current understandings of Indigenous curriculum and pedagogy. Particular attentiveness will be given to the idea of foundational Indigenous knowledge and knowing what those might be and how we might express our understandings of those in contemporary educational contexts.

Domestic tuition: $1477 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies - Indigenous Education and an approved elective in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the certificate program. For details, contact gcesinfo@ualberta.ca

EDU 563 Supporting the Health and Wellbeing of Indigenous Students ★3 (On-campus)

Instructor: Dr. Melissa Tremblay
July 22 - August 1, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This course is directed towards teachers who expect to work with Indigenous children and youth. It is designed to provide learners with a broad introduction to child and adolescent development from Indigenous perspectives, as well as promising practices for helping Indigenous students to reach their full potential.

Domestic tuition: $1477 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies - Indigenous Education and an approved elective in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the certificate program. For details, contact gcesinfo@ualberta.ca

EDU 595 Special Topics in Educational Theory - Indigenous & Relational Approaches to Assessment ★3 (On-campus)

Instructor: Dr. Darlene Auger and Dr. Janice Huber 
July 22 - August 1, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Guided by the principles of MÎYO OHPIKINÂWÂSÔWIN (good child raising) and PÎMÔSIHTA (an invitation to feel), this course is an invitation to journey back in time when our ancestors honoured the sacredness of children as gifts from Creator, knowing that each child, each spirit came with their own wisdom to be in this world, to walk in a good way, to explore, to experience, to feel, and to give back, to teach, to share their knowledge and wisdom in a forever cycle or spiral of life. As teachers, we are responsible for creating a sacred space for children to do what they have come here to do. We are merely guides and nurturers. Week by week, we will learn these ways of nurturing children by experiencing and thinking with them.

Domestic tuition: $1477 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies - Indigenous Education and an approved elective in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the certificate program. For details, contact gcesinfo@ualberta.ca.

EDU 596 Futures Thinking and Curriculum Design ★3

Instructors: Dr. J-C Couture and Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd

Dates: July 22 - August 9

  • July 22 - 26: Individual work
  • July 29 - August 2: Synchronous sessions from 9:30 a.m. - Noon, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
  • August 5 - 9: Individual work

The course is structured as a series of interactive online sessions with research-practitioners from Alberta, New Zealand and Australia engaged in rethinking the ways curriculum is designed. More specifically, we will explore the implications of emerging global developments – demographic shifts, technological change, social and  economic challenges, and the growth of complex classrooms.

Participants will apply the disciplinary thinking tools of futures studies to their current work contexts related to curriculum development and instructional design. The course builds on what global networks of teachers and school leaders are learning when applying these tools such as scenarios, speculative fiction, Indigenous futures, and foresight analysis to teaching and learning. For example, the refreshed framework for the New Zealand Curriculum (Te Mātaiaho) is inviting schools to engage the question, how might we consider curriculum as an expression of the shared responsibility of generations passing on knowledge systems that link the past, present and future?

Two questions will drive the course readings and class activities:

  • What is worth knowing and doing for students whose life-worlds are being shaped by the digital disruptions of social media and AI and institutions that appear to be continually failing forward?
  • How can futures-oriented instructional and assessment practices develop student capabilities in imagining a future for themselves and the world?

A particular focus will be on issues of equity and inclusion (design justice) as envisaged by UNESCO Futures of Education 2050 initiative that has inspired futures-oriented pedagogical approaches and practices that connect students to their everyday worlds. The final course assessment involves developing a self-selected school-based curriculum design initiative or project.

Domestic tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and  in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the GCSL or MES programs. For details, contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca.

EDU 596 Leading School Operations ★3

Instructor: Dr. Maureen Yates

Dates: July 22 - August 9

EDU 596 Leading School Operations is designed for aspiring, new, and experienced school leaders, who are seeking to develop and enrich their management knowledge and skills. Leading school operations in Alberta requires the ability to effectively manage the school’s human, financial and material resources as outlined in the Leadership Quality Standard (Alberta Education, 2018). The course provides students with the opportunity to explore the fundamentals of managing school staff, funds, and facilities in the context of a shared vision, community connections, and legal requirements.

This three (3) week course provides an opportunity to explore six (6) themes and interact with colleagues through biweekly synchronous sessions and online dialogue. The three (3) assignments are designed to provide practical experiences to build and enhance your school operations toolkit.

Domestic tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees
International tuition: $2015.52 plus non-instructional fees

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and  in the Master of Education in Educational Studies. It is open to students in other graduate programs (in consultation with your program advisor) and Open Studies, however, preference is given to students in the GCSL or MES programs. Synchronous sessions will be included. For details, contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca.


Note: more electives will be added as they are scheduled.