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, some with synchronous components, unless 'On-Campus' is indicated beside the course title.

Questions? Contact our Graduate Administrator at pluinfo@ualberta.ca.


Spring 2023 Electives

Spring term runs from May 8 to June 14.

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.

Tuition: $1400 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.

EDU 521 School Leadership: Theory and Practice ★3

Instructor: TBA

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. Prerequisite: EDU 520.

Tuition: $1400 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.

EDU 523 System Leadership: Theory and Practice ★3

Instructor: TBA

This course explores the challenges and opportunities afforded by professional practice that is aligned with the Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard (SLQS). Completion of this course fulfills the academic requirements for superintendent certification in Alberta. Prerequisite: EDU 521 or Alberta Principal Certification

Tuition: $1400 plus non-instructional fees.

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and 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.

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

Instructor: TBA

Explore the history of policy and legislation in relation to First Nation, Metis, and Inuit peoples in Canada, the current state of First Nation, Metis and Inuit education, and opportunities to conceptualize informed school leadership practice.

Tuition: $1400 plus non-instructional fees.

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and 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.

EDU 542 Schools as Welcoming and Inclusive Environments for All Students ★3

Instructor: TBA

This course explores the complex issues of diversity and ideologies of difference as they relate to multiculturalism, inclusion, and Indigenous issues in early childhood education, through a variety of theoretical perspectives. It also investigates markers of difference, the right to be different, and agentive possibilities for creating teaching and learning contexts that position concerns of social justice, care and equity as central to early childhood education.

Tuition: $1400 plus non-instructional fees.

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies - Early Childhood 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.

EDU 596 Leadership in Catholic Education ★3

Instructor: Dr. Matthew Hoven

This research-based course enables Catholic school leaders to hone leadership practices grounded in research that demonstrate mastery of Alberta’s Leadership Quality Standard (LQS) and the supplemental document from Catholic school systems’ Leadership Quality Standard of Catholic Education. Students will explore dimensions of leadership within Catholic education in light of research literature and practice-based understandings. This course includes a job-embedded learning component in which participants work with another school leader or leadership team in a Catholic school setting of their choice, in which the Alberta Program of Studies is offered. The course integrates leadership research from Catholic education for the academic, professional, and individual growth of students.

Tuition: $1400 plus non-instructional fees.

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership - Catholic Education Cohort. It is also an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and 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.

EDU 597 Reconstructing Teaching and Learning: Bridging Theory into Practice ★3

Instructor: Dr. Leonora Macy

Explore ways in which educational theories influence teaching and learning in your educational setting. Consider the work of influential theorists such as Lev Vygotsky and Paulo Freire as you deconstruct and reconstruct your philosophy of education. Discover how emerging theories of education forwarding reconciliation might reshape and influence your philosophy as you create learning opportunities where diverse students can thrive.

Note: This course will run from May 8 - June 2 (4 weeks). Synchronous Zoom sessions will take place on May 8, 15, 23 and 29 from 7-9 p.m..

Tuition: $1400 plus non-instructional fees.

This is 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.


Summer 2023 Electives

Summer term runs from July 10 to August 18. Watch this space for updates!

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.

Tuition: $1498 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.

EDU 541 Play and the Use of Playful Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education ★3

Instructor: TBA

This course examines the concept of play as a pedagogical approach in early childhood education settings in relation to cultural, philosophical, and historical traditions, current practices and recent research. The course examines the concept of play as a pedagogical approach in early childhood education settings in relation to cultural, philosophical, and historical traditions, current practices and recent research.

Tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees.

This is a core course in the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies - Early Childhood 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.

EDU 560 Bringing Life to Literacy Experiences: Honoring Indigenous Foundational Ways of Knowing, Being, and Doing in Literacy Learning ★3

Instructor: Dr. Trudy Cardinal

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, relational pedagogies, and autobiographical narrative inquiry for transforming understandings of Literacy and how we can inspire and nurture literacy alongside our next generations of children and youth.

Tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees.

This course is part of the Summer Institute in Teaching Foundational Indigenous Knowledge. It 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.

EDU 561 Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Foundational Indigenous Knowledge and Knowing ★3

Instructor: Dr. Dwayne Donald

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.

Tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees.

This course is part of the Summer Institute in Teaching Foundational Indigenous Knowledge. It 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.

EDU 562 Indigenous Land Teachings: Transitioning Towards Common Ground in Education ★3

Instructor: Dr. Sharla Mskokii Peltier

This course will bring educators together on the Land to grow knowledge of traditional Anishinaabe laws and precepts. Anishinaabe ecological relational knowledge is based on interdependent relationships and ‘Land as teacher’. An experiential process of reconciliation with Land is realized through respectful and relational ways of being. Educators will explore opportunities for children and youth to learn from the Land alongside Indigenous families and communities in schools.

Tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees.

This course is part of the Summer Institute in Teaching Foundational Indigenous Knowledge. It 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.

EDU 563 Supporting the Health and Wellbeing of Indigenous Students ★3

Instructor: Dr. Melissa Tremblay

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.

Tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees.

This course is part of the Summer Institute in Teaching Foundational Indigenous Knowledge. It 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.

EDU 596 Anticipating AI in the Futures of Teaching ★3

Instructors: Dr. JC Couture, Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd and Dr. Jean Stiles

The emergence of ChatGPT has accelerated interest in the possible, probable and preferred futures of artificial intelligence (AI). Until recently, as with many other promises of technology to disrupt and transform education, AI has remained largely an abstraction or yet, one more manifestation of the growing influence of the data mining and leaning analytics that feeds the growing data infrastructures emergent in the education sector.

The course will take a deep dive into the emerging debates surrounding ChatGPT-like tools (e.g. chatbots, Brainly, Moki, Cognii) driven by algorithms that aggregate data and information to complete a growing array of classroom tasks (assessment, instructional design, curriculum development) to school and system-wide leadership activities characterized by growing datafication and synthetic governance (learning management systems, administration, human resources and logistics).

Given the interconnectedness of the complex policy eco-systems that educators work in, course participants will be invited to consider that there are no questions that are too small or too big: What are the limitations of these technologies and the opportunities they give rise to? What cautions and concerns should we be aware of as AI appears to operate autonomously as we grow increasingly dependent on them? In taking a leadership role, how might the teaching profession think back from preferred futures, to meaningfully integrate these technologies into the learning experiences of students?

Over the course of the first four days, the course will host international experts in the field of AI and its impacts on the education sector. Each speaker and the supporting readings will contribute to course participants completing a final capping project that situates their work in the prospects of an AI enabled future. The last class (Friday, August 4) will conclude the week with an opportunity for participants to present (10 minutes) their initial proposal or prototype for their capping project (due August 15).

In each class, a futures thinking tool (e.g. scenarios, Three Event Horizon, Thing from the Future) will facilitate responses to the speakers as well as support completion of the final capping project. While a conventional paper will be considered for the final project, in the spirit of supporting multiple paths to designing educational futures and diverse approaches to research, a variety of formats will be encouraged for the final projects (video, multi-media and accompanying artist statement).

Tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees.

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and 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.

EDU 596 Leading School Operations ★3

Instructor: TBA

This course provides a foundation for school management. Leading school operations requires the ability to effectively manage the school's financial, material and, most importantly, human resources. The course considers practical tools and best practices to address the opportunities and challenges of leading and managing schools.

Tuition: $1498 plus non-instructional fees.

This is an approved elective in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and 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.


Professional Learning Electives

Please check the Academic Calendar for course schedules or contact our Graduate Administrator for more information as not all courses are offered each semester.

Full list of electives (.pdf)