Learning Outcomes (2015)

Ontario Tech University - Learning Outcomes for Masters Programs in Education

1. Depth & Breadth of Understanding

A systematic understanding of knowledge, including, where appropriate, relevant knowledge outside the field and/or discipline, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study, or area of professional practice.

General

G1. Distinguish, articulate and critically assess learning theories in education. 

G2. Articulate the nature of knowledge and the relationships between theory, evidence and practice.

G3. Participate in a culture of disciplined inquiry demonstrating the skills and dispositions to 

critically assess and use research in education and digital technologies. 

G4. Advance inquiry into authentic, ill-defined educational problems, recognizing the complexities of multiple components of a problem/solution in relation to the whole. 

G5. Demonstrate abilities to effectively manage and coordinate academic projects, both individually and collaboratively.

G6. Articulate, interrogate, and critically reflect on different educational standpoints, including 

one's own.

Technology

T1. Effectively use a wide range of appropriate media/technology tools for educational communication, data collection and analysis, and instructional design, development, implementation and evaluation.

T2. Distinguish, articulate and critically assess the varied and sometimes contested values and impacts associated with digital technologies.

T3. Make evidence-based, well-reasoned decisions about optimal uses of digital technologies (e.g., interfaces, online tools, languages) to support learning and development.

T4. Design, produce and critically evaluate meaningful and usable digital artifacts, modes of communication, and / or environments.

T5. Demonstrate an informed understanding of how and why learners of all ages interact indigital contexts.

2. Research & Scholarship

A conceptual understanding and methodological competence that enables a working comprehension of how established techniques of research and inquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline; enables a critical evaluation of current research and advanced research and scholarship in the discipline or area of professional competence; and enables a treatment of complex issues and judgments based on established principles and techniques; and, on the basis of that competence, has shown at least one of the following: The development and support of a sustained argument in written form; or originality in the application of knowledge.

R1. Clearly identify meaningful and relevant research problems for inquiry and investigation, as well as relevant theoretical / conceptual underpinnings. 

R2. Locate and evaluate secondary research works/publications using a variety of strategies and tools (including primary and secondary sources).

R3. Articulate and critically assess quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches to research, especially as applied to the fields of education and digital technologies.

R4. Critically evaluate information/evidence based on criteria appropriate to the source (including validity, reliability, timeliness, bias, transparency, bracketing, negative cases, triangulation).

R5. Organize and synthesize a significant and meaningful set of secondary resources to create a literature review/report.

R6. Discriminately use digital tools to conduct and /or communicate research results effectively.

R7. Produce original research (theoretical, empirical and/or reflective in nature) that has the potential for publication (Project & Thesis).

3. Application of Knowledge

Competence in the research process by applying an existing body of knowledge in the critical analysis of a new question or of a specific problem or issue in a new setting.

K1. Identify, articulate and critically analyze assumptions, values, biases, ideologies and evidence that underpin educational arguments, claims, policies, and data. 

K2. Identify, analyze, and apply discipline-specific theoretical or empirical arguments using discipline-specific criteria.

K3. Articulate and critically evaluate potential ways that uses of digital technology inform and are informed by social context, community conditions, needs, wants and interests.

K4. Use previous or developing knowledge of digital technologies to create, remix, adopt or apply solutions to educational and societal problems or questions.

4. Communication Skills

The ability to communicate ideas, issues and conclusions clearly.

C1. Formulate and articulate meaningful questions, hypotheses, and arguments that build and advance knowledge in the field of education and digital technology.

C2. Demonstrate fluency, accuracy, and clarity of thought using multiple literacies while engaging in critical conversations, which address philosophical, educational, and technological questions and problems.

C3. Prepare educational materials that effectively address and engage a variety of audiences (academic, professional, and general) for a range of purposes, including presenting and synthesizing research, informing, instructing, and persuading.

C4. Apply appropriate scholarly communication conventions, including APA guidelines. 

C5. Demonstrate skillful and respectful educational collaboration, dialogue and negotiation.

C6. Show skill in evidence-based reasoning and argumentation.

5. Awareness of Limits of Knowledge

Cognizance of the complexity of knowledge and of the potential contributions of other interpretations, methods, and disciplines.

A1. Articulate the tentativeness and under determination of knowledge, both theoretical and practical. Critically reflect upon and articulate personal and disciplinary limits of knowledge, both theoretical and praxis-based, and the resulting ambiguities in interpretation and analysis.

A2. Engage in ongoing reflection and debate on a wide range of critical issues in education, including the legitimacy of multiple ways of knowing and various uses of digital technologies.

A3. Incorporate divergent, international perspectives in when analyzing, evaluating, and articulating positions and solutions.

A4. Recognize and articulate how societal structures, particularly privilege and oppression, operate in education policy, practice and outcomes.

6. Autonomy and Professional Capacity

The qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring:

1. the exercise of initiative;

2. personal responsibility and accountability;

3. decision-making in complex situations;

4. the intellectual independence required for continuing professional development;

5. the ethical behaviour consistent with academic integrity and the use of appropriate guidelines and procedures for responsible conduct of research; and

6. the ability to appreciate the broader implications of applying knowledge to particular contexts.

P1. Demonstrate autonomy in one’s own work processes and pursue inquiries in directions one has set out for oneself, routinely going “beyond the problem as given”. 

P2. Demonstrate an ability to arrive at decisions in complex situations, through mapping out the fullest possible set of actors, agents, conditions and challenges.

P3. Cultivate effective practices that support consultative and (where possible) democratic decision-making.

P4. Demonstrate personal, professional, and academic integrity in all aspects of scholarly work, including appropriate ethical behaviour for conducting research.

Source: 2021_learningoutcomessept2015_v1 (weebly.com) 

Reference

Faculty of Education. (n.d.). Ontario Tech University - Learning Outcomes for Masters Programs in Education. Ontario Tech - Learning Outcomes for Masters Programs in Education. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from https://meduoit.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/6/5/12657196/2021_learningoutcomessept2015_v1.pdf