Course Design

UC.EDU.1100Roles and Responsibilities of the Educational

Assistant

By: Krystle Robinson

Course Introduction

What is the Educational Assistant Program?

Program Background

Program Description

Educational Assistant Certificate Program is a paraprofessional certificate program designed to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to provide educational assistance to students, teachers, counselors and other educational professionals in a variety of settings.

Employment Skills

•Graduates are able to assist students with lessons under direct supervision of the classroom teacher, monitor and report to the classroom teacher on student progress, assist in the preparation of learning materials and environment, and perform other support functions as required.

•In schools, educational assistants perform their duties under the direction of the classroom teacher or resource teacher. The practical component of this program allows students to apply their skills in an educational setting. Particular emphasis is placed on providing services within Aboriginal and northern communities including urban, rural, and remote locations.

Program Background Cont’d

• The Educational Assistant (EA) Certificate Program is a 515-hour program, with 465 instructional hours and 50 hours of practicum.

• The program consists of 10 core courses (30 credit hours) and 3 credit hours of elective courses.

• The practical component provides students with the opportunity to integrate theory and classroom practice into real-life educational settings.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Educational Assistant

Course Introduction

UC.EDU.1100- Roles and Responsibilities of the Educational Assistant is the first course to be completed in the Educational Assistant Certificate Program.

Calendar Description:

This course is aimed at assisting participants in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the education assistant to perform his or her roles and responsibilities from an ethical and responsible paradigm as a member of an instructional team.

Why this course?

• This course was selected for “Course Design” because much of the original course design was for face to face delivery.

• When hired to teach this course, I was asked to develop the course design for delivery using D2L

• The original evaluation/assessment was based on text-based assignments and had limitations in accommodating different learning styles, incorporating various instructional strategies and limited “relevant” teaching resources. It had some limitations for delivery using online learning modalities.

• I have now developed the course so that it can be delivered either face to face, using D2L or a combination delivery of both.

Learner Profile

Course Design Process

Learner profiles is taken into account in the course design process.

Who are the learners in the Educational Assistant Program?

• Students typically enrolled in the Educational Assistant Program are individuals currently employed as Educational Assistants within Aboriginal and northern schools in Manitoba including urban, rural and remote locations . These individuals are seeking certification in their profession.

• Many of the learners bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with them into the classroom, so course design takes into account building on what learners already know and relating it to theory and practice of course content.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe what an educational assistant is • Compare the difference between an EA’s responsibilities

and a teacher’s responsibilities• Explain the role of the Educational Assistant within the

context of the classroom team and within the larger context of the school setting

• Define Inclusion according to Manitoba Education’s Philosophy of Inclusive Education

• Describe what a team is and who may be involved on a team for a student

• Explore provincial and local school board policies.• Prepare a summary that describes the roles and

responsibilities of the Educational Assistant in a written summary

Topical Outline

1. Introductions; Inclusive Education2. The Paraprofessional: Changing Roles and Responsibilities3. Classroom teams and daily scheduling4. The Inclusive Classroom 5. Effects of paraprofessional proximity 6. Supporting Individual Students 7. Individual Education Plans (IEP) 8. Student-specific competencies in Manitoba 9. Multi-level curriculum planning and delivery

10. Individualized Instructional Support 11. Establishing routines to support learning 12. Positive behavioral support 13. Addressing Behavioral problems 14. Understanding your role in behavior support 15. Systems of communication 16. Confidentiality

Course Resources

Textbook:The Paraprofessional’s Guide to the Inclusive Classroom by Mary Beth Doyle.

Note:This is an American Based textbook so additional resources are used to make content relevant to Manitoba schools and policies.

Additional Resources

Instructional Strategies

A variety of instructional strategies are used to deliver course content. These include:

• Face to face and online classes using Desire to Learn• Lecture• Discussion forums• Mini Quizzes• Small and large group activities

Incorporating the 4MAT System

Each area of the 4MAT System is incorporated into the course as follows:

– Concepts (Visual) – Lecture using Power-point, readings, handouts

– Meaning (Aural)- large and small group activities, D2L discussion forums

– Speaking (Oral)- discussions, application -online quizzes

– Skills (Kinesthetic)- large and small group activities, portfolio assignment

Evaluation

Course Evaluation

•Discussion Forums – 30% •Bi-weekly Quizzes- 20 %•Portfolio Assignment- 50%

**This evaluation is primarily based on delivery using D2L. For course delivery using face to face classes and D2L, in class group activities would be included in the 30% allotted for discussion forums above**

Questions??