Counselor Education Courses
Explores the rationale for guidance by examining human development and sociological, psychological, and philosophical bases for guidance. Provides awareness of services by surveying components of guidance programs. Offered fall semester.
Introduction to counseling, counseling theories, and the counseling relationship; and an overview of the counseling process. Offered fall and spring semesters.
An introduction for counselors and teachers to career development concepts, labor force information, and other resources needed to help persons with career planning and decision making. Offered spring semester.
An experiential course involving applied elements of theoretical models and customary helping skills to orient and prepare students for their initial supervised work with counseling clients. Offered fall and spring semesters.
Supervised practice in counseling. Offered fall and spring semesters.
This course is designed to expose students to the fundamental principals of being a professional counselor. This course will help students to be familiar with assumptions, theories, strategies, applications, ethical, and legal considerations related to the development of counseling.
Seminar and fieldwork designed to acquaint the student with the functions and roles of the counselor in various community and agency settings. Offered fall semester.
Background in group methods, including group guidance, group counseling, and group dynamics. One-half of class time is spent in a laboratory experience during which each student is provided an opportunity to function in a group. Offered fall and spring semesters and in summer school.
An overview of measurement methods, practice in administration and interpretation of standardized tests, and evaluation of tests and testing programs for counseling and guidance. Offered spring semester and in summer school.
An examination of the organization and implementation of the guidance functions of schools and the guidance responsibilities of counselors, teachers and administrators. Offered spring semester.
Advanced study and discussion of a variety of agency-specific issues and topics. Offered spring semester.
This course is designed to offer students a range of counseling-focused 500-level special topic classes.
Philosophical, social, psychological, and legislative bases of rehabilitation; the nature and scope of the rehabilitation process and the functions of the rehabilitation counselor; and study of the individual. Offered fall semester.
General knowledge of chronic illness and disability is important for rehabilitation counselors, allied health professionals, and other human services workers who work in settings involved with serving persons with disabilities. This course will explore the personal, psychosocial, and vocational impact of chronic illness and disability. The course provides an overview of various body systems, the etiology and pathology of diseases, injuries, and disabilities that can affect the body systems, the prognosis, psychosocial and vocational implications of these conditions. Also examined will be the various models of conceptualizing disability and assistive technology.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and necessary skills to complete case management and vocational rehabilitation placement services. Course content includes competencies of case management; intake interviews; medical and psychological evaluation and life care planning.
Supervised practice in rehabilitation counseling. Offered fall, spring, and summer semesters/terms.
Supervised field experience in a rehabilitation setting. Offered fall, spring, and summer semesters/terms.
This course is designed to introduce students to multicultural issues unique to counseling and other helping professions. Offered even-numbered fall semesters.
The primary goals for this course are to deepen students' understanding of substance use disorders, facilitate the development of addiction counseling competencies associated with positive treatment outcomes and increase students' level of confidence in identification of substance abuse issues.
Supervised field experiences in counseling to supplement accredited, advanced-level internships. Offered annually.
Supervised practice in counseling for advanced majors. Offered alternate spring semester.
Historical and current approaches to individual counseling, and the theories of personality structure and individual behavior from which these approaches are derived. Offered alternate spring semesters.
Supervision of practicum students within a structured pedagogical course. Offered in the fall and spring semesters.
This course is a theoretical and skill development course for counselors and other human helpers to strengthen multicultural awareness, knowledge and skills in the competencies necessary to evaluate presenting issues brought forward by racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse clients. Additionally, this course will examine the related ethical and professional issues of developing multicultural counseling competencies. Entrance into the EdS in Counseling program required.
This course presents on overview to the practice and profession of school counseling with specific emphasis on the past, present, future and issues in the field. Individual readings, conferences, group discussions, and reports focusing on areas of interest in counseling and guidance will be utilized. Entrance to the EdS in school counseling program required.
Independent study under faculty direction. Offered fall, spring, and summer semesters/terms.
Seminars focusing on contemporary counseling issues and topics. Varied offerings.
This course is designed for advanced counseling students who study teaching and scholarship in Counselor Education.
The course is designed for advanced counseling students who study leadership and advocacy in Counselor Education.
Examination of theoretical and applied elements of systemic intervention with troubled families. Offered spring semester.
Examination of theoretical and applied elements of intervention with discordant relationships between adults and children. Offered summer terms only.
This course is an introduction to the use of play therapy. It includes the history of play as a therapeutic medium and the techniques a health care professional can use in practice.
Directed research not related to dissertation research. Variable offerings.
Student research for writing dissertation.
Educational Psychology Courses
Principles of educational psychology for teaching and for educational services in schools and colleges.
This course presents an introduction to doctoral studies in Educational Psychology at The University of Alabama.
Investigates the development of self-regulatory processes and the match between those processes and educational practice. Transitions from home to school, elementary to secondary, and high school to college/work are considered in depth.
Provides a foundation in the learning sciences and cognitive research with a particular focus on educational settings.
A study of principles and concepts of physical, cognitive, personality, and social development from conception through death.
Provides fundamental knowledge regarding the methods in which social and cultural interactions and histories influence human behavior. Focuses on application of social psychology principles and multicultural issues to increase awareness and improve skills across a variety of social settings, including schools and human-service agencies.
Examines the major theories of personality and social-emotional factors as they impact on the learning process and educational practice. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
A survey of main issues and topics in educational and cognitive neuroscience, cognitive science, and learning sciences. The course is open to all graduate students from any program.
Research conducted by student.
Research conducted by student for thesis.
Thorough exploration of current problem areas in education and the impact and perspectives of educational psychology.
Provide candidates with a strong foundation for understanding family, school, and community partnerships, and to build their abilities to put this knowledge into practice within their own school settings.
An advanced seminar covering special topics in Educational Psychology. It provides students with opportunities to present their own research, gather feedback on their projects, practice presentation skills, learn about novel research findings in the field, and establish collaborations between students, UA faculty and external researchers.
Cognitive approaches to learning/teaching with focus on what constitutes authentic learning. Topics/themes include nature of preschool learning, sources contributing to learning, constructivism and holistic perspectives.
This course presents a broad overview of current research and methods in the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience with a particular focus on its relevance to teaching and learning. The course starts with a review of how the brain develops from conception into adulthood, with a focus on how changes in neuro-development affect learning.
An overview of the psychology of morality with a particular focus on the processes leading to moral action. Specialty topics include measurement, gender, cross-cultural, and educational issues. Character education will be discussed with special attention to the empirical and theoretical background of current character education programs.
This course provides a thorough exploration of the neuro-scientific and psychological basis of morality and moral functioning. It addresses interdisciplinary topics and issues taken from recent research on morality.
This course will provide an in-depth, graduate-level introduction to character education from a neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics perspective. The course will emphasize eudaimonic conceptions of human flourishing of which character is a necessary but not sufficient component. The course has significance for educators wanting to cultivate character among students.
This course aims to help participants understand and apply principles derived from research on embodied and situated cognition. The course will start by defining embodied and situated cognition in relation to different approaches and by focusing on their relevance to educational practice.
In this course, students will examine how human linguistic properties are acquired, developed, organized, and processed in the brain. Formal linguistic properties (phonology, morphology, syntax, etc.) will be defined and related to cognitive mechanisms and relevant brain structures. Key journal articles, both foundational and innovative in nature, will be used to examine how neuroimaging has been and can be used to study reading and language processes in the brain.
Focuses on research methods and trends in educational neuroscience. Seminar format with some data analysis activities. Topics will emphasize research trends, methods (e.g. MRI, EEG) and neuroscience theory (e.g. connectivity).
This course provides an introduction to the fMRI technique, covering its main advantages and limitations, and including hands-on lab sessions in which the student will learn the basics of fMRI analysis using an existing fMRI dataset.
Seminar for graduate student instructors. Students must be GTAs in educational/school psychology. Designed to help GTAs use reflective decision making and knowledge of educational psychology to teach undergraduates.
This course focuses on coding, signaling processing, and computational methods and skills that are essential for conducting cognitive and educational neuroscience research.
This course focuses on cognitive electrophysiology methods used in cognitive and educational neuroscience, particularly EEG (electroencephalogram) and ERP (event-related potentials) methods.
An advanced seminar covering special topics in Educational Psychology.
Participation in a research project relating to educational psychology.
Research by student for dissertation.
Educational Research Courses
An overview of research methodology, primarily for master's students.
This course covers basic descriptive and inferential statistics, including measures of central tendency and dispersion. Hypothesis testing related to one-sample z-and t-tests; independent and dependent sample t-tests; correlations; and chi-square and simple regressions are included.
An examination of concepts, principles, purposes and tools used in the construction and use of assessment instruments in all educational settings. Attention will be on the use of assessment information for educational decision making. Students will learn how to evaluate the psychometric properties of an assessment tool, to interpret scores, norms, scales, data and grades, and to engage in ethical assessment practices.
This course offers a survey introduction to the history, principles and main perspectives of the study of measurement and evaluation in the social and behavioral sciences. Students will acquire specialized knowledge and skills in test theory, test and instrument development and validation, program evaluation and analysis of educational and psychological data.
The purpose of this master's level course is to help graduate students develop a scholarly way to think, reflect on, and critique extant research and theory in education through the lens of psychometrics. The following major topics will be explored: Overview of the history of psychometrics and theories of measuring psychological constructs; validity, reliability and fairness.
This course is an overview of the main research methods and procedures used in educational studies. Because the course emphasizes the use of the main quantitative and qualitative methods used in writing doctoral dissertations, it is especially useful for doctoral student.
Comprehensive introduction to using survey instruments for research purposes. Survey development, construction, validation scaling, sampling, and research methods as they apply to matching the survey to research questions are covered.
This graduate seminar course serves to introduce students in Educational Research to knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will help them become successful graduate students, scholars, and practitioners. As such, this course will engage students with topics of relevance to their personal, scholarly and professional trajectories.
The course examines case studies of individual practices, discrete institutions and organizations, as well as state-level policies while also exploring the research methods used to inform the production of case study representations and the the various styles used in case study writing. Offered summer term.
Examines the history and philosophy of naturalistic studies of human experience. Concentrates on post-positivistic, phenomenological, structuralist, and post-structuralist theory and modes of analysis. Course assignments provide practice with rudimentary qualitative research skills. Offered fall, spring, and summer semesters.
This course examines the irony and ideology of naturalistic studies of human experience. It focuses on the epistemic limits of any method of research representation, and the political and ethical implications of those limits. Course assignments provide practice with intermediate qualitative research skills, including participant observation, field note development, and interviewing skills. Offered spring and summer semesters.
Examines the ethics, aesthetics and opportunities for advocacy in naturalistic studies of human experience. Explores feminist, Afrocentric, critical theoretic, artistic and journalistic conceptions of data collection, and a variety of styles and formulas for research writing. Course assignments support the development of students' research interests and are geared toward scholarly publication. Offered all semesters.
This course serves as an introduction to narrative inquiry and analysis in qualitative research. Topics covered include: theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of narrative inquiry, ethics and reflexivity in narrative inquiry, analytic methods in narrative inquiry, narrative interviewing, and (re)presenting narrative work.
This course examines the implications of the materialist turn in qualitative inquiry, challenging students to think beyond linguistically-oriented forms of research (those based solely on words)to consider intersections with relationally-informed conceptions of materialism. Students will learn the theoretical bases for materialism and design a qualitative study informed by this perspective.
This course serves as an introduction to qualitative interviewing in human subjects research. Topics covered include: 1)Types of qualitative interviews (e.g. phenomenological ethnographic, feminist, and focus group interviews); 2)The ways that theoretical frameworks have historically shaped interviewing and the ways that theories inform students' interviewing approaches; 3)The ethical concerns of conducting different forms of interviews with different populations.
This course consists both the historical and current landscape of arts-based research and its place in/against the field of qualitative research. Further, it engages students in readings that span the breadth of arts-based research practices, while cultivating opportunities for students to become arts-based research practitioners.
This course is designed to examine the role that research can play in uncovering and addressing systemic forms of oppression. The course explores the importance of and challenges involved in engaging in anti-oppressive, socially just, culturally sensitive, and decolonizing research activities. Students will also consider philosophical underpinnings and methodological approaches to educational research that support justice aims in research.
This course will help students better understand how to conduct and interpret analysis for educational research. Students will learn how to estimate different types of regression models, interpret the results and draw meaningful and substantive conclusions. Although mathematical foundations will be explored, the course will focus primarily on the conceptual and applied aspects of regression analysis.
The primary emphasis of this course focuses on the relationships between a single dependent variable and one or two independent variables. Although more complex models can be considered (i.e. more than two independent variables) generalizations for the models discussed in this case can be applied to a multiple-variable scenario. Topics covered include: one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA and multiple regression.
Different multiple regression methods are presented including an overview of ordinary least squares regression, ordinal regression, logistic and probit regression, loglinear, mixed, and regression discontinuity. Interpretation of results diagnostics, and appications are covered for the several glm models.
This course is designed to introduce students to the various types of multivariate statistical techniques used in the social sciences. Multi-variate statistics focus on two or more dependent variables with one or more independent variables. Computer applications are included to facilitate the understanding and interpretation of different multivariate statistical techniques.
Bayesian methodology is used in designing innovative or complicated statistical models. We will explore what Bayesian Modeling is and the differences in how statistical inference is both viewed and done. The majority of this class will be spent learning common models and model-fitting methods.
This course covers the advanced statistical methods commonly used in experimental design, including specialty ANOVA designs and varied designs for experimental studies. Topics include Factorial ANOVA, Randomized Block Designs, Nested Designs, Random and Mixed Effects ANOVA, Repeated Measures ANOVA, and Incomplete Block Designs.
This course will introduce basic single-case research design principles and strategies that can be used in research in educational and other applied settings. The purposes of the course are to provide students with an understanding of potential applications of single/within case research strategies, a working knowledge of commonly used single-case research designs and strategies for evaluating single-case research outcomes.
This course is designed to introduce students to the various advanced structural equation modeling applications not commonly covered in basic SEM courses. The topics covered in the course include Non-Linear SEM, advanced confirmatory factor analysis techniques, Mixture Modeling (Latent class Analysis, Growth Mixture Models, Latent Transition Models), data imputation and Monte Carlo Simulation.
The purpose of this doctoral level course is to help graduate students develop a scholarly way to think, reflect on, and critique extant research and theory in education through the lens of psychometrics. The following major topics will be explored: Overview of the history of psychometrics and theories of measuring psychological constructs; validity, reliability and fairness.
The major topics covered in this course include true score reliability, validity, classical theory, generalizability theory, contemporary theory and item response theory. Computer applications are required.
This course covers the concepts and techniques used for evaluating education programs, projects, materials, curriculum, and personnel. Field work and computer analyses are required.
This course will introduce students to the six principles of Improvement Science and related, "engaged research" methodologies (e.g. Design-Based Implementation Research, Developmental Evaluation). It will provide an opportunity to apply these principals to a problem of practice in schools and/or health and human service agencies. Students will learn to assess systems-level problems and barriers through Causal Systems Analysis, develop complex theories of action through diagrams, and design and implement Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycles.
This course introduces the statistical theory that guides the design and analyses of experiments and quasi-experiments. Specifically, this course will provide conceptual, technical, and hands-on training in a) the design and analyses of multilevel/longitudinal randomized controlled trials (RCTs); b) propensity score analysis and related methods; c) instrumental variables analysis; d)difference-in-difference analysis and related methods including fixed effect models, comparative interrupted time-series analysis and synthetic control; e) recent development of application of matching learning techniques in casual inference.
This course provides an introduction to multi-level models (MLM). These models afford an analysis of nested data. Data with a nested structure are common in social science research (e.g. students are nested within classrooms) as well as other disciplines and fields. This course explores the different kinds of multi-level models and approaches (e.g. bootstrap/jackknife) that can be used to analyze large-scale survey data.
Course participants will be provided with an overview of the history and foundations of mixed methods research, literature on emerging trends in mixed methods research, types of MM designs, types of research problems addressed by MM research, data collection and analysis strategies, and reporting and evaluating mexed methods research.
This course provides an introduction to item response theory (IRT). Major topics include 1) IRT models for dichotomous and polytomous data (e.g. Likert scales and partial credits). 2) basic estimation procedures, 3) differential item functioning (DIF) methods for evaluating validity and/or fairness in a scale, survey or educational assessment, and 4) applications using IRT software.
This course provides graduate students with an introduction to techniques for constructing and evaluating measurement instructions in the human sciences. Major topics include the latent trait models proposed by George Rasch and extensions of these models (dichotomous, polytomous, many-facet), the philosophy for measurement that corresponds to these models, software applications for conducting analysis with Rasch models, the interpretation and use of results from Rasch model analysis, and opportunities to evaluate real-world applications of Rasch models.
This course provides a robust overview of cognitive diagnosis modeling, a novel psychometric framework for developing educational and psychological tests and analyzing item-response data. In addition to exploring the foundational frameworks for cognitive diagnosis modeling the course covers the most recent developments in the field, including models for cognitive diagnosis and skill and item association validation.
This course provides students with the opportunity to assist with teaching a research methods course. Working closely with an Educational Research faculty member, students will gain experience in designing curriculum, implementing thoughtful pedagogical practices, as well as insight into the affordances and challenges that accompany teaching various research-related topics.
Offered fall and spring semesters and in summer school.
This special topics course will be focused on selected current advanced statistical and/or research methods in Educational Research.
The course is for Educational Research PhD students who are conducting research that precedes or is different from dissertation research.
No description available.
School Psychology Courses
The history, role, and ethical and legal issues of school psychology are studied. The school psychologist's role in team decision making is emphasized.
This course deals with pertinent issues in school psychology, such as ethics, theory, history and foundations of school psychology, legal issues, professional issues and standards, alternative models for delivery of school psychological services, as well as, roles and foundations of the school psychologist.
This graduate seminar course serves to introduce students in School Psychology to knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will help them become successful graduate students, scholars, and practitioners. As such, this course will engage students with topics of relevance to their personal, scholarly, and professional trajectories.
This course is an introduction to the main roles and functions, the primary professional issues and the legal as well as ethical standards that are associated with the work of behavior analysis.
Cognitive and academic assessment and psychological case report writing, focusing on standardized measures, as well as authentic and direct techniques, and treating the topics from perspectives in data based decision making and intervention for children with learning and behavior problems.
Study of behavioral and social-emotional assessment, emphasizing data-based decision making for children with learning and behavioral problems; using data in meaningful educational and psychological interventions is also stressed.
The course is primarily focused on how to write cognitive and academic assessments and psychological case reports. The course accounts for the use of standardized measures and authentic and direct techniques, as well as for data-based decision making and the consideration of interventions for children with learning and behavioral problems.
The course instructs students on cognitive and academic assessment and psychological case report writing, focusing on standardized measures, as well as, authentic and direct techniques, and perspectives in data-based decision making and interventions for children with learning and behavior problems.
The study of behavioral and social-emotional assessment that emphasizes data-based decision making for children with learning and behavioral problems and that stresses the use of data in educational and psychological interventions.
School-based practicum requiring 150 hours of supervised experience in assessment. Course emphasizes intellectual, achievement, behavioral, and social-emotional assessment of children with learning and/or behavioral problems and use of assessment in team decision making.
Requires 150 hours of supervised experience in assessment and is conducted in public schools or other agencies. Intellectual, achievement, behavioral, and social-emotional assessment of children with learning and behavioral problems and use of assessment in team decision making are emphasized.
The student performs the duties of a school psychometrist in a school system, under supervision.
Study of applied brain-behavior relationship in the areas of academics, behavior, and social/emotional skills. Various disorders, assessment techniques, interventions, and preventions will be examined and discussed.
Study of consultation with teachers, administrators, parents, and various community agencies, emphasizing behavioral, ecological, mental health and organizational models and use of data-based decision making to plan and implement appropriate interventions for children with social and behavioral challenges and disabilities.
This course focuses on the knowledge and practical skills necessary for developing applied interventions related to a variety of behavior problems in a variety of settings. Specific principles and procedures for assessing behavior, developing interventions, and making data-based decisions will be addressed.
This course is an advanced study of assessment and remediation of student deficits, skill-by-treatment interaction, systems consultation, organizational change, theories and research underlying instructional and academic interventions, and data-based decision making that meets the needs of all students within school settings.
This course is an introduction to the foundational concepts and principles of applied behavior analysis and the coverage of more advanced theoretical constructs in behavior analysis.
Advanced study of assessment and remediation of academic skills problems for children with learning challenges and disabilities, instructional and academic consultation, aptitude-treatment interaction, study-skills training, self-regulation and monitoring, peer-influenced academic interventions, prevention, and other interventions to meet the needs of all students in inclusive settings.
This course is designed to provide guidance for practitioners in special education or general education settings. Educators will learn the background of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), focusing on evidence-based components across all three tiers, on key practices, as well as on methods of monitoring progress within a multi-tiered system of support.
This course addresses the application of consultation and supervision theories to support teachers, administrators, parents and various community agencies. This course emphasizes behavioral, ecological, mental health and organizational models and use of data-based decision making to plan and implement appropriate interventions for children with social and behavioral challenges and disabilities.
Thorough examination of the history, scope, and understanding of abnormal behavior through the life span, with emphasis on educational and clinical implications. The most recent classification system is used to structure topics and issues in the course.
This course will explore the origins of psychology in philosophy and the sciences, the development of the science of psychology in the 19th and 20th centuries, and prevailing theoretical perspectives and key research findings in the field. The role of culture, science and technology in the development of psychological ideas will also be addressed. The course includes a focus on the profession of psychology from a diversity and multicultural perspective.
Covers topics of current interest to school psychologists.
The practicum requires 150 hours of supervised experience in the practice of school psychology, including consultation and intervention with children, parents, teachers, and administrators in public schools or other agencies.
Requires 150 hours of supervised experience in conducting consultation and intervention (within a team-decision-making framework) with children, parents, teachers, and administrators in public schools and other agencies.
The student performs the activities of a school psychologist in an educational or other agency, under supervision.
The student performs the duties of a school psychologist in an educational agency, under supervision.
An opportunity for the student to study intensively a topic in school psychology, covering a sizable body of literature (the topic chosen should nevertheless be narrower than that subsumed under the name of a course).
Supervised field experiences for doctoral students that focus on conducting school psychology assessments, consultations, and interventions with children, parents, teachers, and administrators in public schools and other agencies.
Participation in a research project relating to school psychology.
Research for student's dissertation.