{"id":200751,"date":"2019-09-16T13:42:35","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T17:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=200751"},"modified":"2023-06-27T13:46:45","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T17:46:45","slug":"neag-school-launches-its-first-fully-online-masters-degree-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2019\/09\/neag-school-launches-its-first-fully-online-masters-degree-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Neag School Launches Its First Fully Online Master\u2019s Degree Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beginning this fall, those interested in pursuing a master\u2019s degree in\u00a0research methods, measurement, and evaluation<\/a>\u00a0(RMME) within the Neag School\u2019s educational psychology department will have the choice to study either in person at the UConn Storrs campus \u2014 or from anywhere in the world. The\u00a0new fully online program<\/a>\u00a0is the first of its kind at the Neag School.<\/p>\n

Betsy McCoach<\/a>, a professor in RMME, presented the proposal for the new program in hopes that the offering would allow nontraditional students to pursue the degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people who live hours from any university that would offer a program like this, and people who have full-time jobs who don\u2019t want to leave their jobs to pursue a master\u2019s degree for a year or a year and a half,\u201d says McCoach. \u201cFor some people, doing an online master\u2019s is really the only viable way to do the program.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RMME program is designed for educators and practitioners who wish to become more knowledgeable about measurement, evaluation, and assessment practices in schools and other formal or informal educational settings.\u00a0Chris Rhoads<\/a>, coordinator for the RMME program and associate professor, says he believes the online program will appeal to those interested in making changes in the education system but who are not able to commit to the full-time, on-campus experience in Storrs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe audience for this program could include folks who have worked as teachers and are now interested in moving into a somewhat different role, maybe in a research office in a larger school district, or maybe they want to build research, data analysis, and evaluation skills in order to build partnerships with foundations or other civic organizations,\u201d says Rhoads.<\/p>\n

Although housed in the Neag School, the online program is expected to appeal to those from professions outside of education as well. McCoach says she anticipates individuals from nonprofit and nongovernmental agencies will be interested in this degree, as they are required to perform tasks such as designing surveys and collecting and analyzing data. Ensuring that students graduate with these competencies is a key component of the RMME master\u2019s degree program.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some people, doing an online master\u2019s is really the only viable way to do the program.\u201d\u2014Professor D. Betsy McCoach<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Standing Out
\n<\/strong>While universities across the country offer similar degree programs, McCoach and Rhoads say the online master\u2019s in RMME sets itself apart by being located at a Research I institution with high-quality, diverse, and research-active faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have prominent experts doing cutting-edge research in the three areas of research methods, measurement, and evaluation, and our programming reflects that,\u201d says Rhoads. \u201cGetting this degree would allow individuals to gain access to that expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program also includes an optional evaluation practicum experience, in which students can participate if they wish to gain firsthand research experience under the guidance of a professor. Similar to an internship or an apprenticeship, the professor will help match the student with an evaluation client with whom they will work over the course of the practicum, or help the student conceptualize an evaluation project of his or her own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe find it a very useful way for students to get a foot in the job market in what we do,\u201d Rhoads says.<\/p>\n

The degree has a unique feature in that its credit requirements include classes that are also part of\u00a0UConn\u2019s 12-credit online graduate certificate in program evaluation<\/a>. The four courses required for the certificate also count as credits toward the master\u2019s degree; therefore, students have the opportunity to obtain the certificate and the master\u2019s degree simultaneously.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor people who have received the program evaluation certificate, if they want to go further and actually get a master\u2019s, they are almost halfway there,\u201d says McCoach. \u201cThey\u2019ve taken four classes; they only need six more to get the master\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Shift Toward Evidence-Based Research in Education
\n<\/strong>According to Rhoads, ensuring that educational interventions are evidence-based has become crucial for educators and school administrators, and the RMME degree prepares students to understand the building blocks needed to evaluate educational effectiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t make a determination of effectiveness unless you understand how to evaluate, how to interpret data, and how to tell whether tests that you give are appropriate for the questions you want to answer,\u201d says Rhoads. \u201cThose are the things that our graduates are well equipped to understand, and so they\u2019re going to be able to inform school districts and other places \u2026 [about] how to build the evidence necessary to make our education system function better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rhoads cites the recent federal\u00a0Every Student Succeeds Act<\/a>\u00a0as an example in the shift toward evidence-based research in education. For certain interventions to be paid for using Title I funds, there must be some basis in research that shows the program to which funds are being allocated is effective.<\/p>\n

The courses offered through the RMME master\u2019s degree program teach four broad competencies:<\/p>\n