Faculty Development
Full-time faculty may enroll at no charge in any of the courses listed below. Enrollment in an approved course includes a tuition and fee scholarship when a tuition and fee scholarship form accompanies a Request for Tuition Discount form and is submitted to the Office of the Provost.
Courses approved for the full-time faculty tuition and fee scholarship were chosen because they either increase understanding of individuals with disabilities or provide teaching techniques/theories that address diversity issues in instruction.
Faculty must have approval from their department chair in order to enroll and receive the scholarship. Enrollment in these courses is based on space availability.
More information is available through Project Pace at http://www.ualr.edu/pace/ or by contacting Melanie Thornton, Project Director, 569-3126 or mpthornton@ualr.edu.
Download and print a tuition and fee scholarship form
List of Approved Courses
Adult Education (ADED)
ADED 4301/5301 Psychology of Adult Learning
Prerequisite: course work in adult education. Examination of the research related to adult learning and development as it can be applied to the practice of adult education. Adult learning theories of the cognitivists, behaviorists, and humanists; state and phasic theories of development. Three credit hours.
ADED 4303/5303 Teaching Adults
Prerequisite: course work in adult education. Examination of the teaching/learning process from planning to presentation. Microteaching involving the integration of adult learning principles will be conducted. Three credit hours.
ADED 4304/5304 Methods and Materials in Adult Education
Prerequisite: course work in adult education. An overview of the methods used to create an adult learning environment and techniques that are considered most effective. A process used for evaluating adult education materials will also be considered. Three credit hours.
Counseling (COUN)
COUN 7361 Medical Aspects of Disability
Prerequisite:COUN 7360. The medical aspects of disability. Managing the medical aspects and functional assessment of frequently occurring medical impairments and disorders of older adolescents and adults are stressed. Topics include the medical aspects and functional assessment of neurological/cognitive/ neuromuscular disorders, psychiatric/ developmental disabilities, sensory impairments, and various acute and chronic physical diseases and disorders. Case management activities and a process (functional assessment) for determining the educational/ rehabilitation implications of the impairing effects of each disability will be presented.
COUN 7362 Psychological Aspects of Disability
Prerequisite:COUN 7360. Psychological and sociological aspects of disability, including community attitudes toward individuals with disabilities, strategies to change negative attitudes, adjustment factors in living with disabilities, and methods for supporting successful adjustment to disabilities.
Audiology and Speech Pathology (AUSP)
COUN 2360 Introduction to Speech and Hearing Disorders.
A description and discussion of speech, language, and hearing disorders; therapy surveys and assessment techniques. Three credit hours.
COUN 4366/5366 Language Disorders
Prerequisite: Audiology and Speech Pathology 3360 or consent of instructor. Language disorders in adults and children including types of language disorders, etiology, neurological and theoretical correlates, diagnostic procedures and test interpretation, and treatment protocols. Three credit hours.
Law (LAW)
LAW 6399 Disability Law
Studies federal and state legislation and case law affecting people with physical, mental, and developmental disabilities. Issues covered include education, employment, access, public services, and health care. Three credit hours.
Educational Foundations (EDFN)
EDFN 3320 Introduction to Educational Psychology
Prerequisite: PSYC 2300. Applications of psychological principles to the learning and teaching processes; emphasis on learning, cognitive development, social development, discipline, intelligence, evaluation, and measurement. Three credit hours.
Second Languages (LANG)
LANG 4322/5322 Teaching Second Languages
An overview of methods and materials used to teach skill development in modern second languages, techniques considered most effective, and appropriate assessment strategies. Required for foreign language teacher certification and the ESL endorsement in the state of Arkansas. Three credit hours.
LANG 4323/5323 Second Language Acquisition
Prerequisite: junior standing. How second language is acquired by children and adults. A course for those preparing to teach students with limited English proficiency. Required for ESL endorsement in the state of Arkansas. Three credit hours.
LANG 4324/5324 Teaching People of Other Cultures
Prerequisite: junior standing. Cultural issues for teaching students with limited English proficiency. A required course for ESL endorsement in the state of Arkansas. Three credit hours.
Interpretation/Interpreter Education (INTR)
INTR 1320 American Sign Language I
An elementary course in American Sign Language (ASL) using a natural language approach to introduce culturally appropriate signed concepts related to the immediate environment. Common communicative events and interactions are utilized to acquire a basic working vocabulary and grammar. Includes development of appropriate linguistic/cultural behaviors and awareness of respect for deaf culture. Receptive and expressive skills are fostered through interactive ASL lessons without voice. Three credit hours.
INTR 1321 American Sign Language II
Prerequisite:Interpretation 1320. An intermediate ASL course progressing from common, concrete communicative events and interactions to language usage expressing abstract ideas. Emphasis is on the comprehension and production of increasingly complex linguistic structure focusing on dialogues and conversational expressions. More complex receptive and expressive skills are fostered through interactive ASL lessons without voice. Three credit hours.
INTR 2320 American Sign Language III
Prerequisite: Interpretation 1321. A conversational ASL course focusing on specific grammatical and cultural topics. Emphasis is on the development of fluent conversational skills utilizing grammatical nonmanual signals and markers. Students will learn how to narrate, describe, compare, and comment. Narratives of native language users are utilized for beginning text analysis of ASL. Interactive ASL lessons without voice lead to expanded vocabulary mastery and fluency. Three credit hours.
INTR 2321 American Sign Language IV
Prerequisite: Interpretation 2320. An advanced ASL performance course integrating cultural and linguistic competencies ranging from informal to formal communication events. Emphasis is on greater fluency in idiomatic language usage and mastery of vocabulary and syntax. Linguistic competence is enhanced through interactive discourse with native language users. Three credit hours.
INTR 2340 Orientation to Deafness
An in-depth study of the field of deafness, the deaf community, deaf culture, and the hearing mechanism. Extensive readings on the deaf population, education of persons who are deaf, psychosocial development, communication, vocational rehabilitation, organizations of and for individuals who are deaf, and the legislative impact on the status of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Three credit hours.
INTR 4340/5340 Deaf Culture
An interdisciplinary study of American Deaf Culture and the factors that contribute to defining persons who are deaf as a cultural minority. Focus on awareness and understanding of cultural diversity, preservation of language, and societal attitudes such as issues of oppression and language power of the majority culture. Covers the cultural identity, group norms, rules of social interaction, values, and traditions held by members who are deaf, including women and people of color. Topics also include folklore, literature, plays, works of art, community organizations, impact of technology, and emerging issues/trends and advocacy with the deaf community. Three credit hours.
INTR 4322 Comparative Linguistics: ASL and English
Prerequisites: Interpretation 2320, 2342. Study of the fundamental concepts of linguistics and its application to the study of American Sign Language. Focuses on the current state of research of linguistic inquiry such as phonology, morphology, syntax, and use of language. Compares and contrasts basic similarities and differences between ASL and English with a goal to develop critical thinking about the structure of ASL. Includes a two-part videotape that supplements the textbook by providing examples of signs/concepts discussed in the course. Three credit hours.
INTR 4320/5320 Survey of Communication Methods
Overview of the various communication methods, systems, and languages (English and American Sign Language) used by children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing, condensed into one course specifically for students in the deaf education program. An emphasis will be placed on understanding the intra- and cross-cultural communication issues that provide the impetus for choice of communication method and/or language. Focuses on the development of conceptually accurate sign language skills utilizing English structure in an interactive approach for receptive and expressive sign language fluency. Three credit hours.
Psychology (PSYC)
PSYC 3356 Developmental Psychology
Prerequisite: Psychology 2300. Development of the individual from conception through adolescence. Topics include prenatal, intellectual, emotional, social, and personality development. Three credit hours.
PSYC 3360 Abnormal Psychology
Prerequisite: six hours of psychology. The causes, symptoms, and treatment of abnormalities in human behavior. Three credit hours.
PSYC 3380 Cognitive Psychology
Prerequisite: Psychology 2300. An introduction to theories and research regarding human information processing. Topics include attention, memory, problem solving, information representation, and individual differences in cognitive ability. Three credit hours.
Rehabilitation of the Blind (RHBL)
RHBL 7112 Psychological Aspects of Blindness and Visual Impairment.
Historical attitudes toward blindness; impact of culture and gender on attitudes toward disability, methodologies of attitude change, process of adjustment to blindness and vision loss.
RHBL 7315 Medical Aspects of Blindness and Associated Disabilities
Anatomy, structure, function of the eye; frequently occurring diseases, malfunctions in children, adults; includes treatment procedures for disease process, rehabilitation/education implications of handicapped effects.
RHBL 7325 Implications of Low Vision
Principles of visual perception development; implications of visual field losses; introduction to optics; optical, nonoptics low-vision aids; procedures for vision screening; vision stimulation activities; low-vision simulation experiences.
Special Education (SPED)
(Most of the courses offered under Special Education focus on elementary and secondary education. A few, however, have a broader focus. Those are marked with an asterisk [*].)
SPED 5262 Teaching School Subjects to Deaf Children II
Prerequisite: Special Education 3261. Emphasizes instructional methods and materials for developing or modifying curriculum to meet the individual needs of children with hearing loss. Preliminary foundations for teaching an academic subject in terms of planning, implementing, and evaluating experiential learning for individuals and groups with hearing loss based on behavioral objectives and procedures. The course will also concentrate on effective teaching practices with both normal-hearing and children with hearing loss. Methods to teach science, social studies, and mathematics as well as the materials used in these content areas will be presented. An added emphasis will be placed on knowledge acquired through a guided practicum. Two credit hours.
SPED 5264 Speech Development in Deaf Children: Principles and Practices II
Prerequisites: Audiology and Speech Pathology 3362, 4368 or consent of instructor. The study of theory and research in speech-teaching methods and the implications of their use with learners with hearing loss. Foundations of speech teaching in terms of the development of individual therapeutic plans within an integrated curriculum and their implementation, assessment, and evaluation. Directed observation or supervised participation in educational settings is required. Two credit hours.
SPED 5266 Language in Deaf Children II
Prerequisite: Special Education 3265. In-depth, empirical study of language development in normal-hearing and children with hearing loss and relationships between the two populations. Learning theory, cognitive and psychosociolinguistic principles, and other perspectives are related to language learning and children with hearing loss. Preliminary foundations of language instruction for teaching language to children with hearing loss will be presented. Directed observation included. Two credit hours.
SPED 5301 Education of Exceptional Learners
Prerequisite: Psychology 2300 or consent of instructor. Introduction to the psychological, sociological, philosophical, legal, and educational implications of educating exceptional learners in the mainstream; the role of teachers, professionals, and parents as team members in providing appropriate education and necessary adaptations for exceptional learners. Three credit hours.
SPED 5303 Psychological Evaluation of Handicapped Persons
Prerequisite: Special Education 5301 or 5305. Psychological, educational assessment instruments used with handicapped populations; includes practical exercises in administering evaluation instruments.
SPED 5305 Characteristics of Students with Mild Disabilities
Mildly disabled child in school, society; includes biological, psychological, sociological aspects; emphasis on specific prevalent educational, support systems. On demand.
SPED 5360 Psychological Aspects of Deafness*
Theory, research in the psychological development, adjustment of hearing-impaired children, adults; includes intellectual, cognitive, perceptual, social, personality development; adaptation to hearing loss; educational, mental health, rehabilitation implications of research findings with single disability, multidisabled, hearing impaired persons.
SPED 5367 Communication Methods with Hearing Impaired Children in the Educational Setting
Prerequisite: Interpreting 4320/5320 or consent of instructor. Corequisite: Special Education 4264, 4266. Practical application of the multiplicity of methods; research, underlying theories of language acquisition by hearing-impaired children; emphasis on application to teaching English, other academic subjects.
SPED 7121 Braille Formats/Nemeth Code
Special Braille formats of music, foreign language transcriptions, Nemeth Code for mathematical transcriptions; transcribing these unique Braille codes.
SPED 7320 Instructional Methods for the Visually Handicapped
Practical aspects of programming for visually impaired children; includes evaluation procedures, appropriate placement, sourcing materials and equipment, legislation, financial provisions, related topics; special instructional techniques in teaching blind, partially seeing children reading, other language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, etc., through the use of tactual, auditory, visual arts.
SPED 7323 Methods of Orientation and Mobility for the Classroom Teacher
Practical application of pre-cane orientation and mobility techniques used by the blind child, adolescent; emphasis on use of residual senses to perceive, integrate, react to environmental stimuli; fundamental principles, theory of sensory information acquisition by persons with severe visual disabilities, as they apply to the classroom teacher.
SPED 7333 Characteristics and Educational Needs of Children with Severe Disabilities
Intellectual, behavioral, physical characteristics of individuals with severe disabling conditions; includes models of social management, history of treatment of persons with severe disabilities, major considerations of educational services delivery to such persons.
SPED 7335 Instructional Methods for Persons with Severe Disabilities
Fundamentals of systematic data-based instructional skills needed to teach persons with severe disabilities in classroom, community environments.
SPED 7336 Advanced Instructional Methods for Teaching Persons with Severe Disabilities
Prerequisite: Special Education 7335 or consent of instructor. Identification of intervention strategies; design of effective programs for teaching age-appropriate, functional living skills to individuals with severe disabilities.
SPED 7339 Vocational Instruction for Persons with Handicaps*
Vocational programming methods; emphasis on current “best practices” in instruction, program delivery; includes use of supported work model for systematic instruction in integrated community job sites.
SPED 7343 Disability Law
State, federal laws, litigation, policies, and administrative practices relevant to education, employment, treatment of individuals with disabilities; includes historical development, current issues.
SPED 7360 Characteristics and Educational Needs of the Severely Emotionally Disturbed
Serious emotional disturbance and its educational implication; includes significant historical factors; theoretical orientations to definition, etiology of serious emotional disturbance; classification systems; learning characteristics, their educational implications; interdisciplinary appraisal, therapies; federal, state legislation, litigation relating to serious emotional disturbance and education.
SPED 7369 Advanced Instructional Methods and Inclusive Strategies
Prerequisite: course in instructional methods for the mildly handicapped; course in applied behavior analysis. Preparation for teachers to deliver effective instruction to children with diverse educational needs in a variety of educational settings; providing interventions and assistance in the regular classroom and the special education resource room, implementing both a “direct instruction” teaching model and an indirect consulting teacher model for inclusive settings; procedures for consulting, research literature on instructional procedures, consultation strategies and model programs, implications for practice.
SPED 7372 Current Issues and Literature in Deafness*
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. History, education, specific research literature related to persons with profound hearing impairment; important issues, current events in education of hearing-impaired children; requires creating framework, outline for an instructional program.
Please contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 569-3143 for arrangements to accommodate your special needs.