Course Description
Using theory, research, and professional practice students will learn to develop and evaluate applied family life educational programs that address critical issues of concern to individuals and families across the life span. Taught from an ecological systems perspective and using best practices in family life education, students will also learn about how to effectively teach program content.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be assigned additional readings and meet
separately with the instructor to discuss their works. Graduate
students will also be required to write a final paper in which
they: A) critically review the theoretical, research and
professional practice literatures on an applied topic and a
specific target audience and community; B) develop a written
product for this audience based on this review; and C) develop
an evaluation plan to determine the effectiveness of the
materials in meeting their educational objectives.
Athena Title
Family Life Ed Methodology
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in HDFS 4880S, HDFS 4880W or HDFS 6880S, HDFS 6880W
Prerequisite
(HDFS 2100 or HDFS 2100H or HDFS 2100E) and (HDFS 2200 or HDFS 2200H or HDFS 2200E or HDFS 2950 or HDFS 2950E) and 3 hours of HDFS courses at the 3000-level or above
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will be able to: 1. Identify major issues of concern to individual and family development and functioning; use information from theory, research and professional practice to address these issues; and 2. Identify the theories, principles, domains, ethics, and methods of family life education; and 3. Use family education theories and methods to design family life education programs and strategies for evaluating their impact on individual and family development; and 4. Identify differences in individual learning styles and use information from theory, research, and professional practice to create developmentally and culturally appropriate teaching strategies; and 5. Identify best practices in family life education for recruitment, engagement, and retention of program participants; and 6. Use family education theories and methods to implement family life education programs and strategies for conducting informative process evaluation.
Topical Outline
I. Theories and methods A. Overview of human and family development B. Theories, principles, and domains of family life education C. Ethics in research and family life education practices D. Methods for conducting summative evaluations II. Designing family life education programs A. Using theory and research to guide program development B. Conducting and using needs assessments to inform program decisions C. Designing logic models to inform program development D. Creating clear and appropriate instructional and teaching materials III. Facilitating family life education programs A. Overview of adult learning theories B. Theories and principles of effective family life educational instruction C. The influence of biological development and cultural experiences on learning D. Identifying effective strategies for recruiting and engaging your target audience E. Developing lesson plans that are developmentally and culturally appropriate for the target audience F. Using theory and research to guide program implementation G. Developing presentation materials and activities H. Practicing program facilitation I. Developing a marketing plan J. Identifying funding opportunities IV. Evaluation of family life education programs A. Understand the difference between formative and summative evaluation B. Establish clear and measurable goals and objectives C. Develop evaluation plan to assess short term, intermediate, and long term outcomes D. Conducting and using formative evaluation to inform program enhancement E. Identify strategies to evaluate effective teaching and instruction F. Establish evaluation plan to assess and monitor program quality
Syllabus