Curriculum
The MA in Educational Technology features a state-of-the-art curriculum designed by the College of Education and Health Sciences for students interested in instructional design and educational technology.
Most students complete the 30-credit degree in about two years, taking two to four courses per semester, but some students can finish in 14 months with a full-time schedule.
The coursework is fully online and largely self-directed. As long as you meet weekly deadlines, you can learn and complete assignments on your own schedule. Plan to spend about five hours per week per class on coursework.
Download a brochure to see full curriculum information
What You’ll Be Able To Do
Design and develop original educational resources and media
Apply instructional design principles across education and corporate settings
Evaluate technology tools, including AI, based on learning theory and evidence rather than popularity
Create interactive media using programming and web-based tools
Use learning analytics and data to inform instructional decisions
Navigate the social and ethical dimensions of EdTech responsibly
To learn more about Adelphi University’s Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology program and download a brochure, fill out the fields to request information or call us at 516.619.2209 to talk with one of our enrollment specialists.
Program Structure
All students begin with five courses that cover digital literacies, instructional design, programming, technology and society and information systems. They then choose a track or build their own sequence to specialize their expertise.
Instructional Design Track
The instructional design track focuses on the theory and practice of designing effective learning experiences. You will build technical skills and problem-solving capabilities grounded in learning science, with coursework covering areas like:
- Learning sciences and cognitive theory
- Curriculum development and assessment
- Online and blended course design
- Game-based learning and instructional game design
- Social media in educational settings
Educational Technology Track
The educational technology track focuses on the technical and systems side of the field. You’ll add the skills to build and manage digital learning environments through coursework like:
- Web-based programming and media development
- Network infrastructure and educational information systems
- Data mining and analytics
- Multimedia editing and production
- Mobile computing environments
Build Your Own Track
If your professional path doesn’t quite fit into either track, you can also design a course sequence around your specific goals and career direction.
We Update the Curriculum Every Year
We add new special topics courses every year based on where the field is heading, which means what you learn reflects what practitioners are working on right now.
Your Capstone and Final Project
The program ends with two culminating courses. In the Educator’s Multimedia Studio capstone, you develop original educational resources using digital media tools. In the EdTech MA Project, you work with a faculty member on original research or a creative media project of your choosing.
What the Program Is Actually Like
Curious what it’s like to take these courses? Hear from EdTech graduates who share how the curriculum shaped their work.
MA in Educational Technology Courses
All students complete the same core courses, then choose one of three tracks: the Instructional Design Track, the Educational Technology Track or a self-designed sequence.
To talk through your goals and find the right fit, an enrollment specialist can help: Call 516.619.2209 or email online@adelphi.edu.
EDT 501 – Digital Literacies and 21st Century Skills (3)
This course explores how multimedia, texting, chat, status updates and hypertext change the way we read and interpret texts. Students study various theories of literacy and how it changes with the introduction of digital technologies. Readings include selections on new media, new literacy, multiliteracies, multimedia cognition and visual semantics.
EDT 503 – Technology and Instructional Design (3)
In this course, students learn the foundations of instructional design and understand how to integrate technology in meaningful ways in K-12, higher education or other educational settings. Students also learn how to develop and assess learning plans that are aligned to technology standards and/or other learning outcomes.
CSC 602 – Introduction to Computer Programming (3)
This course provides an introduction to computer programming using an object-oriented language, such as JAVA or C++. Students also learn selection and repetition, arrays, procedures, functions and polymorphism, as well as applications to simple problems.
EDT 604 – Technology and Society (3)
In this course, students are introduced to major critical views on technology, culture, society and education. Students are also exposed to perspectives and ideologies such as Marxist, feminist and posthumanism. These positions will help students analyze and contextualize the role of technology along sociotechnical, historical, political, pedagogical and ethical lines.
EDT 606 – Educational Information Systems and Networks (3)
From a foundation of computer networks and systems, this course expands to cover instructional technology infrastructure: file systems, users, wired and wireless networks, email, web servers, computer labs and common educational software services. This course focuses on Free Software, where the source code is free to use, study or modify.
EDT 618 – Research and Evaluation of Educational Technology (3)
In this course, students investigate methods for determining if a given technology contributes to a stronger educational experience. Reviewing the body of research on educational technology, students will probe the merits of different methodologies. Students learn how to develop good research questions and choose methodologies to conduct their own investigations.
EDT 620 – Capstone: Educator’s Multimedia Studio (3)
This course explores how digital media can best support learning. Working on semester-long projects, students learn about interaction and instructional design. In this hands-on-studio, faculty aid students to develop and extend skills in multimedia authoring that could include digital images/audio/video, web design, HTML/CSS/Javascript or web programming. Students can apply these skills to create original educational resources.
Students in this track take their core courses, then choose three electives:
Elective – EDT 610 – Online Learning (3)
In this course, students study online learning in distance and blended classes, and in virtual schools in both higher education and K-12 settings. Looking at pedagogy, best practices, interactivity and student-centered design, this class considers the positive and negative potential of online learning in terms of universal accessibility, teacher development and economic sustainability.
Elective – EDT 611 – Learning with Video Games (3)
Video games are one of the most successful entertainment forms among teenagers and adults alike. Their potential role in the classroom continues to be a subject of debate. This course introduces students to the key topics in the field, including game theory, design, genre and learning principles contained in games.
Elective – EDT 612 – Mobile Learning (3)
Most of the world connects to the internet from mobile phones. Android tablets and iPads are filtering into schools and the hands of children. Students carry significant computing power in their pockets. This course considers how mobile computing forces us to reconsider the time and the place of learning.
Elective – EDT 613 – Teaching with Social Media (3)
Social media pervades our social life, with implications for education, business and beyond. This course examines the sociological and psychological impacts, benefits and risks of social media. Students explore social networking sites, (micro) blogs, video and wikis; focusing on their use in classrooms to build community, develop literacy and foster critical thinking.
Elective – EDT 614 – AI Literacy for Educators (3)
Students will design, test, and deploy AI-powered tools for real educational use. They will build apps, automate workflows, and create content using no-code platforms. Emphasis is on hands-on projects, with students producing functional prototypes that address authentic classroom or administrative challenges.
Students in this track take their core courses, then complete these three electives:
Elective – EDT 603 – Programming Web-Based Educational Media (3)
In this course, students learn techniques of web programming to develop interactive, educational media. Using the Python programming language and web development technologies (HTML5, Javascript, CSS), students gain practice in the object-oriented programming and design of interactive software. For their final project, students will create their own educational website.
Elective – EDT 612 – Mobile Learning (3)
Most of the world connects to the internet from mobile phones. Android tablets and iPads are filtering into schools and the hands of children. Students carry significant computing power in their pockets. This course considers how mobile computing forces us to reconsider the time and the place of learning.
Elective – EDT 614 – AI Literacy for Educators (3)
Students will design, test, and deploy AI-powered tools for real educational use. They will build apps, automate workflows, and create content using no-code platforms. Emphasis is on hands-on projects, with students producing functional prototypes that address authentic classroom or administrative challenges.
Students will work with an advisor to select the three electives that fit their specific goals.
Students can swap in a special topic course for one or more of their elective courses.
Special Topic – Crafting Active Narratives with Digital Tools (1)
Narratives engage us—we use them to warn of danger, relate history, connect people and cultures, escape reality and ultimately grow our capacity for empathy, which is to say learn. In this course, students will explore the digital tools of interactive fiction (IF) to author their own learning materials and explore ways to integrate active narratives and IF into the teaching and learning process.
Special Topic – Makerspaces and the DIY Movement (1)
Join us in our Adelphi Makerspace as we become citizen scientists and experience together the interconnectedness of scientific inquiry and creation. Working collaboratively, we will design, test and build our own data-collection technologies and share our findings through an open web platform. This course is optional and includes a low residency or synchronous online component. Speak with an academic advisor for details.
Special Topic – Implementing Assistive Technology & UDL in the Classroom (1)
Study the history of assistive technology and Universal Design for Learning, focusing current practices in K-12 classrooms. Gain hands-on experience with current tools and techniques, focusing on supporting struggling learners. Consider low and high tech tools, with an emphasis on classroom integration and initial curriculum design using UDL principles. This course is optional and includes a low residency component. Speak with an academic advisor for details.
Special Topic – Game Design for Teaching & Learning (1)
Design curricula and educational games that harness the power of play to engage students in collaborative, creative learning activities. In this short course we will follow design thinking principles to imagine, design, test and refine our own original games. This course is optional and includes a low residency component. Speak with an academic advisor for details.
Special Topic – The Art of Digital Video Storytelling in Education (3)
This course will examine the mechanical production of images, narratives that result and their social/political/ethical/educational implications. It will introduce video production techniques including composition, sequence and sound, and will examine video within education. Ultimately, this course will conceptualize storytelling using digital video to meet communicative/educational goals.