School of Education

This program is hands-down the best place to pursue your professional goals!

I cannot say enough about the Education Department at Adams State University. While working with my academic advisor, I was continually impressed by her efficiency, professionalism, and knowledge. The instructors exceeded my expectations as they were easy to correspond with as they promptly responded to my emails with their expertise and knowledge. Even though I received my Master’s Degree on-line, I felt as though the staff in which I worked with become like family to me. If you want a program that offers instruction of the latest and most pertinent teaching practices in curriculum and instruction, along with being treated as an individual, and not just another student, the Master’s program at Adams State University is the place to go.

I continue to teach first grade and am enjoying having my Master’s Degree. In one way or another, I use some aspect of knowledge gained from my Master’s Degree in my everyday teaching. Most importantly, I believe that I have a much better understanding of the curriculum in which I teach. I am also enjoying the monetary raise that I received for obtaining my Degree…. especially because all four of my kids are currently in college.

Thank you again for the pleasant and memorable experiences at Adams State!Laura Mason

I began my career as an educator in 2012 without any formal education training. Despite my undergraduate degree being in biology, I decided that what I really wanted to teach was mathematics. As such I completed all of the requirements in the state of Florida to teach math and my journey in education began. My first couple years in the classroom were relatively successful, but I found myself looking to grow as a professional. By 2014, I started researching advanced degree options. Unfortunately, most of what I found wasn’t a great fit for me. I was looking for a program that was flexible, available 100% online, and a program that blended my unique educational interests as a math teacher with a background in science. That is when I came across the Endeavor STEM Teaching Program and discovered that they had partnered with Adams State University to create a Master’s program. The more I looked into the program, the more sure I was that this program was exactly what I needed.

The Adams State program turned out to be exactly what I needed as a practicing educator. The program offered the kind of flexibility that I was looking for that isn’t present in a cohort-based program and the 100% online format allowed me to stay in the classroom throughout the duration of the program. Because I was able to schedule my own classes, I was able to complete my degree in just 18 months. Additionally, the course work offered the perfect blend of educational research and theory from Adams State with practical STEM-based curriculum from Endeavor. In my final semester, I opted to tackle an Action Research project. That process fundamentally changed the way I approach data collection and formative assessment in my classroom. The skills and knowledge I acquired from this program remain with me every day in the classroom.

Today, I am undoubtedly a better educator as a result of the Adams State University / Endeavor STEM Teaching Certificate Project.Dale Adamson, Adams State University, Endeavor STEM Teaching Certificate Project Graduate 2016

Denton is pursuing her master’s degree through Adams State University’s graduate distance degree program. She enrolled in the fall of 2016 to the Adams State Teacher Education Department Master of Arts in Education Curriculum and Instruction with Endeavor STEM Leadership Certificate. She will graduate in December 2018.

I am a single mom of three kids and I teach 8 different grade levels. My time is valuable and limited. I have enjoyed the flexibility that the NASA Endeavor degree program through Adams State University has offered. The NASA classes are offered at convenient times for my schedule. I can get my kids in bed and sit and really focus on the content that is being delivered. I enjoy the online classroom and face-to-face communication offered through the Endeavor classes and the instructors have shared some amazing free online resources that I wasn’t aware of prior to taking the classes. The Adams State University asynchronous learning is also a great fit. The instructors make the syllabus and readings available for the whole semester allowing me to work when time allows. With no set class meeting time, I was initially concerned about having to teach myself. Fortunately, the online discussion forums and prompt communications via email from my instructors really helped me master the material. I feel much more equipped with specific strategies, research based pedagogy, how to use data to improve my teaching and how to implement formative assessments. For me, I have the majority of the science background but I lacked certain skills in regards to teaching and classroom practices. The courses I’ve taken towards my MEd have filled those gaps and have set me on the path to become the type of teacher I want to be.

I particularly enjoyed the ability to pick and choose the STEM elective classes I felt would benefit me the most. I also enjoyed being able to take as many or as few classes as I felt my schedule would allow. That flexibility allowed me to continue to meet the demands of my everyday life while still applying myself and really getting the most out of my classes at Adam’s state.Covey Denton

Emily Dauk is a high school math teacher in Minnesota who is working toward a master’s degree through the Adams State Endeavor STEM Leadership Certificate program, a partnership with NASA and the Adams State Teacher Education Department.

Dauk challenged her Mankato, Minn. students to build a mechanism that could launch a mock satellite. Led by Dauk and her colleague, Eric Koser, the students achieved success and the Kato Launch Squad was invited to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in March to demonstrate their experimental device.

“My students and I had the opportunity to participate in NASA’s Microgravity University for Educators at Johnson Space Center,” Dauk said. Last fall she worked with a group of students and teachers from her district in Minnesota to submit a project proposal and were one of 10 teams selected from across the nation to participate.

The project was a full integration of all STEM disciplines as students had to design and build a Satellite Launching Experimental Device. “Students also developed a public outreach plan so we could share the experience with as many people as possible,” Dauk said. The culmination of the project was four students and two teachers from the team, including Dauk, who spent a week at Johnson Space Center testing their device, touring the NASA facilities, and learning directly from NASA experts.

When considering a master’s program, the STEM Leadership Certificate joint program seemed the best fit for Dauk. “I did a lot of searching for a program with a connection to high school math that would also allow me to continue to teach full time and to continue being a part of the extracurricular activities I was involved in at my school. The most important requirement of any master’s program was that it would help me become a better math teacher.”

Two areas emphasized within Dauk’s Master of Arts program include STEM integration and connecting with students and community. “This project was a combination of each of those. Each of the STEM disciplines was required as the team designed, built, and tested their device. In addition, we were also required to develop an outreach plan about how we would share this experience with the community. As we developed this plan we examined which modes of communication would be the best to reach our students and community members. We also looked at which events we could put on after our week at Johnson Space Center that would engage our community. It was very neat to see multiple components of my Adams State coursework come together within a single project.”

Dauk enrolled in the Adams State program in the fall of 2017 and will complete her degree in the spring of 2019. “I have very much enjoyed the flexibility of the program. It is not easy to complete a master’s degree while also teaching full time, but the online program that Adams State provides makes it possible.”

While in Houston, the students and teachers from Mankato visited the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility as astronauts showcased their training.Emily Dauk

I wanted to share my experience with you because I feel as though this program tremendously transformed me as a teacher. From the first class to the recent completion of the African-American Civil Rights Course, this school has provided me with such a great foundation in curriculum and significantly expanded the instructional strategies and tools that have been beneficial in my classroom. During my time at Adams State, I’ve received a tremendous amount of support and greatly benefited from the feedback and instruction from professors and other students within the program. Finally, this program greatly impacted my confidence and gave me a new spark within the field of education. I’ve been more energized and excited about speaking up to my administrators about school culture and the future of our community as well as more willing to step outside of my comfort zone and apply for promotional opportunities within my school as well as through National Teacher Programs and Fellowships. All in all, I am immensely proud of the education I received through this program and I can’t wait to use the knowledge gained, the confidence built, and the instructional tools taught to challenge my students and my community as well as continue to build a career within the field of education.

Tatiana McKinney