PSYC 250 | Human Growth and Development (3 credit hours)
This course focuses on the physical, cognitive, social and emotional aspects of growth from birth through old age. In addition, factors thought to influence this growth are also examined.
General Studies Outcome: Perspectives on Values, Thought, & Aesthetics

EDUC 208 | Foundation and Principles of Teacher Education (2 credit hours)
This course provides an overview of the nature of the teaching profession, including the purpose, history, philosophy, organization, curriculum alignment and standards in American public school education.  Professional dispositions, reflective practice and critical thinking skills will be emphasized.
Corequisite Required:  EDUC 209, Sophomore standing

EDUC 209 | Teacher Education Orientation & Practicum (1 credit hours)
This course will specifically introduce PSC teacher education candidates to the School of Education's conceptual framework and program standards, teacher education program checkpoints, electronic candidate portfolio requirements and implementation, successful completion of a 20 hour practicum, and successful completion of a faculty panel interview.
Corequisite Required:  EDUC 208, Sophomore standing

EDUC 255 | Differentiated Instruction for Diverse Learners (3 credit hours)
This course focuses on the conceptual, theoretical and philosophical issues surrounding diversity in educational settings and how to successfully implement differentiation of instruction to offer all types of learners with opportunities for engagement in their learning environments. The course also explores notions of equity that will provide candidates with the information they need to create learning environments that are free of bias and provide a differentiated approach to education for all students. Teacher education candidates will adopt a philosophical position and design and implement effective teaching strategies that reflect ethnic and cultural diversity through differentiation.
Prerequisite Required:  EDUC 209 or
Corequisite Required:  EDUC 209

EDUC 300 | Managing the Learning Environment for Effective Teaching (3 credit hours)
This course is intended to provide teacher education candidates the opportunity to explore, discuss, and reflect upon the relationships between managing the learning environment and effective teaching. Research, discussion, and reflection will be focused on current theory and research-based best practices for managing the learning environment in order to effectively meet the needs of all learners. Development of lesson planning approaches, as well as development of individual management styles and plans for their classrooms, will be emphasized in order to assist teacher candidates in enhancing their knowledge and skills related to managing the learning environment for effective teaching.
Prerequisite Required:  Admission to Teacher Education

EDUC 315 | Educational Technology (3 credit hours)
This course will focus on understanding and harnessing the power of digital media for teaching and learning. Students will learn to use that power to transform traditional teacher-centered classrooms into student-focused learning environments where P-12 students use digital media tools for the acquisition, analysis, construction, and presentation of knowledge. Hands-on experience will help pre-service teachers broaden their use of digital media tools and techniques, and they will learn rationales and strategies for developing 21st century literacies.
Prerequisite Required:  Admission to Teacher Education
General Studies Outcome: Technology & Its Application

EDUC 317 | Assessment for Student Learning (3 credit hours)
This course emphasizes the awareness of the role of the teacher in assessment and his/her impact on student learning via procedures and practices that utilize assessment results to inform instruction. Test construction, analysis of teacher-made tests, and analysis of assessment results will be emphasized along with grading and reporting of student progress for the purposes of addressing "assessment of learning" and "assessment for learning" for a diverse student population. Key pre-service assessment skills, as delineated by the Nebraska Department of Education, will also provide direction in terms of preparation of pre-service teacher candidates for both the Nebraska State Assessment System, as well as any additional federal government expectations concerning assessment.
Prerequisite Required:  Admission to Teacher Education

EDUC 400 | Professional and Collaborative Practices (3 credit hours)
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the professional practices associated with teaching today. It is an interdisciplinary approach (incorporating the current political, economic, legal, social, and cultural aspects in education today) designed to provide pre-service teachers with a clear understanding of the teaching profession and the practices, issues, and controversies confronting American education today. Resume writing, interview skills, and an electronic portfolio will be completed during this course to prepare candidates for potential career opportunities. The course will provide novice educators with a broad understanding of how the relationships between students, parents, and community impact the overall educational experience for students. The primary focus is to prepare reflective teachers who will be able to make informed decisions to improve and enhance the learning environment for children.
Prerequisite Required:  Admission to Teacher Education

EDUC 411 | Secondary Student Teaching (3 credit hours)
This is a practical application of learning principles in the classroom with a progressive introduction into full teaching responsibilities at the secondary level. Students teach full-time for four to sixteen weeks.

EDUC 420 | Student Teaching Seminar (1 credit hours)
This seminar will provide student teachers with mentorship during the student teaching semester. Workshops for portfolio development and completion of the Instructional Analysis Project will be included, as well as, the activities that were a part of student teaching call backs (mock interview, certification paperwork, preparation for the job search, etc.).
Prerequisite Required:  Admission to Teacher Education

SPED 200 | Introduction to Special Education (3 credit hours)                                                                                                       This course is designed to provide a historical, political and sociological survey of the areas of exceptionality in the field of special education. The course will identify significant changes which have occurred in the education of exceptional populations and provide an introductory experience concerning the various disability groupings.
Prerequisite Required:  EDUC 209 or
Corequisite Required:  EDUC 209

EDUC 309 | Secondary Practicum (2 credit hours)
This course is designed to provide secondary education majors with an opportunity to observe the specific methods being studied in the Secondary Methods course and to begin to practice these methods. The practicum requires a minimum of 80 hours of field experience.
Prerequisite Required:  Admission to Teacher Education
Corequisite Required:  EDUC 310 or HPER 315

EDUC 310 | Secondary School Teaching Methods (3 credit hours)
This course provides education majors with opportunities to study, discuss, and practice instructional methods specifically for middle and high school students and to examine these school environments.
Prerequisite Required:  Admission to Teacher Education, EDUC 317 (or Corequisite)
Corequisite Required:  EDUC 309 or EDUC 312

EDUC 434 | Content Literacy Across the Curriculum (3 credit hours)
This course is designed to complement the quest for learning at the level presented at Peru State College by preparing teacher candidates to be exemplary professional leaders in the field of education relative to effectively teaching content literacy related to reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and technology in their respective content areas. Collaborative, as well as personal reflection for the purpose of independent critical thought, will be implemented and utilized on multiple theories and best practices in the teaching of content literacy in all content areas to a diverse student population. An emphasis on instructional strategies related to trait-based reading, informational text, process and technical writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and technology as they apply to standards and assessments for improving students' content literacy, will be collaboratively and personally explored, analyzed, and evaluated for the purposes of effective implementation in lesson design. The focus will also include both assessment of learning and assessment for learning, in terms of each of these areas of content literacy.
Prerequisite Required:  Admission to Teacher Education, EDUC 317 (or Corequisite)

STAT 210 | Statistics (3 credit hours)
A study of the methods of summarizing and interpreting data, elementary probability, and its relation to distributions. The meanings, importance, and application of the normal and binomial distributions and the methods of random sampling, testing of hypotheses, analysis of paired data, and interpretation of standardized test scores are covered. Students work on independent research projects to gain first- hand experience with the issues of the course.
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 225 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (5 credit hours)
This course includes the study of analytic geometry, functions, limits, continuity, related rates, differentiation, maxima and minima, higher order derivatives, techniques of graphing, and basic integration theory with application.
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 226 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry II (5 credit hours)
This course includes the study of the differentiation of logarithmic and exponential functions, antiderivatives and the definite integral, integration, inverses and related topics.
Prerequisite Required: MATH 225
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 230 | Foundations of Mathematical Thought (3 credit hours)
This course is an introduction to the theoretical aspects of mathematics. Students will explore axiomatic foundations of sets, functions and logic. Various methods and styles of proofs will be discussed. Students will learn to write proofs of various types using proper mathematical style and proper writing style.
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 306 | Modern Algebra (3 credit hours)
This course is a study of the various algebraic systems arising in modern mathematical computations. Emphasis is placed on the axiomatic approach to algebra and the use of modern technology to work with algebraic concepts. Topics covered will include sets, mappings and operations, relations, groups, rings, domains, development of the real number system and development of the complex number system.
Prerequisite Required: MATH 230
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 327 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry III (3 credit hours)
This course includes the study of further techniques in integration, infinite limits, improper integrals, polar equations, an introduction to vector calculus, and an introduction to multivariable calculus.
Prerequisites Required: MATH 225, MATH 226
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 418 | Linear Algebra (3 credit hours)
This course presents systems of linear equations, determinants, vector spaces, inner product spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors with moderate emphasis on proof. Applications of these concepts are also covered.
Prerequisite Required: MATH 230
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 490 | Seminar in Mathematical Research (1 credit hours)
This course consists of a review of current research trends in mathematics. Each student will review current literature and select and pursue a topic of individual study. Mathematics faculty will mentor and grade the participants in the course. This course is to be taken during the student's last year of study at Peru State College. This course is the capstone course and senior competency for the Mathematics major.
Prerequisite Required: Seniors Only

MATH 114 | Trigonometry (3 credit hours)
This course is intended for students who plan to pursue a college program requiring a strong background in mathematics. The course will build from basic knowledge of algebra and geometry toward a solid understanding of the modern approach to both doing mathematics and applying mathematics, especially in the areas of technology and connections between branches of mathematics. Topics include: the unit circle, trigonometric functions, (definitions, graphs and inverses), right triangles, oblique triangles, trigonometric identities, trigonometric equations, the trigonometric form of complex numbers, vectors, polar coordinates, polar graphs and parametric equations. Applications from many areas of science are included.

MATH 304 | Modern Geometry (3 credit hours)
This course covers the modern approach to geometric concepts with emphasis in both the axiomatic approach to geometry and the use of modern technology to work with geometric concepts. Topics covered will include finite geometries, geometric transformations, synthetic geometry, geometric constructions and non-Euclidean geometries.
Prerequisite Required: MATH 230
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 404 |Mathematical Modeling (3 credit hours)
This course covers a variety of mathematical topics ranging from graphs and networks to linear programming. The emphasis of the course is on modeling process used to set up and solve problems in these topic areas. Strengths and limitations of the mathematical modeling technique will be discussed. Analysis and critique of traditional word problems will also be discussed.
Prerequisite Required: MATH 225
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

MATH 430 | Discrete Structures (3 credit hours)
A study of some of the mathematical concepts useful to the computer boolean algebra, logic circuits, vectors, matrices, determinants, graphs, directed graphs, finite machines, and automata.
Prerequisite Required: MATH 230 and MATH 113 or MATH 120
General Studies Outcome: Collegiate Skills - Effective Communication

STAT 440 | Advanced Statistics (3 credit hours)
This course covers calculus based probability and statistics with applications. It continues the study of methods of summarizing and interpreting data, with special emphasis on non-normally distributed statistics. Topics will include discrete, continuous, multivariate and sampling distributions; moment generating functions; confidence intervals; and hypothesis testing.
Prerequisite Required: STAT 210 (or MATH 340)