1. Course Outline
Educational Assistant Certificate Program
Faculty of Education
UC.EDU.1100 – 3 Credit Hours, 0 Lab Hours
Roles and Responsibilities of the Educational Assistant
Spring Term, 2010-2011
Mondays 6-9 P.M.
Start date: April 20 , 2011 , End date : June 15 , 2011
Instructor: Krystle Robinson
Phone/Voice Mail: (204) 620-2117
Email: krystle@myucn.ca
Calendar Description:
This course is aimed at assisting participants in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes
necessary for the education assistant to perform his or her roles and responsibilities from an
ethical and responsible paradigm as a member of an instructional team.
Course Description:
Roles and Responsibilities of the Education Assistant is an introductory course for the
Educational Assistant Certificate Program. It is aimed at assisting participants in developing the
knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the education assistant to perform his or her roles
and responsibilities from an ethical and responsible paradigm as a member of an instructional
team.
Learning Outcomes:
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2. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Describe what an educational assistant is
2. Compare the difference between an EA’s responsibilities and a teacher’s responsibilities
3. Explain the role of the Educational Assistant within the context of the classroom team
and within the larger context of the school setting
4. Define Inclusion according to Manitoba Education’s Philosophy of Inclusive Education
5. Describe what a team is and who may be involved on a team for a student
6. Explore provincial and local school board policies.
7. Prepare a summary that describes the roles and responsibilities of the Educational
Assistant in a written summary
Prerequisites:
None
Course Restrictions:
This course is formerly Crafting Your Educational Practice: The role of the EA.
Texts/Materials:
Required
Doyle, Mary Beth, PhD. (2009). The Paraprofessional’s Guide to the Inclusive Classroom:
working as a team (3rd e). Brook’s Publishing. ISBN: 978-1-55766-924-7.
Additional
The Manitoba Teacher’s Society. (2007). Teachers and Educational Assistants Roles and
Responsibilities. www.mbteach.org/library/Archives/Handbooks/HB-EAmanual.pdf
Government of Manitoba. (2009). Educational Assistants in Manitoba.
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/ed_assistants/educational_assistants.pdf
Government of Manitoba. (2006). Appropriate Educational Programming in Manitoba:
Standards for Student Services.
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/aep/pdf/Standards_for_Student_Services.pdf
Government of Manitoba. (2004). Working Together: A Handbook for Parents of Children with
Special Needs in School.
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/parent/pdf/workingtogether.pdf
Delivery Method / Use of Learning Technology:
This course is delivered using in class, face-to-face sessions, in combination with Elluminate ,
and Desire2Learn programs online. Students will be required to participate and contribute
towards weekly discussion forums on D2L as well as weekly quizzes. Face-to-face sessions will
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3. include small and large group discussion and activities, and lecture (see “Student Evaluation”
below for more information).
Course Website: N/A
Student Evaluation:
1) Weekly Discussion Forums- 30%
Students will contribute to weekly discussion forums in D2L. Each week a question will
be posted where you will apply your learning by providing a response referencing ideas
from the readings, course material and experience. You will be required to provide a
response within a given period of time, as each forum will have designated times. Each
discussion forum is worth 3.75% of your final grade. Due Each Week (See “Important
Dates” below)
2) Weekly quizzes- 20%
Every week a quiz will be posted. You will NOT be allowed to complete the quiz after
the close date. The quizzes replace a final test at the end of the course. Each quiz will be
based on weekly reading assignments. There will be 5 questions for each quiz and they
will be open book. There will be 8 quizzes in total and they will each be worth 2.5% of
your final grade. The quiz will open on a Wednesday and close on a Tuesday. Each quiz
is timed and you will have 15 minutes to complete it. See quiz schedule below. Due Each
Week.
3) Portfolio Assignment- 50%
A written summary of the educational assistant's duties, expertise and growth within the
school setting. The portfolio can be constructed to include your personal experience (if
you are currently an EA) or based on what you have learnt in the course (*you may also
refer to the “Student-specific competencies document). This assignment is designed to
bring together your understanding of the roles and responsibilities of an educational
assistant through personal reflection and thought. You may use an essay style format or
powerpoint for your summary. Your summary should include the following (You can use
the points below as headings or as a guide to organize your information):
i. Brief statement of the Roles and Responsibilities of the EA -1-2 sentences
ii. Outline the Instructional duties and the Clerical duties separately
iii. Outline the Ethical guidelines (such as confidentiality, relationships with
teacher and acceptance of assigned duties
iv. Personal philosophy for the roles and responsibilities of a EA
v. Assisting with curriculum requirements
vi. Dealing with Behaviorally challenged Children
vii. Working with medically and physically challenged children
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4. viii. Facilitating speech and language development
ix. Establishing effective communication (with students, staff, parents, etc)
x. Concluding statement
**For further information, see the summary example on D2L course site.
DUE: Wed. June 15, 2011
Grade Scale
The Grade Scale applies to all courses offered for credit. The level of a student’s achievement in
each course will be denoted by a letter grade as follows:
Percentage Letter Grade Grade Point Description
90-100 A+ 4.5 Outstanding
80-89 A 4.0 Exceptional
76-79 B+ 3.5 Excellent
70-75 B 3.0 Very Good
66-69 C+ 2.5 Above Average
60-65 C 2.0 Average
50-59 D 1.0 Marginal
0-49 F 0 Failure
The minimum standard for passing a course is D (50%), except as noted below. A 2.0 GPA is
required for graduation from all programs.
Supplemental Exam Availability:
Not available.
Voluntary Withdrawal Date:
A student wishing to withdraw from this course must forward a completed UCN Registration
Revision form to Enrolment Services by the last date for voluntary withdrawal without
academic penalty.
The Voluntary Withdrawal Date for this course is:
Other Important Dates :
1) Weekly Discussion Forums & Weekly Quizzes- Due EACH WEEK. 1 each week following
same schedule as quizzes below. (8 total)
i. Discussion & Quiz 1 April 20 – April 26,2011
ii. Discussion & Quiz 2 April 27 - May 3, 2011
iii. Discussion & Quiz 3 May 4 – May 10, 2011
iv. Discussion & Quiz 4 May 11 – May 17, 2011
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5. v. Discussion & Quiz 5 May 18 – May 24, 2011
vi. Discussion & Quiz 6 May 25 – May 31, 2011
vii. Discussion & Quiz 7 June 1 – June 7, 2011
viii. Discussion & Quiz 8 June 8- June 14, 2011
2) Assignment – Due June 15 , 2011
Course Topics & Course Schedule:
Week 1 April 20 Introductions; Inclusive Education In Class
Changing Roles and Responsibilities
Week 2 April 27 Classroom teams and daily scheduling In Class
The Inclusive Classroom
Week 3 May 2 Effects of paraprofessional proximity In Class
Supporting Individual Students
Week 4 May 9 Individual Education Plans (IEP) In Class
Student-specific competencies in Manitoba
Week 5 May 16 Multi-level curriculum planning and delivery In Class
Individualized Instructional Support
Week 6 May 30 Establishing routines to support learning In Class
Positive behavioral support
Week 7 June 6 Addressing Behavioral problems In Class
Understanding your role in behavior support
Week 8 June 13 Systems of communication In-Class
Confidentiality
**PLEASE NOTE: This course will involve attending in-class sessions and participation in on-line
activities using Elluminate and Desire 2 Learn. As this course is condensed, we will be covering
2 topics each week. For the weeks where there is no class, ( if necessary only ) , you will still be
expected to complete assigned readings and assignments on your own time.
In Class (as noted in the table above) dates:
April 20, 2011
April 27, 2011
May 2, 2011
May 9, 2011
May 16,2011 **There will be NO class on Monday May 25th as it is a holiday**
May 30, 2011 However, Discussion and Quizzes will run as per usual.
June 6, 2011
June 13,2011 **Last Class**
Special Course Activities:
none
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6. Methods for Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition:
Students may request formal recognition, i.e. course credit, of relevant knowledge, skills and
abilities gained through prior work, education and life experience. This process is known as
Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR). To apply for recognition of prior learning, or
to obtain more information about PLAR, please contact the PLAR Facilitator in Enrolment
Services.
The PLAR process for this course is: N/A
Statement of Academic Honesty:
The University College of the North views academic honesty as the basis for the development
and acquisition of knowledge, and encourages all students to pursue their studies in an
honourable and responsible manner. [UCN Academic Policy AC-01-19]
Academic dishonesty is a very serious offence with serious consequences. It is up to each
student to understand what is meant by academic dishonesty.
Academic dishonesty may take many forms, including:
1. Using unauthorized materials in examinations or other evaluations;
2. Plagiarism;
3. Falsifying data or documents;
4. Cheating or helping others cheat in any way;
5. Any other acts which compromise the integrity of the evaluation process.
Because plagiarism is a prevalent form of academic dishonesty, it is necessary that students
have a clear understanding of the term. To plagiarize is to intentionally misrepresent with the
intent to deceive. It will be considered plagiarism to take words or ideas of another person and
pass them off as one’s own, including, but not limited to, essays, compositions, theses, creative
writing, reports, reviews, lab reports, projects, computer programs, experimental data,
drawings, charts, plans, musical compositions, and works of art.
The penalty for academic dishonesty may range from a grade of 0 for the assignment or
occurrence to suspension from the course. Instances of multiple infractions of academic
dishonesty may result in suspension from the University College for a period of twelve months
as of the date of the infraction.
Any decision regarding academic dishonesty may be appealed.
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