Self-Directed Courses

A Teacher-Friendly Solution

Step 1

Select and register for a course title (from below) that best fits your field of study, subject or topic. You can choose 1-6 credits for each course you register.

Step 2

Complete and submit a Time Log with 15 hours per credit after registering for your course(s).

Step 3

Earn Graduate-Level Semester Credit from University of the Pacific — Benerd College.

Your course. Your timeline. Your way.

Earn up to 6 graduate-level semester units of credit (per course) for development of instructional activities, curriculum, lesson plans, or any other unique personalized projects for your classroom or program. This professional development self-directed course option will encourage you to earn credit for personalized coursework goals and objectives that enhance your professional growth. The coursework is meant to be meaningful, convenient, and practical, so credit can be earned for projects you are currently working on – or even projects you have already completed. You may reference creative ideas inspired by professional research, readings, videos, or any other form of PD resources you value that resonate with you. Regardless of the subject specified for your classroom or program setting – English, Math, Health, Spanish, Science, STEM, Art, Special Education, or any other unique concentration – we have courses to match your field of study. The culminating course objective is to demonstrate how the professional work you choose to create (or have previously created) merges with your professional needs and the needs of your learners. 

Coursework Requirements

The coursework can be tailored specifically to your goals and educational setting. Although suggestions are provided on what type of coursework (learning activities and projects) you may complete, the actual experiences, work you develop and implement, and content you encounter are driven by you. Now is the time for you to select a topic of interest, possibly an area of concern, one that needs improvement, or perhaps a new approach that you have not been able to study or implement.

 

Suggested activities and projects to help you earn credit:

Development or revision of classroom curriculum, rubrics, lesson plans, educational games, learning activities, PowerPoint presentations, video presentations, worksheets, educational websites, classroom visuals, classroom assignments and projects, bulletin boards, learning centers, anchor charts, assessments, teacher-created books, physical education activities, self-evaluation/reflection reports, technology-related activities, storytelling activities, units of study, STEM-related projects, Common Core Standards, mindfulness strategies, etc.

 

Designed for busy teachers like you, you will get up to 6 months to complete your coursework requirements, and extensions are always granted if needed. The projects you choose to develop will ultimately demonstrate the application of time you invest in professional development experiences, such as research, videos, readings, etc. An additional expectation is that you keep a time log that documents the time spent for this course. The specific requirements concerning your chosen projects and the time log are dependent what resonates most with you and how many credits you take per course. 

 

Overview of Requirements

1. Define your course objective(s): When registering you will be required to provide a short description of the prospective activities and/or projects that you plan to create and implement. You may always modify, change, adapt or incorporate new ideas throughout the entire course duration.

 

2. Develop a self-created time log: Create a log to document the effort and time that you dedicate to the process of completing your coursework requirements. You can also document hours for activities and projects that you have created previously by back tracking the date in your log. Your log must be specific and include dates, times and accomplishments as proof of completed objectives. For each graduate-level credit, you will document 15 hours of academic involvement. 

 

Whether you spend time brainstorming, researching, reading, typing, writing, watching educational videos and films for ideas, constructing visuals, or putting together new curriculum & rubrics, you are able to document all the professional time you have invested in amplifying and enriching your professional needs.

 

3. Provide proof of completed objectives: When all your goals are finally met, you will submit proof of completed objectives (activities & projects) and your self-created time log.

 

*Additional course guidelines, formatting requirements, and information will be provided upon course enrollment.

About the Credits & Pacific

The credits offered are post-baccalaureate, graded, graduate-level semester units of credit, provided directly through University of the Pacific, Benerd College. They are specifically designed to meet the needs of educators for Salary Advancement and Recertification.  The credits/units are acceptable where local districts approve and applicable to state licensing where authorized. We always encourage that you check with your employer for acceptability of these credits/units. Course participants are responsible to determine acceptability of these credits for their intended use. Each graduate-level semester credit is equivalent to 15 hours of academic involvement. 

 

University of the Pacific, established in 1851, is California’s oldest private chartered university and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Grades & Transcripts

Completed courses are letter graded and will appear on an official transcript from University of the Pacific–Benerd College. An Official Transcript with your final course grade(s) is available from Pacific upon successful completion of coursework. The course ending date that will appear on your transcript will reflect the date on which your completed coursework was reviewed and graded.

Please Note: Generic and Subject-Specific Course Titles are available when registering for this course option. The choice is yours. You choose which course title and how many graduate-level semester credits you would like to earn. Enrollment is open year round and you may register for multiple courses at checkout.

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