What is the Ideal Master's Degree for the Homeschool Parent or Facilitator?
Topic: Leadership in E-Learning
podcast // downloadable mp3 file

You might think that a master's degree in education would be perfect for the homeschool facilitator.

After working with homeschoolers who have graduated and who are taking online college courses, I would have to disagree. It has been my experience that the best students come from environments where the homeschool teacher (or better said, facilitator) has a broad background. This is most often an interdisciplinary degree, and has included study in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

I don't want to imply that the topics and concerns of traditional education degrees are irrelevant. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. I believe that including courses in motivation, curriculum development, assessment, and cognitive psychology allows the facilitator to bring all the courses together and to create the environment that fosters deeper learning.

Here is a list of course areas I believe to be vital for an the interdisciplinary master's degree for the homeschool parent or facilitator:

Master of Arts Degree - General Course Categories / Themes

Foundations of and Topics in Humanities (3 hrs)

Foundations of and Topics in Social Sciences (3 hrs)

Foundations of and Topics in Natural Sciences (3 hrs)

Motivation and Goal-Setting (3 hrs)

Technologies of Creative Learning (3 hrs)

Writing and Research Methods - (3 hrs) - (how to use databases, online libraries; how to evaluate one's sources and information from the Internet; how to write term papers and cite sources correctly)

Philosophy of Curriculum Design (3 hrs): structured courses vs. "unlearning" or "unschooling" (here is an article on unschooling herehttp://elearnqueen.blogspot.com/2006/03/e-learning-in-2016-unschooling.html )

History and Philosophy of Education in the U.S. (3 hrs)

Basic Psychometrics (3 hrs): Structure, Design, and Function of Tests and Assessments

Current Social Problems and Issues (3 hrs)

History of Values: Philosophy, Ethics, or Religious Thought (3 hrs)

Total hours: 33 hours

I would not advocate a thesis. In this case, I believe that it is better to have the student pursue more electives which align with his or her needs. A thesis can be construed as needless torture for both student and mentor(s).

I'm not aware of any schools that offer a program shaped in this way. Excelsior College (Albany, NY)(http://www.excelsior.edu, a regionally accredited distance college, offers a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies and sufficient flexibility to be able to design and take most of the courses listed above. They, however, do require a thesis.