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Department Overview

AULA's Education Department is a community of teachers and learners who value making a positive and sustainable difference in our cosmopolitan society. All that we do is designed to help each other thrive and evolve as we learn to educate for social justice and engage transformatively with those aspects of our world that demand change in order to benefit the common good. Our pedagogies are progressive and are characterized by close interactions between students and faculty as well as an intention to nurture the skills and habits of critical and creative reflection. We seek to develop and serve lifelong learners, strong advocates for democracy, and ethical global citizens who seek to live meaningfully and with purpose, especially within the particular set of challenges posed by today’s urban contexts. The department’s holistic atmosphere of shared intellectual and scholarly intent supports and encourages a disposition in all of us toward the integration of high theory and deep practice.

Our department maintains five core learning goals that drive our curriculum:

1. A commitment to system thinking (students should be able to identify and evaluate the interactions and interconnectivity of elements in a system).
2. A commitment to currency (students should be able to identify, investigate, evaluate, and articulate present educational trends/issues in an historical perspective).
3. A commitment to access (students should be able to evaluate theories and generate advocacy for social justice, cultural diversity, progressive leadership, and an equitable and democratic vision of community).
4. A commitment to integration (students should be able to integrate theory and practice to achieve transformative praxis).
5. A commitment to communication (students should be able to articulate their knowledge and understanding of pedagogical concepts through multiple methods and means of communication).

Some of the features that make learning in AULA’s Education Department different than at other institutions include our small classes, robust cohort model, flexible Capstone Project and Learning Assessments (also called Narrative Evaluations) instead of grades.

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Small Classes

Unlike larger Universities, at Antioch University Los Angeles you'll find small, intimate classes where each student has a chance to interact with the faculty and their peers. Classes center on discussion and problem solving.

Other benefits of Antioch University's small class size include:

* A typical Education class consists of 10-20 candidates
* High levels of interaction with faculty and peers are encouraged, creating dialog that leads to a fuller learning experience.
* This models the form of student-centered teaching we expect our candidates to develop.
* Due to small class size, we do not find the need to close classes or put anyone on a wait list.

Cohort Model

The cohort model that Antioch University employs is one of the many things that makes our program unique from other Universities.

* Candidates enter the program as a group and work together in participatory classes.
* Antioch University Los Angeles cohorts are small, intimate groups of usually 6-12 students.
* Your fellow students come from a variety of backgrounds and bring diverse perspectives and insight into the Antioch University experience.
* Students find the engagement and support from their cohort is challenging and fulfilling.
* Cohort members form trusting relationships and a professional network that provides each member with encouragement and lasting support after program completion.

Flexible Capstone Project

Students in the Master of Arts in Education programs conduct flexible Capstone Projects that can take the form of either a traditional thesis, a personalized creative inquiry project, or a non-high stakes comprehensive examination of what has been learned during one’s tenure in the department.

In keeping with Antioch University’s emphasis on social justice and having roots in social change, the Capstone process utilizes reflective inquiry into personal practices to interlink research, action, and evaluation to improve the quality of education. A cornerstone of our Capstone process is its goal to involve the participants of each project in change-oriented action.

As a result, Antioch University’s Masters of Arts in Education programs provide students with the opportunity to integrate theory into their personal and professional practices and, in this way, they allow students to embark on their futures as educational leaders and urban change agents.

Learning Assessments

Antioch University’s use of Learning Assessments (also called narrative evaluations) is an alternative to traditional rigid grading systems.

Learning Assessments for courses and learning activities are written by faculty at the end of each academic quarter. The use of learning assessments enables our faculty to provide students with more meaningful, individualized and comprehensive feedback on their progress. Students remain focused on their accomplishments, strengths and weaknesses, rather than on the external validation of a letter grade. Through learning assessments, students are encouraged to develop their true potential.

Antioch University Los Angeles official transcripts with learning evaluations are recognized and respected within the academic community. If for scholarship, reimbursement or further education purposes you require a letter grade you can request one on a class by class basis directly from your professor.