Human Development and Quantitative Methodology

College of Education
3304 Benjamin Building
Phone: 301-405-2827
hdqm@umd.edu
http://education.umd.edu/HDQM/

The core mission of the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology (HDQM) is to advance knowledge and practice through teaching and research related to human development and learning, and to quantitative methodologies critical to measurement, statistics, and evaluation in the educational, behavioral, and social sciences.

Our programs offer exciting courses on topics such as how children learn, prosocial behavior and moral development, socio-cultural contexts of development, educational neuroscience, and sophisticated approaches to data analysis.

Human Development

Chair: L. Stapleton (HDQM Chair)

Directors: J. Lee-Kim (Academic Affairs & Asst Clin Prof), L. Trakhman (Outreach & Asst Clin Prof) 

Professors: P. Alexander (Dist Univ Prof), N. Cabrera, N. Fox (Dist Univ Prof), D. Lombardi, M. Killen, K. Mix, G. Ramani, M. Wang

Associate Professors: D. Bolger, L. Butler, R. Prather

Assistant Professor: R. Romeo

Clinical Professor: C. Tirrell-Corbin

Lecturers: O. Walker, S. Varner

Adjunct Lecturers: L. Davis, C. Edmonds, C. Ellis, M. Hurley, A. Schwartz, D. Worthy

Professors Emeriti: K. Dunbar, J. Eliot, C. Flatter, A. Gardner, J. Goering, J. Guthrie, R. Hardy, A. Hatfield, R. Huebner, B. Jones-Harden, E. Klein (Assoc Prof Emerita), S. Porges, K. Rubin, J. Torney-Purta, B. Tyler, K. Wentzel, A. Wigfield

Quantitative Methodology: Measurement and Statistics

Chair: L. Stapleton (HDQM Chair)

Professors: G. Hancock, J. Harring, H. Jiao, L. Stapleton, P. Steiner

Associate Professors: Y. Liu, T. Sweet, J. Yang

Adjunct Associate Professor: K. Alvestad

Adjunct Lecturer: W. Wang

Professors Emeriti: C. Dayton, R. Lissitz, R. Mislevy, W. Schafer (Assoc Prof Emeritus)

Major

Minor

For Advanced Undergraduates

Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation in the College of Education offers a 5th Year M.A. program for undergraduates interested in quantitative methods. The purpose of this program is to allow highly motivated undergraduates the opportunity to develop their skills in quantitative methods. Students complete a B.A. (or B.S.) in their chosen major area along with an M.A. in Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation in just five years. Courses offered by this unit may be found under the following acronym: EDMS.    

Advising is mandatory for all undergraduate students desiring acceptance into the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education Teacher Education Program. Advising is also mandatory for undergraduate students pursuing the Human Development major. For more information or to schedule an advising appointment, contact the Office of Student Services at 301-405-2364 or email ed-advising@umd.edu.

Undergraduate Research Experiences

There are a variety of opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research in Human Development. Faculty's research focuses on a wide number of topics pertaining to human development and learning.

Fieldwork Opportunities

An integral component of the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education program at the University of Maryland is a series of field placements (N=5) of increasing complexity/responsibility that serve to complement university coursework. Field placements contribute to the programmatic mission of preparing knowledgeable, skilled and reflective practitioners who base their practice on theory, research, and pedagogy appropriate for the developing child. Interns observe, interact and teach children ages 0 (6 weeks per child care licensing) to 8 in authentic settings.

The first of these field placements typically occurs in the sophomore year (and occasionally during spring of the freshman year) and is associated with a course entitled EDHD220, Exploring Teaching in Early Childhood/ Early Childhood Special Education. Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education candidates experience a semester-long practicum (one half day per week) with both preschool and school age children.

During fall of the junior year, the practicum is linked to EDSP420 Human Development and Learning in School Settings: Infants-Toddlers. Candidates complete selected observations of infants in child care centers, family childcare centers and community-based institutions that care for infants. These observations are followed by an eight-week placement in a child care setting in which candidates observe and interact with toddlers. The culminating early field placement begins in the spring semester of the junior year. Candidates experience a semester-long placement with three, four or five year olds in a Head Start or pre-kindergarten classroom. The candidates spend six hours per week in the classroom plus a full week of half days.

Internships

The capstone experience for the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education program is a yearlong internship in a public Professional Development School (PDS), which is a Title I school with large populations of students of color, English Language Learners and those who receive free and reduced meals. The internship is divided into two phases, approximately 110 days over the course of two consecutive semesters. For more details, contact the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education program advisor at 301-405-2364.  

Honors Program

The Human Development (HD) Honors program provides an opportunity for undergraduate HD majors to become part of a Community of Scholars in human development through advanced coursework and research in areas related to developmental psychology and educational psychology. Honors students work closely with faculty mentors to gain greater depth and knowledge about research and scholarship in human development that emphasizes the scientific process, communication skills, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Students who have an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5, who have taken at least nine credits in human development that includes EDHD 306, and who have sponsorship from a human development faculty advisor may apply. All human development majors, including double majors in HD are encouraged to apply. Admission to the program is based on whether the applicant has met the eligibility criteria and has demonstrated interest to successfully complete the coursework and thesis requirements for graduation with Honors. Further information on the Human Development Honors program is available at: http://education.umd.edu/human-development-honors-program/.

Scholarships and Financial Assistance

The department offers the Marie Davidson scholarship to two undergraduate EC/ECSE majors each year. The department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education offers the Abbey scholarship to one undergraduate in EC/ECSE each year. In addition, the College of Education offers a number of other scholarships. Please visit http://education.umd.edu/studentinfo/scholarships.html for more information.  

The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) administers all types of federal, state and institutional financial assistance programs and, in cooperation with other university offices, participates in the awarding of scholarships to deserving students. For information, visit: http://financialaid.umd.edu.

Awards and Recognition

Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education majors are eligible for the Ordwein Scholarship, the Abbey Scholarship and the Marie Davidson Award. Information is available in the Office of Student Services, Room 1204 Benjamin.

Academic Programs and Departmental Facilities

The individual laboratories led by faculty in the Human Development Program provide research experience for undergraduate and graduate students on topics ranging from moral reasoning and social relationships to the neuroscience of reading and effective strategies for helping children learn mathematics.

The Center for Young Children provides developmentally appropriate education and care for children aged three through kindergarten. The Center provides research opportunities that involve observing children in their classrooms as part of course requirements in various EDHD undergraduate courses.

The Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention (CECEI) conducts high-quality research on early childhood education and early intervention programs in order to inform state and federal policy, translate research into scalable education programs and best practices, build capacity in schools and communities, and promote family engagement in their children’s education. CECEI offers varied research opportunities for undergraduates. To apply, please submit a cover letter, unofficial transcript, resume, and writing sample to cecei@umd.edu.