ESCAPE Online Program
ESCAPE — the Equitable Science Curriculum integrating Arts in Public Education–is a UC Irvine online professional development course funded by the National Science Foundation. The program is designed to be especially powerful in helping teachers address the challenges of teaching science content-specific vocabulary to English Language Learners through multi-modal methods, including hands-on inquiry-based learning, movement/dance, and visual art. As a participant you will:
- Learn to teach engaging, NGSS-aligned, integrated science inquiry and arts-based lessons in Earth, Life, or Physical Science
- Obtain powerful tools for teaching content-specific vocabulary and reversing scientific misconceptions
- Join a growing online community of teachers working together to implement arts/science integration
- Participate in educational research funded by NSF to make impactful changes in elementary education
Program Details
The program features a 40 hour (4 unit) online STEAM professional development course focused on teaching Science through Inquiry and the Arts and 6 corresponding NGSS-aligned lesson plans per grade level — all designed by experts in Arts and Science Education. Teachers may also opt to participate in a 20-hour (2 unit) follow-up “Lesson Implementation Course,” which facilitates classroom implementation of the ESCAPE Curriculum (subject to IRB approval, if required for student-level data collection).
Program Benefits
To compensate teachers for this work, ESCAPE provides teachers with a choice between a monetary stipend OR units of course credit in addition to a Certificate in Teaching Science through the Arts issued from the UCI Department of Continuing Education. Teachers will earn $1000 or 4 units of credit for successful completion of the “ESCAPE Professional Development Online Course.” Teachers who successfully complete the follow-up “Lesson Implementation Course,” and implement the ESCAPE curriculum in their classrooms will be compensated with an additional $500 or 2 units of credit.
The ESCAPE Online Course is hosted by UC Irvine’s Department of Continuing Education (DCE) and utilizes a combination of high-quality video and state of the art instructional design technology to train teachers in both inquiry and arts-based science teaching methods.
Teachers accepted into the ESCAPE online program are required to satisfactorily complete the ESCAPE Online Courses and all related research requirements. Please click to read more about the district, school, teacher, and student-level program requirements.
The ESCAPE Team has compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions. You can review them by clicking the link below. You may also email questions directly to escapeprogram@uci.edu.
Features of ESCAPE Online
High Quality Video
High-quality video allows teachers to see inquiry and arts-based teaching strategies in action which can help boost teacher confidence in their own implementation.
Comprehensive Training
The ESCAPE Online Course provides teachers with the opportunity to experience the ESCAPE curriculum and also breaks down how to implement each strategy used in the curriculum.
Ongoing Support
ESCAPE Instructors will be with you all the way, providing ongoing support and feedback. The Online Course provides many different ways to connect and our instructors are dedicated to answering all of your questions!
Community
By participating in the ESCAPE program, you will be joining a community of teachers invested in exploring new and innovative ways to teach science! Assignments built into the course connect teachers together in discussions so you always feel connected.