In SEC 507 (ADVANCED THEORY AND PRACTICE IN SECONDARY EDUCATION), you'll focus on secondary education as you plan, instruct, and assess using best practices. We'll emphasize general secondary methods, curriculum development, inquiry, classroom management, and instructional strategies, along with the selection and design of materials and methods to meet students' cognitive, social, and emotional learning needs. We'll also emphasize planning and instruction for diverse student needs.
Watson College of Education
Email: gilld@uncw.edu
Upon completion of SEC 507, students will be able to:
The full reading list is on the Textbooks page. Additional readings are listed inside each module. The WCE Categories of Professional Dispositions is required reading for all education students.
SEC 507 is an online course, and all of its activities and materials are in the Canvas Learning Management System. All students must have access to a computer and must check the class site in Canvas often. Plan to check the site several times a week, including days when nothing is due. All work is due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. It's your responsibility to access the materials, note the due dates, and ask me questions as soon as possible. You'll submit all work through Canvas, and I'll grade it there. No work will be accepted via email.
It's your responsibility to have electronic equipment in good working order so you can take full part in this course. At a minimum, you must have a working computer with speakers, a microphone, and a webcam. If you don't have personal electronic equipment, you must arrange to use equipment at the university or another location. Lack of access to equipment won't be accepted as a reason for not taking part in the course requirements.
You'll find more details on the Tech Support page.
You'll find the policies for attendance, late work, and other expectations, along with the Watson College and UNCW policies, on the Course Policies page.
Your final grade for the course is based on your percentage of the points across all assignments. I use the following scale to set the letter grade, with no +/- grades and no rounding:
| A | 90.00–100 |
| B | 80.00–89.99 |
| C | 70.00–79.99 |
| F | below 70.00 |
The full assignment list and point values are on the Assignments page.
I want you to do well in the course, so let me know how I can help you. If you have trouble keeping up with assignments, it's up to you to let me know as soon as possible.
Email me at gilld@uncw.edu and put "SEC 507" in the subject line. I try to return emails within 24 hours on weekdays. If you haven't heard back by then, send a follow-up.
Canvas Inbox: I don't use Canvas email, so please write to my UNCW address instead.
For any technical problem or computer help, email TAC (TAC@uncw.edu), contact the UNCW ITSD Computer Help Desk, or visit the Help Desk in person in Randall Library or in Hoggard Hall (Room 131). Technology problems aren't an excuse for late assignments, and I don't provide tech support.
If, for any reason, you need special accommodations to fulfill the class requirements and succeed in this class, email me at gilld@uncw.edu during the first week of the course. Your needs may be related to a physical disability, a learning disability, or missing prerequisite knowledge and skills for the course. If you need special accommodations because of unexpected events in your personal life during the semester, please contact me as soon as possible.
If you need accommodations, you'll find resources through UNCW's Disability Resource Center.
Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional representation of someone else's work as your own. Assignments may be checked through Turnitin.
The full UNCW Academic Honor Code applies in this course. You'll find the course's academic integrity policy on the Course Policies page.
Consider your tone when you record a discussion video or write an email. Your classmates can replay or reread your words out of context, so choose them with care. When you disagree with another person's idea, opinion, or solution, don't attack the person. State your disagreement with the idea, opinion, or solution, and defend your alternative response with logical statements.
The ten Core Rules of Netiquette appear on the Meet Your Instructor page.
I built this course on key components of the Watson College of Education's Conceptual Framework. In this course, I aim to prepare teachers who hold an NCDPI Provisional License to become knowledgeable and proficient education professionals. These professionals see inquiry and reflection as fundamental to effective teaching, and they recognize and use the value of difference to maximize human development.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington, the state's coastal university, is dedicated to learning through the integration of teaching and mentoring with research and service. Our powerful academic experience stimulates creative inquiry, critical thinking, thoughtful expression and responsible citizenship in an array of high-quality programs at the baccalaureate and master's levels, and in our doctoral programs in marine biology and educational leadership. Substantial research activity, combined with our hallmark teaching excellence and moderate size, advances distinctive student involvement in faculty scholarship. We are committed to diversity and inclusion, affordable access, global perspectives, and enriching the quality of life through scholarly community engagement in such areas as health, education, the economy, the environment, marine and coastal issues, and the arts.
The mission of the Watson College of Education is to develop knowledgeable and proficient education professionals dedicated to improving schools and society. We address this mission by:
The full assignment list with due dates is on the Assignments page. Module-by-module reading schedules appear inside each module overview. We set due dates against the official UNCW Fall 2026 academic calendar before the start of each module.