Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Section 301 Creative Arts Integration in Elementary Education (Online)

ELED 4000-30I

Course: ELED 4000-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: TED
CRN: 10764

Course Description

A creative exploration for prospective elementary teachers who have completed two of the following (ART 3900/MUSC 3900/THEA 3900) to develop an arts enriched curriculum through integration. Designing practical lessons tied to other subjects is paramount to this course. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): EDUC 2100 and (ART 3900 and MUSC 3900) or (ART 3900 and THEA 3900) or (MUSC 3900 and THEA 3900) Prerequisite Min. Grade: C 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Experience and design elementary arts lessons which are integrated with Utah State Core Curriculum in math, science, literacy and social studies on various grade levels.
  2. Discuss rationales for the relevance and importance of arts integration in the elementary classroom.
  3. Present content in challenging, clear, and compelling ways to engage elementary students.
  4. Practice using the  Utah Core Standards to write and plan clear and high quality objectives, assessments, and learning activities.
  5. Engage in reflective practice to continually evaluate individual and group teaching practices to meet the needs of each learner.

Instructor Information

Instructor: Kirsten W Anderson
Office Hours: By appointment
Zoom Office Link  Meeting ID: 392 220 0180
Primary Contact: Email through Canvas Inbox
Secondary Contact: mrsawesomeart@gmail.com

Instructor's Response Time and Feedback

Online classes provide unique challenges for interaction. To find feedback look at this tutorial How do I view assignment comments from my Instructor
It is my goal to:
  • Respond to student messages within 1-3 business days
  • Provide grades and feedback within 5 - 7 days from the due date

Required Texts

No required text. Course reading materials will be provided online.

Course Requirements

Students are required to comport themselves in a professional manner in accordance with university policy. Treat everyone with respect and do your coursework in a timely manner. 

Course Outline


Assignment Outline

Kennedy Center Reading Assignments || 20% of Final Grade


The Kennedy Center has created a collection of arts integration resources for educators. We will use this information like a textbook for this course. Each week for the first six modules you will read from this collection and discuss it online with your peers through a program called Hypothesis.

Classwork ||  20% of Final Grade


Throughout the course you will complete a variety of simple assignments which were designed to replicate the type of learning activities which would take place in a traditional face-to-face classroom setting. In most cases you will read and/or watch course content, then interact with your peers using Hypothesis or Flipgrid which are two online social resources. This type of work also includes student introductions and exploring integrated lessons and resources found online. 

Choice Assignments || 10% of Final Grade


These assignments let you explore ideas from class a little deeper. You will select 4 of these assignments to complete. Please choose the assignments that will give you more practice and experience in course content areas that you feel would benefit you most on your path to becoming a licensed educator.

Major Projects || 40% of Final Grade


You will have three projects which will let you practice different aspects of teaching with arts integration. These projects each include multiple smaller assignments which are spread out across the course.  Each of these projects include a peer review component. This will allow you to experience a wide variety of arts integrated teaching ideas. It will also allow you to engage in reflective practice to continually evaluate teaching practices to meet the needs of each learner.


Critical Thinking Activity:
You will create a video of a quick activity which encourages critical thinking through looking at and talking about works of art. You will also watch and positively comment on the Critical Thinking Activities created by your peers.


Hands-On Project:
You will use online resources to learn a new arts process in dance, music, theatre, or visual art.  Then you will create a short video modeling how to do this process to create an original work of art. Finally you will watch and positively comment on the modeling videos created by your peers.


Integrated Lesson:
You will create one integrated arts lesson. This is the largest project of the course. You will have multiple small assignments which will help you develop and improve your lesson. When the lesson is complete, you will create a video of yourself teaching your lesson, either to a group of children that you have gathered (family, neighbors, etc), or to a group of your peers (family members, neighbors, friends, etc.)

Course Final || 10% of Final Grade


Your course final is a project instead of a test. This project will allow you to practice quickly developing rich arts integrated lessons and reflect on your learning from the course.

Grading Policy


Grading Policy
SCORING: A few assignments will be assessed as complete/incomplete but most assignments will be assessed on the following 5 point scale:

5 Point Scoring Rubric
5 POINTS:  A MODEL Product | All of the requirements are evident and exceeded.The product is very neatly done and extremely well organizedThe product is complete, detailed, and analyticalCompleted on time
4 POINTS:  What Is EXPECTED | All of the requirements are evident and met.The product is very neatly done and well organizedThe product is complete and detailed
3 POINTS:  ALMOST What Is EXPECTED | Almost all requirements are evident (maybe 1 or 2 are missing)The product is neatly done and organizedThe product is complete but may lack detail
2 POINTS:  SORT of What Is EXPECTED | Most requirements are evident (maybe 3 or 4 are missing)The product is done and sort of organizedThe product is incomplete but attempts at completion are clear
1 POINT:  NOT what is expected | Many of the requirements are NOT PRESENTThe product is very poorly done and/or poorly organizedThe product is incomplete
0 POINTS:  Does NOT Meet Standards | Cannot be scored or no product

FINAL GRADE/UNGRADING: 
In the Course Final you will reflect on your completed work. If you complete all of the required assignments as outlined in the table above (scored assignments must earn a 4 or 5), then you are allowed to choose your final grade in this class. 

If you do not complete all of the required assignments then you will receive the grade that you earn in Canvas according to the Assignment Outline.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
If you wish to use ChatGPT (or other similar tools that generate text) for any part of a graded assignment (from idea generation to text creation to text editing), you must first ask for permission and explain how you plan to use the tool. In addition, you must properly cite ChatGPT. Failure to cite ChatGPT is considered a violation of the plagiarism standard of the SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2).
Violations could result in failure of the assignment or failure of the course.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

LATE POLICY All assignment descriptions and due dates are listed in Canvas. If you submit work by the due date and receive a score lower than a 4, you may revise and resubmit it. All revisions must be submitted before the last week of class. If you submit work after the due date, you may not resubmit it and you might not receive written feedback.

Attendance Policy

You will be required to complete the commenced attendance assignment at the beginning of the course. Since this is an online course, your submission of assignments is counted as your attendance in the course. If you do not turn in assignments for an extended period of time, I will first reach out to you through canvas email, then if the problem persists, your name will be reported to the counseling service. If you do not turn in work at all by the end of the term, you will receive a UW (unofficial withdrawal). This means that you did not withdrawal at the correct time and it will be counted the same as an "F" on your transcript. If you are not going to complete course work, please withdrawal at the correct time to avoid this fate or do your course work. Please do not wait until the last minute to do your work. 

Course Fees

There are no additional course fees, however you will be required to provide your own supplies for the various choice assignments and projects. The cost will vary depending on what projects you choose and the materials required for each. Please consider borrowing items from a friend, family member, or other source whenever possible and you may want to be resourceful and look for alternative materials (if possible) to keep costs down. If you have a question about alternative materials, please do not hesitate to ask via the canvas email system. 

PAES Standards


PAES Standards
The following Utah Teacher Candidate Performance Assessment and Evaluation System (PAES) Standards are assessed in this class.
4.1 Bases instruction on accurate content knowledge using multiple representations of concepts
6.2 Integrates cross- disciplinary skills into instruction to purposefully engage learners in applying content knowledge
7.2 Provides multiple opportunities for students to develop higher-order and meta- cognitive skills
8.1 Adapts and improves practice based on reflection and new learning



ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.