Course Syllabus
Below is a syllabus template that includes WSU's required syllabus elements. Please complete all items highlighted in yellow.
Title of Course [College and Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities]
Prefix and Number [Spec Ed 533]
Semester and Year [tbd]
Number of Credit Hours [3]
Prerequisites [Spec Ed 503]
Course Details
Day and Time: [tbd]
Meeting Location: [tbd]
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor Name: [tbd]
Instructor Contact Information: [office location, phone, email] [tbd]
Instructor Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
TA Name: [tbd]
TA Contact Information: [office location, phone, email]: [tbd]
TA Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
Course Description
[SPEC ED 533 advances student knowledge about effective transition planning and activities for transition age youth introduced in SPEC ED 503 by focusing specifically on college and postsecondary education options for students with disabilities. Major topics include major college and career readiness frameworks to support the postsecondary education success of transition-age youth with disabilities (Morningstar et al., 2017), models of postsecondary education participation for youth with disabilities (Grigal et al., 2024), evidence-informed approaches to supporting postsecondary education participation and postsecondary education success of youth with disabilities (Madaus et al., 2020), and enhancing interagency collaboration and family involvement in the postsecondary education process.]
Course Materials
Books: Wehman, P., Taylor, J., Whittenburg, H., & Avellone, L. (2025). Life Beyond the Classroom: Transition Strategies from Middle School Through High School (6th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing. (Cost: $50)
Wehman, P., Avellone, L., Whittenburg, H., & Taylor, J. (2025). Life Beyond the Classroom: Going to Work (6th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing. (Cost: $50)
Other Materials: none
Fees: none
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Course Learning Outcomes (students will be able to:) |
Activities Supporting the Learning Outcomes | Assessment of the Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
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Understand key legislation and policies (e.g., IDEA, HEOA, WIOA, ADA) and their impact on postsecondary education participation for youth with disabilities |
Key legislation and trends in postsecondary education (PSE) participation |
Applied Assignment 1: Policy Analysis; Discussion Board Participation |
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Apply major college and career readiness frameworks to support the postsecondary education success of transition-age youth with diverse support needs |
College and career readiness frameworks; developing self-advocacy skills |
Applied Assignment 3: College & Career Readiness Framework Unit Application; Discussion Board Participation |
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Apply formal and informal interest, knowledge, and skill assessments to guide individualized postsecondary education planning |
Transition assessments for PSE and training |
Applied Assignment 2: Transition Assessment & Student Postsecondary Education Profile; Discussion Board Participation |
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Understand different PSE options (community colleges, 4-year colleges/universities, comprehensive transition programs, inclusive programs, CTE) to support youth with disabilities in identifying best-fit pathways |
Four-year colleges & universities; CTP/inclusive PSE; community colleges & CTE |
Applied Assignment 4: Postsecondary Options & Resource Guide; Discussion Board Participation |
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Design and implement strategies to facilitate PSE participation, including exploration, navigating application processes, and developing self-advocacy skills (e.g., disability disclosure, accommodations) |
Transition planning for PSE; strategies for PSE participation; developing self-advocacy skills |
Applied Assignment 3: College & Career Readiness Framework Unit Application; Discussion Board Participation |
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Identify and apply effective academic supports, cognitive supports, assistive technology, and accommodations to promote success in PSE |
Supports to facilitate PSE success (academic & cognitive supports, AT, accommodations) |
Applied Assignment 5: Academic & Cognitive Support Implementation Plan; Discussion Board Participation |
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Integrate family engagement and cross-agency coordination into PSE transition planning and service delivery |
Interagency coordination; collaborating with families |
Applied Assignment 4: Postsecondary Options & Resource Guide; Discussion Board Participation |
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Critically evaluate empirical research on PSE programs and outcomes for youth with disabilities and design applied projects that translate findings into practice |
Research-to-practice in PSE for youth with disabilities |
Applied Assignment 6: Research-to-Practice Translation Project; Discussion Board Participation |
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Dates |
Lesson Topic |
Assignment |
Assessment |
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Week 1 |
Course introduction and syllabus review |
Discussion Board |
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Week 2 |
Key legislation and trends in PSE participation |
Going to Work, Ch. 1; Whittenburg et al., 2020 |
Discussion Board |
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Week 3 |
College and career readiness frameworks |
Monahan et al., 2020; Morningstar et al., 2017 |
Applied Assignment 1: Policy Analysis + Discussion Board |
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Week 4 |
Transition assessments for postsecondary education and training |
Rowe et al., 2015; Transition Tennessee website |
Applied Assignment 2: Transition Assessment & Student Postsecondary Education Profile + Discussion Board |
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Week 5 |
Transition planning for postsecondary education and training |
Gothberg et al., 2015; Lombardi et al., 2017 |
Discussion Board |
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Week 6 |
Strategies to facilitate postsecondary education participation |
NTACT:C website; Scheef et al., 2023 |
Discussion Board |
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Week 7 |
Developing self-advocacy skills |
Going to Work, Ch. 3; DREAM website |
Applied Assignment 3: College & Career Readiness Framework Unit Application + Discussion Board |
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Week 8 |
Interagency coordination, collaborating with families |
Going to Work, Ch. 2; Zeng et al., 2022 |
Discussion Board |
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Week 9 |
Four-year colleges and universities |
Going to Work, Ch. 4; National Center for College Students with Disabilities website |
Discussion Board |
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Week 10 |
Comprehensive transition programs, inclusive postsecondary education programs |
Grigal et al., 2024; Grigal et al., 2025; McMahon et al., 2021 |
Applied Assignment 4: Postsecondary Options & Resource Guide + Discussion Board |
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Week 11 |
Community colleges |
Going to Work, Ch. 5; Madaus et al., 2021 |
Discussion Board |
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Week 12 |
Career and technical education |
Harvey et al., 2020; Taylor et al, 2025 |
Discussion Board |
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Week 13 |
Supports to facilitate postsecondary education success |
Madaus et al., 2020; Rogers-Shaw et al., 2023 |
Applied Assignment 5: Academic & Cognitive Support Implementation Plan + Discussion Board |
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Week 14 |
Research to practice - postsecondary education for youth with disabilities |
Mazzotti et al., 2021; Rowe et al., 2021 |
Final Discussion Board |
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Week 15 |
Course Wrap-Up |
Applied Assignment 6: Final Research-to-Practice Project (Paper + Practical Tool) |
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Not really about PSE
Expectations for Student Effort
[Describe how much time students should expect to invest in the course each week. Graduate courses should state: "For each hour of lecture equivalent, students should expect to have a minimum of two hours of work outside of class." Note that Global campus courses will automatically include credit hour equivalents in the syllabus.] [For each hour of lecture equivalent, students should expect to have a minimum of two hours of work outside class. I expect all students to (a) participate actively in class discussions, (b) read all assigned readings, and (c) turn in assignments on time. While this is an an online course, Students should make all reasonable efforts to stay current with readings, instructional activities, and assignments. However, in the event a student is unable to keep up with assigned work, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor as soon as possible, explain the reason for the delay (and provide documentation, if appropriate), and make up work missed within a reasonable amount of time, as allowed by the instructor.]
Grading [add more lines if necessary]
| Type of Assignment (tests, papers, etc) | Points | Percent of Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|
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Policy Analysis (10%) Research major legislation (i.e., IDEA, ADA, HEOA, WIOA) that impact postsecondary education preparation, acess, and participation for youth with disabilities. Create an infographic that describes each of the key components of each law that affect postsecondary education for youth with disabilities; the infographic should be tailored to a non-academic audience (e.g., legislators, families, school boards). Next, write a 3-4 academic paper that describes the key components and compares and contrasts the major provisions of each law, as related to postsecondary education of youth with disabilities.
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10 |
10% |
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Transition Assessment & Student Postsecondary Education Profile (10%) Using the formal and informal transition/interest assessment results from the provided student case study, create a postsecondary education profile that matches the student’s strengths, needs, interests, and goals to different postsecondary education options (community college, 4-year, inclusive PSE, CTE, etc.). Write a 3-4 page student profile that integrates assessment data and provides recommendations for different postsecondary pathways.
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10 |
10% |
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College & Career Readiness Framework Unit Application (10%) Choose a college and career readiness framework and design an instructional unit for transition-age students with diverse support needs. The unit should include lessons on postsecondary exploration, navigating applications, and building self-advocacy skills (e.g., disability disclosure, requesting accommodations). The unit plan (8–10 pages) should include learning objectives, activities, and assessment measures.
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10 |
10% |
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Postsecondary Options & Resource Guide (10%) Develop a regionally-specific guide to postsecondary education options and supports (colleges/universities, comprehensive transition programs, inclusive postsecondary education programs, community colleges, CTE programs, disability resource centers, VR and adult agency supports). Create a professional, family-friendly resource guide (6-8 pages or digital format) with annotated listings and contact information.
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10 |
10% |
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Academic & Cognitive Support Implementation Plan Plan (10%) Select one postsecondary context (e.g., first-year college writing, online coursework, CTE lab class). Identify likely barriers for students with disabilities in that context, and design a support plan integrating academic supports, cognitive supports, assistive technology, and accommodations. Write a 3-4 page implementation plan, citing evidence-informed practices in the strategies/approaches you choose.
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10 |
10% |
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Research-to-Practice Translation Project (20%) Conduct a critical review of 5–7 empirical articles on postsecondary education programs/outcomes for youth with disabilities. Then design a practical tool (e.g., professional development workshop, family workshop module, or practitioner resource) that translates findings into practice, with explicit attention to family engagement and/or cross-agency coordination.
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20 |
20% |
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Discussion Board Participation (20%) Students will engage in weekly online discussions related to course topics and readings. These discussions are specifically designed to encourage professional collaboration, collegiality, and expanded learning related to critical course topics. Weekly discussion formats will include original written reflections (approx. 250 words) short (2-3 minute) video responses, or audio recordings, and discussion groupings will include pairs, small groups, and whole group. Decisions about formats and groupings will be decided by the instructor based on that week’s topic. Quality, depth of analysis, and application of readings will be emphasized.
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20 |
20% |
| Grade | Percent | Grade | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |
100.00-93.00% |
C | 76.99-73.00% |
| A- | 92.99-90.00% | C- | 72.99-70.00% |
| B+ | 89.99-87.00% | D+ | 69.99-67.00% |
| B | 86.99-83.00% | D | 66.99-60.00% |
| B- | 82.99-80.00% | F | 59.99% or below |
| C+ | 79.99-77.00% |
[Provide information about how grades will be rounded (eg, if 89% earns a B+ and 90% earns an A-, what grade is given to a student with an 89.5?]
Attendance and Make-Up Policy
[Provide details on how attendance affects final course grades. Indicate whether and how missed exams, laboratory sessions, etc. can be made up. Sample attendance statement: “Students should make all reasonable efforts to attend all class meetings. However, in the event a student is unable to attend a class, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor as soon as possible, explain the reason for the absence (and provide documentation, if appropriate), and make up class work missed within a reasonable amount of time, if allowed. Missing class meetings may result in reducing the overall grade in the class.” ] [Attendance and engagement will be assessed through weekly activities and discussion board engagement as well as applied assignments. Students who are unable to attend class and complete weekly course requirements may request short-term extensions on deadlines for assignments and weekly activities in advance, but late work without a prior extension will be penalized. ]
Academic Integrity Statement
You are responsible for reading WSU's Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law. If you cheat in your work in this class you will:
-Fail the assignment
-Be reported to the Center for Community Standards
-Have the right to appeal my decision
-Not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished
If you have any questions about what you can and cannot do in this course, ask me.
If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 calendar days of the decision.