The Westminster School of Education’s Arts Education (AED) Continuing Education Program (part of ArtsConnect) focuses on the progressive pedagogical approach of arts integration, including access, equity, inclusion, and diversified instructional strategies. By sharing carefully crafted arts integration strategies and curriculum with teachers across the globe, local specialists, teachers, and pre-service educators will gain further insight into best practices and increase the quality and quantity of arts education access in their community schools and abroad.

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Courses

Using the arts to enhance learning across the curriculum will be emphasized. Additionally, these courses involve the community through teacher outreach and provide a means for increased awareness in critical consciousness and action.

These courses qualify for lane-change credit in most school districts (approved by your LEA beforehand). Additionally, if you are pursuing any of the following arts-related education endorsements, select courses can be taken to satisfy some requirements (indicated where applicable):

Instruction locations/formats vary and may be located off the Westminster campus.

In this course, participants will learn and practice elementary arts integration methodologies and assessment strategies for all major art forms including music, dance, drama, visual arts, literary arts, and media arts.

If you choose to pursue the Utah State Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement, this course will meet the context, integration, and assessment (category 4) requirement. The endorsement may be attached to a Utah Educator License with an elementary or K–12 special education area of concentration (the endorsement cannot stand alone as a route to licensure). The Utah State Board of Education offers courses that meet the remaining requirements for the endorsement.

Completion of the Utah State Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement (if pursuing) will result in the award of $1,000 through the Utah State Board of Education.

Scholarship opportunity available. Please contact artseducation@westminsteru.edu for more information.

Course ID: AED 01
Cost: $120 for course credit and a $25 materials fee
Credits: 3 CEUs
Next Term: Fall 2023
Dates of Next Course: Sept. 7, Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 30, Dec. 7
Location:DSD North Building (Davis School District) 142 N. Main St., Farmington, UT
Instructor: Rebecca Penerosa

REGISTER FOR AED01

In this course, participants will learn and practice elementary arts methodologies and assessment strategies in either dance, music, visual arts, or drama. As a continuation of AED 01: Arts Integration Methods (although not a required pre-requisite), students will experience a deeper dive into arts-integrated curricular design in their chosen art form. Students will break out into smaller sections to explore appropriate strategies and current best practices for elementary children learning in the arts.

If you choose to pursue the Utah State Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement, this course will meet the basic knowledge and skills (category 3) requirement. The endorsement may be attached to a Utah Educator License with an elementary or K–12 special education area of concentration (the endorsement cannot stand alone as a route to licensure). The Utah State Board of Education offers courses that meet the remaining requirements for the endorsement.

Scholarship opportunity available. Please contact artseducation@westminsteru.edu for more information. 

Course ID: AED 02
Cost: $120 for course credit and a $25 materials fee
Credits: 3 CEUs
Next Term: Spring 2024
Dates of Next Course: Jan. 11, Feb. 8, Feb. 29, March 14, April 11, May 2  
Location: Kaysville Elementary in Davis School District
Instructors: Rebecca Penerosa

REGISTER FOR AED02

The next Arts Connect International opportunity will be coming in Summer 2025. Stay tuned for more information."

Various arts education and arts integration workshops and professional development opportunities are offered throughout the year, through which participants can earn CEUs (Continuing Education Units). Using the arts to enhance learning across the curriculum is emphasized. Participants will experience teaching in an integrative fashion. Opportunities qualify for lane-change credit in most school districts (approved by your LEA beforehand).

Instruction location varies and may be located off the Westminster campus.

Westminster offers the opportunity to receive CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for arts-specific, intensive individual and/or small group study of topics not offered in other AED Continuing Education Program courses. This is an experiential and tutorial-based course. This course can be repeated to study other topics.

Directed studies can be pursued by anyone. In particular, carefully designed directed studies are great for teachers who need to complete continuing education courses to meet requirements for various endorsements. This course can satisfy certain requirements for one or more of the dance, music, visual arts, or drama Utah State Board of Education elementary arts specialist endorsements.

A directed study requires approval from the director of the Arts Education (AED) Continuing Education Program in order to receive the code needed to register for the course.

Course ID: AED 05
Cost: $40 per credit
Credits: 1–4 CEUs
Next Term: Ongoing
Dates of Next Course: Ongoing
Location: Varies by student (virtual and in-person possibilities)
Instructor: Rebecca Penerosa

Register for AED05

In this asynchronous course, candidates for the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement will attend three educator events in the arts that vary from their concentrated art form. Using these events as inspiration, educators will then compose three arts-integrated lesson plans (one per event), implement said plans in their current classroom or teaching setting, and reflect on this experience. They will also have the opportunity to receive student feedback and refine their teaching paradigm accordingly. Throughout this process, they will have the support of their district coaches and the Arts Education team at Westminster college.

Course ID: AED 06
Cost: $80
Credits: 2 CEUs
Next Term: Asynchronous – Rolling Enrollment
Dates of Next Course: 1 calendar year from enrollment to complete
Location: Online
Instructor: Rebecca Penerosa

REGISTER FOR AED06

Orientation to the effective integration of arts instruction into Utah schools. This course is designed to serve as the orientation to the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement. Students in this course will: understand and recognize what is and is not arts integration; understand the powerful impact of arts integration by reviewing the research; learn of the arts learning resources available in the state; and understand how to proceed in pursuing the endorsement.

Course ID: AED 07
Cost: $80
Credits: 2 CEUs
Next Term: Fall 2023
Location: Online
Instructor: Rebecca Penerosa

Register for AEDD07

This course meets the requirement in category 6 of the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement. Participants will explore strategies for implementation, leadership and advocacy of arts integration in the elementary school.

Course ID: AED 08
Cost: $80
Credits: 2 CEUs
Next Term: Spring 2023
Location: Online
Instructor: Rebecca Penerosa

REGISTER FOR AED08

This course meets the second requirement in category 4 of the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement. Participants will attend conferences and/or workshops of their own choosing with themes that support arts education and integration. These workshops will need to total a minimum of four days.

Course ID: AED 09
Cost: $40
Credits: 1 CEU
Next Term: Asynchronous – Rolling Enrollment
Dates of Next Course: 1 calendar year from enrollment to complete
Location: Online
Instructor: Rebecca Penerosa

REGISTER FOR AED09


Scholarship Opportunity

Westminster offers a scholarship opportunity to students taking AED 01 or 02. For more information, contact Rebecca Penerosa (rpenerosa@westminsteru.edu or 801.832.2847).

Explore More

The ArtsConnect initiative offers many arts-integrated professional development and continuing education programming for classroom teachers, arts educators, paraprofessionals, and administrators throughout Utah.

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