About the Department
A leader in teacher education for UNI
Six undergraduate and graduate programs. Twenty-three faculty who are teachers, scholars and mentors. As a department, C&I leads the university, serving as home to the largest department based on enrollment at UNI, and the largest individual degree program: elementary education.
Though teacher preparation has been part of UNI since its founding in 1876, this department was formally introduced in 1970 after colleges formed with the institution’s elevation to university status.
Degrees earned through C&I prepare you to develop and teach the curriculum taught for early childhood, elementary and middle level schools. You will gain the best methods and practices of teaching — what’s called pedagogy — to manage your future classrooms and ensure you’re creating an inclusive and welcoming environment. Here you will learn both the theory and the practice that helps you excel in future classrooms and roles such as school librarian.
Robin Dada, PhD, has led the Department of Curriculum & Instruction since 2018. She previously served as the College of Education dean at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. She holds a PhD from the University of Oregon.
We’re proud that we nurture, guide and prepare the next generation of Panther early childhood, elementary education and middle level educators. We welcome your exploration!
What C&I Offers You
- A focus on methods and practices of teaching to meet the diverse needs of all learners in inclusive classrooms
- Experience teaching a range of children and adolescents hands-on in methods courses
- Added flexibility and marketability with dual majors
- Faculty with diverse areas of expertise that inform your education and strengthen your own professional development
- A thriving literacy education program that offers UNI's most popular teacher education minor as well as a master's degree
- Growth as professional educators through flexible, accessible distance education programs like school library studies