Content Knowledge (CK)

Content knowledge about the actual subject matter. Content varies greatly by subject matter and the instructor is the subject matter expert.

Pedagogical Knowledge (PK)

Pedagogical Knowledge is knowledge about the processes and practices or methods of teaching and learning. This is a form of knowledge that is involved in all issues of student learning, classroom management, lesson development and implementation, and student evaluation. It includes knowledge about techniques or methods to be used in the classroom; the nature of the target audience; and strategies for evaluating student understanding. An instructor with pedagogical knowledge understands how students construct knowledge and acquire skills; develop habits of mind and positive dispositions towards learning. The EMC offers professional development opportunities to help instructors to apply pedagogical knowledge to improve teaching and learning.

Technology Knowledge (TK)

Technical Knowledge is knowledge about standard technologies such as books and chalk and blackboard, as well as more advanced technologies such as the Internet and digital video. This involves skills to operate particular technologies. The EMC can help you learn these skills.

Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)*

Technical Content Knowledge is an understanding of the manner in which technology and content influence and constrain one another. Instructors need to master more than the subject matter they teach, they must also have a deep understanding of the manner in which the subject matter can be changed by the application of technology. Instructors need to understand. The EMC can help you understand which specific technologies are best suited for addressing subject-matter learning in their domains and how the content dictates or perhaps even changes the technology—or vice versa.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)*

Pedagogical Content Knowledge considers the relationship between content and pedagogy, the key question is how disciplines differ from each other and whether disciplines can or should be taught through the same instructional strategies. If disciplines are the same, then mathematics can be taught using the same instructional strategies that we use to teach architecture or music. On the other hand, differences between the disciplines would suggest the need to teach them differently. The EMC advocates PCK in which instructors interpret subject matter, find multiple ways to represent it, and adapt instructional materials to alternative conceptions and students’ prior knowledge.

Technical Pedagogical Knowledge (TPC)*

Technological pedagogical knowledge is an understanding of how teaching and learning changes when particular technologies are used. This includes knowing the pedagogical affordances and constraints of a range of technological tools as they relate to disciplinarily and developmentally appropriate pedagogical designs and strategies. The EMC partners with faculty to gain a deeper understanding of the constraints and affordances of technologies and the disciplinary contexts within which they function.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)*

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge is the intersection of all three bodies of knowledge and what we strive toward. Understanding of this knowledge is above and beyond understanding technology, content, or pedagogy in isolation, but rather as an emergent form that understands how these forms of knowledge interact with each other.