Holocaust Education (PD)

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The purpose of this professional development course is to equip educators with the knowledge, tools, and strategies to teach the Holocaust with historical accuracy, care, and intention. Educators will understand the Holocaust historically while examining the processes that allow exclusion, discrimination, and dehumanization to develop. This course will guide educators through the history of the Holocaust, looking closely at historical context, the rise of Nazi Germany, targeted persecution, genocide, and the aftermath. It will also introduce the Spiral of Injustice as a framework to help students understand how othering, prejudice, and exclusion can escalate into discrimination and violence. 

With guidance on selecting appropriate sources, using testimony and personal stories, and creating thoughtful learning environments, educators will design a standards-aligned Holocaust unit that helps students recognize how othering and exclusion develop, how individuals and communities respond to injustice, and examine how human rights are violated, how people respond to injustice, and how exclusion can develop within societies.

Enrollment, Delivery, and Completion Information

• EDUC 5597: Holocaust Education

• Course Completion: 45 clock hours awarded upon successful completion (graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory)

• Enrollment Type: Open enrollment with self-registration

• Completion Timeframe: Six months from the date of enrollment

• Delivery Format: Fully online

• Purpose: K-12 professional development for recertification/relicensure*

*Always check your state’s relicensure requirements first before registering for a course. 

Recertification and Professional Advancement Statement

Successful completion of this course results in a satisfactory or unsatisfactory completion status. This course provides 45 clock hours of professional development that may be applied toward teacher license renewal or recertification requirements. Learners enroll as non-matriculated students, and course completion is recorded on an Idaho State University transcript.

Depending on state, district, employer, and applicable salary schedule requirements, these clock hours may also be eligible for salary advancement, lane movement, or other forms of professional advancement. Acceptance and application of clock hours toward recertification, salary advancement, or other professional purposes are determined by the relevant state board of education, licensing authority, school district, human resources office, collective bargaining agreement, district policy, or other approving entity. Educators are encouraged to verify eligibility and obtain any required pre-approval before enrolling.

Student Expectations

Learners are expected to complete all activities and engage with the content in good faith. The course includes academically engaging learning through readings, lectures, videos, applied activities, and other instructional materials designed to support professional learning and implementation in educational settings. Successful completion requires meaningful participation in all required course components and learning activities as described below:

• Spend the time necessary to complete all assigned learning materials, activities, and assessments in support of the course learning outcomes

• Demonstrate thoughtful and substantive engagement by applying course knowledge through high-quality, timely work that produces practical strategies, tools, resources, or artifacts ready for use in educational settings

Required Materials and Technology

Students must have regular access to a reliable laptop or desktop computer capable of loading and running standard software.

The computer must support word processing, presentation tools (e.g., PowerPoint), Adobe Acrobat files (PDF), file downloads and uploads,  and viewing videos.

The learning management system supports mobile devices, but mobile access should be considered supplemental only. Mobile devices may limit a student’s ability to complete assignments successfully, particularly those involving file handling, multimedia creation, lesson plan development, or other course activities.

An up-to-date browser on any computer or device is required, along with a reliable internet connection.

General Technology Hardware for Online/Hybrid Courses - ISU Help Desk

No textbook purchase is required for this course.

Learning Outcomes

Include course-level learning outcomes. Outcomes should progress from understanding and analysis to application, design, implementation, or evaluation in professional educational settings.

• Evaluate best practices for teaching the Holocaust and apply the Spiral of Injustice as a framework for examining how othering, prejudice, exclusion, discrimination, and violence can escalate into genocide.

• Synthesize historical context, key events, primary sources, testimony, and personal stories to develop an accurate and nuanced understanding of the Holocaust and its aftermath.

• Formulate standards-aligned essential questions and enduring understandings that guide students in examining the Holocaust, human rights violations, patterns of exclusion, and responses to injustice.

• Design and sequence learning experiences that support students in examining the progression of the Spiral of Injustice while attending to historical accuracy, developmental appropriateness, and thoughtful approaches to difficult content.

• Develop standards-aligned assessments and culminating learning experiences that enable students to demonstrate understanding of Holocaust history, human rights, and individual and community responses to injustice.

• Produce a comprehensive Holocaust unit plan that integrates accurate historical content, carefully selected sources and testimony, the Spiral of Injustice framework, standards-aligned learning experiences and assessments, and strategies for creating a safe and reflective learning environment.

Course Modules

Assignments and Grading

Successful course completion requires participants to complete all required learning activities and achieve a score of at least 80%.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to follow institutional policies on academic honesty. Plagiarism, cheating, or misrepresentation of work undermines learning and will result in appropriate consequences as defined by university policy. If you are unsure whether something is acceptable, ask before submitting work.

Accessibility and Disability Services

The university is committed to providing an accessible learning environment. If you have a documented disability and need accommodations, contact the Disability Services office as early as possible to ensure that reasonable accommodations can be arranged. Students without documentation who believe they may have a disability or learning difference are encouraged to consult Disability Services about evaluation options and campus resources.