Three Dimensional Science and Engineering opens the MAT program's three-course secondary science teaching methods sequence with the phenomena-based pedagogy at the heart of modern science standards.
What D885 covers
The course focuses on developing a comprehensive understanding of science and engineering pedagogical knowledge. As the first of three science teaching methods courses, it provides a robust foundation in integrating disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices in phenomena-based curriculum and instruction.
Candidates delve into planning learning experiences, designing instructional strategies, and utilizing phenomena-based teaching, with reflective practices emphasized throughout. The course is assessed via an integrated performance assessment task.
The D885 performance assessment
Expect an integrated performance assessment requiring you to design phenomena-based science instruction demonstrating all three dimensions plus a reflective component.
Key topics in D885
- Three-dimensional learning (disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, practices)
- Phenomena-based instruction
- Reflective teaching practice
Writing tips for D885
Follow the task instructions and rubric line by line
WGU performance assessments for D885 are graded against a fixed rubric — every rubric line has to be visibly addressed, usually with a labeled heading that mirrors the rubric language. Skipping a rubric point because it seems minor is the single most common reason a competent submission comes back "Not Yet Competent" for revision.
Ground every claim in a specific secondary grade level and science content
MAT Secondary Science Education courses like D885 typically ask you to apply content knowledge and pedagogy to a specific grade level and science topic rather than write about teaching in the abstract. As a post-baccalaureate candidate, connecting your prior professional background to your instructional reasoning strengthens a response further.
Because WGU is self-paced, don't let "no deadline pressure" become no submission
There's no weekly due date forcing progress, which means procrastination costs more at WGU than at a traditional term-based school — a stalled task can quietly eat weeks of a term. Treat your own target date for each D885 assessment as a real deadline.
Stuck on your D885 task?
Our writers know WGU's competency-based format and this course's performance assessment. Get an original, properly cited paper matched to your task instructions.
Why students seek help with D885
MAT candidates sometimes address only one or two of the three required dimensions (often skipping crosscutting concepts) — the rubric typically wants all three genuinely integrated, not just disciplinary content alone.
How GradeEssays helps with D885
Share your phenomenon/topic and rubric, and your writer will build instruction genuinely integrating all three dimensions, plus the reflective analysis component the course requires.
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Share your task instructions and rubric and we match you with a writer who knows this course and WGU's evaluation standards.
Place Your Order View All ServicesPrerequisites and program context
D885 has no listed additional prerequisites.
- Master of Arts in Teaching, Science Education (Secondary Biology)
- Master of Arts in Teaching, Science Education (Secondary Chemistry)
- Master of Arts in Teaching, Science Education (Secondary Earth Science)
- Master of Arts in Teaching, Science Education (Secondary Physics)
Related courses
Frequently asked questions
D885 is the graduate (MAT, post-baccalaureate) version of the same course content that undergraduate teacher-candidates complete as D874. The content and expectations mirror each other closely — the difference is the degree pathway and candidate population, not the classroom content itself.