E-Mail this Page | Print this Page

Education

Qualified Faculty

Professional education faculty members at the institution have earned terminal degrees and school-based expertise that qualify them for their academic assignments. School-based faculty members (i.e., Cooperating Teachers) are licensed and/or State certified in the fields that they teach and/or supervise, but often do not hold a terminal degree. Unit (clinical) faculty from higher education have contemporary professional experience in school settings at the levels that they teach and/or supervise. Unit/clinical faculty (education department faculty and endorsement/content area faculty) possess the academic credentials for assigned academics areas. Of the 11 full-time faculty in the Education Unit, five (45%) hold doctorate degrees. Of the 11 professional Education Unit faculty with full-time appointments in other departments, five (45%) hold terminal degrees. When compared to the 93 full-time faculty employed by Chadron State College, 56 (60%) hold doctorates.

Professional education faculty without doctorates hold master’s degrees and have extensive experience in PK-12 schools that qualify them for their roles as teacher educators. In addition, these faculty members are enrolled in graduate programs leading to the pursuit of a terminal/doctoral degree. All faculty who teach in advanced programs have earned doctoral degrees. All faculty who teach unit methods courses have completed a teacher education program, hold a state teaching certificate, and have P-12 school teaching experience. In total, 22 CSC education faculty members have experience in P-12 schools as teachers, administrators, school psychologists, media specialists, and/or school counselors. Table 5.1 shows rank and degree of the professional education faculty and faculty in other communities, colleges or schools who teach education candidates. In addition, faculty demonstrate expertise in education by the quality of work conducted in P-12 schools, locally and in districts in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Vitae document faculty spending sabbaticals teaching in schools (e.g., Chadron, Alliance, Scottsbluff, Ogallala, Gordon Nebraska, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Rapid City South Dakota, Douglas, Torrington, Wyoming). Education faculty duties include observing student teachers and providing professional development workshops with P-12 teachers.

All Cooperating Teachers are highly qualified; they hold at least a bachelor’s degree, are required to have a minimum of three years teaching experience, and are State certified/licensed and endorsed in the areas in which they teach and supervise. Chadron State College faculty who serve as field experience supervisors hold at least a master’s degree, are State certified/licensed and endorsed in the areas in which they supervise candidates, and have expertise in the area for which they are supervising. All Cooperating Teachers and College Supervisors have PK-12 teaching experience.

In addition to their experience, both Chadron State College and P-12 school faculty receive supervisor/mentor training. Intern supervision procedures are identified in Table 5.2. Supervisor’s must have preparation, knowledge, and experience for the area in which they supervise candidates. The limited space in this report prevents us from citing specific details however, evidence in the form of faculty vitae is provided in the Documents Center.

Faculty assigned to supervise field-based and clinical experiences are appropriately qualified by training and experience. They have demonstrated competence through independent and Unit activities orienting them to their supervisory responsibilities and related tasks. Also, they have had comparable professional experiences in educational settings in which the supervision takes place. Teacher Intern supervision is a valuable tool for keeping Unit faculty current in educational practice. Supervisory duties bring faculty out into the "field" where they witness and participate in elementary, middle, and secondary level teaching and learning. Moreover, through their years of experience and involvement in public and higher education, a current and relevant knowledge base has been crafted.

Information provided on the Education Faculty Vitae verifies faculty degrees, major/minor disciplines, and areas of specialization. This information is provided in Tables 5.3, 5.4, and 5.5. Faculty assignments are consistent with their formal training and areas of endorsement specialization.