Teacher Education Committee

The Teacher Education Committee is the University-wide committee responsible for overseeing all teacher education programs.  Its specific functions include establishing teacher education policies, reviewing all proposed changes to teacher education curriculum, reviewing proposed teacher education programs, reviewing the professional studies component of the program, approving applicants to the teacher education program, approving applicants for the professional semester, assuring compliance with state and national accreditation standards, and considering other matters related to teacher education (UNCP Faculty Handbook, Section 6-10.C, 10-5.C.1, 10-5.C.2).

 a)      Changes to Teacher Education Program Policy

 All revisions, modifications, deletions, and additions made to Teacher Education Program Policy must receive majority approval by the Teacher Education Committee.  Proposals for changes to policy may be submitted to the Teacher Education Committee by any member of the Teacher Education Committee, a member of the Teacher Education Committee representing a non-member or non-represented group, or by the Teacher Education Policy Subcommittee (see below).  Proposals for change to policy should be distributed for review to the members of the Teacher Education Committee at least one meeting prior to a vote to allow time for sufficient discussion.

 a)      Changes to Teacher Education Program Curriculum

 All revisions, modifications, deletions, and additions made to the Teacher Education Program undergraduate and graduate curriculum must receive majority approval by the Teacher Education Committee.  Proposals for curriculum change typically originate with the respective program area coordinator or the chair of the professional studies subcommittee; however, curriculum proposals may be submitted by any member of the Teacher Education Committee or a member of the Teacher Education Committee representing a non-member or non-represented group.  Proposals for change to curriculum should be distributed for review to the members of the Teacher Education Committee prior to the meeting.  As mandated in the Faculty Handbook, Section 6-10-B.1, proposals presented to the Teacher Education Committee have already secured department level approval.  Undergraduate and graduate curriculum proposals, both minor change and major change, continue through the University committee approval structure (see Appendix B-1 for a graphic overview of the curriculum change process).

 b)      Addition of New Programs

 All new undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs are presented to the Teacher Education Committee for review and approval, following the same procedures outlined in the previous section for changes to curriculum. 

 c)      Changes to Professional Studies Curriculum Component

 All revisions, modifications, deletions, and additions made to the undergraduate and graduate professional studies curriculum component must receive majority approval by the Teacher Education Committee, following the same procedures outlined in the previous section for changes to curriculum. 

 d)      Approval of Applicants to the Teacher Education Program and the Professional Semester

 Students cannot be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program without the approval of the Teacher Education Committee. The Licensure Office prepares the list of applicants who have applied to and satisfied all eligibility requirements for presentation to the Teacher Education Committee.  A majority vote is required.  After formal approval is granted from the Teacher Education Committee, the Licensure Office informs the applicant of the Committee's decision in a formal letter of acceptance or denial.  A similar process occurs when the teacher candidate applies to enroll in the professional semester through the Office of University-School Programs.

a)      Compliance with State and National Accreditation Standards

Teacher education programs are regularly reviewed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The Dean of the School of Education, through the Teacher Education Committee, is responsible for apprising faculty of changes to accreditation standards and for coordinating the self-study process.

 Composition of the Teacher Education Committee

 The Teacher Education Committee is comprised of a faculty member from each of the teacher education program areas and program components, two (2) undergraduate student representatives, one (1) graduate student representative, (3) three representatives from the area schools, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and others as deemed appropriate.  The Dean of the School of Education serves as the chair of the committee.  The Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in consultation with the Dean of the School of Education appoints committee members for one-year academic terms.  Current members are listed in Appendix B-2. 

Structure of the Teacher Education Committee

The Teacher Education Committee is comprised of eight subcommittees appointed for one to two year academic terms by the Dean of the School of Education.  Each committee submits agendas, reports, and minutes to the Dean of the School of Education.  Current members are listed in Appendix B-3.

(1)   TEC Hearing Appeals Board (HAB):  The TEC Hearing Appeals Board is comprised of an undergraduate student representative, a public school representative, and three (3) faculty representatives, one of whom is designated chair of the board.  An alternate chair is also appointed.  The Hearing Appeals Board (HAB) makes the final decision on issues of policy or procedure appealed by undergraduate students as delineated in the due process policy.  The Hearing Appeals Board is responsible for establishing a date, time, and location for a hearing, notifying the appellant of the date, time, and location of the hearing, considering the appellant's reasons for appeal, making the decision to grant or deny the appeal, forwarding the Hearing Appeals Board's decision to the Dean of the School of Education.  

(1)   the direction of the Teacher Education Committee, b) presenting a recommendation(s) for policy revision or further study for consideration to the Teacher Education Committee as a result of that review; c) developing draft versions of new policies as charged by the Teacher Education Committee for consideration by the Teacher Education Committee; and d) updating the Teacher Education Policy Manual to reflect the changes made to policy during the preceding academic year. 

(2)   TEC Long-Range Planning Subcommittee:  The Dean of the School of Education is required to submit an annual report to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs on behalf of the Teacher Education Committee.  In addition to annual reports, the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs may call for 5-10 year long-range plans.  The TEC Long-Range Planning Subcommittee, comprised of three (3) or more TEC members, is charged by the Dean of the School of Education with responsibility for developing long-range goals, for soliciting input in the long-range planning process, and for presenting recommendations for long-range development to the Teacher Education Committee.  

(3)   TEC Technology Subcommittee:  The TEC Technology Subcommittee is comprised of three (3) or more TEC members and is responsible for the following:  a) long-range planning for the development of instructional technology programs, services, and resources in collaboration with the Director of Instructional Technology; b) reviewing procedures for the implementation and assessment of the instructional technology competencies required for licensure by the NC State Department of Education; c) developing and presenting recommendations for revision to those procedures; and d) collaborating with the Director of Instructional Technology on the development of preservice and inservice programs, the delivery of faculty development programs, and the development of instructional technology resources for all teacher education programs.

(4)TEC Student Input Subcommittee: The TEC Teacher Education Student Input Subcommittee provides a forum for teacher education students to voice anonymously any concerns and/or problems encountered in the program.   All students enrolled in EDN 430 and/or SED 300, Introduction to Exceptional, Diverse and At-Risk Students, are invited to serve on this subcommittee. Additionally, program coordinators are provided the opportunity to nominate individuals to serve on this subcommittee.  A teacher education faculty member selected by the Dean of the School of Education, serves as advisor to the subcommittee.  The faculty advisor is responsible for calling the organizational meeting of the subcommittee each fall and for summarizing

(1)   student input and presenting it to the Teacher Education Committee.  Any student not enrolled in EDN 430 and or SED 300 who is interested in serving on this committee should contact the Dean of the School of Education for information on the date(s), time(s), and location(s) of the meetings.

(2)   TEC Professional Studies Subcommittee:    The TEC Professional Studies Subcommittee is comprised of four (4) representative faculty teaching required professional studies core courses in the teacher education program.  The Professional Studies Subcommittee is responsible for a) assuring that the professional studies courses enable teacher education majors to achieve the competencies prescribed by the NC State Department of Public Instruction as assigned by the UNCP Teacher Education Program to those courses, b) assessing the need for revision (addition/deletion/focused/ development) to the professional studies core, c) presenting recommendations for curricular revision to the Teacher Education Committee, d) assuring that multiple sections of the same course are comparable, evaluating the effectiveness of the professional studies courses in the context of the whole teacher education curriculum, e) and f) assuring that teacher education program progression checkpoints assigned to select professional studies core courses are implemented. 

(3)   TEC Evaluation Oversight Subcommittee:  The Dean of the School of Education appoints three (minimum) Teacher Education Committee members to the TEC Evaluation Oversight Subcommittee. Members of the Evaluation Oversight Subcommittee serve two-year terms.  The Teacher Education Evaluation Oversight Subcommittee is charged with the responsibility for overseeing the implementation of assessments as scheduled in UNCP Teacher Education Evaluation Manual.  The TEC Evaluation Oversight Subcommittee conducts assessment tasks as prescribed in the guidelines, administers or oversees the administration of the assessments, and assures that the results from the assessments are reported to the Teacher Education Committee and filed in the TEC Evaluation Plan Archives as prescribed in the Assessment Guidelines and Procedures section of the UNCP Teacher Education Evaluation Manual.

(4)   TEC Distance Education Subcommittee:  The TEC Distance Education Subcommittee is comprised of three (3) TEC members and is responsible for reviewing course availability, accessibility, and location of off-campus teacher education courses; exploring options for expanding distance education courses; reviewing alternative means for delivery of courses and services; and studying the economic feasibility and sustainability, quality, accountability and other issues related to distance learning.

Meetings of the Teacher Education Committee

The Teacher Education Committee meets on a regular basis throughout the academic year.  The Dean of the School of Education distributes the dates and times of the meetings to committee members at the beginning of the academic year. 

Quorum

A majority of members of the Teacher Education Committee shall constitute a quorum.  For business to be conducted at a meeting, a quorum must be present.  No one may vote by proxy.

Agenda

An agenda for each meeting shall be prepared and distributed to members of the committee by the Dean of the School of Education.  All proposals to be considered at a meeting should be distributed to committee members prior to the meeting.

Minutes

Minutes of each meeting shall be recorded by an appointed staff member by the Dean of School of Education. Copies of the minutes shall be distributed to all committee members and a copy kept on file in the School of Education.

Relationship of the Teacher Education Committee to Other Committees

The Teacher Education Committee is a University-wide committee appointed annually by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in consultation with the Dean of the School of Education.  A representative of the committee is provided the opportunity to report committee actions at each meeting of the Faculty Senate.

Proposed changes to the undergraduate teacher education curriculum approved by the Teacher Education Committee are forwarded to the Faculty Senate’s Subcommittee on Curriculum for processing through the Senate structure.  Proposed changes to the graduate teacher education curriculum, approved by the Teacher Education committee, are forwarded to the Graduate Council for its consideration and when approved, to the Faculty Senate’s Subcommittee on Curriculum for processing through the Senate structure. 

The Dean of the School of Education

The Dean of the School of Education is responsible for the coordination, development, and evaluation of all teacher education programs on a University-wide basis and reports directly to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.  The Dean serves as chair of the University-wide Teacher Education Committee and works with program coordinators and the chairs of all departments with teacher education programs to ensure quality teacher preparation and compliance with state and national accreditation standards.  The specific duties, or duties as delegated, of the Dean include the following: serving as chair of the Teacher Education Committee; coordinating admissions to all teacher education programs; serving as the University licensure officer; monitoring the progress of all teacher education majors admitted to candidacy; conducting appropriate follow-up studies of teacher education graduates; coordinating University efforts to improve Praxis performance; administering the teacher education assessment system; coordinating SOE assessment initiatives and activities; and, implementing other activities and projects as assigned by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. 

 Director of University-School Programs

The Director of University-School Programs is responsible for providing leadership and coordination for the University’s public school outreach programs, partnerships, and services and reports directly to the Dean of the School of Education in that role.  The Director works in conjunction with the faculty, staff, and the Dean of the School of Education to carry out the University’s commitment to assisting the public PK-12 schools. The Director’s duties, or duties as delegated, include the following: facilitating the public service mission of UNCP Teacher Education by functioning as coordinator of school outreach programs, partnerships, and services; providing leadership in the development and implementation of University-school programs, partnerships, and services; collaborating with local education agencies in the recruitment of students into education careers; representing the University at appropriate meetings and functions related to public school activities; providing the University with information and reports on the effectiveness of University-school programs, partnerships, and services; pursuing sources of funding to enhance collaborative partnerships. The Director of University-School Programs also serves as chair of the UNCP Professional Development Collaborative (PDC) Advisory Council.

Director of the Teaching Fellows Program

The Director of the Teaching Fellows Program is responsible for planning, implementing, and monitoring all aspects of the Teaching Fellows Program.  Reporting to the Dean of the School of Education, the Director's duties, or duties as delegated, include the following:  developing and implementing recruitment and program activities; working with appropriate offices and individuals on campus to promote the program, arranging for housing, arrange special programs and activities; serving as academic advisor to the Teaching Fellows who are undecided majors; monitoring the progress of Teaching Fellows; submitting all reports/information requested by the Public School Forum and/or Teaching Fellows Commission; and serving as a member of the Teaching Fellows Advisory Committee.

 Director of Instructional Technology for Teacher Education

The Director of Instructional Technology is responsible for developing and providing instructional programs and activities for teacher education faculty and students.  Reporting directly to the Dean of the School of Education, the Director’s duties, or duties as delegated, include the following:  collaborating with the Teacher Education Committee to 1) develop and implement a program to assist UNCP teacher education faculty in using instructional technology; 2) design and implement a program to assess the instructional technology skills of preservice and inservice educators; 3) design and implement a program to provide preservice and inservice educators enrolled at UNCP with the skills needed to effectively utilize instructional technology in the classroom; and 5) oversee operations in the Education Technology Center.

The Licensure Officer

progression compliance with State Board of Education policy; maintaining data and generating reports on teacher education candidates to meet School of Education accountability obligations at the institutional, State, and national levels.

Program Coordinators

All undergraduate and graduate program areas are coordinated by a full-time faculty member with expertise in the area of specialization.