Undergraduate Learning Objectives

Student Learning Objectives

  1. To build on their liberal arts education and to have a broad range of academic and field-based experiences that connect their liberal arts education to social, psychological, economic, historical, political, and cultural issues that impact schools and the education of children.
  2. To develop a variety of teaching approaches and know the psychological principles which inform how and when to apply certain teaching approaches.
  3. To demonstrate multiple applications of technology and include them successfully in a variety of teaching and learning situations.
  4. To model professional ethical behaviors and become leaders-by-example both in and out of the classroom.
  5. To work collaboratively as team members to contribute to educational efforts at the national, state, and local levels.
  6. To understand the academic and affective needs of a diverse student population and they will make appropriate accommodations to address these needs.
  7. To value the importance of regular and purposeful reflection and perspective taking.
  8. To recognize the role that the community plays in the education of the whole child and understand the civic responsibility we as citizens have to public schooling.

Use of Data for Program Improvement

Data are analyzed for program improvement purposes. In the Program in Education several advisory councils and committees exist for the purpose of guiding our teacher licensure programs, our undergraduate minor, and our undergraduate curriculum. When data are aggregated and analyzed, the data are reported to these various councils. This process is essential because the Program in Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). These agencies require evidence-based, data-driven program review on an ongoing basis. The following are examples of these advisory bodies:

  • The Teacher Preparation Council meets frequently throughout the year to review all programs. At its final meeting of the academic year (in late June), the Council reviews all annual program reports which include summaries of data results for the graduating cohort of undergraduates and makes recommendations to the Program Director for programmatic changes.
  • The Advisory Committees for the Elementary and the Secondary Teacher Preparation Programs meet at least twice a year and review annual program reports. Data from the reports are used to inform decisions about curricula, field experiences, program assessment, and program operations. Members of the Advisory Committees vary from program to program, but in all cases they include regular rank faculty members, clinical faculty representation, as well as representatives from Durham Public Schools. Committee membership also sometimes includes graduates of the program.

Recent Program Improvements Based on Candidate Assessment

Examples of program improvements include:

  • Increased observation and practice teaching opportunities during final field experience before student teaching.
  • Extended the time-frame during which undergraduates work on lesson planning.
  • Hillside High School was added as a clinical practice site to extend candidate opportunities to work with diverse student population.
  • Improved technology training through the creation of a new course.

In addition to the data which is collected on individual undergraduates and then aggregated to inform program development, information on the program’s effectiveness is also provided through data generated by ongoing grant programs as well as by other offices within the University. For example:

  1. Trinity College Office of Assessment Course Evaluations. Since 2001, the Trinity College Office of Assessment has collected student-feedback and faculty-feedback data on many different aspects of each undergraduate course using an instrument called the TEACHER COURSE EVALUATION INSTRUMENT. The Trinity College Office of Assessment summarizes these data and compares them to data from several other comparison groups (e.g. Arts and Sciences data, Social-Sciences-Coded data). The Office of Assessment also provides each department with demographic data about respondents and comparison demographic data about Arts and Sciences respondent as a whole. The Program in Education uses these data as one means of evaluating undergraduate courses.
  2. Faculty Database System Summary Reports. The University’s Faculty Database System (FDS) enables the Program in Education Director to pull together data from previously unconnected sources, such as the DukeHub course information database and the Online Directory, to generate summary reports on faculty member activity for use program reports. Faculty members also use the FDS system as a part of their annual review process.
  3. Annual Initial Field Experience Reports. Each undergraduate who completes the full course of study with the Program in Education must complete at least three supervised field experiences, including one-on-one work with local under-performing children in the local schools. These field experiences are supported by two structured, grant-enhanced, research-based programs – Partners for Success and Project HOPE. Each year, the faculty directors of these two grant programs generate comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data. Data from these evaluations lead to reports which inform adjustments the Program in Education makes to the field experiences undergraduates complete.
  4. Program in Education Administered Surveys. The Program in Education is required by its two accreditation bodies (CAEP and NCDPI) to administer surveys to public school teachers and administrators who supervise our undergraduates and employ them after graduation. These surveys ask school personnel to rate the performance of students who are or have completed course work in the Program in Education.

Recent Program Improvements Based on Program Level Assessments

  • Major faculty expansions – including addition of new director (Program in Education) and undergraduate licensure coordinator – to relieve workload and support research and scholarly activities.
  • Early field experience classes (EDU 101, EDU 240) expanded field experience preparation for students.
  • Increased efforts to address issues of diversity and globalization in courses.

Reports on Assessment Findings and Program Improvement Actions

As noted above, the Program in Education has several advisory committees which exist for the purpose of guiding our teacher licensure programs, our undergraduate minor, and our undergraduate curriculum. Written reports are provided to these committees on a regular basis. The Director of the Program in Education also takes the lead in a program-wide annual report which is provided to the University President and the Dean of Arts and Sciences.