Statements of Integration

Statement of Integration of Diversity

The EPP embraces diversity and has systems in place to ensure the recruitment and retainment of students from diverse backgrounds. Candidates are provided opportunities to experience diverse placements and the unit monitors to ensure that candidates engage these opportunities. Curricular experience are sequenced to support the development of dispositions and skills to support candidates work in diverse settings.

The EPP employs a liaison who is responsible for contacting potential students from African-American and Latino backgrounds. The Minority Educator Recruitment and Retention Scholarship is available for students who desire to be a teacher. The scholarship provides up to $2500 per semester in aid as an incentive grant. The EPP further coordinates retainment efforts with the Office of Multicultural Initiatives, Student Leadership & Inclusive Excellence, who also have scholarship opportunities and who offer additional support to students from diverse backgrounds. The EPP plans to engage with the American Association for College of Teacher Education (AACTE) to add the Holmes Scholar and Holmes Fellow programs to opportunities at the EPP.

Candidates' field audit and component sheets serve as a scope and sequence matrix which demonstrates the depth, breadth, and diversity of clinical experiences. Further examination of clinical experiences shows the clinical experiences as deliberate, purposeful, and sequential. Candidates list diverse placements on their component sheets. EDU 103 and SED 300 are examples of courses in which students complete diverse placements. Clinical experiences are structured around a gradual release of teaching responsibilities.

The COEHS diversity committee is ongoing in their task of ensuring that the COEHS mission and vision of diversity is infused within the various teacher education programs. In terms of curricula (see Diversity Matrix), the COEHS diversity committee found that candidates are being exposed to issues surrounding diversity, social justice, and culturally relevant pedagogy; and that candidates are exploring how this content knowledge applies to their own awareness of self. It is the EPP's belief that candidates should possess the content and pedagogical knowledge to positively impact the learning and development of all P-12 students. For this reason, candidates are assessed for professional dispositions, and also whether they meet professional expectations, throughout the program, and students are "flagged" when there is a concern regarding any disposition, diversity for certain.

Statement of Integration of Technology

The University provides and maintains broad-band internet access, both wired and wireless; this allows the EPP to build upon the foundation by incorporating current instructional technology methods and equipment in support of the educational process. In the EPP's pursuit to foster 21st Century teachers, candidates are provided opportunities to experience technology through faculty modeling and implementation in courses, creating technology-rich lesson plans, participating in technology-based professional development sessions alongside of faculty through the Kentucky Academy of Technology Education (KATE), taking online and blended courses via CANVAS, practicing technology integration through class presentations and projects, and having access to technology-rich facilities and student spaces (see Technology Matrix; KY Academy of Technology Education evidence).

COEHS provides technology-enhanced learning spaces available to students and faculty, which are supported and maintained by KATE. These facilities include two instructional labs, an open student lab, a student collaboration lab, and multiple mobile technology carts for classroom use. Other technology is available to use (cameras, projectors, etc), through checkout, at KATE; a list of available equipment is available (see KY Academy of Technology Education Evidence). Murray State is a Google Apps for Education University, which provides a strong platform for collaboration and productivity for both students and faculty. Classroom spaces include technology that allows for flexible and various combinations of use. All classrooms have a projector, which is controlled by a Pixie, and are set up to be Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) spaces. The BYOD aspect allows for easy transition to student control of the presentation capabilities available. About half of the classroom have SmartBoards and instructor stations. Faculty have access to the Instructional Innovation Lab, designed to allow for a studio setting to record instruction; this enhances both face-to-face and online instruction. Alexander Hall has multiple collaborative spaces infused with technology; this allows students to come together to collaborate and learn together.

Candidates acquire technological proficiency by taking CSC 199 Computer Technology, a university studies, Microsoft Office-based course or the newly approved EDU 222 Instructional Technology course. EDU 222 was envisioned and cooperatively developed over a one-year period by a group of EPP faculty and KATE staff. It was approved as a required course in the elementary program fall 2015. Other program majors take this course, too. Moreover, the EPP hired a new instructional technology expert, Dr. Dusty Reed, fall 2015 to lead the development and teaching of EDU 222 and to revisit and revitalize the graduate area of endorsement in instructional technology. In the future, the EPP envisions designing instructional technology courses specific for different education majors. Candidates are equipped to use technology in their course assignments, lesson design, implementation and assessment. Students also utilize technology to complete appropriate applications for the Teacher Education Process. Included in the KY Academy of Technology Education Evidence Report is documentation of the number and type of student training that help candidates enrich their professional practice. KATE also supports technology in the classrooms by providing and maintaining technology for faculty and students to use in teaching. The Technology Matrix demonstrates the use of laptops, iPads, Chromebooks, projectors, video preparation, and editing lab space. The Technology Matrix also documents technology usage within courses and a sampling of the types of assignments, assessments, and equipment the candidates use. The EPP supports KATE in providing a lab, which serves as an onsite testing facility of the Praxis and PLT exams.