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STANDARD VI: Resources
Narrative: Saint Michael’s College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. NEASC approval was confirmed on November 10, 2000. The Self-Study Report generated for this purpose contains a self-study of both the undergraduate and graduate programs. The report is available in the exhibit room and is entitled Education Department Self-Study Report (April, 1999), and the approval certificate is available online.
Narrative: The Education Department consists of both the undergraduate and graduate programs with initial licensure and endorsement opportunities in several areas. At the undergraduate level licensure is available in: elementary education, secondary education (mathematics, biology, chemistry, English, French, Spanish, history, theatre arts (drama), and art (K-12)). When accepted into the Graduate Program, students enter with a liberal arts major from an accredited higher education institution. Then the licensure program is directed toward Vermont teacher licensure in one of the following areas: k-12 art, history, mathematics, chemistry, biology, English, Spanish, Latin and French. Several additional initial endorsements are available including: teaching English as a second language, middle school endorsement, special education (both resource room and consulting teacher endorsements) as well as principal endorsement. Within the organization of the college, each academic department has the authority and responsibility to plan, implement, operate and evaluate the entire program. According to the Saint Michael’s Faculty Regulations it is the responsibility of each academic department to design, implement and evaluate the curriculum. An academic department is an academic and administrative unit of the College with shared responsibilities for conducting a course of study in a particular field or discipline. Members of an academic department have collective responsibility for departmental affairs which include program development, curriculum, departmental policies, recruitment, orientation, and evaluation of faculty, and student advising. These responsibilities shall be fulfilled in a collegial manner under the leadership of a Chairperson or Director. (Section I.A.5.c) Keeping within the appropriate checks and balances within typical higher education structures, the Curriculum and Education Policy Committee maintains responsibility for reviewing existing curricular offerings, as well as new course and program proposals to ensure that they are in alignment with the commitment of the College. Therefore, all curricular changes proposed via the Education Department must also be approved by the Curriculum and Education Policy Committee. A complete copy of the Faculty Regulations is available in the Exhibit Room. Because the Faculty Regulation confers responsibility to each Department to plan, implement, operate and evaluate the entire program, it is critical that the Department consists of faculty with expertise in each of the major endorsement areas. Faculty in the Education Department do, in fact, have expertise in the necessary areas in order to guarantee students have access to high quality teacher preparation. The Faculty Chart provides detailed information on all of the full-time faculty in the Department. Supporting Documentation: ¨ Relationship with board of directors ¨ Faculty rank, terminal degrees, and committee assignments
Narrative: Faculty The Education Department at Saint Michael’s College has been able to attract and retain a highly skilled full-time and part-time faculty. Currently, there are 13 full-time faculty positions within the education department. Eleven of the faculty have terminal degrees (i.e., either Ed..D. or Ph.D) and 2 have masters degrees. One has earned the rank of full-professor with tenure, 4 have earned associate professor (3 of the 4 have tenure), 4 have earned assistant professor, 2 are full-time instructors (a search for this position will begin in the Fall of 2005, and 2 are instructors at part-time. In 1999, the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs began the process of joining together to become one Education Department. Traditionally tenure had not been an option for graduate faculty. Currently, this is changing. All new faculty are brought in on tenured lines. In fact, in the fall of 2004 two new faculty were hired within the Education Department. Their assignments will cross the graduate and undergraduate programs. Additionally, faculty who used to be “graduate” faculty now have the option of converting their faculty lines into “tenured” ones with all of the appropriate responsibilities. One of the two faculty who were given this option has chosen to move into a tenured line. Having an understanding of this exciting shift is important in order to contextualize the number of faculty with and without tenure-track lines. Saint Michael’s College has a phased retirement system that enables the College administration to plan for retirements in a very organized manner. Several years before any given faculty member plans to retire, the Department is notified. Over three years that faculty member’s teaching load is gradually reduced in order to allow the department to initiate a national search and for there to be overlap between the retiring and new faculty members. This creates a seamless transition. This is an important support to the Education Department as two senior faculty members are actively on the path toward retirement with full retirement scheduled for May 2004 and May 2005. National searches will be conducted in 2004-2005 (Elementary math) and 2005-2006 (special education). Financial Although the undergraduate and graduate programs have merged in many ways, the budgets remain separate. Undergraduate: Based on annual expenditure reports (available in Mrs. Wells' office) the budget for the Education Department has been appropriate each year since the last ROPA evaluation visit. The major departmental expenses include: payment ($250) for cooperating teachers, travel/ mileage, supplies, special events (e.g., cooperating teacher dinner, Kappa Delta Pi induction), and speakers. Annually, the budget fluctuates in accordance with the number of cooperating teachers. Graduate The expense categories of the graduate program are similar to the undergraduate. Similar to the undergraduate program, at this point we feel that the budget has been adequate. Budget reports are available in Mrs. DeLage's office. Faculty/Student Ratio
A hallmark of a Saint Michael’s education
is the low student/faculty ratio. Since our last ROPA approval visit, we
have managed to maintain a low and steady ratios in the Education
department at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Additional Financial Support Available to Faculty Faculty receive financial support in a variety of ways from the College to pursue scholarship, teaching excellence and service activities. The sources of funding include: Faculty Development Council and the Dean’s Fund. Tenured faculty are qualified to receive professional development grants to pursue their own research, attend conferences, or to present at conferences. Junior faculty are also elibigle for additional funding to support their teaching and scholarship activities. The intention of such funds is to support the faculty member in adjustment to the tenure requirements of Saint Michael’s College. Within the context of a 21 credit teaching load for tenure line faculty and 24 credit teaching load for full-time, non-tenure track faculty, the Education Department Faculty continue to have a significant impact in the local, national, and international arenas. This active presence takes many forms including presentations, leadership on Boards and Committees, written work, creative works, and consultation activities. While each member of the department has a vita where the specifics can be viewed, we believe that our strengths rests with our collective contribution. Because we have a shared department vision that is built upon the shared mission of the College, we can celebrate each of our contributions. Together we have many and varied opportunities to contribute to the collective health and well being of children, youth and ultimately to pre-service and inservice teachers. The following table offers a departmental composite of such activities that department members have participated in since the last review was conducted in 1996.
Library and Information Technology Resources The primary focus of the Library and Information System (LIS) is to support the teaching and learning of students, faculty, staff and community members. This is accomplished through a comprehensive network of materials, technology and support. LIS resources are critical for the success of teacher education students within a liberal arts institution. The rich and varied array of materials supports their learning within the arts and sciences, as well as education. In 2003, the LIS staff launched a set of services specifically aimed at supporting faculty in teaching and scholarship. The LIS staff has over 30 members who provide support in a variety of areas including: computing support, media services, academic technology services, web design, web maintenance, and a full array of library services. Currently, the collection in the Durick Library includes: 190,000 volumes, 100,000 microfilms, 1,700 periodical subscriptions, and 10,000 maps, videos and electronic resources. In the Spring of 2003, Saint Michael’s College received a generous pledge of $5 million from an anonymous donor. The pledge will fund a library for our newly acquire literary collection of Harold Bloom. Another significant change is the availability of technology classrooms. Seventeen classrooms have been equipped with various levels and types of technology. These classrooms are categorized into three levels of sophistication with regards to the types and amount of available technology.
As noted on the website there are a variety of other resources available to faculty and staff. Of particular note is the Faculty Development Lab. This lab features an isolated PC network, 3 multimedia computers with specialized software, scanners, MAC computer, color printer, SMARTboard setup for practice. Ongoing small group or individual support is given to any faculty member who requests. Faculty members have the support of a staff person who is dedicated soley to faculty for support in the design and incorporation of technology into the classroom. Additional assistance is readily available for faculty, staff and students through the ITS division. An information line is available for all faculty and staff to use whenever they are experiencing difficulty with technology. Typically the information line is answered by a full-time ITS employee or a highly skilled student.
Collaboration among Education Faculty Collaboration requires the active participation and engagement of all parties within the context of a learning community that shares the same underlying assumptions about teaching and learning. Every member of the Education Department shares a commitment to the Department theme and is willing to engage in the hard work involved in the collaborative process. Next, true collaboration requires team members to bring different strengths to the table. Examination of the Faculty Chart offers the reader an opportunity to study the variety of skills and abilities that our department has as a whole. We leverage these strengths when engaged in problem solving activities. For example, Professor Silverman’s expertise related to the Aesthetic perspective is critical when engaged in any discussions of how to determine the characteristics of a highly qualified teacher. And Professor Willis’ expertise regarding mathematical literacy is critical with regard to any discussions on the skills necessary for Elementary Education Teachers. And so on. We have put into place several very practical structures to operationalize the collaborative process. These structures include: all Education faculty (undergraduate and graduate level) have offices clustered together in St. Edmunds Hall, monthly department meetings that cross graduate and undergraduate levels, 2-3 department retreats each year, weekly or biweekly meetings for issue related subgroups, finally bi-weekly meetings just for undergraduate and graduate issues. This organization has increased our efficiency and facilitated our coming together as the Department of Education. A collaborative ethic is palpable within the Education Department at Saint Michael’s College. There is no sense of competition among Department members, because we experience the critical contributions of each member on an ongoing basis. As described by Phillips and McCullough (1990) the collaborative ethic empowers professionals to assist each other in solving problems, motivates them to action, and provides opportunity for skill enhancement. Our goal within the Education Department is to leverage our strengths in order to prepare the best possible novice teachers. Collaboration with Liberal Arts Faculty Since the submission of the last NEASC Report (1999) and the ROPA Report (1995), steady progress has been made to improve the connection with the liberal arts faculty. Education Faculty members are on key college-wide committees including: Faculty Development Committee, Faculty Council, Faculty Welfare Committee and others. There have been several activities that have involved co-sponsorship among different departments. For example, in the winter of 2003, the Education Department, the Biology Department and the Peace and Justice Committee co-sponsored a mini-conference about juvenile justice issues. Another connection between a member of the Education Department (Dr. Bang-Jensen) and the Biology Department (Dr. Lubkowitz) is a shared teaching and research project called: The Community Garden Project. Faculty within the history department piloted a teaching assistant model with secondary education students in the Spring of 2004. In the spring 2004, a faculty member from the mathematics department offered a one credit math course designed for secondary education teachers with a focus on the link between pedagogy and mathematical concepts. Finally, members of each of the areas tested in Praxis II have begun to take the exams and have a conversation with members of the Education Department to answer the question: What impact does/should these exams have on the curriculum within the liberal arts content areas? We are excited to engage in these conversations throughout the 2004-2005 academic year with our colleagues from other departments. Collaboration with preK-12 Schools Members of the Education Department at Saint Michael’s College have developed and maintained strong partnerships with the public schools around Vermont for many years. The activities that support such collaboration are based on the sustained positive relationships between SMC faculty and school partners that have been built and sustained over the years. As a department, we believe that attention to these relationships is at the core of all that we do within Vermont schools. One way that we collectively address this is to respond to the many requests from teachers and administrators to provide workshops, inservices, and keynote addresses to faculty at individual schools or district-wide faculty. Since the last ROPA-R review, Department faculty has provided well over 40 such trainings throughout the State of Vermont.
Another aspect of our collaborative
relationships with preK-12 Schools in Vermont is related to the
field-based requirements that our students must complete throughout their
teacher preparation program. As a department we value the importance
of providing ongoing opportunities for Saint Michael’s students to move between
educational theory and practice. Field-based experiences are part of at
least 17 of the teacher education courses for both undergraduate and
graduate students. At the undergraduate level, beginning with the first
required education course (i.e., Schools and Society), through the final
student-teaching experience, all students participate in a variety of
field-based activities. At the graduate level, initial licensure
candidates must have experience with children or adolescents prior to
acceptance into the program. Additional field-placements are woven
throughout the program. The design of the field-based experiences at both
the undergraduate and graduate levels is deliberate as it moves from the
SMC student being an observer to partially participating to maintaining
instructional responsibility for a two week period of time during the
student-teaching experience.
Narrative: Teaching As described in the Faculty Regulations, since the primary purpose of the College is the education of its students, its faculty should reflect that focus. (Faculty Regulations, p17). Tenure line faculty members at Saint Michael’s College teach 21 credit hours per year. Full-time, non-tenure line (i.e., Instructors) maintain 24 credit hours of teaching. Teaching excellence is expected of all faculty members at Saint Michael’s. Faculty members discuss pedagogical issues both formally and informally. Excellence in teaching is a hallmark of Saint Michael’s College. In a recent advertisement for a new Education Department member, we explicitly stated: The successful candidate will have documented excellence in teaching. Every course is evaluated by students and those evaluations are reviewed by the Department Chair. Currently, Dr. Ruoff is at the undergraduate level chair, while Dr. Anne Judson is the Director of the Graduate Program. Faculty members are required to review the evaluations and respond in an appropriate manner. Each faculty member maintains his/her own evaluations over time and submits them with their materials that are necessary for the personnel evaluations. At the undergraduate level, SUMMA Evaluations are used to obtain student input for each course. These student course evaluations are sent to SUMMA Information Systems, Inc. in North Carolina for analysis. Faculty receive their own mean scores per item as well as the average scores per department of faculty from across the nation who participate in the SUMMA evaluation system. The data are fascinating and offer a glimpse into how individual faculty members stand relative to their peers, from the students perspective. Every semester, Department scores are higher than both the means at the College and National levels. At the graduate level, students complete an in-house evaluation form for each course. The evaluation offers feedback in the areas of pedagogy and content. After review with from Dr. Judson, it is the faculty member’s responsibility to use student feedback in a cycle of continuous improvement. At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the student evaluations are confidential. Therefore only anecdotal evidence is available for the purposes of ROPA-R. However, given the College’s mission with regard to excellence in teaching. It can be assumed that the SUMMA’s are quite strong. Scholarship Since 1996 scholarship within the Education Department has continued to make a contribution in the field of teacher education as well as specialty areas within teacher preparation. Samples of faculty work are available in the Exhibit Room.
Service Faculty within the Education Department are frequently invited to participate on State and local boards, provide inservice training and offer professional direction in relationship to (a) specific areas of expertise and (b) evolution of teacher preparation. Department members contribute on dozens of campus based committees, in addition to local, state, national and international boards and committees. Most recently, SMC faculty have participated on: VCTE, teaching licensure portfolio development committees, mathematics portfolio assessment teams, as well as committees for the revision of various endorsements. The faculty at Saint Michael’s College maintain a significant presence in the education community across the state of Vermont. Funding to Support Professional Development and Teaching Financial support is made available to faculty through a variety of sources. First, many instructional materials (e.g., video tapes, CDs, books) can be purchased through the library. Next, professional development funds are offered via the College. Tenure-track faculty receive $750 per year to assist with the costs of attending and presenting at conferences. Under special circumstances, additional funds are available through the Dean’s Office. Given the traditional split between the Undergraduate and Graduate Department, where Graduate faculty did not have the opportunity for tenure, those same funds have not been available to untenured graduate faculty. Financial support for faculty development at the graduate level comes from that specific budget. As the shift toward having one department and all tenured positions, this is likely to change. In the Fall of 2003, the Faculty Development Council began to keep the entire Saint Michael's faculty apprised of the various sources of support through a dedicated web page. This page provides links to internal and external funding sources as well as up to date accounts of faculty contributions.
Narrative Faculty within the Education Department have access to computer hardware and software necessary for our teaching and scholarship. Each member of the department has a laptop computer, there are at least 3 digital cameras available, 1 digital camera/video camera, and 1 scanner available in education faculty offices for immediate and frequent use. The ITS Department offers a variety of training opportunities through short courses over lunch, several hours or days designed around our teaching schedules, and via full-length courses and individualize support/instruction. Faculty are notified via direct email as well as the announcements that are constantly updated on the Saint Michael’s ITS page. Members of the ITS team are readily available to support the use of technology in classrooms. In addition, Kristin Hindes is a librarian who is the direct link to the Education Department. Mrs. Hines presents short courses as part of the Secondary Education Methods Block (i.e., EDU 360/361), as well as a 1 credit technology component referred to as Technology for Teachers for the Elementary Education students. She is our contact person for all library related questions (e.g., ordering materials, designing library instruction for students, information for our own scholarship). In addition, in the fall of 2003 the library staff launched a faculty online support page where all of the information related to our work is easily accessed. The narrative for ROPA-R indicator 6.03 specifies the technology upgrades that have occurred on the Saint Michael’s campus that have a direct impact on our teaching. The technology classrooms have been a tremendous support.
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