UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE FORMS

Revised 12-15-10

Academic Program Approval

 

This form is a routing document for the approval of new and revised academic programs.  Proposing department should complete this form.  For more information, call the Faculty Senate Office at 831-2921.

 

 

Submitted by: _Danielle Ford________________phone number___831-6254_____________

                               

Department:  ____Education_____________________email address_djford@udel.edu___

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Date:   __________10/1/2010__________________________________

 

Action:  _____Revise the middle school science concentration in the Elementary Teacher                                               Education major____

(Example:  add major/minor/concentration, delete major/minor/concentration,  revise major/minor/concentration,  academic unit name change, request for permanent status, policy change, etc.)

 

Effective term____________11F________________________________________________________________________

                                                (use format 04F, 05W)

 

Current degree____________BS_________________________________________________

                                    (Example:  BA, BACH, BACJ, HBA, EDD, MA, MBA, etc.)

 

Proposed change leads to the degree of: ___________________________________________

                                                                                             (Example:  BA, BACH, BACJ, HBA, EDD, MA, MBA, etc.)

 

 

Proposed name:_______________________________________________________________

                                            Proposed new name for revised or new major / minor / concentration / academic unit

                                                                                (if applicable)

 

Revising or Deleting: 

 

Undergraduate major / Concentration:_Elementary Teacher Education – Middle

School Science Concentration

Undergraduate minor:____________________________________________________

                                   (Example:  African Studies,  Business Administration,  English, Leadership, etc.)            

 

Graduate Program Policy statement change:_________________________________

                                                                  (Must attach  your Graduate Program Policy Statement)

 

            Graduate Program of Study:______________________________________________

                                 (Example:  Animal Science: MS  Animal Science:  PHD  Economics: MA Economics: PHD)

 

 

                Graduate minor / concentration:___________________________________________

 

Note: all graduate studies proposals must include an electronic copy of the Graduate Program Policy Document, highlighting the changes made to the original policy document.

 

List new courses required for the new or revised curriculum. How do they support the overall program objectives of the major/minor/concentrations)?

 (Be aware that approval of the curriculum is dependent upon these courses successfully passing through the Course Challenge list. If there are no new courses enter “None”)

 

None

 

Explain, when appropriate, how this new/revised curriculum supports the 10 goals of undergraduate education: http://www.ugs.udel.edu/gened/

 

The change we are proposing to the Elementary Teacher Education – Middle School Science Concentration is primarily logistical in nature (see rationale below). However, it does involve a course, SCEN 650, that was designed as a content-rigorous, advanced Problem-Based Learning course. As such, it addresses the goals of undergraduate education in the following manner: students work in collaborative groups (Goal 3) in a PBL format (Goal 2) to investigate critical science and societal issues (Goals 4, 5), develop arguments for problem solutions (Goal 2), and present the implications of their solutions (Goals 4, 7) in a variety of written, oral, and technology-based formats (Goal 1).

 

Identify other units affected by the proposed changes:

(Attach permission from the affected units.  If no other unit is affected, enter “None”)

 

None (the course affected by this revision, SCEN 650, is offered within Arts & Sciences, but the proposed revision to the program will not change enrollment or frequency of offerings of the course)

 

 

Describe the rationale for the proposed program change(s):

(Explain your reasons for creating, revising, or deleting the curriculum or program.)

 

We propose to change the way SCEN 650 is included in the Elementary Teacher Education – Middle School Science Concentration. We propose to include the course as a requirement in the program in addition to, rather than a substitution for, part of the 18 credits of science content courses required in the concentration. This is not a change to the course or how it is offered, and will not affect enrollments.

 

SCEN 650 is an advanced problem-based learning content course that was designed through an NSF-funded collaboration of science and education faculty. The course models inquiry-based teaching methods through investigations of rigorous science content. The course was originally designed as the capstone to a continuum of reform-based science content courses in a sequence of content areas. However, it has proven logistically difficult to manage students’ science course scheduling across their entire undergraduate career in a way to ensure they do not repeat content that will be covered in their senior year in SCEN 650. By requiring the course as an independent content course, rather than as a substitution for 3 of the 18 credits of science mandated by NCATE requirements, students and instructors alike will not be constrained by the need for specific content.

 

This proposed revision does eliminate 3 elective credits within the ETE – Middle School Science concentration. (We cannot reduce or change the other science requirements, as they are required for NCATE accreditation.)  However, the change is not different from other specializations in the major; the revised program would have the same number of elective credits (0) as currently found in the Middle School English, Middle School Mathematics, and Special Education concentrations.

 


Program Requirements: 

(Show the new or revised curriculum as it should appear in the Course Catalog.  If this is a revision, be sure to indicate the changes being made to the current curriculum and include a side-by-side comparison of the credit distribution before and after the proposed change.)

 

Before:

 

Middle School Science

Biology courses

6

Physical science courses

6

Earth science course

3

SCEN 650*

(will substitute for one of the above)

(3)

Environmental science course

3

EDUC 443

Teaching Science in the Middle School

3

EDUC 400

Student Teaching: Middle School Science

5

Free elective from any department

3

SCEN 650* is required, and will substitute for 3 credits in one of the following areas, depending on the course content for a particular semester: Earth Science, Biology, or Physical Science. A list of approved courses can be obtained from an advisor in 120 Willard Hall.

TOTAL CREDITS IN THE MAJOR WITH MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE

121

 

 

After:

 

Middle School Science

 

A list of approved biology, physical science, earth science and environmental science courses is online at http://www.udel.edu/education/ete/second/science.html.

Biology courses

6

Physical science courses

6

Earth science course

3

Environmental science course

3

SCEN 650

Scientific Inquiry for Current and Future Teachers

3

EDUC 443

Teaching Science in the Middle School

3

EDUC 400

Student Teaching: Middle School Science

5

 

TOTAL CREDITS IN THE MAJOR WITH MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE

121

 

ROUTING AND AUTHORIZATION:        (Please do not remove supporting documentation.)

 

Department Chairperson                                                                                                        Date                                       

 

Dean of College                                                                                                                       Date                                       

 

Chairperson, College Curriculum Committee___________________________________Date_____________________

 

Chairperson, Senate Com. on UG or GR Studies                                                                   Date                                       

 

Chairperson, Senate Coordinating Com.                                                                 Date                                       

 

Secretary, Faculty Senate                                                                                                       Date                                       

 

Date of Senate Resolution                                                                                                      Date to be Effective               

 

Registrar                                                                  Program Code                                         Date                                       

 

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs & International Programs                                               Date                                       

 

Provost                                                                                                                                   Date                                       

 

Board of Trustee Notification                                                                                                                Date                                       

 

Revised 02/09/2009   /khs

 

 

 


From: Vukelich, Carol
Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 10:06 AM
To: Danielle Ford;
Robert Hampel; Laura Glass
Cc: Vukelich, Carol
Subject: UCTE Approval of ETE Middle School Science Concentration Revision

 

Via this message, I report that UCTE approved the requested changes to the Middle School Science Concentration in the ETE Program. Specifically, UCTE approves SCEN 650 as a requirement in the ETE-Middle School Science Concentration, rather than as a substitute for another course.  Please attach this message with the University Faculty Senate Form.  Thank you! 

 

 

Carol Vukelich

Hammonds Professor in Teacher Education

Director, Delaware Center for Teacher Education

University of Delaware

200 Academy Street

Newark, Delaware

 

302.831.1657

302.831.2708 (fax)