Student Supports Task Force
College of Education

I.  What types of student supports are currently in place?

To answer this question, the task force decided the term needed to be operationalized.  We determined the definition as:

Student support serves as a foundation that provides positive direction for a student to succeed in their educational pursuits.

Each academic department, Office of Student Services, Greenwood, and the Child Development Center were asked to complete a survey of the activities/events that provide student support in their area.  The data were analyzed and categories of “supports” emerged.  Table 1 reflects the self-reported student supports by area.  Descriptions of the data by category appear below.

Mandatory/Compensatory Supports

Academic programs that can/should be accredited by DESE have achieved such accreditation.  Various departments and affiliate areas offer training in mandated reporting.  Each academic department provides training in the ePortfolio system, if being utilized.  The Office of Student Services provides oversight for necessary clearances (e.g., Family Care Safety Registry, TB test, liability insurance, fingerprinting).

Advising

Undergraduate advising for teacher education programs is provided by the Professional Education Advisement Center.  The three advisors (2 FT, 1 3/4 time) advise over 1,200 students averaging 406 students each (Student Services Annual Report, 2012).  Undergraduate advising by CFD faculty is divided by emphasis area.  In addition, one faculty member has taken on the responsibility of advising all the West Plains students in the BS completion program (approx. 40 students).  Two faculty members are advising 60+ students each and a third faculty member has 30+ advisees.  The remaining faculty have between 10-20 advisees each.  Additional advising duties exist for the 82 minors the CFD program currently has.  There is no workload adjustment for the advising duties.

In most graduate programs the Graduate Director advises their own students.

Post-baccalaureate advising is primarily done at the program level.  Previously this advising was housed in the Teacher Certification Office.  Two FT advisors are employed in the TCO.  Data is not available regarding the number of advising appointments recorded by the advisors (Student Services Annual Report, 2012).

Off-Site/Satellites

The undergraduate ELE program has a substantial outreach program with “remote” sites for BS completion in West Plains, Neosho, Lebanon, Nevada, and Cassville. The MAT program has satellite sites in West Plains and Joplin.

Although not a close alignment, we have also sorted the use of Greenwood classrooms/facilities into this section.  Greenwood provides numerous opportunities for classes (e.g., ELE science methods, eMints, EEM, EAD) and allows access to their facility for program events (e.g., ECE graduation reception).

Clinical/Field Experiences

Each academic program provides clinical or field experiences.  The Child Development Center and Greenwood are used for many of these experiences.  In addition, SPS, and other local school districts meet the needs of teacher certification programs.  The University Child Care Center, local Head Start Centers, Cox & Mercy Hospitals, along with numerous local social service agencies provide experiences for non-certification programs.

Practicum and student teaching placements are completed by the Field Experiences Office.  There were 963 students in practicum settings and 455 student teachers placed in FA11, SP12, SU12 (Student Services Annual Report, 2012).

Exam Support

Exam support primarily is offered through the Professional Education Advisement Office.  Study materials and information, test dates, and CBASE workshop information is provided by this office.      Support for both C-BASE and PRAXIS exams are handled by this office.

Technical Support

Most programs provide training for ePortfolios.  The Student Services Office troubleshoots for students for ePortfolios.  The ePortfolio labs and staff prove helpful to the departments and individual programs.

Most programs use Blackboard in their course delivery.  The Professional Advisement Center uses Blackboard to post announcements and disseminate information.

Facebook and other social networking sites are utilized by some programs and the Professional Advisement Office.

Financial/Scholarship

Graduate Assistants, many from COE graduate programs, and undergraduate student workers (and work study) are hired by departments and offices in the College.  The CDC hires numerous student workers from the CFD and ECE programs.

In addition, scholarships are available through the college for a variety of students.

Research Opportunities

The College is uniquely positioned with TWO laboratory facilities that provide research opportunities for students and faculty – Child Development Center and Greenwood Lab School.

All graduate programs have a research requirement for students.  Faculty supervise the students’ research.

Some undergraduate research is also facilitated by a few programs.  ELE has a required Action Research course of its undergraduates.  However, there is little financial or or workload support for this endeavor.

Student Organizations

Student organizations provide opportunities for networking, community engagement, and socialization for participating students.  These types of organizations are seen as an important retention strategy in addition to meeting individual student needs.

Some programs sponsor student organizations (e.g., Child Life Student Association, Family Studies Association, Special Education).

Course Delivery System

Today’s students are looking for increasingly more technology-driven course options. Most undergraduate programs offer combinations of face-to-face (f2f), blended (seated & online), and online coursework.  Several graduate programs (e.g., Literacy, ELE, ECFD, Blind & Low Vision,  Orientation & Mobility) have moved to fully online course delivery.  Systems to support these online students seem inadequate.

II. Which student supports currently in place are MOST critical to the mission of the department, college, and university?  Which are most successful?  Why?

From the data received, the student supports reported appear to align with departmental, college, and university mission statements (refer to Table).  A qualitative assessment of the student supports was not undertaken due to time restrictions.

III. What types of student supports not currently in place should be considered?  Why?  Expected outcomes?

A.  Online student supports – Many students receive their education strictly through online course delivery (e.g., Blind and Low Vision, Orientation & Mobility, Elementary Education, Early Childhood & Family Development) may need additional supports not currently offered.  For example, these students do not receive a Missouri State ID, which impedes access to academic libraries.  Other areas of concern are advisement and computer training for online students.

B.  Non-certification program supports – Although the over-arching mission of the College of Education is to support and facilitate teacher education, there are programs within our college that either support teacher education programs (e.g., Child & Family Development) or are closely associated to the field (e.g., Student Affairs, Educational Technology).  These programs are often over-shadowed by the TE components.  For example, undergraduate advising is provided to TE students through the Professional Education Advisement Center.  However, undergraduate students in the CFD program are advised by the program faculty with no impact on workload.  Other areas of concern are the transfer process and omission at the COE graduation reception of non-teacher education graduates.

C.  Transfer student policies/procedures –  With ever increasing numbers of students transferring from two-year institutions, clearly defined policies and procedures are needed to address all areas within the college.

 

IV.  What recommendations regarding specific student supports should be considered by the COE Leadership Council, Budget Committee, academic departments, and support units?

A.    Increase support for online students

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of highly motivated parents of blind children and retired teachers throughout the country who are seeking certification to teach P-12 students with visual impairments. Often, these candidates do not have access to specialized equipment and instructional paraphernalia required to succeed in an online program. Therefore, we recommend establishing within the Special Education Program an Equipment Center that will loan braille machines, slates and styluses, math and science devices, assessment kits, etc. to these online candidates.  Missouri State identification cards should be made available to the online students to facilitate use of facilities, including the academic libraries.  Further, an on-campus “technology orientation” should be offered to provide instruction and support with hardware and software used by online students.

B.    Investigate advising for non-certification programs

The Task Force would like to recommend an in-depth investigation into the possibility of providing support for non-certification programs in the area of advising.  Perhaps utilizing advisors currently in the Teacher Certification Office would be a more effective and efficient means of providing students with the advising they require, as well as justify their full time employment.  It appears that the advisement loads of the two FT advisors in the TCO is substantially lower than advisors in the Professional Education Advisement Center, with the Advisement Center advisors seeing over 50% more than the Teacher Certification advisors (Student Services Annual Report, 2012).

C.     Consolidation of mandated reporting training

Many programs/entities are providing mandatory reporter training.  Perhaps consolidating these trainings would be a more efficient use of time and resources.  An orientation or training at the beginning of each semester could provide the necessary training to all students and faculty.  Missouri Child Care Licensing requires an annual training for all who work in a child care facility.  Students going entering any type of field experience, whether schools or agencies, should have this training.  Penny Groves, MSU legal counsel, has offered to provide this training.

D. Transfer student support –

The Task Force recommends that a committee or new Task Force be formed to work on the support system, including policies and procedures, for transfer students.  This should include but not be limited to,  helping student acclimate to university, introduce the Public Affairs mission statement, and support to meet requirements for admit Teacher Education.

E. Support for diverse students

The Task Force acknowledges the importance of increasing student diversity within the college.  We recommend this commitment be extended beyond the recruiting efforts.  Perhaps the PEU  Diversity Committee should be expanded to include, among other items, financial supports available, the student’s sense of belonging, and support for mandatory exams. 

F. Non-certification programs

Given the unique nature of non-certification programs within the COE, the Task Force recommends a standing committee be formed to provide oversight and support for these programs.

V.  Conclusion:

The Task Force believes this report is a fair representation for the charge it was given.  It is my no means inclusive of all student supports currently being offered by the programs.  The Task Force acknowledges the high quality and commitment of the COE faculty and staff.  It was obvious through the collected survey data that the college in its entirety is dedicated to providing our students with the supports needed to be successful in their educational pursuits.

It should be noted that Greenwood Laboratory School and the Child Development Center have a primary mission to provide student supports for children birth through twelfth grade in addition to COE students.  These supports were not investigated at this time.

Our findings are limited to the self-reporting completed and by the short time provided to complete this report.

 

MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY: A public, comprehensive metropolitan system with a statewide mission in public affairs, whose purpose is to develop educated persons. The University’s identity is distinguished by its public affairs mission, which entails a campus-wide commitment to foster expertise and responsibility in ethical leadership, cultural competence and community engagement. The academic experience is grounded in a general education curriculum which draws heavily from the liberal arts and sciences. This foundation provides the basis for mastery of disciplinary and professional studies. It also provides essential forums in which students develop the capacity to make well-informed, independent critical judgments about the cultures, values and institutions in society.
Childhood “Education & Family Studies: Through teaching, research, and service, the childhood education and family studies department is committed to be a model and resource for enhancing the quality of life and promoting the inherent rights of children and families.
Mandatory/ Compensatory	Advising	Off-Site/ Satellite	Clinical/ Field Exp		Exam Supports	Tech Support		Financial/ Scholarships	Research Opps	Student Organization	Course Delivery Systems
National recognition by SPA for ELE & ECE; DESE accredited; seamless transfer form Comm. Col. AAT to MSU ELE program	Graduate programs advise own students; ECE & ELE advised by Prof. Ed. Advisors; CFD advises students;   Accelerated MS in RDG, ECE, SPE, ELE; AAT transfer support	ELE completion programs WP; Crowder; Cassville, Lebanon, Nevada. CFD completion program WP.  AAT transfer support	ELE – Teaching Academies & TEA. 100 hrs in Title 1 school; emphasis on working with children from poverty; early and continuous FE—		C-BASE and PRAXIS workshop offered periodically	Training for ePortfolio; Blackboard; ELE provides SMART Notebook 11, Beginner and Intermediate training for student teachers;   ECFD has Facebook;		3 Gas; 4 student workers; Scholarships specific to ECE & CFD	ELE & ECFD  graduate students have research requirement;  ELE has Action Research course	Child Life Student Association; Family Studies Association; SNEA, SMSTA sponsored by ELE faculty	CFD has online, blended & f2f;   Blended/on-line for remote sites;   ECFD & ELE grad. Program predom. Online
Child Development Center:  Guiding Principles Developmentally Appropriate Practices are used with children, family members, college students, and colleagues.  Show mutual respect to one another.  Keep lines of effective communication open between staff, children, families, faculty, administration, and the community.  Work together as a team.  Exhibit a passion and commitment to be the best we can possibly be.
Mandatory/ Compensatory	Advising	Off-Site/ Satellite	Clinical/ Field Exps	Exam Supports			Techn Support	Financial/ Scholarships	Research Opps	Student Organization	Course Delivery Systems
Licensed & accredited			Clinical exp. For CFD, ECE, ELE students					Opportunities for student workers, work study.	Faculty & student research facilitated
Counseling, Leadership, Special Ed: Strives to develop culturally competent and ethical leaders and scholars in counseling and life-long education who are actively engaged in community, state, national, and global affairs.
Mandatory/ Compensatory	Advising	Off-Site/ Satellite	Clinical/ Field Exps	Exam Supports			Tech Support	Financial/ Scholarships	Research Ops	Student Organization	Course Delivery Systems
COU faculty work in collaboration with Evangel University and local community trainer to provide this training to prepare COU school counseling students as Mandated Reporters  This	Program faculty provide academic advisement to graduate students including information on needed Praxis exams for certification		Prospective Internship students meet as group prior to enrollment with Internship coordinator and program faculty to review internship placement options, paperwork requirements, and supervisor trainings	COU majors take a nationally normed, standardized comp. Faculty support study assistance/services through C.O.P.E.					Support professional development of SPE  students by collaboratively developing, submitting and presenting research presentations (based on data from applied research projects) at national and state conference	Student organization plans activities for study groups, social gatherings, and fundraisers for community nee	COU faculty provide this training to prepare COU school counseling students as leaders in the school setting for Crisis Response.  This is done through School Counseling Internship class and School Counseling Foundations
Greenwood:  Our mission is to support Missouri State University as a laboratory of best practices in teaching and to prepare students who are knowledgeable, creative, caring and engaged citizens.
Mandatory/ Compensatory	Advising	Off-Site/ Satellite	Clinical/ Field Exps	Exam Supports			Tech Support	Financial/ Scholarships	Research Opps	Student Organization	Course Delivery Systems
		Multiple courses taught at Greenwood (ELE sci, eMINTS, EEM; EAD; etc) Hispanic Initiative mtgs; Reading Academy;ECE grad. Recep.	Pracicum = 1857 hrs per yr; Observations = 1642 per yr; Student Teachers = 18 per yr; Remedial help for student teachers						5th grade students used in SpEd testing course
Reading, Foundation & Technology: Provide all students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be successful professionals and to develop instructional leaders who use theory and research to inform and enhance their practice in a global, diverse, and technological society.
Mandatory/ Compensatory	Advising	Off-Site/ Satellite	Clinical/ Field Exps	Exam Supports			Tech Support	Financial/ Scholarships	Research Opps	Student Organization	Course Delivery Systems
1Portfolio training at technical & content levels. 2. . MAT students  receive advisement in TWS procedure.	1. Faculty provide personalized advising (outside of academic advising). 2. EDT non certification, MAT, and MSEd Lit. stds. receive advisement from program coordin	1. MAT programs in West Plains and Joplin	Graduate programs provide field experiences (RDG 781 & 782;EDT 767; SEC 783 & 784)	MSED Literacy students must pass a comprehensive exam based on the coursework in their program.			SEC 302  and student teachers receive technical training for e- portfolio. 2. EDT non certification students receive Smart Board training to obtain Level I certification. 3.  MAT students on every campus receive training in e-portfolio from Program Coordinators and course		Students in the MSEd-Literacy Program, the EDT non certification program, and MAT students are required to complete a thesis, seminar paper or research project to complete their degree.		Rdg has online, blended, & f2f courses; Rdg grad program entirely online.
Student Services: A unit within the College of Education whose mission is to assist students in their academic progression through the Teacher Education Program. This office is responsible for administering the Office of Educational Field Experiences, the COE Advisement Center, and the Office of Teacher Certification/Compliance.
Mandatory Compensatory	Advising	Off-Site/ Satellite	Clinical/ Field Exps	Exam Supports			Tech Supports	Financial/ Scholarships	Research Opps	Student Organization	Course Delivery Systems
BEARS-Beginning Teacher Assistance Program   FCSR (Family Background checks)	Class scheduling- Pre-registration   Monitor  course prerequisites & process conditional overrides   Predict enrollment numbers/needs   Provide COE info to prospective stdts (OTC prestns, Visits to h.s. FEA’s   Process exception requests   Process scholastic Action appeals  w/COE Dean	Advise Lebanon ELE completion program   Create admit lists for off campus stdts   Process exc. requests for off-campus stdts	Practicum  placement   Student Teaching placement     Oversee Tchr Aide Rule   Check & post trans.pts,	CBASE Regis info/ study guides   Provide test codes/post scores/ regis info –PRAXIS Ii   SchedulepromoteCBASE Wshop			Troubleshoot-by help ing stdts post clinical logs, ckpts, eportfolios	Distribute Info     Hire Grad Asst,stdt workers		Post announcememts, meetings