College of Education News

College of Education alumni recognized as outstanding beginning teachers

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Being a beginner at anything can be difficult. For beginners Kaitlin Voss and Marcus Bullard, alumni of Missouri State’s education program, there was no shortage of difficulties as they began their teaching careers.  

Their hard work to overcome the many challenges they face as teachers is not going unnoticed. Bullard and Voss have both been recognized as Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE) 2021 Outstanding Beginning Teachers. 

Voss graduated in 2019 with her bachelor’s in education of the deaf and hard of hearing and in 2020 with her master’s in the education of deaf and hard of hearing. She is currently a third-grade teacher at the Kansas School for the Deaf.  

Bullard graduated in 2019 with his bachelor’s in elementary education and in 2020 with his master’s in educational technology. He is currently a second-grade teacher at Westport Elementary.  

Q&A with outstanding beginning teachers 

Both teachers shared details about their careers, offered helpful advice for the classroom and relayed pleasant memories from their time at Missouri State:  

What was the most challenging aspect as you began teaching?  

Voss: Figuring out what works best for each of my students is definitely the biggest challenge. And, of course, COVID has been an added struggle, but if I can get that done in my first year, then I guess the rest will be a breeze. 

Bullard: Navigating through a new school, learning things about curriculum, managing student conflict and helping students have productive conversations with each other were probably my biggest challenges. Coming from MSU, I felt prepared with being creative, and I had strategies that I could use. In your first year of teaching, you learn a whole different set of strategies. Going into a school, you kind of have an idea of how the school works, but you don’t truly know the culture of the school or how the students function day to day.  

How were you able to overcome those challenges as a new teacher?  

Voss: Talking with other teachers. Thankfully, I have such a great support system – teachers, my principal – they’re all amazing. Also, I ask my kids. I honestly rely on them because they know themselves. Having them as an active participant in trying to figure everything out definitely helps.   

Bullard: Last year I was in a team of four teachers teaching in the second grade. Having them as a support system was a huge deal for me. I learned  that it’s okay to lean on other people. You’re not in this teaching world alone. So, seeing all these positive role models influenced my own teaching. 

What are some of the most rewarding aspects of being a teacher?  

Voss: Just seeing their faces – like when we came back from spring break – and seeing those lightbulb moments and the little connections that they make is so rewarding. It makes the challenges all worth it.   

Bullard: The most rewarding thing is being able to be a positive role model for my kids.  

Elementary Program Coordinator, Dr. Stefanie Livers and Dr. Minor Baker make a congratulatory visit to Mr. Marcus Bullard in his classroom at Westport K-8 school

What is one thing that you learned while at MSU that has paid off to know as you began your career in education?  

Voss: MSU did a great job of readying me for this diverse group of students with skills like utilizing your visuals, acting things out and making it as engaging as possible. Also, we have a preschool at Missouri State in Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall. That was probably my favorite experience, just to be able to have that connection right there: you sit in class, you learn and then you walk downstairs, and you get to apply it to real life. 

Bullard: My focus was educational technology for my graduate degree, so having a background in how to facilitate learning online was definitely a big help. With COVID, it was scary because we didn’t know when we were going to see our kids again or how we were going to be effective teachers. If I didn’t have those classes, I wouldn’t have been able to be successful with virtual learning. 

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Missouri State?  

Voss: Being able to see the deaf community in action was probably the coolest experience – just going to the mall for a chat or to a coffee shop to hang out. We also had a big picnic together with people who are deaf and hard of hearing in Springfield and surrounding areas – one in the fall and one in the spring. So, yeah, MSU was the greatest experience I could have ever asked for in a college, and not just in my program, but in the Springfield community.  

Bullard: One of my favorite memories was the first night – meeting people that I know will probably be in the rest of my life. I lived in a Living Learning Community (LLC) and there was a night at the rec center where LLC students could mix and mingle. Without MSU, I wouldn’t have the little close-knit group of friends that I have. I’m in Springfield and they’re in St. Louis and we still talk every day.   

Cheating in the time of COVID-19: An ongoing study

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Are my students cheating? 

That question looms over every teacher. With the shift to virtual learning due to the pandemic, some questioned if there was a way to prevent cheating at all. 

Professors at Missouri State, Marshall and Kansas State universities are examining the issue of cheating, specifically, whether the conditions of the pandemic caused an uptick in academic dishonesty.  

The original study  

Eleven years ago, while working at Marshall University, Dr. James Sottile, professor in MSU’s counseling, leadership and special education (CLSE) department, conducted research to determine if college students were cheating. Then, he compared cheating in seated courses to that of online classes.  

The results of the 2010 study showed that while some students were cheating, there was not a significant difference between the likelihood of cheating in person versus online.  

“Everybody assumed people would cheat more online, but that wasn’t the case,” Sottile said. “If people are given the opportunity to cheat, they’re going to cheat. That’s pretty similar for being online or face to face.” 

Data during the pandemic  

Considering the changes in class delivery during the pandemic, Sottile, along with Dr. Bonni Behrend, also a professor in the CLSE department, embarked on a follow-up cheating study.  

Not only did the pandemic present an interesting environment, but technological advancements over the past decade were also factors to consider.  

“Classes that were traditionally brick and mortar now have this virtual component,” Behrend said. “When you’re forced into a virtual setting, you maybe don’t have the time or the capabilities to think outside the box about what students could be doing whenever you’re giving them a test.” 

Sottile and his colleagues collected data through a survey like the one used in the original study. They added additional questions to gauge if students were more likely to cheat since the pandemic began. 

Survey results from 698 college student participants show that students may have cheated more during the pandemic.  

Survey results to the question: Have you cheated more or less since the COVID-19 pandemic (February 2020) than before the pandemic?

Sottile, Behrend and their co-researchers will return to the study for a third time with more specific questions including:  

  • What percent of students in your live classes do you believe cheat at least once during the semester? 
  • What percent of students in your online classes do you believe cheat at least once during the semester? 

They hope to narrow down their results to the most accurate depiction of what has happened during the pandemic.  

“It needs to be also stated that a lot of people said they don’t cheat at all, and that’s good,” Behrend said. “But I think as we get more sophisticated with technology, our curriculum and the ways that we deliver education, we have to anticipate the needs.” 

Addressing the issue of cheating 

According to major psychological theorists, people who cheat are often motivated by how cheating will benefit them.  

When it comes to academics, Sottile explained that the more competitive the atmosphere is, the higher the rates of cheating tend to be.  

For example, the original research showed that:  

  • Graduate students tend to cheat slightly more than undergraduate students. 
  • Athletes tend to cheat slightly more than non-athletes.  
  • Men tend to cheat slightly more than women. 

However, Sottile and his colleagues proposed that the solution is not to remove the competitive element. Rather, they would like to raise the moral standards students are held to in academics.  

“The way you increase a person’s moral development, which is backed up by research, is to provide them with ‘what if’ scenarios and codes of ethics,” Sottile said.  

Academic integrity at Missouri State  

Sottile affirmed academic integrity policies in place at Missouri State are adequate if they are supported by teachers and administrators.  

“I think everyone needs to be more aware of what we can do to prevent people from cheating, or decreasing the chances of cheating, as well as increasing a person’s moral development,” Sottile said.  

Behrend notes the purpose of conducting research on topics like this is not to highlight the negative, but to acknowledge that there is room for improvement.  

“People are going to cheat to meet a need,” Behrend explained. “We have to think about what we can do on the backside to be proactive about it as educators, as people who are educating the next leaders. At Missouri State, we talk about the public affairs mission in that way – how it helps to create greater thinkers.” 

MSU academic integrity policies   

Academic integrity resources for students  

COE professor receives national award

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Dr. Nicole West is the 2021 Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) Faculty Council Excellence in Teaching Award recipient.  

The Excellence in Teaching Award is given to a faculty member who demonstrates “excellence, enthusiasm and innovation in teaching.” 

West, assistant professor in the department of counseling, leadership and special education in the student affairs in higher education (SAHE) program, has worked at Missouri State for three years now.  

In this short time, she has received an award for her research and now an award highlighting her outstanding teaching.  

“I was surprised, pleasantly surprised. I think it’s always nice to be recognized by your colleagues, for the work that you do,” West said. “I feel really privileged to teach the courses that I teach, and the students that I teach.” 

Her work is not only recognized, but greatly admired by her colleagues.  

“Dr. West brings perspective and insight that is completely unique from any other faculty member,” Dr. Reesha Adamson, CLSE interim department head, shared. “She is an invaluable contributor to the university’s progress.”  

Innovation when we need it most  

2020 has not been an easy year for educators.  

“I think COVID has forced a lot of us to become innovative,” West said in an interview. “Many people that were not teaching online have had to figure out how to do that and do it in a way that is engaging.”  

Despite the hardships of the past year, West continues to find ways to foster community and make progress in the classroom.   

“My students usually show up on that first day of class a little like deer in headlights. It’s always so amazing to me and rewarding that even by the end of their first semester, you can see the exponential growth and confidence they’ve developed in their ability to produce their own research.” 

Last spring, due to COVID-19, the SAHE program had to cancel its Hooding Ceremony, which is normally held each May to celebrate graduating students’ accomplishments in the program.   

Still wanting to celebrate the students who were graduating, West shared that she, along with some of the other SAHE faculty, including Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Dee Siscoe and Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Dr. Michele Smith, held a makeshift socially distant ceremony in lieu of the typical hooding ceremony that takes place.  

“We met them in one of the parking lots, and we dressed up in regalia, in a very hot part of the year,” West said with a laugh.  

The SAHE program is a graduate program at Missouri State that prepares students to become student affairs practitioners in higher education.  

Beyond the classroom  

In addition to her work in the SAHE program, West’s research and professional service focuses on enhancing the experiences of Black women enrolled and employed in higher education.  

“For Black women, there aren’t usually a lot of us working at one institution or in one department. So, trying to find community is sometimes difficult,” said West.  

Currently, West is working to translate her research into practice by curating virtual places that enhance community, communication, and collaboration among Black women in higher education.  

She has published extensively on this topic, which she refers to in the literature as professional counterspaces.  

“Participatory Action Research Counterspaces (PARC) is a methodology that I developed and am essentially pilot testing with a group of Black women, faculty, staff and students on campus right now,” West explained. “I am thinking about ways to leverage technology and emerging social media platforms, like Clubhouse for example, to create virtual professional counterspaces.”  

More about Dr. West’s research  

West will receive the Excellence in Teaching Award at the NASPA annual conference, which will be held virtually this year, on March 19th.  

Congratulations, Dr. West!  

Decision to move back home pays off

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Taking the local path toward success

After starting college at a small, liberal arts school in Ohio, Mary Ortman wanted to find a more affordable option for her education.

Enter her hometown institution, Missouri State University.

“I moved back here because it was going to be a lot cheaper (to go to school at MSU), so I loved it,” she said. “I loved being a part of studies and going to classes and learning things and having the professors really care about you.”

And the outcome?

Four years after transferring to MSU, Ortman had earned her bachelor’s degree (special education/cross categorical), her master’s degree (special education – autism spectrum disorder emphasis) and landed a teaching job in the Springfield (Mo.) R-12 School District.

Learn more about ASD graduate programs

A mentor, a relevant educational experience

As an undergraduate and graduate student in the Department of Counseling, Leadership and Special Education (CLSE), Ortman received the guidance and support she needed.

With Dr. Linda Garrison-Kane as her advisor, Ortman conducted research and gave presentations at a handful of national and regional conferences.

  • International Conference of Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders
  • Applied Behavior Analysis for Autism Conference

As an undergrad, she presented findings from a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) at a College of Education symposium.

“I had classes with Dr. Garrison-Kane since I think my second or third year here and she really just took me under her wing as far as conferences and data and everything,” Ortman said.

Ortman researched many aspects of special education teaching, including the benefits technology can have on special education students in the classroom. She’s put her degrees to practice in her current job at Ozark Middle School.

Alex Beckman and Mary OrtmanFrom friends and classmates to colleagues

Any person who has job hunted knows the importance of networking and having an “inside” source.

For Ortman, that person was her friend and former classmate, Alex Beckman.

Beckman began teaching at Ozark Middle School in 2011. When a special education teaching position became available in 2015, Beckman reached out to Ortman, who had taught for two years in Springfield.

Ortman and Beckman built a friendship at MSU as classmates, talking about everything and anything in special education.

“We took a couple of classes together and I think we sort of connected with our weirdness,” Ortman said. “And we went to a lot of conferences together and we just hung out at conferences. We both have an interest and passion for special education.”

Problem solving and a passion for helping others

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Mathematics may not seem like it goes hand-in-hand with becoming a therapist, but Jamie Cayley knows he can put his problem-solving skills to good use by helping others.  

In addition to his master’s in mathematics, Cayley is working toward a Student Mental Health, Family and Community Support Graduate Certificate to help him prepare for MSU’s clinical psychology graduate program.  

Cayley’s aspirations and activism were recently featured in MSU’s mathematics blog.  

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