2014-2015 Annual Report

College of Education

A. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

Major accomplishments (including student accomplishments) of unit/department/college during the year reported by Academic Affairs Goal.
  1. To offer a portfolio of educational programs that are forward looking and responsive to the intellectual, cultural, and economic needs of the region:
  • Dr. Tracy Rock won the Bank of America and Board of Governors Teaching Awards.
  • Dr. David Test’s Transition to College and Career Center was funded for 2,500,000.
  • The final version of the PhD in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation was submitted to the UNC Board of Governors for approval.
  • The Department of Middle/Secondary Education has begun two cohorts of place-based MEd programs, one in Union County (funded externally for $184K) and one in Stanly County
  • The Urban Collaborative hosted the first International Conference on Urban Education (ICUE).
  • The College of Education rose in U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings this year from 86 to 76, and the Special Education program is ranked 12th in the nation.
  • Total new grant funding for 2014-12015 was $8,037,124.
  1. To advance programs of research and scholarship that expand the frontiers of knowledge, including those that solve problems at the interface of disciplines and leverage discovery for the public benefit:

The College of Education published many books, books chapters, and articles in the 2014-2015 academic year. Notable are the following research articles published in high-impact journals:

Journal of Higher Education

Journal of Special Education

Remedial and Special Education

Gifted Child Quarterly

Counselor Education and Supervision

Social Studies Research and Practice

Teaching and Teacher Education

Ethnography and Education

Journal of Social Studies Research

Teachers College Record

International Journal of Mathematics Education

The College also secured $8,037,124in new external funding in 2014-2015, nearly doubling last year’s total.

  1. To graduate students prepared for personal success and civic responsibility in the 21st century by offering challenging degree programs, encouraging community engagement, and integrating the values of liberal education throughout the undergraduate curriculum:
  • The College of Education prepares more Special Education teachers than any other College of Education in North Carolina. These programs are high quality and meet an important need in our community.
  • Our teacher education programs still have strong enrollment, despite the challenging political environment for education.
  • We also have outstanding survey ratings of seniors about their program experiences.
  1. To integrate at the graduate level quality teaching and mentoring with research to prepare the next generation of leaders:
  • Quality teaching at the graduate level continues to bea strength of the College of Education.
  • The integration of quality teaching with research and mentoring is also shown through success of doctoral students in Special Education and where they land positions. For example, Julie Thompson was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan State University.
  • Many faculty members publish research papers with graduate students. A few of the many publications with students in well-regarded journals include the following (students’ names bolded):

Fleury, V. P., Hedges, S., Hume, K., Browder, D. M., Thompson, J. L.,Fallin, K., El Zein, F., Reutebuch, C. K., & Vaughn, S. (2014). Academic performance of secondary students on the autism spectrum.Remedial and Special Education, 35, 68-79.

Jimenez, B. A.,Lo, Y., & Saunders, A. (2014). The additive effects of scripted lessons plus guided notes on science quiz scores of students with intellectual disabilities and autism. Journal of Special Education. 47, 231-244. doi:10.1177/0022466912437937

Matthews, M. S., Ritchotte, J. A., & Jolly, J. (2014). What's wrong with giftedness? Parents' perceptions of the gifted label.International Studies in Sociology of Education: Special Issue, 24, 372-393.

Plavnick, J. B., Marchand-Martella, N. E., Martella, R. C., Thompson, J. L.,Wood, A. L. (2014). A review of explicit and systematic scripted instructional programs for students with autism spectrum disorder.Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Advance online publication. doi:10.1007/s40489-014-0036-

Povenmire-Kirk, T., Diegelmann, K., Crump, K.,Schnorr, C., Test, D., Flowers, C, & Aspel, N. (2015). Implementing CIRCLES: A new model for interagency collaboration in transition planning.Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 42, 51-65.

Spooner, F., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., Kemp Inman, A.,Wood, L. (2014). Using an iPad2® to teach shared stories for elementary-aged students with developmental disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 39, 30-46. doi: 10.1177/1540796914534631

Ritchotte, J. A., Matthews, M. S., & Flowers, C. P. (2014).The validity of the Achievement-Orientation Model for gifted middle school students.Gifted Child Quarterly, 58, 183-198.

Thompson, J.L., & Knight, V.(2015). Chapter 10: Teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In C. O’Brien & J. Beatties (Eds.), Teaching Students with Special Needs (2nd Edition). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Wood, A. L.Thompson, J. L. (2014) Navigating the job search process: A timeline for doctoral candidates in education.The Researcher, 26(2), 6-14.

James, M. & Lewis, C. (2014).Villians and virtuosos: An inquiry into blackmaleness. Journal of African American Males in Education, 5(2), 105-110.

  1. To respond to the educational needs of a diverse community of learners through innovative programming and delivery of credit and non-credit programs of study:
  • The Department of Counseling hosted and or co-sponsored the following education events: (1) the Dr. Jonnie H. McLeod Institute on Substance Abuse, May 12-16, 2014 - total attendance = 118; (2) Special Topics in Play Therapy Conference, June 23-27, total attendance = 141; (3) The Bob BarretDistinguish Lecture Series on Multicultural Issues in Counseling Conference, October 23-24, total attendance = 84; (4) Southern College Health Association Collaborative Care Teams: The Pitcrew, March 4-7, 2014, total attendance = 323; and (5) Mark Young Couples Counseling Workshop, April 13, 2015, total attendance = 75.
  • The Department of Middle and Secondary K1-2 Education has continued to develop and launch innovative off-site programs to enhance instruction. For example, coursework for middle grades teacher candidates (MDLG 3130) is held at Randolph Middle School in Charlotte. Aspiring secondary school teachers attend class at Central Cabarrus High School or A. L Brown High School in Cabarrus County. Further, to increase enrollment and support teachers in under-served regions we are developing innovative M.Ed programs in Middle/Secondary Education for teachers in Union and Stanly Counties. In a further attempt to address community needs and increase enrollment, this year MDSK, under the leadership of Dr. Dana Dagenhart, Dr. Jeanneine Jones, and Dr. Teresa Petty developed EDUC 6144: Introduction to National Board Certification, an elective, and fully online course open to teachers within and beyond UNC Charlotte, who are interested in seeking National Board certification. EDUC 6144 is scheduled to be offered for the first time in Summer 2015.
  • In the Department of Special Education and Human development, Dr. Michael Matthews and Dr. Gloria Campbell Whatley, along with other faculty from the College, taught in the Best Practices in Urban Education Institute at UNC Charlotte’s Center City Building in the summer of 2014. This was co-sponsored by the College of Education and the Teaching Fellows Institute at Charlotte.
  • To broaden the quantity and quality of on-line instruction in our academic programs, the Department of Education Leadership continued to infuse technology into many of our courses through the use of Moodle2, Centra, Camtasia, Google Docs, and other delivery systems; the quantity of on-line and technology-infused course offerings was increased to support the academic needs of students outside our geographic region.
  • In the Department of Reading and Elementary Education, Dr. Jean Vintinner developed and delivered the curriculum for the Reading Raiders program of the Youth Education Society, which prepares teen tutors to work with disadvantaged youth in the community to raise levels of literacy for both tutors and their tutees.
  1. To promote student achievement and personal development by providing high quality advising, academic services, curricular enrichment, and international experiences:

Some of the curricular enrichment activities provided by the College include:

  • Summer Ventures Program, A Science and Mathematics state-funded program for academically talented North Carolina high school students who have demonstrated interest in science and mathematics and aspire to a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The program brings rising juniors and seniors together for four weeks in a residential setting for research and intensive study. University of North Carolina at Charlotte is one of four campuses of the UNC System that host students.
  • Several faculty members collaborated with local area scientists and science educators in the Science Festival.
  • Students’ Study Abroad experiences included the following countries:
  • Faculty have made trips to the following countries for future Study Abroad programs: Spain, Germany, South Africa, Brazil
  • Faculty members participated in the College Honors Program.
  • This past year marked the 20th anniversary of the College’s partnership with the University of Ludwigsburg.
  1. To engage in focused efforts to creatively address university and community needs through internal collaboration and partnerships with public, private, and non-profit organizations:
  • The 15 Professional Development School partners are perhaps the College’s most successful partnerships. Faculty and schools work collaboratively each week to train teachers and provide professional development to teachers.
  • All candidates in ELED 3111 (REEL) and in LBST 2215 (MDSK) participate in an intensive tutoring program during their first semester of the program.
  • The Center for Education, Measurement, and Evaluation (CEME) includes faculty from multiple departments and they conduct evaluation projects for several community and state organizations.
  • The College of Education collaborated with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools to host the Reading and Writing Conference; it was attended by teachers from area schools and UNC Charlotte undergraduate candidates.
  • The Department of Educational Leadership works closely with the area superintendents of the eleven districts of the Southwest Education Alliance (SWEA). Drs. Jim Watson, Jim Bird, and Laura Hart attended seven monthly meetings of the SWEA’s Superintendents’ Council.
  • Several faculty members received small grants to conduct work in the community. For example, Dr. Susan Harden received a $2,000 grant from the LilySarahGrace Fund to support an Arts Infused Inquiry Based Learning Project at Albemarle Road Elementary School. In this model, Dr. Harden met and taught her UNC-Charlotte COE students the inquiry process on-site at ARES. The students then went into classrooms and led the projects with the ARES students. In another example, Dr. Lan Kolano received a $12,000 grant from the Women and Girls Research Alliance at UNC Charlotte to document the lives of 15 newly arrived Southeast Asian youth and their families in North Carolina. Dr. Kolano was also nominated for the Provost Award for Community Engagement in 2014/2015.
  • Dr. Harden led the University Engaged Scholarship and Community Partnerships Symposium
  • Dr. Ed Weizalis in Department of Counseling is meeting with the Carolina Healthcare System and Aldersgate Methodist Community to establish a possible clinic for some of our MA & PhD students could provide counseling services to employees.
  1. To support the success of faculty and staff through career development opportunities, mentoring, and access to supportive infrastructure:
  • Faculty use travels funds (approximately $1200 per year) to attend a professional conference each year.
  • 45 faculty members attended professional development opportunities on research design, the new CAEP teacher preparation standards, diversity issues, and technology.
  • One team of researchers received support from Project Mosaic for mentoring on grant writing.
  • Several teams of researchers were awarded SOTL grants.
  • Several collaborative teams were awarded Chancellor’s Diversity grants.
  • One faculty members has been accepted into the ADVANCE Bridges program.
  1. To actively promote diversity among faculty, students, and staff and in the curriculum:
  • We now require faculty members to list or describe in their annual reports how they address diversity.
  • Three departments (all members in the departments) sat for professional development related to infusing diversity topics into the curriculum, creating a safe space for the LGBTQ community, and providing a positive academic climate.
  • The faculty of color met with the dean to discuss issues of concern. The group expressed a positive climate in the College for faculty of color, but agreed that professional development was still needed. Some suggested we have an assistant dean (or equivalent) for diversity in the College.
  1. To create a flexible, responsive culture that uses effective review and assessment as the basis for improvement:
  • Each department with teacher preparation programs received copies of the studies conducted by EPIC (UNC-GA) on teacher quality and were asked to have discussions about these data and implications for them (i.e., whether they warranted revisions to programs).
  • The Department of Reading and Elementary Education uses teaching evaluations to determine whether adjunct faculty should be re-hired.
  • In Education Leadership, the departmentcontinued the use of five new scoring rubrics – admission to the EdD program, the qualifying examination, the internship experience, the dissertation proposal defense, and the final dissertation defense – to collect data on the performance of our EdD in Educational Leadership students.
  • The Department of Educational Leadership implemented the new EdD qualifying examination procedures based on data received during previous administrations of the qualifying examination.
  • All departments work on student outcomes assessment for every program. Program directors keep track of outcomes and report them to program area faculty.

Other highlights of the year include:

  • We hired 4 new faculty members, graduates of University of Delaware, University of North Carolina Greensboro, College of William and Mary, and the University of Florida. All come with excellent credentials.

B. MAJOR NEW ACTION STEPS PLANNED TO ACHIEVE GOALS IN 2010-2015 STRATEGIC PLAN

Describe major new action steps planned (if any) to achieve goals in the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan. (Note: this section was included in the event that major new action steps became necessary after the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan was developed. For most units/depts./colleges, this section will be blank.)
None, as we developed a new strategic plan for 2015-2020.

C. ANNUAL EVALUATIONS BY UNIT

Briefly describe any annual evaluations conducted by units/departments/colleges to assess outcomes that are not included in the unit/department/college’s 2010-2015 Strategic Plan (.e.g., scholarly productivity.)
None.

D. EXAMPLES OF DATA-BASED IMPROVEMENTS DURING THE YEAR

Describe 3 examples of how the unit/department/college has used assessment data for the purpose of improvement during the year.
  1. All departments report how they use SLOs to assess outcomes and make changes accordingly. But except for the two examples above, there is no details in the reports that describe this with specificity. This will change next year.
  2. Dr. Melba Spooner conducted a review of several units under her supervision (The Advising Center, The Office of Field Experiences, The Office of Educational Outreach). From these reviewers, we have decided to change the role of the assessment coordinator, hire a data manager, and re-think our engagement.
  3. The College of Education’s teacher preparation programs have all made changes in content and delivery since we began using the edTPA assessment. For example, the Department of Middle and Secondary Education modified the support provided to student teachers based on the edTPA Spring 2014 practice data and Fall 2014 student teacher data. This included seminars that addressed each of the practice tasks, which were designed to provide both task-specific and individualized consultation for all four tasks. Furthermore, additional emphasis was placed on the skills and experiences specific to each of the classes offered in the year-long internship and graduate certificate coursework to more effectively imbed the tasks within course content and provide descriptive and detailed feedback specific to the level of proficiency demonstrated by the students.

E. ASSESSMENT OF EVALUATION METHODS

Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of unit/department/college’s assessment methods and describe plans (if any) to strengthen outcomes assessment during the coming year.
Previous to this year, program directors have not been held accountable for ensuring that program improvements follow data on program outcomes. Dr. Dawson Hancock, new associate dean for Research and Graduate Studies has worked with faculty to develop explicit roles and responsibilities of program directors. This includes ensuring that student learning outcomes are measurable, are measured annually, and that work to improve the programs follow the analyses of the outcomes. We should see this operational in next year’s report.
We also have not had workable place or system for storing all university data, and so department chairs go about finding data differently, with different results. This fall, we will establish a data system. Currently, I have a hunch that Chair’s do not read the program reports because little of the assessment information gets into the departmental reports. With three new department chairs starting in July, we are at a good point for making changes. The training for this work will begin in September and we will meet annually about it.
Additionally, I am asking that the chair’s reports quantify instead of qualify on reports in the future, with narrative used to highlight. In that vein, I am asking them toreport on:1) specific ways the department has addressed or met our College goals; 2) enrollment, graduation, and completion rates (time to completion) for all programs; 3) all faculty awards; 4) a list of all engagement activities with major/signature projects or initiatives described with a brief synopsis for outsiders to understand; 5) scholarship productivity (publications and grants) with metrics such as impact factors; 6) a summary of how the department met or did not meet student learning outcomes (SLOs) for each program; and 7) specific ways the department has addressed diversity in the curriculum as well as in hiring and professional development of faculty. In general, I would like to see numbers and percentages whenever possible (e.g., the number and percentage of all students who participated in a Study Abroad program.)