TEST IR

The professional education unit consists of the College of Education (COE); the agricultural education program in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment; art education and music education programs in the College of Fine Arts; the school social worker program in the College of Social Work; the school media librarian program in the College of Communication and Information; and the world languages program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Professional education programs in the College of Education are located in the departments of Curriculum and Instruction; Early Childhood, Special Education, and Rehabilitation Counseling; Educational Leadership Studies; Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation; Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology; Kinesiology and Health Promotion; and STEM Education.

The dean of the College of Education serves as the head of the unit with overall responsibility for the unit. In this capacity, the dean oversees and provides leadership and support for all programs and serves as the unit liaison with the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board. Department chairs report to the dean who reports to the provost (6.4.b.1).

The unit is guided by the UK Administrative Regulations (6.4.a.1), Governing Regulations (6.4.a.2), Senate Rules (6.4.a.3), and Student Rights and Responsibilities (6.4.a.4). Part 1 of a new COE Rules document was developed by the Faculty Council, approved at the March 2015 faculty meeting, and is pending provost approval (6.4.a.5). The COE Faculty Handbook (6.4.a.6) is currently under revision to reflect changes outlined in the Rules document.

Unit programs are governed by individual program faculties, collaborative groups comprised of education faculty, university faculty from content areas, practitioners from schools and agencies, and undergraduate and graduate candidates. These multidisciplinary committees are responsible for initiating and revising courses and programs, ensuring and documenting candidates meet standards, administering unit policies in their respective programs, conducting continuous assessment of candidates, and using data to improve programs. To ensure collaboration and communication across the unit, the chairs of the program faculties are organized into the Program Faculty Chairs Group, which has regular monthly meetings convened by the director of the Office of Program Development, Accountability, and Compliance (6.4.b.2).

Further, various councils and standing committees facilitate leadership and faculty governance within the unit. Membership and function of standing committees are described in the Rules document (6.4.a.5). The Council of Chairs, Faculty Council, Staff Council, and Council of Student Leaders serve as advisory groups to the dean. The Council of Chairs, chaired by the dean, includes the department chairs, associate deans, budget officer, and Faculty Council chair. The Faculty Council is comprised of one faculty representative from each department and three elected at-large members. The Staff Council includes representatives from each department and unit in the college. Membership on the Council of Student Leaders includes presidents of each student organization.

The office of Undergraduate Advising and Student Success (6.4.c.1) provides candidate services related to enrollment and advising. The office consists of an advising staff comprised of an associate dean and seven full-time advisors. Candidates in initial teacher preparation programs are required to meet with an advisor at least once each semester. Candidates in advanced teacher preparation and other school professional programs meet with assigned faculty advisors each semester, as appropriate. Graduating senior ratings of advising have improved steadily over the past four years (6.4.c.2).

The office of Program Development, Accountability, and Compliance (formerly Academic Services and Teacher Certification) (6.4.c.3) oversees candidate admissions and completion, and the office of Clinical Practices and School Partnerships (6.4.c.4) facilitates placements in field experiences and student teaching. Candidate support services are available through the university’s Counseling Center (6.4.c.5), Career Center (6.4.c.6), and Disability Resource Center (6.4.c.7).

Recruitment policies and practices, including information about affordability, scholarships, majors, and student life, are described on university and unit websites (6.4.d.1, 6.4.d.2, 6.4.e.3). Admissions criteria, policies, and practices; curricula, including course descriptions; academic calendars; financial aid information; and candidate support services are described in The University of Kentucky Bulletin (6.4.e.1) and The University of Kentucky Graduate School Bulletin (6.4.e.2) and on the UK website (6.4.e.3) and COE website (6.4.e.4). The unit provides candidates specific information regarding procedures through various policy documents and handbooks (6.4.e.5-8). Candidates are also provided advising sheets which identify curriculum requirements, and grading policies are described in the UK Bulletin (6.4.e.9).

The unit has sufficient budgetary resources to support the work of faculty in preparing candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards. The COE budget for FY 2014 totaled $20,717,400; the budget has steadily increased since the last NCATE visit (6.4.f.1). External grant funding for FY 2014 totaled over $21.3 million (6.4.f.2). Based on the FY 2015 budget, the level of funding for the COE is comparable to similar units on campus, such as the College of Nursing which has a heavy clinical component (6.4.g.1).

The unit provides faculty with sufficient resources to fund professional development. The amount of unit expenditures for conference travel has fluctuated over the three-year period with the most recent expenditure of $192,983 for 2013-2014 (6.4.f.3). The university and unit also provide professional development opportunities for faculty as described in Standard 5.

The university and unit have faculty workload policies (6.4.h.1-2) which guide faculty assignments. Unit faculty members negotiate workload with department chairs each year using the Distribution of Effort (6.4.h.1a). According to unit policy, faculty members in tenure-track positions are expected to teach the equivalent of a 2-2 load, that is two three-credit courses each semester. New tenure-track faculty members typically receive a course reduction during their first year to develop their research and service agendas. The supervision of six candidates during student teaching, graduate practicum, and internships constitutes the equivalent of teaching one three-credit course. The maximum supervisory load for a full-time faculty member is 18 candidates per semester when supervision is the only responsibility. Faculty members may teach an additional three credits for additional compensation. Faculty members receive additional payment for teaching summer classes. Five-year data on teaching loads confirm adherence to these guidelines (6.4.h.3-7).

The unit has adequate personnel to support the work of candidates, faculty, and administrators. In 2014-2015, the unit employed 84 staff members, including 37 biweekly staff and 47 monthly staff (6.4.h.8). Biweekly staff members include administrative assistants, staff support associates, and IT specialists. Monthly staff members include budget personnel, undergraduate advisors, grant personnel, and directors of development, communications, recruitment, information services, and compliance. During 2014-2015, the COE employed 53 part-time instructors (6.4.h.9); 97 teaching, research, and graduate assistants were employed in fall 2014 and 112 in spring 2015 (6.4.h.9a).

The unit has adequate campus and school facilities. UK has engaged in extensive construction projects totaling $1.36 billion since 2011, which include new residence halls, a new Student Center, and a new academic science building (6.4.i.1, 6.4.i.2). The COE is located in six buildings on campus: Dickey Hall, Taylor Education Building, Seaton Building, the School Psychology Clinic, the Early Childhood Lab, and the Biodynamics Lab in the Multidisciplinary Science Building. Facilities include classrooms equipped with technology support, conference rooms, computer labs, and a new café in Dickey Hall. Recently renovated spaces include classroom spaces in Dickey Hall, Taylor Education Building, and Seaton Building; the café in Dickey Hall; and the Student Success Center. Renovation of the Dean’s Office suite and two courtyards were funded through private donations. The Early Childhood Lab, which serves as a training site for candidates, recently moved into renovated facilities and can now accommodate up to 104 children (6.4.i.3).

The unit ensures candidates, faculty, staff, and administrators have library and technology resources needed to meet its mission and help candidates meet standards. Candidates and faculty have complete access to the University of Kentucky Libraries, a major research library system, which is centered in the main William T. Young Library (6.4.i.4). Its collection exceeds four million volumes and over 400 commercial databases. The Education Library, housed in Dickey Hall, is devoted to materials related to education and psychology (6.4.i.5). In addition to the monograph and journal collections, the Education Library houses the Kentucky school textbook examination collection, children’s and adolescent literature, teaching guides, activity books, manipulatives, videos, P-12 textbooks, and other instructional materials. An education librarian collaborates with the Committee on Media and Information Systems to purchase materials and assists with faculty and candidate research. Technology support is provided through COE Information Systems (6.4.i.6). Graduating seniors and alumni consistently express satisfaction with library and technology resources and services (6.4.i.7).