Quality, Rigor, and Relevance

The third focus area of the college of education's mission plan implements the importance of education and training program excellence within the department of teacher education.

The department of teacher education is just one unit within the college charged with preparing future teachers and other professionals.

The goal is to "ensure quality, rigor, and relevance of education and training programs," as stated in the COE mission statement.

By focusing on the rigor and relevance of academics, academic support and other programs student success can be enhanced.

The key objectives of this focus area include:

• Unifying pre-service teacher education programs across each Troy campus to ensure quality and academic excellence.
• Selecting high-quality mentors for both observation and internship who support the College of Education’s academic beliefs and commitment to excellence.
• Ensuring students communicate at an appropriate academic level both orally and in writing.  
• Improving faculty’s instruction through shared knowledge of best practices.
• Improve students’ formal and informal communication “soft skills” within the College of Education.  

As the first and second focus areas of the COE mission have key strategies for the success of the plan, the third is no different. 

These key strategies: 

1. Ensure inclusion of methods classes in teaching science, reading, math and social studies. 

2. Develop a methodology to include current best practices in education, including Alabama course of study course objectives and practice standards (SEP, EDP, SMP). 

3. Develop a system for evaluation and accountability of pre-service teacher education, including consulting with key school faculty related to appropriate mentor selection. 

4. Offer free master’s-level credit for summer in service to improve selected teachers’ abilities to mentor, as well as to validate their eligibility to receive an intern. 

5. Improve student mastery of appropriate writing and speaking skills, increasing opportunities for students to write and present written reports and presentations in class. 

6. In collaboration with key stakeholders, develop a shared partnership system and coordination of that system, including utilization of annual faculty meetings and the COE website to share best practice information. 

7. Gather feedback from local education/ clinical associations, potential employers, recent graduates and supervisors of recent graduates, and utilize this data to improve curriculum design and delivery. 

8. Incorporate soft-skill training and evaluation in annual faculty meetings and introductory courses, as well as practicum, pre-practicum and internship coursework.