Eastern Michigan University
College of Arts and Sciences

ISTE/Computer Science Education Program

Overview

(1a) Framework

The EMU Teacher Preparation program’s conceptual framework is summarized as "caring professional educators for a diverse and democratic society."

It is elaborated as follows:

Professional educators are knowledgeable regarding content and pedagogy, including developing technologies. They are reflective in their practice, taking into account a wide variety of factors in planning, implementing, and modifying teaching. They demonstrate professional dispositions and communication skills.

Caring educators are committed to all students' learning within supportive learning communities. They are student-focused and persistent in pursing high developmentally appropriate expectations for all students.

Educators for a diverse and democratic society celebrate diversity in schools and communities. They plan instruction to reflect a diverse society and work effectively with diverse students, parents, and community members. They prepare students for active participation in a democracy through nurturing critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving within communities.

Knowledge Base

The knowledge base of the computer science education program at EMU is composed of 5 areas of knowledge covering the content outlined in the Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification (MTTC) — Computer Science (NR).  These areas comprise a level of breadth and depth of computer science content substantially beyond what secondary teachers will be expected to teach.  There are three major advantages of this scope: 1) Studying advanced topics brings clarity to the more basic ones;   2) A greater depth of knowledge prepares the teacher for fielding questions which go beyond the normal scope of secondary level computer science; and  3) A wider breadth of knowledge prepares the new teacher for providing a challenging environment for talented, gifted, and/or highly motivated students.

Educational Computing and Technology Literacy: — As we progress into the 21st century, we must prepare our students for the pervasive influence computer technology will have on their students.  This area includes, but is not limited to:

Computer Systems, Data Structures and Algorithms: — This area comprises the underlying foundations of software and system development.

Programming Language Concepts: —  This are includes the study of three or more programming languages, one of which is non-procedural, and implementing algorithms in those languages.

Professional Preparation: — This area includes  the knowledge and skills to teach computer science and to support the use of instructional technology tools in other disciplines.

(1b)  Philosophy for Preparation

The philosophy of the Computer Science Education Program is captured in three philosophical statements: The first of these focuses on the academic dimension of our pre-service teachers. The academic dimension includes the following areas of development:

1.      An educationally sound foundation in the academic content of computer science knowledge, including concepts, programming skills and everyday applications;

2.      An appreciation of the speed with which the field of Computer Science is changing, the analysis and problem solving ability needed to maintain currency, and to learn and disseminate new computer skills and languages as they are needed;

3.      Ability to integrate the content or substantive disciplines with the particular teaching competencies related to them, the program develops the personal dimension of each student.

The personal dimension includes the following areas of development:

1.      Understanding of the personal worth of each individual, leading to an active concern for each person, regardless of sex, religion, race, or cultural background;

2.      Knowledge of, and skill in the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, and the ability to create an atmosphere in which individuals can grow and function effectively;

3.      Appreciation for teaching as a noble, inspiring, and dynamic profession; and

4.      Evidence of dedication through responsible service as a member of the profession.

Finally, the third philosophical statement focuses on the professional dimension of the pre-service teacher. As a member of the teaching profession, graduates of Eastern Michigan University’s program should:

1.      Possess a body of identified competencies related to, and essential for, the effective performance of his/her function as a Computer Science teacher;

2.      Understand the nature of the learner and the learning process, be capable of facilitating learning under varied conditions, and be capable of meeting the educational needs of normal as well as exceptional children;

3.      Have a firm grasp of the foundations of education in order to understand the historical, philosophical, social, political, and economic bases of current educational problems and issues;

4.      Be an intelligent consumer of educational research and willingly engage in the creation of, and practical experimentation with, innovative ideas in teaching; and

5.      Actively participate with colleagues in developing and enforcing standards fundamental to continuous improvement of teaching and schooling, and abide by those standards in his/her own practice.

(1c)  Goals and Objectives of the Program

There are four major goals of the computer science education program:

1        To be a state and national leader in the preparation of quality computer science teachers;

2        To prepare computer science teachers who will be successful in the classroom, will assume leadership roles in building, district, state, and national organizations, and who will reflect well on EMU and the Computer Science Department

3        To prepare computer science teachers who can have a positive impact in the lives of their students, both inside and outside the classroom, by modeling enthusiasm for learning up-to-date skills and knowledge, high ethical standards.

4        To provide EMU computer science education students with the knowledge and skills to teach in a variety of contexts, from urban to rural schools, in high and low income areas, and among students with diverse cultures and needs.

The objectives of the secondary computer science teacher education program at Eastern Michigan University are to produce graduates who:

Knowledge

1        Understand the content of computer science knowledge, including concepts, programming skills and everyday applications;

2        Have knowledge of district, state and national curriculum standards.

3        Understand the theoretical and applied aspects of the teaching-learning process in computer science.

Application

1        Design and implement algorithms which provide computer solutions to a wide variety of problems, and communicate the outcomes with the educational and professional communities.

2        Create, teach, and assess lessons presented to secondary school students.

3        Understand and can adapt instruction and assessments to meet students' diverse needs and potentials, backgrounds, and developmental levels.

4        Design and direct student laboratory work under conditions that are safe (for the student, teacher, and environment) and maintain a high level of student engagement using a variety of instructional strategies.

5        Communicate clearly and effectively in writing.

6        Is technologically literate and uses technology to assist in completion of teaching tasks and encourages students in using technology for learning.

Professional Development

1        Seek out opportunities to grow individuals and teachers, and to develop their own knowledge and skill levels in computer science

2        Consider a wide variety of factors when making instructional decisions (content, context, methods, policies, prior experiences, current events).

3        Use systematic means to inquire into the relationship between teaching actions and student success in achieving valued and significant outcomes.

4        Work with colleagues and professionals to bring about change and improvement in computer science education at the local, state, and national level.

5        Contributes to the school and district.

(2)  Candidates' Course of Studies

Program Summary--labs

 (3)  Description  of Field Experiences

All students must complete 100 field experience hours before student teaching. Sixty of the hours are completed in structured Field Experience (FETE) courses, 55 of these hours in the major. The remaining 40 hours are completed independently in a variety of learning environments.

FETE (Field Experience in Teacher Education) courses are developmental field experiences completed at three points in the students' professional education sequence. FETE courses are taken as co-requisites to core courses in the professional education sequence. Instructors for all FETE courses are practicing educators from area schools.

The structure of FETE courses is as follows: After an initial orientation, all interactions with the instructors are electronic. Students have course-packs of readings and field assignments. They also have weekly discussions through web caucus. Students are able to discuss their field experiences with both their FETE instructor in the online format and the instructor of the co-requisite course. This combination of practicing professional and teacher education professor feedback provides multiple points of view for reflection.

The following are the FETE classes in order:

 FETE 201 Field Experience I. Prospective teachers will participate in a service-learning experience in a diverse community, and examine their beliefs and attitudes about working with others who are different from themselves. FETE 201 is the first field experience. It is taken concurrently with EDPS 322, Human Development and Learning. The focus of the course is the interaction of students’ learning with school and community environments and the impact of culture on development. Students visit a Detroit school and neighborhood. They study readings on culture and prepare a cultural autobiography examining the forces impacting their development as a teacher. All students in a particular section of FETE 201 are assigned to the same school. Schools are selected to provide an urban experience and experience with the Comer model. (5 field hours)

FETE 302 Field Experience II. FETE  302 is taken concurrently with CURR 305 Secondary Curriculum and Instruction. The focus of the courses is reflective classroom practice. In FETE 302, students must spend 25 hours in a classroom placement in grades 7-12 in the major subject area. During fall and winter semesters, hours must be completed with 2.5 hours per week for 10 weeks. During spring and summer, hours may be completed with two 2.5-hour sessions per week for 5 weeks.

Activities in FETE 302 include group observation and teaching activities and a student work analysis. The pre-student teacher must teach an individual or small group for at least 10 sessions. They must compile a reflective journal and analysis of one student's learning across time. (25 field hours)

FETE 402 Field Experience III: Field placement in a middle level or high school with a diverse student population. Emphasis is on developing literacy in diverse populations and adapting instruction to individual student needs.

FETE 402 is taken concurrently with RDNG 311, Teaching Reading in Secondary School. In FETE 402, students must complete 30 hours in a classroom placement. Grade level and subject area requirements are the same as in 300 level FETE classes. In addition, FETE 402 placements must be in a culturally diverse setting. Diverse is defined as 30% high need (e.g., language minority, ethnic minority, low SES). During fall and winter semesters, hours must be completed with 3 hours per week for 10 weeks. During spring and summer, they may be completed with two 3-hour sessions per week for 5 weeks. Activities in FETE 402 include teaching activities in content-area reading (helping students read the written materials in the content area) and an individual student learning analysis similar to the one in the in FETE 302. The analysis specifically addresses the impact of literacy on student learning of content.

Student Teaching:

All students take EDUC 492 for 12 hours. This is a full semester of full-time student teaching. It includes writing and teaching a curriculum unit, a reflective journal, and an analysis demonstrating student learning.  Students are placed in student teaching assignments where they gain experience teaching in their major subject areas.

(4) Deviations from the Program Standards.

The Computer Science Education program prides itself in complying with all standards for Computer Science Teacher certification defined by  both ISTE and the Michigan Department of Education.

(5) Where the Program is Located Within the Professional Education Unit (interrelationships  with other programs in the unit and the university/college)

Central to the College of Education conceptual framework is the recognition that quality teacher preparation must be a balance of student-focused pedagogy, content area studies, and social issues. In the computer science education program, this balance is achieved through a combination of professional education courses offered primarily through the College of Education, and a content-area major and minor, offered through the College of Arts and Sciences. Pedagogy is covered primarily in the COE courses, and in the subject-area Methods course,  COSC 346 Methods of Teaching Computer Science in the Secondary School. The remaining computer science courses cover the content-area studies.  All courses emphasize social issues including diversity, critical thinking, creative thinking, ethical issues and problem solving. 

The programs in computer science build upon and integrate the general education learning objectives of the university and the components of personal development in the conceptual framework. The sequence of courses and experiences in computer science are the primary means by which the emerging teacher develops academically. These courses and experiences are developed in accord with the curriculum guidelines of the ISTE and the MDE.

Eastern Michigan University teachers of computer science incorporate into their courses a variety of learning activities and assessment methods and thus model for their students best practices in the teaching of computer science. Future teachers thus have ongoing opportunities to observe and experience contemporary ways to teach and learn computer science. These experiences are then expanded when students take their professional education courses and participate in field-based experiences in actual classrooms. The professional preparation of future teachers of computer science both in college computer science courses and especially in education courses and field experiences incorporate the recommendations of the ELSMT.

The themes of diversity, technology and reflection which infuses the teacher education program are also pervasive in the computer science programs to prepare teachers. The narratives in the matrix describe how future teachers of computer science are prepared to meet the needs of diverse learners and to integrate the use of the technology to support the learning of computer science. These narratives document the consistency of these themes in both the computer science programs and the teacher preparation program. The narrative in the matrix also describes opportunities for students to develop communication skills.

Assessment is also an essential ingredient in the technical preparation of students. The computer science department’s assessment plan and the narrative in the matrix both describe and document the important role of assessment.

(6) List of faculty with assignments in the program.

         List of Faculty

(7a)  Number of Candidates Currently Enrolled in the Program.

For the academic year 2001 - 2002, 15 majors were enrolled in the Computer Science Education program.  In addition, seven majors were enrolled in Spring 2002.  Unfortunately, no figures exist to report either the number of computer science education minors currently enrolled, or the number of students enrolled in the Graduate Endorsement program. We suspect that there are more students pursuing a computer science certification minor (usually in conjunction with a major in Mathematics or some science than there are majors, but the University does not maintain data to verify this.

(7b). Number of Graduates from Each Program (past three years).

During the past three academic years (Fall 1999 - Winter 2002) 25 students have completed the Computer Science Education Program and have achieved teacher certification (NR - Computer Science).

(8) Course Information. 

(For each course offered as a part of the specialty and professional education program, please submit a separate document which includes the following)

8a) Course Name and Number

8b) Catalogue Description

8c) Course Syllabi

(including list of topics, selected activities as appropriate to program standards being addressed, bibliography and text(s) used. An existing syllabus may be attached if it covers the items listed.);

8d) Course History

Number of sections of each required course in the computer science education program over the past two years, and the names of the instructors associated with each course, are included on the table entitled Computer Science Education Course History -2000 - 2002.  For rank and % of time each faculty member spends on courses in the computer science education program, please refer to the List of Faculty Form.  For the number of hours spent each week in computer labs for each class, please refer to the Program Summary form - Labs.  Descriptions of specific lab assignments for each course are included on the course syllabi.

Of the ten computer science courses required for the computer science education major, two (COSC 136 and COSC 138) are offered in large numbers of sections because they are part of EMU's general education program.  Four additional courses (COSC 238, COSC 239, COSC 330, COSC 334) are offered in multiple sections because they are  part of the computer science core content, taken by all computer science majors, not just those in teacher education.  The remaining four courses (COSC 336, COSC 340, COSC 346 and COSC 490) are often piggybacked or offered in conjunction with similar courses from the computer science curriculum, because of low computer science education enrollment.

(9)  MDE Standards for Computer Science Secondary Teaching

The Michigan Standards for Computer Science Teaching were proposed to the MDE on November 16, 2000.  They were approved on that date.  A copy of the standards, as approved, can be found at the following website:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/nrstandards_21911_7.doc    A pdf version of this file is available for printing.

Four EMU faculty in the Computer Science Education program were instrumental in developing the MDE standards proposal and in shepherding their approval and implementation.

(10) Labs/Classroom Computer Facilities Available for use in this Program

The Department of Computer Science Department Science maintains a wide range of  well-equipped computer laboratories and multimedia-equipped electronic classrooms, all of which are available to the computer science education program and its students.  All labs are located in the Pray-Harrold classroom building, readily accessible to students and conveniently located near faculty and departmental offices. Please refer to  Table entitled Computer Science Labs and Electronic Classrooms .)  The University also maintains several general-purpose computer labs available to all students and programs, at convenient locations across campus.

(11) Criteria used at admission to Post-Baccalaureate programs to determine if the candidate has adequate academic background in the subject to be taught  should be submitted.

All post-baccalaureate students are held to the guidelines established by the teacher preparation program in the College of Education. 

(12) Criteria used at completion of program and follow-up in the field to determine if the program has  prepared the candidate for positions in educational computing and technology fields.

All students enrolled in the computer science education program must pass the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification in Computer Science.  This test assesses the student's success in meeting the knowledge base objectives of the MDE standards for computer science preparation.  EMU computer science education students have consistently performed well above the state average on this test.  The three-year accumulative pass rate for computer science students is 88%, compared to the State average pass rate of 69%.

In order to complete the Computer science education program, students must:

Follow-up on  success of teachers trained in our program is accomplished through:

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