CSU Long Beach College of Education Accreditation
California State University, Long Beach, has a long history of strong and collegial faculty governance, and administrative/faculty consultation is ensured through the various levels of the university committee structure. The unit responsible for the preparation of teachers and other school professionals consists of the College of Education (CED) and the Affiliated Programs in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS). The Provost has delegated to the Dean of the College of Education oversight of the unit to ensure the campus is in compliance with state licensing requirements, CSU system regulations, and NCATE accreditation standards. A Memorandum of Understanding (Exhibit 51) verifying the dean’s authority for oversight of teacher preparation and the Unit Assessment System was renewed and signed by Provost Dorothy Abrahamse, Dean Ron Vogel of the College of Health and Human Services, and Dean Houck in December, 2006. The university Teacher Preparation Committee, with representation from the Provost’s Office, the College of Education, the College of Health and Human Services and other colleges, is the faculty governance body charged with oversight of all campus teacher education programs. The Faculty Council is the primary faculty governance committee in the College of Education; the committee is advisory to the Dean. Two important subcommittees of Faculty Council charged with key roles are the Strategic Planning Committee, which oversees all planning and assessment efforts, and the Graduate Programs Committee, which oversees policies and procedures for all advanced and graduate programs.
Table 6.01 (Unit Programs by College and Department) illustrates the relationship among the two colleges, individual departments, and the various programs in the unit. The College of Education has three departments: Teacher Education (TED); Educational Psychology, Administration, and Counseling (EdPAC); and Liberal Studies (LS). The fourth major unit in the CED is the Single Subject Credential Program, a university-wide secondary education program that is housed in the college. Responsibility for the Affiliated Programs, located in the College of Health and Human Services, is similar to lines of responsibility in College of Education programs.
There are a number of structures that provide governance for the unit. The associate deans work closely with the dean in the administration of the unit (Associate Dean Responsibilities in the CED). The dean, in collaboration with members of the Strategic Planning Committee, conducts 8-10 faculty and staff unit meetings each year to address important issues as well as informal gatherings to maintain open communication channels. Retreats are scheduled twice a year, at the beginning of each semester.
The university Teacher Preparation Committee (TPC) is an Academic Senate sub-committee comprised of the Provost, the Dean of the College of Education, the initial teacher preparation program coordinators, faculty representing each of the university colleges, representatives from the Library and Student Services. The TPC addresses teacher education issues and offers university-wide support of large efforts related to teacher preparation. The TPC is the mechanism by which input from the other colleges and campus entities is infused systematically into the unit’s decision-making.
The unit, through its mission and goals, is committed to collaborating with the surrounding urban community. The unit seeks input from our external partners and involves many professional educators from local districts as well as other knowledgeable individuals in review of the functioning of our programs. The Advisory Committee is comprised of prominent community members such as district superintendents, administrators of community colleges, and community representatives, and others who are equipped to review the functioning of programs and provide useful critique and suggestions for enhancements and planning for the future. Individual programs also have a community advisory body (see individual program documents in the Exhibits Room).
Per CSU system policy, department chairs, who are elected by the faculty, retain faculty status and remain in the faculty bargaining unit. In this decentralized governance arrangement, chairs are responsible for the division budget, staffing/scheduling of classes and expenditures of operations and equipment funds, and are, therefore, de facto managers. The three department chairs are assigned both programmatic and operational responsibilities within the college. They each hold regular department meetings with department faculty to discuss specific planning issues related to the department including faculty hiring, retention, tenure, and promotion issues, curriculum proposals, and professional development opportunities. The University Coordinator of the Single Subject Program receives 12 units assigned time a semester to administer the program. The Coordinator is treated as a de facto department chair by the dean. Although the Coordinator is the only faculty appointment in the program, the position entails running an office with three staff and overseeing the efficient integration of 10 subject programs spread across 5 colleges. Responsibilities combine those of a department chair and a program coordinator (e.g., budget management, class scheduling, faculty development, program development, program meetings that are like department meetings, advising, maintaining an administrative office, etc).
The Teacher Education Department includes the initial teacher preparation program for elementary teaching, the Multiple Subject Credential Program. The department has developed multiple pathways and emphases for certification for students preparing to become elementary teachers. These include a traditional fifth year program, an internship program, and Bilingual Spanish and Bilingual Asian Languages programs. In addition, Teacher Education houses the advanced Reading and Language Arts Certificate and Specialist Credential Program and Master of Arts in Education degree programs with options in Elementary and Secondary Education that include specializations in Curriculum and Instruction, Dual Language Development, Early Childhood Education, and Reading and Language Arts.
The Educational Psychology, Administration, and Counseling Department (EdPAC) includes one initial teacher preparation program in Special Education and a range of advanced programs and programs for other school personnel. The department offers advanced programs in Educational Administration, Educational Psychology, Educational Technology, Librarianship, School Counseling, School Psychology, and Special Education. (The department also offers programs in Marriage and Family Therapy, Social and Multicultural Foundations, Career and Vocational Counseling, and Student Development and Higher Education, which are programs outside of this review.)
The Liberal Studies Department joined the CED in 1998, having formerly been a university-wide program housed in University Academic Programs. The Liberal Studies program provides subject matter preparation for students planning to become elementary teachers. It also is the administrative home of subject matter preparation for the Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP), an accelerated pathway that can lead to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and the Multiple Subject Credential in four calendar years. In addition, the ITEP program includes pathways leading to a BA degree in Liberal Studies and a credential in Bilingual Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD) Asian Languages, BCLAD Spanish, and Special Education.
The professional education component of the secondary program, the University Single Subject Credential Program, is coordinated centrally from the CED by the University Coordinator. Each of the ten subject preparation programs for secondary teachers is housed in disciplinary departments in the Colleges of the Arts, Health and Human Services, Liberal Arts, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Each of these subject programs has a designated coordinator within their respective departments who oversees subject program administration, advisement, development, and evaluation, and who receives at least three units of assigned time each semester to support administrative and advising responsibilities. Subject program coordinators are appointed in their respective discipline departments and are responsible to those departments for employment related matters (e.g., RTP processes). The University Coordinator, as part of her responsibility to provide overall administration of the program, works close with the subject matter coordinators to bring coherence to the program, lead faculty development workshops, orient new coordinators to the program and their roles in it, etc. She provides coordinators with a program handbook that contains information about the unit’s Conceptual Framework, program purpose, goals and structure, policies and procedures, and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for program candidates. The Single Subject Program office provides administrative support for subject programs.
The Affiliated Programs are embedded in departments (Communicative Disorders, Professional Studies, Social Work, Nursing and Kinesiology) in the College of Health and Human Services. Although as credential programs they are linked to the unit for accreditation purposes, the Affiliated Programs are also administratively within their respective departments. Their faculty are appointed in the CHHS and are subject to CHHS retention, tenure and promotion procedures. Their budgets are determined by their departments.
Advanced (continuing) teacher preparation programs and programs for other school personnel are coordinated by individual faculty who report to their respective department chairs. The majority of coordinators receive at least three units of assigned time to support their leadership role. Coordinators work directly with program faculty to develop, implement and evaluate program curriculum and components. Coordinators meet with program faculty regularly to address program development, student recruitment, advisement and admission issues, program operations, curriculum, evaluation, and resources. In the Educational Psychology, Administration and Counseling Department, program coordinators meet monthly as a group with the department chair to address common issues and to advise the chair on department affairs. Coordinators in the advanced programs in the Teacher Education Department meet 3-4 times each semester with the department chair. In addition to scheduled meetings of administrative committees, the Dean and Associate Deans are available to department chairs and program faculty as the need arises.
Individual programs have designated faculty as program coordinators who oversee the program curriculum and coordinate faculty teaching in the program. These program coordinators serve on the Graduate Programs Committee. In addition, an ad hoc group comprised of the credential program coordinators was recently formed to bring cohesion to the credential programs. The Credential Coordinators Committee is chaired by the coordinator of the Multiple Subject Credential Program.
The College of Education Constitution designates the Faculty Council as the faculty governance body of the college. The Faculty Council meets monthly and addresses a variety of topics related to programs, operations, professional development and other matters. During 2005-2006, in addition to the oversight work of the committee, the following major actions were completed: 1) Policy for use of office space by faculty who are FERPing (early retirement program); 2) Guidelines for the preparation of periodic mini-evaluations; and 3) Guidelines for the periodic evaluation of tenured faculty. The Faculty Council oversees eight standing committees, a Budget and Financial Resources subcommittee, and a variety of ad hoc committees and task forces (Table 6.03: Standing Committees of the College of Education). Committee charges can be found in the College of Education Constitution. The CED Constitution, most recently revised in May, 2005, sets forth the governance and policy organization for the college. College administrative committees serve as advisory to the dean, provide important conduits for communication and discussion, and involve faculty in an active role in the decision-making of the unit. For example, the Strategic Planning Committee is a sub-committee charged with guiding the planning process for the College of Education, including major responsibility for overseeing the development of the Unit Assessment System.
The College of Education faculty and staff meet the first Monday of every month. No other college on campus meets this regularly, and these meetings serve as important forums for faculty, staff, and program development. A range of speakers and topics is illustrated in the agendas. The Strategic Planning Committee, in collaboration with the Dean, has the lead responsibility for planning the monthly unit meetings and the full-day retreats which serve as the opening activity for each semester.
Members of the CED staff also meet monthly as a group. The chair role rotates each month. This group addresses common issues for staff, develops support strategies for the various offices, and generates ideas for staff development and targeted activities at retreats. The staff has a representative on the Strategic Planning Committee and the major college committees have a staff support person assigned to assist with recordkeeping and communication to the rest of the unit.
Structures are in place for ensuring that program faculty and administrators in the unit communicate and consult with the community. Members of the P-16 professional community participate regularly and meaningfully in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs. The university’s strong record of P-16 collaboration, especially the Long Beach Education Partnership, forms the foundation for an extensive system of linkages with our partners in area public schools and institutions of higher education. The Center for Collaboration in Education was established during the 1997-1998 academic year. The mission of the Center is to be a coordinating agency for university collaboration and service to public schools and the community. The Center supports the unit’s active participation in university/community partnerships focused on education renewal and achieving a high quality seamless public education in the area communities. Table 5.09 (Examples of Collaborative Partnerships) illustrates the wide variety of internal and external collaborative projects the unit participates in.
As head of the unit, the CED dean consults with other academic deans and administrators on matters related to unit programs. She meets twice monthly with other academic deans, monthly with the Provost, 2-3 times each semester with the University Teacher Preparation Committee, and periodically with academic deans and faculty regarding development and revision of academic programs associated with unit programs.
Many of the CED committees have external members from the community as active participants who participate in program design, implementation and evaluation. For example, the Strategic Planning Committee has a representative from P-12, as well as a candidate representative. The Advisory Committee draws on the expertise, experience, and interest of the community to provide input into the development of unit programs. Members are drawn from several constituencies: P-12 administration, classroom teachers, retired school counselors, community college presidents, retired state education agency executive directors, school board members.
It is standard practice for boards and steering committees for grants and special projects to include members of the education community in the region. A good example was the five year NSF funded Long Beach Education Science and Teacher Education Project (1999-2004) whose goal was to strengthen elementary teachers’ subject matter preparation and which was housed in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Dean Houck was a Co-Principal Investigator and other board members included the Dean of Science from a local community college, the Director of the pre-teaching program from a second community college, and the Assistant Superintendent from Long Beach Unified School District.
Unit faculty collaborate with campus colleagues and provide leadership on many university-wide committees, including the Academic Senate, Teacher Preparation, Academic Appeals, Curriculum and Education Policies Council, University Resources Council, and the Program Assessment and Review Council.
Service to students occurs on many levels. A variety of publications are available which provide current information about institutional programs, expectations and requirements. The Catalog (Exhibit 52) is the main publication that lays out policies and requirements for successful completion of each of the unit’s professional education programs. Departments and programs also publish brochures and student handbooks to more fully explain credential and degree requirements (these materials are with program documents in the Exhibits Room). The university and college websites provide information, as do department and program websites. Students’ rights are explicitly outlined in the CSULB Catalog (Exhibit 52), including grade appeals, student grievances, sexual harassment, ethics, and social rights, and other appeals. Admissions criteria are enforced, non-discriminatory and based on multiple criteria (refer to program sections of the Catalog [Exhibit 52] or program documents in the Exhibits Room).
Offices in the unit provide information and advising to candidates in initial and advanced programs—both in person and online. Programs hold a variety of orientation meetings at which faculty can advise candidates on the requirements for each program. Program coordinators are provided with units of assigned time in part to ensure availability for student advisement about program requirements, career advice, and specialized advising. All faculty are required to maintain posted office hours, which further assists candidates in obtaining information about program requirements as well as job opportunities. In addition, faculty are in email and telephone contact with candidates.
The Teacher Preparation and Advising Center (TPAC) in the College of Education serves as the primary source for advising in the three initial teacher preparation programs. Faculty and staff see candidates on a walk-in basis and by appointment, and conduct substantial telephone and email advisement.
Candidates also receive advising services in department offices, the Graduate Studies and Research office, the Educational Career Services office, and the Credential Centers (both CED and CHHS have independent credential centers). The college-based Educational Career Services Office is one of only a few of its kind in the CSU system. This center organizes job fairs, coaches students regarding interviews, and provides resume development assistance. Offices hold extended office hours as needed on deadline days, or weekends, so that candidates can obtain information or submit materials during especially busy times. In the Affiliated Programs in the CHHS, credential advising is done within department guidelines. The Credential Center located in the CED coordinates credential recommendations for all unit programs except the Designated Subjects Program, which has a dedicated credential analyst of its won.
The university website and online Catalog (Exhibit 52) provide clear information about student services available to all candidates in the professional education programs and other programs throughout the University. Table 6.04 (CSULB Student Support Services) displays key student services.
Grading policies in the unit are consistent with Academic Senate Policy 05-07, Grades and Grading Procedures. University policy states that course grades must be based on a minimum of three assessments or demonstrations of competence by the student, with no assessment counting for more than one-third of the course grade. Instructors are expected to provide a course syllabus containing key information, including student learning outcomes and expectations, a reading list, a calendar of class meetings, a description of their grading policies, and a statement of assistance available to students with disabilities.
At the university level, careful attention is given to ensuring the accuracy of public documents such as the academic calendars and the university Catalog (Exhibit 52). The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Undergraduate and Graduate Programs oversees Catalog content and revision, an extensive process involving repeated drafts sent to all units for review. Within the unit, publications are reviewed at the department and college level for accuracy. The Dean’s Office monitors unit publications and department chairs oversee department and program publications. An example of a unit publication is the recruitment brochure on file in the Exhibits Room.
Outreach and Recruiting are coordinated by an associate dean who works with department chairs and program coordinators on ways to identify diverse prospective candidates for unit programs. Fifty percent of a staff member’s time base is allocated to outreach and recruiting activities. The recruitment plan is periodically updated, and the associate dean convenes an ad hoc recruiting committee and other configurations of administrators, faculty and staff around specific outreach and recruiting issues of interest. Recruiting and admission practices are described clearly and consistently in a variety of university and college publications. Admissions criteria for all programs vary based upon the professional roles for which candidates are being prepared. These criteria assist program faculty in admitting students who demonstrate potential for success generally based upon successful completion of previous course work, faculty and professional recommendations, a narrative and general background information, an interview or successful extended interaction with program faculty during coursework, and passage of an appropriate test of basic or advanced skill proficiency. All programs seek applicants who express the attitudes, dispositions, and intellectual capacities that are the necessary foundation for success as a teacher or other education professional. Specific admissions criteria for individual programs are described in program documents in the Exhibits Room and in the university Catalog (Exhibit 52)
The importance of supportive student services in attracting well-qualified applicants continues to be a priority. Staff and faculty feel that a “student-first” approach assists in attracting and retaining qualified candidates. The following activities assist with our commitment to “student success” and are used as ways to increase our focus on responsive advising: train friendly and knowledgeable front office staff; provide timely responses and follow-up; write scripts for responses to “frequently asked questions”; develop “talking points” to assist faculty and staff in their recruitment efforts; identify faculty advisors and mentors; periodically evaluate where responsibility should lie for various student services.
Advisors in both the Multiple and Single Subject programs hold monthly information and recruiting workshops throughout the calendar year in which general credential information is disseminated. Coordinators in the Affiliated Programs actively recruit candidates from CHHS degree programs by making presentations to classes. College, department, and program websites are also effective ways in which qualified applicants are attracted to our programs.
Two of our current major recruiting projects are the Math and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI) and the Urban Teachers Academy. The former project is part of the CSU system effort to increase the number of math and science teachers in California. The CSULB Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI) goal is to increase the number of applicants to Mathematics and Science credential programs and the number of credential recommendations by 50 % during the period 2005-06 to 2009-10. The Colleges of Education and Natural Science and Mathematics are working in collaboration with Cerritos College and other community colleges and school district partners on this important initiative. The MSTI project engages in strategic actions aimed at attracting several populations of college students into the credential programs as well as attracting current elementary teachers back to the university to earn additional credentials in mathematics and science. Coordinated by faculty in Teacher Education, The Urban Teacher Academy project works in three elementary school sites in Long Beach. Its purpose is to have on-site preparation and field experiences for teachers at all levels of preservice and inservice development, ensuring a continuous “loop of learning.”
The California State University (CSU) Chancellor's Office allocates state funds to each of the 23 universities in the system. The university president is responsible for final determination of budgetary allocations for all university programs and operations. Regular consultation with university administrators and faculty occurs prior to annual budget requests during the spring semester of each year. The University Resource Planning Committee is a standing committee of the Academic Senate that meets regularly with university administrators and serves as the faculty representative body that is responsible for all budgetary recommendations. Equitable distribution of funding support is ensured through established formulas in areas such as instructional staffing, travel, and student assistant support. Deans are regularly consulted in matters related to budget development, allocations, and adjustments of the university academic budget. Allocation formulas and annual funding for instruction and operating expense and equipment for all units in Academic Affairs are distributed and discussed at university deans’ meetings. Instructional funding for the College of Education and the College of Health and Human Services is distributed at a richer formula than for most of the other colleges, at student faculty ratios of 17.5 to 1 and 17 to 1 respectively. The student faculty ratio for the campus funding as a whole is 18.9 to 1. The California economic outlook has improved in recent years. The 2005 State Budget ($113 billion) was generally supportive of education and especially higher education. The 2005 budget provided the CSU with an increase of $235 million, or 6.5% over the previous budget. The governor also supported a multi-year agreement with the CSU and UC beginning in 2005-06 and continuing through 2010-11. The agreement provides additional funding in the base budget to cover required cost increases and also provides faculty and staff with modest salary increases. For CSULB, this resulted in an increase in state support of $20 million, or 7.6% over the 2004-2005 budget. Unlike the early 1990s, there has been little adverse budget impact that has had a sustained effect on program quality in recent years.
Table 6.05 (CED Budget Allocation, 2003-2006) provides an overview of the CED budget for 2003-2006. The total budget decreased slightly in 04-05 as enrollment dropped, then rebounded in 05-06. The College of Education allocation appearing in the Annual Budget reports general fund allocations from the state, but does not reflect allocations that are year to year (one time allocations). Table 6.06 (CED Expenditures by Department/Unit, 2003-2006) displays the total resources available to departments in the most recent three years. Table 6.07 (CHHS Affiliated Programs Expenditures by Program, 2003-2006) displays College of Health and Human Services allocations to the Affiliated Programs for the last three years.
California State University, Long Beach has a generous system of financial support for sabbaticals, scholarly and creative activities, program innovation, travel, and research through various campus funds awarded on a competitive basis. Faculty participation in professional development is detailed in Standard 5.
The College of Education has a strong program for faculty support, beginning with their entry on campus. Each new faculty receives 3 units of assigned time from the college and 3 units from Academic Affairs for the first year to provide them time to prepare for new courses and to launch their scholarly program. New faculty receive a minimum of $1000 per year for professional travel. Some faculty who need special equipment or software for research receive additional start-up funding. In addition, a planned program of support activities for new faculty is in place; a senior faculty is given assigned time by the dean to work with new faculty on this program (see Standard 5). The college supports four sabbaticals each year.
In addition to providing 3 units of assigned time new faculty, Academic Affairs also provides other types of assigned time that faculty can draw on throughout their careers. For example, assigned time for program development may be awarded for faculty preparation of courses never before taught by that particular faculty member. Faculty may also receive assigned time for Instructional Experimentation, Innovation, or Instructionally Related Research and for participating in Instructionally Related University Committee Assignments.
Other offices on campus assist new faculty to develop their scholarship as well as their instructional skills. The Office of University Research, which oversees grants and contracts, provides excellent support and resources for faculty interested in external funding to support program development and research. Services include assistance and guidance for writing grant proposals, notification of research and travel grants, awards for scholarly and creative activity, and summer stipends. These support mechanisms are of different kinds, including monetary support, assigned time, supplies, and student assistant support. Through the Office of University Research unit faculty regularly receive university awards in the form of assigned time, summer stipends, and conference and travel grants.
Table 6.08 (Faculty Internal Funding Awards, 2003-2006)summarizes various awards that supported faculty development by Academic Affairs, the Office of University Research, the Faculty Center for Professional Development, and the college in 2005-2006.
In addition, the college provides support for teaching and program related faculty development activities each year, depending on need and opportunity. For example, in spring 2005 the college supported a dozen faculty and administrators’ participation in workshops to become Lead Assessors for the Commission-sponsored Teaching Performance Assessment (see Standard 2). The college funds frequent trips to Sacramento and other locations around the state to support faculty and administration participation in meetings and workshops put on by the CSU system, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the Department of Education, etc.
As indicated previously, there were budget cuts in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 of 7% and 4%, respectively. In the 2005-2006 academic year, however, as the budget picture improved, funding for all cuts made in the previous two years was restored. The immediate effect of these budget cuts in 2003-2004 was to increase the numbers of students enrolled in classes to an extent that raised concern. In response to these cuts, the Teacher Education Department experimented with offering large lecture classes in selected courses. After two semesters, the department had discussions regarding the extent to which goals and student outcomes were compatible with a large lecture format. Consequently, classes were restored to their regular section enrollment caps (usually 30 students). This was made possible by funding received in 2005-06 from Academic Affairs to enhance instructional quality.
Consistent with CSU system policy and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (Exhibit 50), the prescribed workload for faculty at CSULB is 15 weighted teaching units (WTUs). Twelve of the 15 units are assigned for teaching courses and 3 are dedicated to faculty governance, advising and other instructionally related duties. Faculty supervision workloads vary according to the type of clinical practice. In addition to instructional activities, faculty engage in scholarship and service. All faculty, including tenured, tenure-track, and full and part-time lecturers are carefully selected and assigned to teach courses and supervise clinical experiences consistent with their qualifications, expertise and experience. Assignments are made by the department chairs in consultation with faculty. Workloads beyond the maximum teaching load of twelve units per semester are limited by university policy (Exhibit 50) to 25% (equivalent to one course per semester) and only by mutual agreement. There is no differentiated teaching load for undergraduate and graduate instruction in the CSU system. No graduate assistants teach in the unit.
Faculty receive assigned time in a variety of ways, including assigned time for program administration and development, new faculty support, scholarly and creative activity awards, P-12 partnership activities, and grant funded time. Assigned time effectively reduces classroom teaching load and is granted on a variable basis depending on the specific activity and the funding source. Coordinators in the credential programs and masters programs receive at least three units of assigned time per semester for program administration and advisement. Exceptions are related to small or excessive enrollment; a small program might carry only three assigned time units per year for the coordinator, while the larger or more complex programs might yield assigned time in excess of three units each semester.
The average teaching load for College of Education full-time faculty in fall, 2005 was 7.9 units of instruction. Factors contributing to this average were: a high number of newly hired faculty receiving three units of assigned time each semester, assigned time for coordinators of credential/masters programs, and a high level of funded assigned time for the types of activities listed in the previous paragraph. Reviewers are referred to the Assigned Time Report (as a confidential personnel document, this document is on file in the Administrative Services Manager’s office). Few faculty teach more than 9 units per semester; even fewer faculty teaching all master’s level courses are teaching more than 9 units per semester.
Supervision ratios are established through the campus curriculum process. When courses are created or changed, an appropriate classification is approved which generates a weighted teaching unit (WTU) for the faculty teaching that course. For example, thesis supervision for one student at 3 Student Credit Units (SCU) generates .5 WTU for the chair of the committee. For faculty assigned to supervise traditional student teachers in the elementary (Multiple Subject) program, one student teacher generates .67 WTU for a 1:18 full-time faculty to student ratio. Faculty supervising student teachers in the secondary (Single Subject) program, receive .75 WTU for one student, for a 1:16 full-time faculty to student ratio. Supervision ratios vary across programs and are dependent on the intensity of supervision needed for the type of placement (Table 6.09: CED Supervision Workload Formulas).
Unit programs make efforts to involve part-time faculty as much as possible in program governance and improvement activities. This can be challenging, because part-time faculty are usually full-time P-12 practitioners and are not always available to attend program meetings, staff development opportunities, etc. Opportunities for involvement in organization and coordination of programs vary across programs, but is somewhat related to the size of the program and the role of the part-time faculty member. For example, Teacher Education because of its size has course coordinators whose responsibility it is to meet with part-time and full-time faculty to ensure consistent delivery of course content across the many sections of that course (i.e., reading methods). The Designated Subjects Program in the CHHS has developed a Part-Time Faculty Handbook as a tool to communicate policies, procedures, practice, and program issues. The Multiple Subject Program has a Part-Time Faculty Handbook. A CED part-time faculty handbook is currently under development. Other programs involve part-time faculty as members of program advisory councils. In most cases, the program coordinator is the point person for communication and consultation with part-time faculty. Part-time faculty who supervise culminating field experiences such as student teaching are carefully selected according to criteria discussed in Standard 3 and Standard 5. In the Multiple Subject Program the Field Programs Director meets regularly with all student teacher supervisors, the majority of whom are part-time faculty. Workshops are also held to provide professional development in support of their roles.
The College of Education has a large and capable support staff. Since the 2001 accreditation visit, changes in the unit have impacted the size and structure of staff support. Among the factors which have affected our needs for support personnel, two stand out: enrollment growth and technological advances. The entire campus has been thriving in recent years, and projections are for additional growth for the next decade. The College of Education experienced significant growth from the late 1990s until spring 2004, at a rate that far exceeded the campus rate. Since 2004, the sharp decline in enrollment in the Multiple Subject Credential Program, the largest program in the college, has led to a moderate overall decline for the CED. Table 6.10 (CED Enrollment and Staffing Trends, 2003-2006) shows the relationship between enrollment growth in the college from 2003 through 2006 and employment trends for administrators, full-time and part-time faculty, and staff. Table 6.11 (CED Staff and Administrative Positions, 2005-2006) indicates the number of staff and administrators and their dispersal across offices in the college in 2005-2006.
The university has outstanding facilities that enable faculty to provide appropriate instruction and experiences for candidates. Allocation of rooms is based on prior and projected enrollment trends and is reviewed annually by university administration. Facilities operations are a centralized department within the university, but each college is responsible for its own planning and management of its facilities and equipment. In many cases the colleges are responsible for the funding of maintenance, remodeling and repairs. Minor capitol building projects are proposed by colleges and are reviewed and prioritized by a university committee. CED’s Facilities Coordinator has direct responsibility for determining space needs, proposing solutions, overseeing projects, arranging for adequate facilities and equipment for faculty and staff, and interacting with university facilities management staff. Through the University Facilities Committee, the Facilities Coordinator liaisons with the Office of Physical Planning and Facilities Management to evaluate the allocation of faculty and support offices within the college. This involves updating the space data file to reflect current usage, allocations, and utilization. An added benefit resulting from the appointment of a full-time Facilities Coordinator is the increased attention to the condition and repair of classrooms and equipment. The college has been successful in acquiring approval for new classroom furniture purchases to better reflect instructional needs of faculty and students.
The College of Education is housed primarily in four buildings: Education Building 1 (ED1), Education Building 2 (ED2), the Academic Services building and the second floor of the Liberal Arts 1 building (LA1). This space accommodates faculty and staff offices, auxiliary programs, computer laboratories, some classrooms, and the Long Beach Unified School District Transition program for young adults with disabilities. Additional classrooms used for education courses are typically located in buildings LA2, LA3, LA4, and LA5, but college courses can be located anywhere on campus. With increased enrollment and additional faculty in recent years, office and classroom space is becoming problematic and more scattered across campus. Although space generally meets current college needs, there are points of pressure for both full and part-time faculty offices, classrooms, and computer laboratories. Through diligent planning, the Facilities Coordinator has effectively addressed many of the unit’s space problems. Upon completion of the current library renovation project the CED will acquire significant new office and meeting space—and access to classrooms—on the second floor of Library East beginning summer 2007
The College of Health and Human Services (CHHS), home to the Affiliated Programs, underwent a 21 million dollar renovation that was completed in fall, 1994. This renovation enabled the various programs to modernize their laboratory classes. CHHS is a large and diversified college, with classrooms, faculty and staff office space and computer labs spread over several buildings on campus, and in some cases buildings shared with other colleges. Consequently, the CHHS professional education programs are located in five different buildings: Applied Arts and Sciences 2, Engineering Technology, Language Arts Building, Nursing, and Psychology. All programs are supported by adequate classroom space. Faculty and staff office space is adequate, with full-time faculty having single offices and part-time faculty sharing office space.
All full-time faculty in the CED are assigned single offices. The university utilizes a CSU system formula that stipulates a minimum of 110 square feet per faculty office. Approximately 35 percent of Educational Psychology department part-time faculty have access to office space. Teacher Education department part-time faculty are typically not assigned office space as many of them are supervisors in the field or teach at off campus sites.
Each faculty office in the unit is adequately furnished with a desk, chair, file cabinet, bookcase, computer, printer, telephone, and internet capability. New, full-time faculty are given a new computer system. Faculty computer refresh is done systematically utilizing the running inventory maintained by the staff computer systems specialist. In recent years, furniture has been repainted to give offices a fresh and coordinated look. Offices are generally painted when a new occupant moves in.
All CED staff are assigned adequate office space. Staff offices have appropriate furniture, computers with internet connections, and telephones adequate for carrying out job responsibilities. Several of the offices have recently acquired modular furniture for staff workstations, creating more functional work environments. Many obsolete files, equipment and supplies have been eliminated in recent years, thereby creating more useable and attractive space.
The CED dean, associate deans, and administrative services manager have offices that are adequate in size and furnished appropriately. Some rearrangement of room assignments in recent years improved the access and proximity for members of the deans’ office staff who have frequent and common interactions. This is also true for student services offices, which are currently concentrated in the north wing of ED1.
The CED is allocated 24 university classrooms in which to schedule classes. Some classes are scheduled at public school sites to enhance instruction. All university classrooms have ethernet ports for internet connection and wireless internet access. Nine of these rooms are “smart” classrooms. “Smart” rooms have a panel for centralized equipment operation, a ceiling mounted data projector, projection screen, CD/DVD player, video cassette player, and overhead projector. Of approximately 230 classrooms on campus, 115 are “smart.” Each year Audio Visual Services converts classroom to “smart” rooms based on prioritized lists submitted by each college. All of the classrooms allocated to the college in ED1 and ED2 were recently newly furnished. Faculty in the Affiliated Programs in the College of Health and Human Services have adequate facilities, including classrooms, laboratories, and clinics.
The college has several offices and programs designed to support instruction and/or improve services for students as has been described previously. These include: Center for Language Minority Education and Research (CLMER), Center for Collaboration in Education, Credential Center, Educational Career Services, Educational Psychology Clinic, SERVE Program, Teacher Preparation Advising Center. The college also provides space for the Long Beach Special Education Transition Program, which provides educational support to young adults with disabilities.
The unit has sufficient funding for instructional resources to operate its programs (Table 6.05 (CED Budget Allocation, 2003-2006). No core academic programs depend on external resources for their operation. However, the unit has been successful in securing resources in both large and small ways to support programs and projects. For example, the college receives a $75,000 annual grant from the system to support recruiting and outreach. We recently received a $50,000 seed grant from MetLife to develop a proposal for an Urban Teaching Academy, and a subsequent $15,000 from the Provost to continue the project and seek other funding. Faculty successfully obtain externally funded research grants that augment the curricular offerings in the unit, contribute to the development of programs and candidates, and support faculty scholarship. Table 6.12 (External Grants, 2003-2006) summarizes the number and amount of external grants awarded to faculty in recent years.
Each college in the university is assigned a full-time development officer. The Division of University Relations and Development establishes an annual development goal or target for the colleges. Under the leadership of the college Director of Development, the CED has exceeded its annual development target two of the last three years. This added support for the college is used for student scholarships, faculty development activities, and special recognitions. Table 6.13 (CED Development Activity, 2003-2006) displays the record of grants and gifts awarded in recent years.
The need for candidates to be technologically competent drives the incorporation of technology into instruction. To prepare technologically competent professionals, curriculum in all unit programs includes technology content matter and learning activities. Technology as a subject and tool is discussed in Standard 3. Faculty instructional use of technology is discussed in Standard 5. Current and future expectations for technologically sophisticated credential and master’s degree program graduates continue to place high demands on computer lab access and software resources, as well as on faculty workload. The Technology Coordinating Committee coordinates the technology needs of the college, and advises the dean on matters technological. Lottery and BATS allocations are primary sources of funds for maintaining up to date hardware and software in the unit.
To support technology-enhanced instruction, all of the 26 classrooms allocated to CED are adequately furnished. Sixteen include whiteboards and electronic capabilities. In addition to the standard audio-visual equipment located in each classroom (televisions, VCRs, overhead projector), most of these classrooms (ED1 40, ED1 41, ED2 159, 2nd and 3rd floors of LA1) are equipped with a Smart Panel and Data/Video Projector. AudioVisual Services adequately supports instructional needs by providing a complete list of equipment for checkout. The CED and individual departments own several LCD portable projectors, laptop computers, camcorders, and digital cameras that faculty check out for class use.
The CED conference room (ED1-1) includes a digital projector system with multimedia capabilities, including DVD and VCR playback. Also available in the conference room is a Polycomm View station FX, an internet based videoconferencing system. This system allows students to take part in lectures in remote locations in real time, and actively participate in classroom discussion. The college administration also makes use of the videoconferencing system to hold meetings with other universities across the United States.
The Department of Educational Psychology, Administration, and Counseling (EdPAC) maintains three computer labs: a 24-workstation WIN XP/NT lab, and a 23-workstation WIN XP/NT lab. Most systems include CD burner and speakers. Each lab includes a demonstration workstation for the instructor, a data projector, a scanner, a webcam, and a workstation (with appropriate software) to accommodate individuals with disabilities. A network server provides central control of the curricular-supportive software and services. These labs and associated equipment support instruction for about thirty classes (typically ten sections for Educational Psychology, thirty sections in Technology, and one section in Library Media).
The Teacher Education department maintains a 28-workstation, MAC platform lab to support its methods courses as well as courses in other programs. The equipment list for the lab includes a server and CD-ROM tower, data projector, and a scanner. Each system has either CD-Burning or DVD burning capabilities, and has a variety of multimedia applications used to support instruction.
The Website Coordinator oversees the college’s website, ensures consistency across department and program webpages, troubleshoots technical problems, and trains faculty and staff in webpage editing, and liaisons with university IT. Each department and program is responsible for administering its webpage, with support from the Website Coordinator.
The Computer Technician Specialist supports faculty and staff computer needs by assisting in initial set up, troubleshooting hardware and software problems, upgrading applications, replacing defective hardware, updating anti-virus software, auditing equipment and maintaining a refresh schedule, and offering training in the use of hardware and software.
The Technology Lab Coordinator oversees all operations of the EdPAC instructional laboratories (LA1-201, 206 and 207). Responsibilities include: hiring and supervising graduate assistants and student assistants; monitoring work schedules and job performances of student assistants; scheduling lab classes; facilitating communication among lab faculty; monitoring functionality and availability of hardware, software and other lab equipment; overseeing instruction in use of adapted equipment; assessing future staffing and equipment needs; and attending campus lab coordinators meetings. The Lab Coordinator is currently provided three units of assigned time each semester.
Federal work-study students currently provide 35 hours per week of instructional support for faculty teaching computer laboratory classes. The PT3 Grant supported assigned time for the program coordinator and four-six faculty coaches.
The Unit Assessment System was developed by the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) under the leadership of the Associate Dean for Planning, Research and Evaluation, who has primary responsibility for assessment and evaluation (refer to Standard 2). The UAS addresses all facets of unit, department, and program operations, including candidate and program evaluation and faculty qualifications and performance. The development of the assessment system has been supported at an appropriate level heretofore. For example, assigned time has been given to a faculty with quantitative methodology skills to assist other faculty with development and analysis of surveys. He has also been a prime mover in the development, implementation, and data analyses of the Advising Survey. The dean’s administrative assistant has been delegated as support staff.
Recognizing the need to take our assessment system to the next level, in spring 2006, the dean approved a request to conduct a 2006-07 search for a tenure track faculty appointment for a College Assessment Coordinator. That person will coordinate unit assessment efforts with the Associate Dean for Planning, Research and Evaluation and the dean’s close consultation to ensure a smooth transition and ongoing influence from the policy level to the operations and support of the UAS.
In fall 2005 Academic Affairs began awarding colleges $10,000 annually to support assessment initiatives. The dean provides a $5,000 augmentation. The CED allocates increments of the total $15,000 available to departments, programs and faculty on a competitive basis for assessment-related projects related. In the College of Health and Human Services, assessment was supported through assessment awards of $5,000 distributed to all departments in 2005-2006.
Faculty and candidates have access to outstanding library, curricula, and electronic informational resources. The Library provides extensive resources and support for CED and CHHS faculty, staff, and candidates through its collections of books, current and bound periodicals, online subscription periodical databases, federal and state documents, rare and special collections, maps, videos, CDs/DVDs, films, and other non-print materials. The library’s instructional program offers a full range of opportunities to the campus community, from a library skills course required of incoming students to advanced seminars in research methodology and information retrieval tailored to the needs of specific disciplines or courses. The library serves the needs of individuals with disabilities through study facilities, terminals, and other equipment such as reading machines. The Library homepage provides information on the Library’s many services, as well as instructions on offsite access to the Library resources. The website is comprehensive, informative, and easy to navigate. In addition to its general holdings of over 1 million books and over 150 electronic databases, the Library supports education through the elementary school textbook collection, the secondary school textbook collection, and the 20,000 volume Children’s Collection. Advanced programs are supported through the Thesis Office. All teachers in the Long Beach Educational Partnership (Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College, and CSULB) have library privileges and online access to the library
