Career Switcher Program - Course Sequence
Required During First Semester
- EDUC 500 Online Orientation - 0 credits
- EFND 500 Orientation/Professional Concerns - 0 credits
- UNIV LIB Information, Research, and Resources - 0 credits
Level I (Coursework + Classroom Practicum)
- EFND 530 Foundations in Education for Transitioning Professionals – 3 credits (this is an online course)
- EMTP 502 Teaching, Thinking, & Learning (+5 hour practicum) - 3 credits
- EMTP 503 Character Development & Classroom Management (+5 hour practicum) - 3 credits
- EMTP 504 Effective Curriculum & Instruction (+5 hour practicum) - 3 credits
- EMTP 508 Assessment & Evaluation (+5 hour practicum) - 3 credits
- ETLC 541Child & Adolescent Growth & Development (+5 hour practicum) - 3 credits (this is an online course)
Level II: (Seminars + 1 year full-time contracted teaching)
- Best Practices - 0 credit
- Classroom Management Strategies - 0 credit
- Diversity I - 0 credit
- Diversity II - 0 credit
- Teaching Reading - 0 credit
- Technology in Education - 0 credit
Total: 18 credits
Upon successful completion of Level I, students apply for the one-year Career Switcher Provisional License through the Virginia Department of Education prior to entering Level II of the program. After one year of full-time contracted teaching experience, students are eligible to be considered for the 5-year renewable Professional License. This decision must be approved by the contracted school division.
Career Switcher Program - Course Descriptions
EDUC 500 Online Orientation (0) Required during the first semester of enrollment in some programs; acclimates students to Blackboard, the platform off which online classes are launched.
EFND 500 Orientation/Professional Concerns (0) Required during the first semester of
enrollment. It includes a program overview and various guidelines and procedures.
EFND 530 /GSAS 530CS Foundations in Education for Transitioning Professionals (3) Understand the historical, philosophical, and sociological foundations underlying the role, development and organization of public education in the United States. Attention will be given to the legal status of teachers and students, including federal and state laws e.g. SOLs; child abuse regulations. The concept of school as an organization /culture and contemporary issues in education are included. School / family communications and ways of involving families in student learning are explored.
EMTP 502/GSAS 502 MT Teaching, Thinking & Learning (3) Understand the presuppositions of worldviews and then examine content for evidence of different worldviews. Reviews and utilizes teaching models to encourage higher-level thinking within the classroom. Examines curriculum content and its relationship to cognitive development as a tool for designing instruction to promote thinking. At the elementary level, developmentally appropriate instruction is emphasized as a means to promote thinking. At the secondary level, be instructed in how to analyze valid versus fallacious thinking.
EMTP 503 Character Development & Classroom Management (3) Integrate character principles into the school environment and curriculum. Discipline and character development are also shown to be one and the same process. Effective intervention strategies will be presented and practiced.
EMTP 504 Effective Curriculum & Instruction (3) Focuses on classification and sequencing learning outcomes. Emphasizes the teacher as a significant integral part of what we call curriculum along with selected procedures and roles of teachers in school-based curriculum design/redesign.
EMTP 508 Assessment & Evaluation (3) Using the principles of educational measurement, develop and evaluate tests typically used in educational settings. Develop valid and reliable tests to evaluate the full range (process and product) of student outcomes. Emphasis will be placed on the design of “alternative” and traditional assessment tools.
ETLC 541 Child & Adolescent Growth & Development (3) Covers the physical, cognitive, cultural, social/emotional, spiritual, and psychological development of children and adolescents with an emphasis on knowing and understanding theories of human development to incorporate children’s individual differences and guide learning experiences. Considers individual differences (socio-economic, racial, ethnic, religious, physical and mental) with the approximate timing and effects of age-related changes and at-risk factors such as attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, child abuse and family disruptions on normal development. Children are studied in the context of family, culture and community. Emphasizes the importance of partnership with families and communities in the teaching and learning process.
UNIV LIB Information Research & Resources (0) Non-credit, free of charge. Teaches basic competencies in the use of computer and related information technology research and resources, including use of the library. Enroll in the course in the first semester. Required of graduation. Pass/Fail.
Level II (SEMINIARS PLUS ONE YEAR FULL-TIME CONTRACTED TEACHING)
- Best Practices
- Classroom Management Strategies
- Diversity in Student Learning
- Reading in Content Areas
- Special Needs in the Regular Classroom
- Technology in Education
Upon successful completion of Level I, students apply for the one-year Eligibility License through Regent University and the Virginia Department of Education prior to entering Level II of the program. After one year of full-time contracted teaching experience, students may be eligible to be considered for the five-year renewable Professional License. This decision must be approved by the contracted school division.
Students may continue their studies by applying for a master's degree.
