DIRECTORY

Dean, College of Graduate Studies .................................................... Dr. Fred Bedelle

Chair, Carter & Moyers School of Education .................................. Dr. Barry Vann

Director of Post Baccalaureate Program .........................................  Dr. Frazier Ellis

Director of Testing/Certification .....................................................  Rosemary Day

Director of Financial Aid ................................................................  Christy Graham

Finley Learning Resources Center ..................................................  Donna Bible

Student Accounts ............................................................................  Joyce Stanley

 

Post Baccalaureate Program Faculty

 

Dr. R. Frazier Ellis

M.S., Tennessee Technological University

Ed.D., East Tennessee State University

 

Dr. Ramona Best

            M.S., University of Tennessee-Knoxville

            Ed.S., Tennessee Technological University

            Ed.D., East Tennessee State University

 

Dr. Teresa Bicknell

            M.A., Ed.S. Tennessee Technological University

            Ed.D. Tennessee State University

 

Dr. Bonnie Buckland

M.S., Ed.D., University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Principal, J. Frank White Academy, Harrogate, TN

 

Dr. Margie Carrico

            M.S., Ed.D. University of Tennessee-Knoxville

 

Dr. Laura J. Hopfer

            M.S., Ed.D. University of Tennessee-Knoxville

 

Dr. Kathy Hulley

            M.Ed., University of Memphis

            Ed.D., University of Mississippi

 

Dr. Talbot Rogers

            M.S., Ph.D. University of Tennessee-Knoxville

 

POST BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM

 

The Post Baccalaureate Candidate Handbook is intended to assist the candidate pursuing teacher licensure for elementary education, K-12 education, and secondary education. The Handbook can be used as a guide for application and matriculation. It is imperative that the candidate become familiar with all program requirements outlined in this Handbook and provide appropriate documentation of completed program requirements to the Program Director and Director of Testing.

 

 

The Post Baccalaureate Handbook is a dated publication. Teacher licensure programs are designed to conform to current Tennessee and University guidelines and requirements. Candidates should be aware that teacher education requirements are subject to change in order to maintain compliance with state and university requirements.

 

The Post Baccalaureate Program reserves the right to make programmatic changes and to implement such changes as deemed necessary by the Tennessee Department of Education or Lincoln Memorial University.

 

 

Post Baccalaureate candidates are responsible for current information regarding their specific program of study and should inquire each semester with the Program Director and Director of Testing.

 

 

 

Lincoln Memorial University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability, or veteran’s status.

 

 

 

Post Baccalaureate Program

 

 

The Post Baccalaureate Program at Lincoln Memorial University is designed to attract talented individuals who may be seeking to change careers and who have potential to become good teachers. Increasing numbers of new teachers are receiving their teacher preparation through post baccalaureate programs and must meet the same high standards as teachers who complete undergraduate programs. In Tennessee, the State Board of Education requires that individuals must meet standards in general education and in an

academic major in the licensure area. The rules governing Post Baccalaureate programs (0520-2-3-.12(5) state: “Institutions shall require candidates to address any deficiencies in their undergraduate education to ensure the attainment of the knowledge and skills required in general education, professional education, and the major for the teaching field; additional course work may be required based upon assessment of the knowledge and skills demonstrated by the candidate when admitted to the program or through assessment of performance during the induction experience.” The Post Baccalaureate Program at Lincoln Memorial University allows the candidate to acquire knowledge and skills in effective teaching strategies and student assessment in the professional education core.

 

Candidates in post baccalaureate programs must have completed a baccalaureate degree but did not complete a teacher education program. Candidates must demonstrate potential to become an effective teacher leader and show a genuine professional interest for the teaching and learning process.

 

The Post Baccalaureate Program at Lincoln Memorial University has been designed to meet standards and guidelines of the Tennessee Department of Education for licensure programs as well as NCATE and INTASC standards and guidelines. All credit awarded is graduate level and fees are assessed in accordance with the College of Graduate Studies. The Post Baccalaureate Program is a certificate program that leads to a teaching license; however, the candidate interested in pursuing a Master of Education degree is encouraged to inquire with the College of Graduate Studies for information regarding courses needed for the Master of Education degree in addition to the Post Baccalaureate courses.

 

To comply with criteria stated by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the Post Baccalaureate Program is appropriately aligned to the university’s mission, and to the mission of the College of Graduate Studies, as well as to the mission of the Carter & Moyers School of Education.

 

 

Lincoln Memorial University’s Mission and Purpose

 

Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The University strives to give students a foundation for a more productive life by upholding the principles of Abraham Lincoln's life: a dedication to individual liberty, responsibility, and improvement; a respect for citizenship; a recognition of the intrinsic value of high

moral and ethical standards; and a belief in a personal God.

 

The University's curriculum and commitment to quality instruction at every level are based on the beliefs that graduates must be able to communicate clearly and effectively in an era of rapidly and continuously expanding communication technology, must have an appreciable depth of learning in a field of knowledge, must appreciate and understand the various ways by which we come to know ourselves and the world around us, and must be able to exercise informed judgments.

 

The University believes that one of the major cornerstones of meaningful existence is service to humanity. By making educational and research opportunities available to students where they live and through various recreational and cultural events open to the community, Lincoln Memorial University seeks to advance life in the Cumberland Gap area and throughout the region.

Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees 3 May 2002

 

 

 

 

College of Graduate Studies Mission

 

The mission of the Lincoln Memorial University College of Graduate Studies as a student-sensitive entity, is to prepare professionals with knowledge, skills, proficiencies and dispositions to meet the changing needs of society through relevant student-centered experiences.

 

Professional Commitments and Dispositions

 

The graduate programs at Lincoln Memorial University are guided by shared, coherent commitments and dispositions.  Knowledge and skills are tools that are optimized only when learning leaders are disposed to use them to best advantage and in the interest of all individual students.  The graduate faculty envisions the competent, reflective,nurturing, facilitative learning leader for a diverse global society as one who:

 

  • believes that all K-12 students can learn and develop,
  • respects and has knowledge of current research based best practices and of the diverse nature of how students learn and grow,
  • is committed to and understands the change process, its role in continuous school improvement and human growth and development,
  • has a personal leadership philosophy based on an understanding of what leadership looks like, what [classroom] management looks like and what a safe, nurturing environment looks like,
  • has the ability and propensity to understand and use problem solving and critical thinking and to understand and utilize reflective and self-regulating thought,
  • is committed to and practices ethical decision making,
  • appreciates the importance of emotional intelligence,
  • understands and promotes the value of individual and cultural diversity and stakeholder involvement in decision making

 

 

Carter and Moyers School of Education Mission

 

The Carter and Moyers School of Education is dedicated to preparing caring professionals with a broad knowledge base acquired through the integration of the liberal arts and the career-related disciplines, who are capable of meeting the challenges of an ever increasing global society.

 

 

Post Baccalaureate Program Mission

 

The Post Baccalaureate Program supports the Teacher Education Program’s mission and is dedicated to preparing quality practitioners who are diverse in teaching and learning abilities acquired through rigorous academic studies and partnerships with K-12 schools, who inspire renewal, and who are capable of meeting the challenges of an ever increasing global society with an understanding of the moral, social, and political dimensions.

 

 

Post Baccalaureate Program Theme and Beliefs

 

Theme:           TEACHER – Integrator of Cognitive, Psychomotor and

Affective Learning

 

The Post Baccalaureate Programs supports the theme and beliefs of the Teacher Education Program that provides the philosophical base, direction and parameters for the faculty to prepare teachers for tomorrow’s educational demands. The following stated beliefs illustrate program philosophy, the integrated program model of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning, the outline of the knowledge base and the delineation of program goals and performance expectations.

 

Beliefs Specific To The Post Baccalaureate Program

 

1.         The professional education of teachers is a joint responsibility shared by

Lincoln Memorial University and K-12 schools.

2.         All Post Baccalaureate candidates should have a strong foundation in general

education courses.

3.         All Post Baccalaureate candidates should have strong academic majors or

specialty areas.

4.         All Post Baccalaureate candidates should have a strong background in

professional methodology and pedagogy.

5.         The Post Baccalaureate Program should have its foundation established in the

constructivist theory.

6.         Post Baccalaureate candidates should be prepared to be reflective teachers

who continuously assess the teaching and learning process.

7.         Post Baccalaureate candidates should participate in K-12 Partnerships with a

variety of schools for the purpose of promoting collaboration with all

university and PK-12 stakeholders.

8.         The Post Baccalaureate Program should encourage an interdisciplinary and

interactive approach to the teaching and learning process that engages the

candidate in professional development.

9.         The Post Baccalaureate Program should integrate course work with clinical

and field experiences by promoting the collaborative process for professional

development schools.

10.       The Post Baccalaureate Program should provide experiences for candidates to

understand and appreciate individuals with special needs.

11.       A Post Baccalaureate Program should provide experiences for candidates to

understand and appreciate cultural diversity of teachers and students.

12.       A Post Baccalaureate Program should incorporate recent research on effective

teaching and effective teacher education practices.

13.       A Post Baccalaureate Program should incorporate the use of new technology

appropriate to classroom use.

14.       A Post Baccalaureate Program should prepare teachers to help students

expand their horizons toward a world view while preserving the local culture.

15.       A Post Baccalaureate Program should prepare teachers to mediate scholarly

knowledge in the language of the local culture.

16.       A Post Baccalaureate Program should support their graduates and provide

assistance during their first year of teaching, where possible.

17.       A Post Baccalaureate Program should prepare teachers to provide an

education that gives students options for their future.

 

 

Post Baccalaureate Program Goals and Learner Expectations

 

A primary purpose of teacher preparation is to prepare beginning teachers who demonstrate acquisition of appropriate content knowledge and pedagogical skills that enable them to be effective and successful teacher leaders. To accomplish this, the Post Baccalaureate Program supports the following teacher education goals based on Tennessee, NCATE, INTASC, NBPTS, and professional organization’s standards and guidelines for teacher preparation. Each goal is accompanied by one or more

performance expectations which are to be achieved / accomplished by each candidate. The professional education core course syllabi are directly connected to the goals and performance expectations. The goals and performance expectations are introduced in Module I, EDUC 570 Introduction to Teaching and Learning, and are sequenced throughout Module II and Module III. Evidence that each candidate has

achieved/accomplished each goal and performance expectation is housed in a Professional Program Portfolio introduced in Module I and culminating in Module III at the program exit interview. Goals and performance expectations for the Post Baccalaureate Program include:

 

Goal I:

The candidate will understand the planning process.

Performance Expectation 1.1:

The candidate will demonstrate knowledge of learning theory, subject matter to include concepts/processes of inquiry for the discipline, candidate needs, and curriculum with performance no less than 75% as evaluated by a rubric.

 

Goal II:

The candidate will possess a repertoire of teaching strategies.

Performance Expectation 2.1:

The candidate will demonstrate understanding of best practice instructional strategies, to include hands-on problem-solving and critical thinking with performance no less than 75% as evaluated by a rubric.

 

Goal III:

The candidate will understand assessment and evaluation.

Performance Expectation 3.1:

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to select, construct, to use formal / informal assessment; solicit/use information on individual candidate needs; to communicate candidate progress with performance no less than 75% as evaluated by a rubric.

 

Goal IV:

The candidate will have an awareness of quality learning environments.

Performance Expectation 4.1:

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to create an inclusive, active, engaging, self-motivating learning environment that is organized and managed efficiently and productively with performance no less than 75% as evaluated by a rubric.

 

Goal V:

The candidate will engage in professional growth.

Performance Expectation 5.1:

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to evaluate continually effects of instruction and modify instruction as needed for candidate success through the process of reflection with performance no less than 75% as evaluated by a rubric.

 

Goal VI:

The candidate will understand the role of communication and learning.

Performance Expectation 6.1:

The candidate will model a variety of effective communication strategies to accommodate diverse learners with performance no less than 75% as evaluated by a rubric.

 

Goal VII:

The candidate will have an understanding of technology.

Performance Expectation 7.1:

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to integrate technology to foster interdisciplinary hands-on problem solving; to develop higher order thinking; to manage different learning strategies/resources; to understand and use quality instructional software with performance no less than 75% as evaluated by a rubric.

 

Goal VIII:

The candidate will display professional behavior throughout the Post Baccalaureate Program.

Performance Expectation 8.1:

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to be professional at all times while enrolled in the Post Baccalaureate Program.

 

 

Post Baccalaureate Philosophy

 

The Post Baccalaureate Program supports the constructivist philosophy of the Teacher Education Program. Since 1992, the Teacher Education Program has evolved, creating new emphases. One significant new emphasis is on constructivism. Constructivism embodies concepts generated by research that inform how students learn and thus how teachers should teach. The ideas that, in individuals, schema or networks are formed, that prior knowledge is important, and that new learning must address prior

knowledge, or that an experience must be created that imparts the new, are seminal. Hence, connections are integral to the process of learning. No longer is learning regarded as just linear, undimensional, sequential, static, or consisting of fragmented parts, i.e., mechanistic. Instead, it is now also recognized to be multidimensional, random, patterned, connected, integrated and dynamic, i.e., organic. Our reality has changed; a new paradigm is born: the universe is not mechanistic, but organic. This new paradigm may be regarded as a holon (an autonomous whole, with constituent parts) operating in accordance with a basic tenet or organicism—the idea that limited paradigms will be replaced by more inclusive paradigms that incorporate the old and the new, not as a synthesis but as complements. Concepts inherent in constructivism reflect the new paradigm.

 

Constructivism has implications that impact institutions given the task of preparing teachers who have the knowledge and skill to facilitate the learning process in this new world. One implication is that each individual (teacher/candidate) approaches the learning task as a whole. This idea is captured in the theme of the Teacher Education Program—integrator of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. When applied, this means that the teacher’s role is to regard the learner as a whole and to teach from the perspective that a dynamic interaction is going on between the student and the teacher— both are learning, both are teaching.

 

A second implication is that assessment must change to accommodate the new perspective. Thus, the teacher’s role is no longer to focus just on products of learning, but to become astute observers in the process(es) of learning; students must be invited to participate via reflective self-assessment.

 

A third implication is that we need the support and nurturing of each other. When applied, this means that teachers must be willing to cooperate and collaborate to solve problems, as well as be willing and able to teach these skills to their students.

 

A fourth implication is that learning is on-going. As such, the teacher’s role is to constantly evaluate what students need to be successful productive citizens. This means that teachers must be willing to consider new ways of arranging the environment and content of learning and acquire knowledge and skill in technology use, for technology is now a basic tool of learning. Concomitant with on-going learning is the realization that we are now in an era of rapid change and knowledge explosion. When applied, this

means that teachers must be adept at creating environments for generating and solving problems, decision-making, critical thinking and for enhancing creativity.

 

A final implication is that expanding knowledge and technology has diminished our world, making global and local communication and understanding imperative. When applied, this means that teachers must not only understand and appreciate their own heritage, but understand and appreciate the heritage of others) both the unique and universal dimensions), so that the focus is on equity, democracy, interconnectedness, and respect for others.

 

When one considers the implications and effects of constructivism in relation to the Lincoln Memorial University Teacher Education Program, it becomes apparent that the philosophy of constructivism is, indeed, the foundation of the program.

 

 

Relationship of Constructivist Curriculum Orientations

 

The Teacher Education Program is based on the belief that the curriculum should reflect students utilizing cognitive processes for solving problems, developing thinking skills, and learning how to learn. The emphasis on Academic Rationalism is strongly subject centered assuming that the academic disciplines should constitute the basis for curriculum. There is also strong emphasis in the teacher education program regarding interdisciplinary teaching of the academic disciplines supporting a layered understanding of a discipline’s concepts, processes, and syntax of inquiry as the central goal of all curriculums. The teacher education constructivist philosophy supports the curriculum orientation of personal relevance (Eisner) for all students. This orientation begins with the curriculum driven by students’ needs and prior knowledge and a goal to enable students to find personal meaning in their studies, which has developed into a student-centered curriculum.

 

Another curriculum orientation applied in the teacher education program is the integration of technology into the learning process. In the Teacher Education Program, the focus is the use of technology as a tool to master curriculum standards and aligned goals.

 

The teacher education program emphasizes the curriculum orientation of social adaptation and reconstruction to prepare students for adult living. The social adaptation and reconstruction curriculum orientation implies that the teacher consistently evaluates all learners’ needs in relation to success as a productive citizen. This curriculum orientation has societal needs as its foundation. The teacher education program promotes the idea that adult learners should be empowered and desire a curriculum that enables students to improve society. Thus, empowered students should be able to reflect appropriately and participate in changes that would reconstruct their content of learning and the environment. This is a process for on-going learning which becomes life-long learning.

 

Curriculum and its foundations are complex. Classroom teachers can become very frustrated by the changing demands of schools and society. Throughout the course of one’s teaching career, the five curriculum orientations / foundations of the curriculum may be competing for emphasis from year to year. The program reflects the implication of shifting paradigms in its philosophy and curricular design. Knowing that change is inevitable, the Teacher Education Program advocates that adult learners acquire knowledge and skills from the five foundations of curriculum orientations as opposed to any single curriculum design and delivery.

 

The Teacher Education Program philosophy is based on the constructivist theory and Eisner’s “Curriculum Orientations”. The constructivist theory asserts that the student enters the program as a whole (with prior knowledge and experiences) within a whole. The program integrates the constructivist philosophy with the five curriculum orientations of cognitive processes, academic rationalism, personal relevance, social adaptations and social reconstruction, and technology. At any given time, there are several curriculum orientations operating in a dynamic confluence. The program recognizes that students and curriculum are influenced by many factors like complex societal and cultural forces. While in the program, the student experiences an organic, dynamic process that enables the learner to construct beliefs, concepts and intra/inter personal attributes that empower the learner. This philosophy, a theory about knowledge and learning, promotes the learner’s autonomy which evolves as a result of the learner recognizing his/her own “wholeness” in relation to his/her world.

 

Elliot Eisner’s Curriculum Orientations (1979) reflect the following:

 

Cognitive processes. Exemplified in Gardner’s (1995) multiple intelligences

approach, this orientation is based on the belief that the curriculum should be

primarily concerned with helping students solve problems, develop their thinking

skills, and learn how to learn. As Eisner points out, this stream goes back at least

to the 19th century, when phrenologists and faculty psychologists argued for the

primacy of mental development.

Academic rationalism. Found in the curriculum standards movement, which is

strongly subject centered, this orientation is predicated on the assumption that the

academic disciplines should constitute the basis for curriculum. Proponents

believe that understanding a disciplines concepts and syntax of inquiry should be

the central goal of all curriculums. Such a belief can be traced, of course, to the

medieval concepts of the trivium and quadrivium. The proliferation of state

curriculum standards – all of which are subject based – illustrates this stream’s

strength.

Personal relevance. The continuing interest in whole language programs in

elementary language arts indicates this stream’s presence. Based on the

assumption that the curriculum should begin with student’s needs, its goal is to

enable students to find personal meaning in what they study. (In earlier work,

Eisner an Vallance (1974) termed this orientation “self-actualization, or

curriculum as consummatory experience.”)

Social adaptation and social reconstruction. This orientation manifests itself in

programs that emphasize preparation for adult living, such as the current schoolto-

work programs. It is grounded in the belief that the curriculum should find its

foundations in society’s needs. Those committed to social adaptation believe

that schools should prepare students to fill the work force needs of the nation and

to accommodate themselves to societal values and norms. The argument of the

ill-conceived A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in

Education, 1983) was that the schools are failing the society by not producing the

kinds of workers that the nation needs. On the other hand, educators and other

citizens who believe in social reconstruction want the curriculum to enable

students to improve society. Radicals want to transform the society; liberals

wish to improve it. For example, Wood (1988) argues persuasively for a

curriculum that would result in what he terms “democratic empowerment”.

Thus, although social adaptation and social reconstruction are considered one

stream here, they are diametrically opposed in their goals.

Technology. This stream views curriculum as a technical process, emphasizing a

means-end orientation. A curriculum designed for mastery learning principles

uses a technological approach, even though most mastery learning programs are

strong on means, but weak on ends. The starting point is to identify goals; then

all that matters is designing the means to accomplish those goals. This

orientation goes back at least to an influential book by Franklin Bobbitt (1918)

and can be found today in the work of many curriculum consultants, including

Glatthorn (1994).

 

Post Baccalaureate Program Curriculum

 

Curriculum for the Post Baccalaureate Program is directly aligned with the integrated curriculum model used in the undergraduate teacher education program. However, post baccalaureate candidates enter the pathway to teacher licensure having completed requirements for Domain I, General Studies, and Domain II, Specialty Studies. The Post Baccalaureate Program offers the candidate an opportunity to acquire licensure based on his/her undergraduate academic major. The Post Baccalaureate Program requires candidates to address any gaps in their undergraduate education to ensure attainment of knowledge and skills required in general education, professional education and the academic major for the teaching field. The academic major assures that the candidate meets the knowledge and skills for the licensure program. A major is defined as thirty-six (36) semester hours of study. Affirmation of the candidate’s content knowledge and skills will be monitored by the Praxis Specialty Test. Candidates must meet the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test and the Praxis Specialty Test requirement before being admitted to the student teaching experience. A program of study analysis is conducted and deficiencies in knowledge and skills are identified. If the candidate does not receive a passing score on the required Specialty Test(s) or does not demonstrate effective performance during student teaching, then additional content course work may be required.

 

Candidates in the Post Baccalaureate Program have earned a baccalaureate degree but did not p