University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

This is to respond to the Planning and Review Committee’s consultants’ report for the Ed.S. in Career and Technical Education.

Recommendations for the Program Director and Coordinating Chair of the School of Education:

1. It is recommended that the coordinating chair work with the program director to plan out a course rotation schedule to allow for students who are not able to enroll in courses they wish to take in a timely fashion.
   
   Response:
   A course rotation based on the sequence of course delivery is developed for each cohort group.  This works well if students stay on schedule.  To address the needs of students who do not follow the sequence as advised, the program directors and Continuing Education publish all course offerings.  While students who do not stay on schedule with their cohort cannot be promised a “make-up” offering at that location, they have a number of other options including course delivery on weekends on campus and at other locations throughout Wisconsin, summer on-campus offerings, and online delivery.
   
   
2. It is recommended that the coordinating chair work with the program director to make more courses available online to meet the needs of the full-time working adult learners participating in this program.
   
   Response:
   See number 1.  All certification courses will be offered online by Summer 2008.  Some students prefer the weekend face-to-face delivery method, which will continue to be available for the 700 and 800 level courses provided to cohort groups off campus and on campus summers.  Students in the Ed.S. need to include 700 level selective courses in their program, some of which are also available online.
   
   
3. It is recommended that the coordinating chair work with the program director to train program faculty members who are not currently knowledgeable in the use of distance learning technology and the Internet for more readily available course scheduling. An alternative is to assess the need for hiring additional faculty to accommodate the need for more distance education and online course offerings.
   
   Response:
   Unfortunately, to date, the summer instructional learning technology training provided on campus has not been available to adjunct instructors.  Our regular faculty regularly participate in instructional technology professional development.  We do have a SOE full-time academic staff person, Joan Vandervelde, who specifically works with our regular and adjunct faculty/staff who teach online.
   
   
4. Continue to work with the program director to improve the process of hiring faculty and adjunct instructors to keep the quality of the program competitive.
   
   Response:
   There is a new process now in place in which SOE on-campus faculty review and approve/disapprove adjunct instructor’s vitae and course syllabi for the certification courses in the program.
   

Recommendation for the Dean of the School of Education:

1. It is recommended that the dean work with and support the coordinating chair and program director in the above mentioned recommendations.
   
   Response:
   The School of Education Dean will work with and support the program director and chair's responses to the PRC recommendations.