Program Mission Statement
The AAS: Education Studies degree combines carefully selected General Education, Professional Education, and technology coursework with hands-on field experiences that provide the future teacher or paraprofessional (teacher’s aide) with the expertise to effectively offer support and assistance in instruction to students under the supervision of the classroom teacher. Field experiences must take place at approved off-campus sites.
A bachelor’s degree in education is required to be eligible for a teaching license. The AAS degree is an excellent halfway point to a bachelor’s degree. With careful planning with faculty advisors, courses in this degree can be applied to a BS degree in Elementary Education, Secondary Education, or K-12 Education.
Graduate Outcomes
Program graduates will:
- Become proficient in reading, writing, and content area skills.
- Understand and recognize individual learning differences.
- Understand and acknowledge the differences in development and characteristics of learners.
- Use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development.
- Create learning environments that encourage positive social interaction.
- Plan instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
- Understand assessment strategies.
- Understand how to use reflection to evaluate the effects of his/her choices and actions on others.
Assessment
The graduate outcomes for the AAS: Education Studies are assessed through students’ discipline-specific knowledge, skills, and abilities in their courses in at least one of the following ways: portfolio, presentation, exams, and assignments. The assessment plan for the AAS: Education Studies is available on the web at http://www.umwestern.edu/accreditation.html#umw-tabbed-ncate-caep
Additional AAS Education Studies Requirements
Grade Requirements: To graduate with the AAS degree, students must have at least a C- in each required education course. However, students should note that if they wish to apply the education courses to a bachelor’s degree, students must have at least a B- in each required education course and a C- in general education courses.
Technology Requirement: If a student proceeds to the bachelor’s program in education, each student must demonstrate basic technology skills. This requirement must be satisfied prior to enrolling in upper division education technology courses (EDU 30 or EDU 371) by earning a passing score on the Information & Technology Literacy Exam. After one opportunity to pass the exam, students who score below the cutoff must obtain at least a B- in a computer skill course. The UMW courses designed to meet this need are either COMS 115 or CAPP 131.
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