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Abstract

The purpose of this proposal is to develop two courses to be delivered via technology: Topics in Curriculum, Instruction and Media Technology (CIMT 595) and Teachers Workshop (CIMT 678).

The combination of these two courses will service a statewide need to educate Indiana teachers and administrators on the Indiana Professional Standards Board’s (IPSB) new standards and concomitant license structure and cycle. CIMT 595 will address topics, issues, and procedures related to IPSB standards and guidelines for new teachers and administrators, and veteran educators. CIMT 678 will provide instruction and support for veteran educators who will serve as mentors for induction teachers, and for those who serve on Professional Growth Teams. The proposed courses will be delivered through a combination of CD-ROM, on-line discussion, and supporting web pages.

 

Proposal Narrative

Introduction

The Indiana Professional Standards Board (IPSB) is responsible for initial certification and on-going licensure decisions for all K-12 Indiana teachers. During the 1990s, IPSB oversaw the development and approval of a new license structure and performance-based assessment system. No longer will a teacher have a "life license," but instead s/he will be required to renew the teaching license on a regular cycle that will include developing a Professional Growth Plan and maintaining a professional portfolio. A significant change is that while graduate courses can be submitted as part of a teacher's portfolio, other learning experiences (e.g., Continuing Education Units or CEUs) that are aligned to the new standards could be equally valid. Additionally, all graduate courses must be aligned with the new standards in order to count toward a teacher's professional development.

Rationale and Target Audience

A key phrase in the above paragraph is "aligned to the new standards." A primary purpose behind this proposal is not only to develop learning experiences in alignment with new IPSB standards but also to help educate Indiana educators about the new standards and concomitant license structure and cycle. As such, this project has great potential to impact thousands of teachers and administrators - both those with numerous years of experience and those who are just entering the profession. All new teachers, known as "induction teachers," will spend a two-year probationary period during which they are mentored by veteran colleagues and during which they develop a portfolio which demonstrates their proficiency according to IPSB standards and guidelines. Once an induction-level teacher successfully completes this two-year period, s/he then moves into a five-year renewal period known as "proficient practitioner." During this time, the teacher will work toward completion of a Professional Growth Plan (PGP), developed, approved, and monitored by a team of professional colleagues. The teacher again documents work in a portfolio.

After completion of one five-year "proficient practitioner" cycle, the teacher has a variety of options for the next phase, "accomplished practitioner." One of the options involves National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification. At a future point, we would hope to develop technology-delivered opportunities to support this advanced certification as well. See the attached chart, Indiana Professional Standards Board, for a summary of the proposed re-licensure stages.

Given the magnitude of IPSB changes that will impact both new and veteran teachers, albeit in different ways, these courses will have wide appeal for the target audiences. We will disseminate information about these offerings to alert our own undergraduates to these courses. In addition, as our teacher education students are student teaching, we will send information with them to apprise their host teachers of the offerings. ISU also publishes paper and electronic newsletters to alumni, and the course offerings will be posted on the web. Furthermore, we will work with our Professional Development School sites and local school corporations to make known the offerings, and we will even ask IPSB and the Indiana Department of Education to post such information in their printed and electronic communications as well. We will also request that other education institutions post the offerings. Finally, ISU will work through various professional organizations, such as the Indiana State Teachers Association and other content-specific organizations, to alert their memberships.

Proposed Courses

All of these procedures and guidelines are new to teachers and administrators. Therefore, this project will provide information and examples about the standards, the portfolios and related guidelines, elements of reflection/reflective practice, Professional Growth Plans, and strategies for quality mentoring and supervision to help ensure that Indiana teachers are prepared for these new roles and responsibilities.

At this time we are targeting two courses to be delivered via technology: CIMT 595 [Topics in Curriculum, Instruction and Media Technology (1-3 hours)] and CIMT 678 [Teachers Workshop (1-3 hours)]. The former will address topics, issues, and procedures related to new IPSB standards and guidelines for both new teachers and administrators and veteran educators as described above. The latter will provide instruction and support for veteran educators who will serve as mentors for "induction teachers" and those who serve on Professional Growth Teams. CIMT 595 would serve as a prerequisite for CIMT 678 given the rationale that a teacher would need to understand all the new IPSB standards and procedures in order to effectively serve as a mentor or member of a Professional Growth Team. In addition to offering graduate course credit, we will adapt these learning experiences to be offered as CRU credit, in order to fit the needs of as many Indiana educators as possible.

Instructional Design and Development Rationale

Indiana State University, the School of Education and the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Media Technology (CIMT) are committed to the development and delivery of courses in alternative formats. During Fall Semester 1998, no less than four courses are being offered at a distance (via IHETS, the web, and CD-ROM), including two courses being delivered by one of the co-Pi’s. The School of Education has demonstrated its commitment by rewarding faculty who incorporate technology into course development, and by supporting the design and development of a number of courses and programs offered via distance education. Finally, ISU has demonstrated its commitment to distance learning through the DegreeLink Program, which provides the opportunity for Ivy Tech State College and Vincennes University students to complete baccalaureate degrees at a distance, and through the School of Education's Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership and Foundations.

With this backing, this instructional team is well situated to bring to fruition the proposed courses. Following a traditional instructional design model, the team has already conducted an informal needs assessment. This assessment determined the need for the development of the proposed courses, and indicated the delivery form that would best suit the instructional content and the intended audience. The proposed courses will be delivered through a combination of CD-ROM, on-line discussion, and supporting web pages.

These delivery formats provide several key ingredients to the instruction. First, the CD- ROM format will enable the course instructors to deliver interactive materials, audio and video to the teachers. Because video will be used to illustrate various standards, new roles, and responsibilities, it is the most desirable format for these courses. The CD-ROM format also encourages repeat usage and just-in-time learning (in the case of teachers seeking CEU credit). It also serves as a tool for on-going reference after teachers complete the course and continue their professional development. On-line discussion or conferencing will enable the participant teachers and administrators from around the state to share their concerns, relate course information and material to actual situations, and develop a network of learners. Finally, a supporting web site will allow the instructional development team and instructors to collect evaluative information and to update information on the CD-ROM as necessary.

As course development continues from this point, the traditional instructional design model will be maintained. Although broad-based goals have already been determined (as explained in previous sections), more specific instructional goals will be formulated and analyzed, as well as assessment procedures to determine attainment of the instructional goals. The objectives and assessments will deviate from traditional design models in that a behavioral model will not be strictly followed. Instead, other forms of more constructivist learning and authentic assessment will be employed, both in the instructional strategies and in the assessment portions of the course.

As is often recommended with interactive course development and formative evaluation, the designers will engage in rapid prototyping in order to determine the effectiveness and levels of understanding of the materials and the information. Rapid prototyping is important in this process so that the development team can be ensured that students are able to follow the designed navigation and interaction, as well as access all necessary and relevant information. Inherent in this rapid prototyping process will be continuous refinement and revision to the courses that may at any time require modification to the objectives, assessment, delivery mechanisms, and assessment strategies.

Participants in the formative evaluation, rapid prototyping process will include area teachers from our local Professional Development Schools (affiliated with ISU), both those who are already familiar with the standards, and those to whom the process is new. Other participants will include faculty members throughout the School of Education and ISU who work with teacher education. By including these individuals, not only will valuable information be collected regarding the development of the project, but also broad-based institutional support can be fostered for the project and the students who will ultimately use the materials. An additional benefit is that the proposed project will augment teacher education faculty knowledge of the standards and new requirements for professional development.

Course Evaluation

The courses will be evaluated in a variety of ways including a confidential survey of content, delivery modes, and instructor support; an on-line questionnaire comprised of forced-choice and open-ended responses; select random-sample telephone or face-to-face interviews; and/or a data-base compilation of "induction teachers" who "strive for proficient practitioner" status as a result of their enrollment in or their mentor's enrollment in CIMT 595 and/or CIMT 678.

Strengthening the quality and inter-institutional acceptance of these courses has already begun. We have been in contact with Dr. Marilyn Scannell, Executive Director of the Indiana Professional Standards Board. Not only has she written a letter of support for the project, but she also will let us directly incorporate IPSB materials. This type of endorsement will attract educators not only from ISU's regular constituency, but also those in other parts of Indiana. This is extremely important because we place and supervise student teachers in nearly every Indiana county. Further, IPSB's endorsement should be a signal to other Indiana universities that these courses have legitimacy for their graduates as well.

Development Time Line

We plan to offer CIMT 595 during Fall 1999 followed by CIMT 678 during Spring 2000. One co-PI for this proposal (Cathleen Rafferty) is on sabbatical leave during Fall 1998, and will spend half of this sabbatical leave at the Center for Excellence in Education at Indiana University. Since the focus of her work at IU is instructional technology, some of the work on CIMT 595 will begin Fall 1998 and continue through Spring and Summer 1999. Work on CIMT 678 will begin during Spring 1999 and ensue until its delivery the following Spring.

 

Instructional Development Team

Three faculty members will share responsibility for the design and development of the courses and will serve the project in a variety of capacities. Dr. Cathleen Rafferty will serve as a content expert on the standards and as a field liaison for collecting videotaped material from public school classrooms to support the instructional content of the courses. Dr. Susan Powers will serve as the instructional designer and media expert for the team. Dr. Susan Kiger will serve as a content expert and field liaison as well. All members of the team will work on the development of the interactive course materials, web sites and discussion board. Additionally, all members of the team have done extensive work with the standards and could serve as instructors for the courses. See Appendix A for more details about the team members' experiences with the content and technologies.

Additional expertise and personnel resources will be used from around the university including videotaping and editing, computer graphics generation, additional instructional design consultants, and additional media experts in interactive development. Furthermore, as part of the university's in-kind contribution, the co-PIs already have access to one CD burner, zip drives, scanners, video cameras, and software purchased through other grant sources.

 

Appendix A - Co-Director Biographies

Cathleen D. Rafferty, Ph.D.

Susan M. Powers, Ed.D.

Sue Kiger


Last updated: July 06, 2006