Abstract:

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) team at a Historically Black College (HBCU) is comprised of a program coordinator, one full time faculty, one adjunct, four content area supervisors (English, mathematics, science, social studies) and specialty faculty (reading and special education) who teach candidates across the College of Education (COE). The purpose of this article is to share the team’s transition, process and challenge with hope that others can gain from the experiences or those others will share their experiences to help the team move to the next step. It was the year 2008 and the program had to change. Transition means what must be done, process means how it must be done and challenge means the hurdles that must be jumped to ensure the program’s success. The transition was a shift of educators from E-Beginners (level 1) to E-Novice (level 2) to E-Experts (level 3).

The focus of this paper stems from an overall assessment classification of the team on a continuum of expectations to meet standards, skills to align with course goals and objectives, actions and outcomes. The action continuum of beginners, novices and experts had sub levels (start, midway, and end) with specific objectives and goals. It was decided that if team members were not at the end of level 1, they would not be skilled enough to become E-Experts at level 3 (end) in four years. The sub level starting point is equated to the lowest end of Bloom’s Taxonomy (remember - know, understand - comprehend). The sub level midway point equates to the mid level of the taxonomy (apply – use) and (analyze – differentiate and implement). In order to move deliberately, a team member at the lowest level or mid level of an E-Beginner’s performance would not be where the program needed to be by 2012 when the college’s accreditation would be evaluated. However, the sub level end point of level 1 appeared to be where change could accelerate. The program needed team members at level 1 end point who evaluate (justify and judge) and create (produce). As E-Beginners (at the end), the team members would have skills that enable evaluation (justifying and judging) of state-of-the-art technology (wireless and non wireless) for integration by initial teacher candidates into P-12 curricula. They would know and understand the advantages of using, applying and analyzing ways to integrate the technology, and facilitate creating platforms that produced ‘highly effective’ initial teacher candidates in classrooms.

Our responsibility is to prepare career changers who have no teaching or limited backgrounds in education. The team is those experienced educators who know a career changer’s plight and can train them in two-three years not only to teach, but also facilitate their use of technological tools. Further the team can prepare career changers, who measurably can impact P-12 ‘digital learners’ in classrooms and show significant gains in achievement. This article is not about preparing teacher candidates, but is about preparing those who teach and train teacher candidates. It is about lessons learned and sharing the challenges faced as the team transitioned from paper assessments to e-assessments for a successful accreditation evaluation and continuous improvement in 2012 via an electronic assessment system.

Keywords:

E-Beginners, E-Novices, E-Experts, Career Changers.