Professors McClure, White
Associate Professor Glenn-Applegate
Instructor Hall
Ohio Wesleyan has been educating teachers for more than 100 years. This experience confirms our belief that the most creative and effective teachers are prepared at strong liberal arts colleges such as ours. Our program emphasizes a solid theoretical base and practical experience. From the first course onward, Education candidates learn about the responsibilities and rewards of their profession by working directly with children in area schools, community centers, and in Ohio Wesleyan’s Early Childhood Center, a laboratory pre-school program.
Education majors are normally admitted to the Teacher Education program by the end of their sophomore year. Minors are normally admitted by the end of fall semester of their junior year. The program admission requirements include successful completion (C- or higher) of two foundational courses in Education (EDUC 110 or EDUC 115 and EDUC 251 ), ratings of “3” or higher for the field experiences associated with the foundational courses, two positive recommendations from OWU faculty members, a GPA of 2.8 (overall and, for Education minors, in the subject area major), required SAT or ACT scores, satisfactory scores on the department Dispositional Survey, and “adequate” or above ratings on the application essays. Contact the Education department for a complete description of the admission and retention policy.
Graduates who complete the prescribed coursework in Education and content area fields, student teaching, and other requirements of the State of Ohio, and who pass the State-mandated licensure examination(s), are entitled to an Ohio Four-Year Resident Educator license. The Teacher Education program is approved by the Ohio Board of Regents, and it has achieved national accreditation through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) - now called CAEP. The University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Ohio maintains formal reciprocal agreements with 27 other states, thus the Ohio license is recognized by most other states. Candidates desiring a teaching license from another state should consult with the education department early in their junior year to discuss reciprocity and/or organize their programs to meet the requirements of the states concerned.
Beginning with their first Education course, EDUC 110: Role of the School, or EDUC 115: Teaching for Equity and Social Justice, all candidates participate in a field experience working with students in a diverse setting (i.e., Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Columbus Initiative Tutoring Experience at Linden Elementary, Autism Equine Ranch). During their second foundational course, EDUC 251 - Psychological Foundations of Education, candidates complete their field experience by tutoring diverse learners in one of two high-poverty urban Columbus schools. These two placements give candidates over 50 hours of experience working in diverse settings. Candidates continue their field experiences during their methods courses. In total, candidates will have completed a minimum of 100 hours observing and assisting teachers, and teaching lessons based on ideas developed in their methods courses before they begin their student teaching experience. All candidates seeking licensure student teach for 15 weeks, resulting in a total of over 450 hours in the classroom. Full-time faculty members in the Education department take part in the supervision of student teachers. In addition, teachers at the Early Childhood Center work with candidates in the PreK-3 licensure program, and full-time faculty from the arts and sciences supervise AYA and Multi-age candidates in their subject area. Student teachers meet for weekly seminars and receive a minimum of six formal observations during the semester. Student teaching takes place through agreements with local schools.
2015 - 2016 Data
During the 2015-16 academic year, 21 students completed their Teacher Education program. Of these, 10 were in the Early Childhood Education program; 1 in Language Arts, 3 in Music; 1 in Social Studies; 2 in Visual Arts; 1 in Spanish; 2 in Life Science; and 1 in Drama-Theatre. Female students made up 76%; male, 24%. The overall enrollment at OWU was 1675: 52% female and 48% male. International enrollment was 6.32%; American Indian/Alaskan Native was .05%; Asian was 2.86%; Black, non-Hispanic was 7.4%; Hispanic/Latino was 4.95%; White, non-Hispanic was 69.97%; two or more races was 5.3%; and Race/ethnicity unknown was 3.16%.
Of the 21 program completers, 17 took the OAE examination(s) in their teaching area.
Seventy-five students were formally enrolled in the Teacher Education program in 2015-16. Of those, 29% were male, 71% female. Three full-time Education Department faculty members supervised student teachers along with members of the arts and science faculty. Students completed a total of fifteen weeks of full-time student teaching totaling 450 hours of in-class experience.
Student Teaching
Student teaching takes place every spring semester. Students register for 3.5-4 units—3 for student teaching, a half-unit for the student teaching seminar, and an additional half-unit course (EDUC 377) if in the AYA or Multi-age program. Student teaching is a full-time commitment involving teaching, planning, and other in-school responsibilities, and various assignments originating from the half-unit courses.
Education Department Policy on Credit/No Entry in all Teacher Education Licensure Programs
Credit/no entry courses may not be taken in the major area of study (early childhood, middle childhood Education, or the history major for teachers), nor in any courses to be used for the general requirements in English composition, foreign language, professional Education licensure courses or for the University distribution requirements. Only one course taken in the minor area of study or concentration may be taken credit/no entry and must have the approval of the director of the specific licensure program.
