Focus for the Future
College of Education
Curriculum & Instruction Department Response Document
Department Name: Curriculum & Instruction
Degrees Offered in the Department:
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1.
B.S.Ed. Elementary Education
B.S.Ed. Secondary Education
B.S.Ed. Secondary Education - Career & Technical Education
M.Ed. Special Education
M.Ed. & Ed.S. Curriculum & Instruction
Academic Certificate – Technical Workforce Training
Centrality - The program is central to the mission and future of the University of Idaho as
a land-grant, national, research institution. The program is responsive to the vision and
strategic plan of the university and to important stakeholders throughout Idaho.
Education is listed as a discipline shaping the core curriculum and giving meaning to a flagship
university.
The C&I department enriches lives by advancing excellence in research and practice in
education, leadership, and applied human arts and sciences.
C&I Conceptual Framework
C&I teachers CARE. Together we develop as scholar practitioners who value, professionally
apply, and advance:
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Cultural Proficiency;
Assessment, Teaching, and Learning;
Reflective Scholarship and Practice; and,
Engagement in Community Building and Partnerships.
Our conceptual framework aligns with the University of Idaho Strategic Plan, Idaho State
Department of Education’s Core Standards for Teacher Preparation, Advanced Studies Goals,
and the Four Domains of Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching.
Conceptual Framework
UI Strategic Plan
Cultural Proficiency
Goal 4 – Community and Culture
Assessment Teaching & Learning
Goal 1 – Teaching and Learning
Reflective Scholarship and Practice
Goal 2 – Scholarly and Creative Activity
Engagement in Community Building &
Partnerships
Goal 3 – Outreach and Engagement
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Focus for the Future
College of Education
Curriculum & Instruction Department Response Document
2. Demand – External The current and future demand for program graduates, research,
scholarship, and outreach is strong; the program plays a unique role in the state and
stakeholders seek the expertise of the program faculty.
The C&I department prepares teachers to work in K-12 schools in Idaho and throughout the
world. C&I offers programs in initial teacher preparation and advanced studies, educating
teachers in elementary and secondary education, special education, and career and technical
education.
The U.S. Department of Education indicates there will be a shortfall of qualified teachers
needed in K-12 schools to replace teachers who will be retiring and leaving the profession over
the next ten years. In particular, there is an urgent need for more teachers in Special Education
and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) areas.
Program faculty members are in strong demand for outreach and research activities. Examples
include:
 Anne Adams - Making Mathematics Reasoning Explicit
 Brant Miller - Managing Idaho’s landscapes for ecosystem services
 Anne Kern - Back to the Earth
 Julie Amador - Idaho Mathematics Professional Development
 Margaret Vaughn - Nez Perce Summer Youth Writing Project.
3. Demand – Internal The program is relied upon by other programs outside the department
for coursework, scholarly collaborations, grant collaborations, or core services.
C&I department faculty administer and teach courses in the education core. Education core
courses are required of all preservice teachers in all disciplines. They affect students in ECDE,
Agriculture education, Music education, physical education, and virtually all secondary
education students. Likewise, programs in C&I rely on core courses from other departments
(Math, Science, SS, English, Art) prior to admission to the teacher education program; and
graduate students engage in learning and research in other departments just as graduate
students in other disciplines rely on C&I courses in pedagogy and research. C&I faculty are in
strong demand for collaborative activities across disciplines and throughout the UI, mainly in the
areas of STEM and literacy education. Examples include:
 Mary Orr - 2013 Technology-Infused Research Projects,
 Julie Amador – 2013 North Idaho Technology Teaching Initiative,
 Margaret Vaughn - Nez Perce Summer Youth Writing Project,
 Anne Kern – 2012 Back to the Earth.
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Focus for the Future
College of Education
Curriculum & Instruction Department Response Document
4. Quality - The program contributes to the national and international reputation of the
university and the work of the faculty is nationally and internationally recognized as
significant. Faculty achievement in teaching, research, professional service, and
outreach are nationally recognized for their high quality. The program enables student
success through the demonstrated achievement of established Ul learning outcomes. It
provides students with high quality learning experiences that offer integrated learning
opportunities and skill building for addressing complex problems. The program
enhances the quality of the learning experience through diversity of students, faculty,
and staff.
Scholarly productivity increased from an average 0.75 peer-reviewed journal articles in 2009 to
an average 2.43 peer-reviewed journal articles in 2013.
External funding awards totaled seven (7) for $513,581 in 2009; and increased to sixteen (16)
awards totaling $2,295,021 in 2013.
The C&I department embraces a cultural proficiency approach, or an inside-out approach, to
developing harmony and unity through diversity.
All C&I students must meet high standards for admission to the teacher education and
advanced studies programs; and, this high standard is grounded in core knowledge and skills.
Academic requirements of our programs far exceed minimum requirements set by the state.
“…the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) at its Oct 21-23, 2013
meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, decided to continue the NCATE accreditation of the College of
Education at the University of Idaho at the initial teacher preparation and advanced preparation
levels.” (Personal Communication November 8, 2013)
5. Size and Scope - The program includes a critical mass of faculty and provides a program
to a significant number of students.
The C&I department’s student FTE decreased over the last three years, however, considerable
numbers of students seek out the University of Idaho for teacher preparation and advanced
studies.
While C&I has faculty and staff who provide students with a quality experience, it is a challenge
to balance the number of clinical faculty with the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty. It
is also a challenge to retain faculty who are hired at the lowest salary levels in the university and
college.
The C&I department seems to be “right-sized” in terms of undergraduate and graduate student
enrollment in areas outside STEM education. The number of students in STEM education
needs to increase; the remaining teacher education programs can be maintained at current
levels.
National accreditation indicates C&I has, “… the leadership, authority, budget, personnel,
facilities, and resources, including information technology resources, … to meet professional,
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Focus for the Future
College of Education
Curriculum & Instruction Department Response Document
state, and institutional standards.”
6. Productivity - On a per FTE basis, the program produces significant numbers (when
compared to appropriate peers) of graduates, student credit hours, scholarly products or
performances, and outreach events and participants.
When compared to peer and aspirational institutions, the number of graduates and student
credit hours are similar when factoring in UI resource allocation and expenditures to the
department. Faculty scholarly products and outreach events and numbers of participants are
probably above our peers and equal to aspirational institutions.
All students involved in initial teacher preparation complete practicums and internships. C&I
department faculty are routinely involved in conducting workshops and presentations in their
fields of expertise. Additionally, C&I faculty are engaged in publishing the results of their
outreach scholarship in both scholarly and practitioner journals.
In terms of student FTE, the C&I department is one of the larger departments at the University
of Idaho. The department includes five degree programs in teacher education and the
Education Core courses. The faculty and staff in C&I are probably responsible for contributing
to the education of hundreds of UI graduates each semester.
7. Cost Effectiveness - The program expenditures relative to the various productivity
measures is comparable to similar programs at other national research institutions.
Evidence indicates that the funds invested in the program produce a healthy mix of
student enrollment, research activity and funding, and other income.
The C&I department’s tenured and tenure-track faculty are on average lowest paid at the
University of Idaho and in the College of Education (assistant and associate professors, only).
The C&I department is ranked near the top of all departments for Student Credit Hours (SCH)
production and C&I faculty have significantly increased scholarship productivity and grant
funding in the last three years.
The C&I department will not receive more state dollars for teacher education. The department
will need to generate dollars through other means.
C&I faculty need a quality work-life and C&I students need a quality education. Enrollment
management is key; by limiting numbers of students who enter our programs in elementary, and
non-STEM education areas, we can work to increase the number of students in STEM
education to manageable numbers where the department can maintain a quality experience for
both faculty and students in all C&I department programs.
8. Impact - The outreach work of the program has produced significant changes in the
practices or conditions of key stakeholder audiences. The program's research, teaching,
and outreach components contain mutually-beneficial outcomes. The program is
responsive to the vision and strategic plan of the university and to relevant stakeholders
throughout Idaho.
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Focus for the Future
College of Education
Curriculum & Instruction Department Response Document
The C&I department is distinguishing itself through increased quantity and quality of scholarly
activity, to the point that we surpass our peers. Significant increases in numbers of publications
and dollars garnered through grant funding; a faculty colleague who won a national award for
scholarship, and increased outreach activities contribute to the C&I department establishing a
reputation as leaders in the state and the nation.
A distinguishing characteristic of the C&I department programs is a commitment to servicelearning. All C&I undergraduate students complete at least one service-learning project in their
teacher preparation program. Whether students are involved in service-learning projects, or
practicum and internship placements, they are contributing to outreach activities on behalf of the
department and its faculty.
A distinguishing characteristic of many grant initiatives in the department is a professional
development component that extends new and innovative ideas into K-12 schools, e.g., Make
Mathematics Reasoning Explicit grant with UI/WSU.
9. Synergies - The program is engaged in cooperative interactions across departments or
other administrative units both within the University of Idaho and/or with groups outside
the Ul that enhance quality and/or productivity providing clear benefits to students
and/or faculty. Complex problems are addressed with interdisciplinary strength.
The Curriculum & Instruction Department relies heavily upon course work outside the
department to prepare teachers for elementary and secondary schools (K-12 teaching). On the
other hand, other departments rely on education core courses required of all preservice
teachers in all disciplines.
The department works closely with interdisciplinary faculty to ensure quality teaching and
learning. Through interdisciplinary meetings and joint-appointments C&I keeps the dialog fresh
and natural. The department shares joint appointments with the Math, Modern Languages and
Culture, and Art & Design departments. These faculty help to ensure open communication
between teacher education and faculty in departments across campus.
The C&I advanced program requires students to conduct at least 15-credit hours of study in an
elective or cognate area. Many students participate in studies that align with their content
interests, such as language, mathematics, history, etc. This requirement encourages the
collaboration of graduate study across the university.
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