American University – School of Education, Teaching, and Health
NCATE: 5.2.b Continuous Improvement
5.2.b Summarize activities and changes based on data that have led to continuous improvement of
candidate performance and program quality. Discuss plans for sustaining and enhancing performance
through continuous improvement as articulated in this standard.
Over the past three years, AU has worked to provide more systematic and consistent support and
evaluation systems for non-tenure line, full-time faculty (known as term faculty), as well as adjunct
faculty. Term faculty guidelines for promotion were developed in 2011, and are included in the Faculty
Manual and SETH guidelines (Exhibit 6.4.a). These guidelines continue to be developed and refined. The
adjunct faculty at AU unionized in 2013; the union agreement (presented in Exhibit 5.4.f) requires
regular evaluation of adjunct faculty. SETH is working to develop tools to support evaluation processes
and procedures, such as classroom observation tools that can be used with in-person and online
classes.
Like other universities, AU continues to develop online educational opportunities. While just a handful
of teacher education courses are offered online, we strive to engage in the development and use of
technology that will enable the creation of authentic learning environments in the online classroom.
Several members of the SETH faculty engage in online teaching and study the pedagogical approaches
used in the online classroom. Faculty publications and presentations are provided in Exhibit 5.4.d.
In addition, SETH is uniquely positioned to study the internationalization of teacher education, an area
of growing interest. With grant support from the Longview Foundation, we developed training kits to
help faculty consider international issues as they relate to domestic teacher preparation. Given AU's
long history in international studies, this is an opportunity to provide leadership in this area.
All of these activities directly impact candidate performance. As faculty bring scholarly and practical
experiences to courses and field placement, the quality and meaningfulness of feedback to candidates is
strengthened. Faculty experience and knowledge of evidenced-based practices are directly applicable to
candidate development. For example, faculty knowledge of classroom technology enables candidates to
bring meaningful uses of social media and interactive whiteboard to clinical placements. Faculty
knowledge of the varied systems of educational evaluation, from teacher evaluation systems to datadashboards for teachers, enriches candidate knowledge and skills related to data-based decisionmaking.
Founded in 2010 and housed in SETH, AU's Institute for Innovation in Education (IIE), an interdisciplinary
organization committed to conducting, administering, and disseminating educational research and
research-informed professional development initiatives, supports faculty research. The institute's
researchers undertake studies of education policy and education reform, health and nutrition
programming and research, learning technologies, and research on learning disabilities and
neuropsychology. The Institute's mission is to bring together a wide-ranging set of methodological and
analytical approaches to the study of educational policies and practices. Examples of the type of work
undertaken by the IIE are presented in Exhibit 5.4.d and will be available to the Board of Examiners
(BOE) team at the site visit.