UAH | Education | CAEP 2019 | The University of Alabama in Huntsville

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EPP Overview

A. Context and Unique Characteristics

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is a public co-educational, state-supported research university located in Huntsville, Alabama, which Southern Living recently named one of the best college towns in the South. UAH (accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, SACSCOC) is one of the three institutions of higher education in The University of Alabama System, along with the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). UAH was founded as an extension of the University of Alabama in 1950 and became an autonomous campus within the UA System in 1969. The University is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and service. UAH is part of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program and is a key participant in one of the nation’s major international centers for advanced technological research. Campus-wide student enrollment increased from approximately 7,600 students in Fall 2012 to approximately 9,736 students in Fall 2018.

The University, situated on 505 acres, is comprised of 8 colleges, including the College of Education, as well as 16 research centers. UAH offers 87 degrees and boasts the highest average ACT scores for incoming freshmen in the state (28.5 composite score). Further, the Fall 2018 freshman class had an average high school GPA of 3.88.

UAH began offering educator preparation programs in 1967 in the Department of Education situated in the College of Liberal Arts. The Department of Education conferred only one initial license (B.A. degree in Elementary Education) while the initial secondary education programs were housed within content-specific departments located in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science. The UAH College of Education was established in Fall 2014 under the leadership of President Robert Altenkirch and Dr. Christine Curtis, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, with an initial headcount enrollment of 133 students. Dr. Beth Quick was named Dean of the College of Education in Spring 2015. She continues to serve as Dean of The College of Education where headcount enrollment grew to 386 in Fall 2019. Dr. Derrick Smith was named chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in July 2015. He assumed the role of Associate Dean for The College of Education in April 2018. The College of Education is the EPP for UAH. The Dean serves as chief academic and administrative head and reports directly to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The College has two academic departments (Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Department of Kinesiology). Since its inception in Fall 2014, the College of Education has experienced rapid growth. Six new degree programs have been established, five of which focus on teacher education. Of particular note is the establishment of three new undergraduate degrees, including a B.S. degree in Secondary Education (Spring 2015), a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Special Education (Fall 2015), and a B.S. in Kinesiology with a concentration that leads to P-12 physical education licensure (Fall 2015). Further, the College has established three new graduate degrees, including a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Differentiated Instruction (Spring 2014), a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree (Fall 2015-secondary, Spring 2018-elementary, and Spring 2019-P-12), and a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (Fall 2018). The new M.Ed. degree offers six concentrations, including English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Reading Specialist, Special Education-Autism Spectrum Disorders, Visual Impairments, Elementary Education, and Secondary Education, each leading to a Class A (Advanced) Alabama teaching license. The M.A.T degree program leads to initial certification and offers concentrations in a variety of secondary content areas, ESOL, elementary education, and P-12 fields in Physical Education and Music Education-choral and instrumental.

In addition to its two academic departments, the UAH Early Learning Center (ELC) functions as a service and outreach unit of the College of Education. The Early Learning Center serves as a model early childhood education center for children from infancy through age 6 and their families. A variety of program delivery models are offered, including inclusive early childhood classrooms (UAH Rise School), Early Head Start and Head Start, state-funded pre-kindergarten classrooms, and a self-contained preschool classroom for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The Early Learning Center serves as a site for field and clinical experiences for initial and advanced educator preparation candidates, as well as UAH students enrolled in the College of Engineering and the College of Nursing.

As the College of Education has grown, it has added faculty members. The faculty simultaneously excel in preparing effective professional educators while also advancing their individual research agendas. The majority of the faculty in the EPP have experience teaching in public and/or private schools and bring that expertise to educator preparation. Along with their experiences, the faculty utilize their individual expertise and research to inform their teaching practice. Individual faculty conduct notable research in areas such as reading, visual impairments, STEM, mathematics pedagogy, coaching and mentoring, and other fields.

B. Description of Organizational Structure

UAH is governed by a self-nominating University of Alabama System Board of Trustees with 15 elected members and two (2) ex-officio members, the Governor and the State Superintendent of Education. The Chancellor of the System reports directly to the Board of Trustees and oversees the three campuses within the system. Each campus functions independently with its own President. UAH has a President, a Provost/Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, and five Vice-Presidents. Academic Affairs includes all academic colleges and is led by the UAH Provost/ Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs.

UAH Organizational Chart

UAH Leadership Organizational Chart

The Dean of the College of Education heads the EPP and oversees educator preparation programs. The academic departments of the College of Education are housed in Roberts Hall (Curriculum and Instruction) and Wilson Hall (Kinesiology). The College is organized in two departments: Curriculum and Instruction (B.A., B.S., M.A.T, M.Ed., and M.S.) and Kinesiology (B.S.). The UAH Early Learning Center, a service and outreach center of the College of Education, is housed on campus in a separate building near Roberts Hall. Courses are delivered in a variety of instructional formats, including traditional, online, and hybrid delivery.

College of Education Organizational Chart

UAH offers 27 initial licensure programs and 11 advanced licensure programs for educator preparation. The EPP offers the following initial licensure programs at the Class B (undergraduate) level: early childhood and early childhood special education (preK-3 and birth to age 8), elementary (K-6), elementary/collaborative (K-6/K-6 special education), secondary (6-12 in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, general science, English language arts, history, history and general social sciences, French, German and Spanish), secondary field with collaborative (6-12), music education-choral and music education-instrumental (P-12), physical education (P-12), and visual arts (P-12). For initial licensure at the graduate level, the EPP offers the MAT degree program in elementary (K-6), secondary (6-12) (mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, general science, English language arts, history, general social sciences), and ESOL (P-12).

The College of Education also offers advanced licensure programs (Class A) in Reading Specialist (P-12), ESOL (P-12), Visual Impairments (P-12), Collaborative Teaching (K-6 or 6-12), Elementary Education (K-6), Secondary Education (6-12; in a specific content field). Finally, the EPP has submitted a proposal to offer an initial licensure program at the graduate level (MAT degree) in Physical Education (P-12) and Music Education-Choral and Music Education-Instrumental (P-12).

Vision, Mission, and Goals

UAH Mission

The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a research-intensive, internationally recognized technological university serving Alabama and beyond. Our mission is to explore, discover, create, and communicate knowledge, while educating individuals in leadership, innovation, critical thinking, and civic responsibility and inspiring a passion for learning.

UAH Vision

The University of Alabama in Huntsville will be a preeminent, comprehensive, technological research-intensive university known for inspiring and instilling the spirit of discovery, the ability to solve complex problems, and a passion for improving the human condition – a university of choice where technology and human understanding converge.

The university’ strategic plan includes the following five strategic priorities:

Recruit and retain an outstanding and diverse student body of broad interests and of sufficient size to ensure a rewarding campus experience.
Recruit, develop, and retain an outstanding and diverse faculty and staff.
Broaden and expand the research portfolio.
Be a recognized leader in selected areas of education and research: Aerospace and Systems Engineering; Biotechnology; Cybersecurity and Big Data; Earth, Atmospheric and Space Science; and Gaming and Entertainment Arts.
Engage more fully our stakeholders: alumni, the community, elected officials, and global partners.

UAH Core Values

Integrity and Respect: "We are guided by principles of ethics, treat others with deferential regard, and are civil in our interactions."
Diligence and Excellence: "We work hard and are tireless in the pursuit of our goals and achieving outcomes of the highest quality."
Inclusiveness and Diversity: "We honor the individual. We celebrate differences and use them to create unity.

The EPP’s Shared Values and Beliefs for Educator Preparation

Consistent with the mission of the university, the EPP defines its mission to be:

To prepare effective, knowledgeable and caring teachers who are committed as leaders to addressing the challenges of educating diverse students.

Vision of the University of Alabama in Huntsville Educator Preparation Program

We believe professional teaching combines an imaginative and empathic understanding of learners with a rigorous, research-based body of pedagogical knowledge. These components must be integrated with substantive preparation from the disciplinary knowledge. Teacher candidates will become educators who are reflective leaders committed to the continuing development of dispositions and skills that become manifested in their own practices as an effective balance of both support and challenge for learners.

The shared vision of the Teacher Education Programs within the College of Education is summarized in our theme, Through Teaching, We Lead. The establishment of this theme codifies the major purpose of our programs: to graduate professional educators who are exceptionally well-prepared in disciplinary, pedagogical, and professional knowledge; who understand, and are prepared to effectively address the needs of all learners through evidence-based differentiated instruction; and who are committed to serving as leaders in the educational community to ensure all students receive a high-quality public or private education. Our theme was chosen to help us communicate to our students, to the larger UAH community, and to all other stakeholders a concise rendering of our mission, vision, philosophy, and desired outcomes. We believe all faculty and staff must share in the development and implementation of this vision.

EPP’s Shared Values and Beliefs for Educator Preparation

We want our students to be well-educated, to develop and maintain positive and productive teaching dispositions throughout their careers, and to seek to teach all students, using the most effective, research-based teaching strategies and approaches. It is not enough, however, for our candidates to be redefined by their experiences at UAH; we want them to act upon the new knowledge, skills, and dispositions they develop to initiate positive change in the schools they will join as faculty. We wish to send our candidates forward with more than encouraging words; we want them to specifically know how to make positive changes in their own classrooms and schools. Beginning educators must learn how to seek out and support other like-minded professionals who are also committed to improving public education. We want our completers to improve the schools and community environments they join, and for them to resist, unfalteringly, forces that discourage educators and lead them to sometimes become part of a school’s problem, rather than a source of solutions, ideas and support for students.

Regional Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

Table 2: Program Characteristics

Table 3: EPP Characteristics

Table 4: Qualification Table for EPP-based Clinical Educators

Table 5: The Parity Table

Table 6: Off Campus, Satellite, Branch: The University of Alabama in Huntsville does not have any "off campus, satellite, or branch" affiliations.

Table 7: Proprietary Assessments (provided within AIMS)