College of Education

Mike L Dishman, Dean

678-839-6570
https://www.westga.edu/education/

College of Education Mission

Locally connected and globally relevant, the Mission of the College of Education is to prepare graduates for professional careers in diverse settings within three dynamic areas of focus: Teaching, Leadership, and Wellness.  With programs that range from undergraduate through doctoral study, the College of Education is committed to excellence in pedagogy, professional service, engaged partnerships, and applied research.

College of Education Vision

The College of Education at the University of West Georgia will be recognized for Innovation in Teaching, Leadership, and Wellness, with programs designed to transform lives and contribute to the betterment of society.

Physical Education Requirement

The College of Education requires three hours of physical education. The student must satisfy this requirement by taking the 2-hour Health and Wellness course (PWLA 1600) and one 1-hour activity course.

A range of activity courses is offered each semester emphasizing lifetime activities, fitness-based activities, individual pursuits, and team sports. All activity courses encourage wellness and mental and physical health across the lifespan.

Military veterans with two or more years of active duty will not have to take the activity course.

Certification

1.  Elementary Education (Grades P-5)

2.  Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education (Grades P-5)

3.  Secondary Education (Grades 6-12), with these majors:

4. All level Fields (Grades P-12)

The teacher education programs in Elementary Education, Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education, Physical Education, and Special Education lead to a Bachelor of Science in Education degree with certification.

The program for certification on the P-12 level in selected fields is organized on an interdepartmental basis. The student completes the requirements for a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts, and a Bachelor of Music, as planned by the student’s departmental advisor, while the professional education requirements are taken under the direction of the College of Education. Completion of one of the approved programs by the College of Education qualifies the graduate for an induction level four certificate in Georgia.

Georgia House Bill 671 requires that after July 1, 1976, any person certified as a teacher should have completed satisfactorily requirements in the identification and education of children who have special needs.

Note: The educational requirements of all programs are designed to enable one to meet present certification assessment(s) required by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission; however, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission may change required certification assessment(s) prior to the completion of the course of study. While reasonable efforts will be made to enable one to satisfy additional requirements, no assurances can be made that the University will be able to offer these additional courses or, if taken, that such courses will entitle one to take and pass the certification assessment(s). Prior to receipt of induction certification, the appropriate certification assessment(s) required by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission must be completed and passed. The candidate has the responsibility to register for the appropriate certification assessments.

Admission to Teacher Education

Admission to the teacher education program is a prerequisite to enrollment in professional education courses.  Admission to the program is based on meeting specific qualifications.  Application instructions will be provided to students by their academic advisor once qualifications have been met.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for admission to teacher education for undergraduate programs include the following:

1. Completion of all core requirements for Areas A, B, C, D, E and F.
2. A minimum overall GPA of 2.5 is required for those entering the Physical Education degree program; a minimum overall GPA of 2.7 is required for those entering Art, Music, French, Spanish, Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education.
3. Proficiency in oral communication as demonstrated by a grade of C or higher in any course found in Area B - Category 1 (Oral Communication) of the Core Curriculum.
4. Completion of the required GACE Educator Ethics Assessment.
5. Successful completion of Area F courses with grades of C or higher.
6. Satisfactory completion of the physical education requirement of the college from which the candidate will graduate.
7. Completion of any other additional requirements specified by individual departments, e.g., a departmental interview.

Candidates who were previously enrolled, but have not been in attendance for two semesters must apply for readmission with the Registrar’s Office and with the College of Education. Students must meet current Teacher Education requirements.

Retention

In addition to the specific requirements for admission to teacher education, candidates must meet the following requirements for retention in teacher education programs.

1.     Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions appropriate for the various stages of their preparation program.

2.     Maintain the minimum overall GPA required for admission to the particular program.

3.     Earn a grade of C or higher in all professional education courses, teaching field courses, and supporting courses for the teaching field. Students who fail to make a C or higher can move forward with approval of the Department Chair except in cases where prerequisites have not been met.

4.     Earn a grade of B or higher in SPED 3713/SPED 3700 (Special Education program only) or SPED 3715 or department approved alternative to meet the special education requirement of Georgia House Bill No. 671.

5.     Successfully complete all clinical and/or field experiences undertaken prior to the next step in the sequence, including exhibiting responsible professional dispositions at the field placement sites and in interactions with peers, faculty, students, and parents.

6.     Exhibit professional conduct as outlined in the Code of Ethics adopted by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Education Program Completion Requirements

Candidates are eligible for the Georgia educator certificate only upon successful completion of the teacher education program and passing scores on the appropriate assessments for certification as required for certification by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Candidates must meet the following requirements for successful completion of the teacher education program:

1. See specific bachelor’s degree program as applicable.
2. Complete with a grade of B or higher SPED 3713 (Elementary Education and Special Education-General Curriculum), SPED 3700 (Special Education-Adapted Curriculum), SPED 3715 , or department approved alternative to meet the special education requirement of Georgia House Bill 671.
3. Earn a grade of C or higher in all professional education courses, in teaching field (content) courses, and in supporting courses for the teaching field, including Area F of the Core. (See program sheets.)
4. Complete successfully all field experiences, including exhibiting responsible professional behavior at the field placement sites and in interactions with peers, faculty, and students.

Field Experiences

All teacher education programs require satisfactory completion of field experiences. Check with appropriate College of Education departments for information on field experience requirements and procedures for application.

Application/enrollment for field placements for all practicum, internship, and block courses must be completed. Field experience applications are due the semester prior to enrollment. Due dates for submission will be announced via CourseDen announcements/emails.

Students are expected to complete all professional education and content course work prior to their teaching internship (student teaching) semester. Traditionally, students enrolled in the teaching internship have been limited to no more than 12 hours, defined as 9 hours of internship and 3 hours of student teaching seminar. With advisor consent, students may be allowed to complete one additional course during their teaching internship. Under no circumstances will students be allowed to take more than one additional course during their teaching internship.

Internship/Practicum Fee

A course-related fee is associated with internships and practicums to include student teaching, block, and other experiences in educator preparation programs at the University of West Georgia. The fee, which was endorsed by the University of West Georgia Student Government Association is applied to costs associated with field experiences (including supervision travel and mentor teacher development).

Liability Insurance

All teacher education candidates must provide their own liability insurance. Candidates, not the University of West Georgia, are responsible for acts committed while participating in professional field experiences. Keep in mind that financial penalties can be extreme, particularly when public school students are injured as a result of the candidates’ negligent acts or omissions. Terms of the liability insurance policy can be obtained from the Office of Field Experiences. Coverage may be obtained through Student Professional Association of Georgia Educators (SPAGE) and/or Georgia Association of Educators (GAE). Information concerning these organizations is available from each department in the College of Education, the COE Academic Advisement Center, and/or the Office of Field Experiences.

COE Early Learning Center 

The College of Education (COE) Early Learning Center, is a state-of-the-art early childhood research and demonstration facility. The Early Learning Center is dedicated to four goals: a) to increase the community’s capacity for inclusive early childhood care and programming, b) develop models of best practice, c) build family and community partnerships, and d) identify and join a collective group of experts to promote the health, safety, and developmental needs of young children. The Early Learning Center currently houses the following programs for children, ages birth to eight, and their families: 

- UWG Pre-Kindergarten Program (Bright from the Start Georgia Pre-K) 

- Early Childhood Makerspace and Coding Lab 

- Early Childhood Student Research Lab 

- Early Childhood Assistive Technology Lab

- Play Therapy 

- Well Start for Early Learning 

- Suri the Spider collection of social-emotional educator and family resources. 

Innovations Lab

The Innovations Lab is a state-of-the art hub for experimenting with new technologies (e.g., VR goggles, 3-D printers, digital robots, artificial intelligence etc.). In addition to providing an interactive learning space for UWG and P-12 students, the Lab offers training and exploration for educators and other professionals who wish to integrate emerging technologies into their profession. We have opened a mobile version of the lab, partnering with school districts’ technology funding to bring innovation directly to their door. The Lab helps us bridge the funding gap between rural and non-rural schools by bringing curricular enhancements to rural schools in the West Georgia region for reduced or no costs.

Comprehensive Community Clinic (CCC)

The CCC provides services in speech and hearing, counseling, and academic tutoring (math and literacy) to community clients of all ages, typically serving over 450 clients each year. Our graduate students deliver therapy as clinicians in speech, hearing, and counseling, and teacher education students serve as literacy and math tutors - all under the guidance of on-site faculty. Costs to clients are very reasonable and scholarships are available.  The CCC includes 3 satellite clinics, including rural and remote areas.

Fusion Center

The Fusion Center serves as our hub for COE Entrepreneurial Initiatives, providing financial, logistical, and operational support. It also houses our STEM Education activities, including state competitions and summer training opportunities for educators and P-12 students.

UWGLive Simulation Lab

UWGLive offers simulations for all programs and many external constituents in a variety of mixed-reality, virtual environments. We now hire and train our own interactors and create our own scenarios, which allows us to offer simulation experiences to other universities and professional clients.

Wolf Wellness Lab

The Wolf Wellness Lab is an experiential learning space for the students and faculty of the Health and Community Wellness and Physical Education programs. The Wolf Wellness Lab partners with local, state, and national partners with initiatives related to program evaluation, grant and research-based initiatives.