6e. Unit resources including technology
6e.1. How does the unit allocate resources across programs to ensure candidates meet standards in their field of study? |
The Unit’s Budget Steering Committee, which is comprised of faculty from each department and administrators, makes recommendation to the Dean to appropriate money according to need. The committee reviews departmental request, develops short, intermediate and long terms plans for the CEHD budget. The Dean reviews the recommendation by the Unit Budget Steering Committee and allocates funds accordingly. http://www.ulm.edu/cehd/committees/steering.html Fees collected in field and clinical courses provide financial support for supervision and travel. Lab and course fees provide funds to update equipment and resources. Student Technology Access Program (STAP) updates computer facilities based on need. Budget Steering Committee makes recommendation to the Dean on the use of attrition money to help candidate, faculty and program needs. |
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6e.2. What information technology resources support faculty and candidates? What evidence shows that candidates and faculty use these resources? |
A variety of information technology resources support faculty as well as candidates. ULM Arrow system is a campus wide record and registration system. It is used for many functions such as public posting of the course catalog, student registration, grade reporting, and faculty to candidate communication. Flightpath is an electronic student advising system that is also used campus wide. Faculty and candidates can track student progress in core courses, major courses, and individual degree plans. Flightpath provides course descriptions, shows variable courses candidates can take, and documents transfer credits. Moodle is the campus wide course management system. Face to face courses, hybrid courses, and online courses use Moodle as an electronic tool to manage and facilitate course content and communication effectively. ULM has a student portal system that simplifies the login process for all of the campus systems available to candidates. My ULM Portal allows candidates to login one time and access all other available systems such as Arrow, Moodle, Flightpath, and the campus email system. A podcasting website is available for faculty to make audio files available for student access. Faculty can attach links to courses in Moodle that directs candidates to available podcasts pertaining to their course content. (Exhibit 6e1.1 Resource Allocation) The University Library provides online access to candidates on and off campus. Technology resources such as laptops, mobility carts, printers, camcorders, flash drives, and training workshops are available for all faculty and candidates for use. Lab fees are used to buy new equipment for candidates in various courses and programs. Online interactive learning modules offer professional development for teaching interns and candidates specifically. These modules provide support and instruction in the areas in which novice and veteran teachers often seek assistance. (Exhibit 6e1.1 Resource Allocation) Time logs, equipment check out logs and project logs from the Digital Media Studio show that candidates as well as faculty use the technology resources available to them. Teacher education faculty each semester advise candidates using Flightpath, this process makes the communication between candidates and faculty more efficient and reliable. (Exhibit 6e1.2 Technology Resources and Use) |
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6e.3. What resources are available for the development and implementation of the unit's assessment system? |
The Assistant Dean for Assessment and Accreditation oversees the implementation and maintenance of the assessment system. Housed within the Assistant Dean’s office is the Director of Research and Data, who helps aggregate data for faculty and administrators. The Assistant Dean’s office works in collaboration with the Executive Director of University Planning and Analysis to help aggregate data for faculty and administrators. Additionally, the Director of Assessment and Evaluation for the University works closely with the Assistant Dean’s office to help with program and unit assessment related projects. The student workers in the Digital Media Studio help support TaskStream. They work with both candidates and faculty in terms of providing support in using TaskStream and also creating artifacts to upload onto TaskStream. An electronic assessment system, TaskStream, is the main avenue by which our teacher candidates submit assignments to meet program requirements. TaskStream is a flexible, customizable and comprehensive electronic portfolio, assessment management and standards-based instruction solution. Candidates will use TaskStream to upload at least one signature assignment from each core course in their program of study, and submit that assignment for evaluation. Instructors, whose candidates have submitted items for evaluation, evaluate that work using common standards based evaluation rubrics. Online access and candidates/faculty mentoring for TaskStream is available through the digital media studio lab. TaskStream is a commercial system; candidates purchase their own account on a yearly basis. The Unit Assessment System Handbook (Exhibit 2a1.1 Unit Assessment Handbook) provides a description of the unit’s assessment system in detail, rubrics for signature assessments, transition points (portals) and their requirements, design for collection, analysis, summarization and the use of data, unit assessment chart, unit operations, and technology information. |
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6e.4. What library and curricular resources exist at the institution? How does the unit ensure they are sufficient and current? |
The unit enjoys two distinct advantages related to the ULM Library; immediate proximity to the library and the expert services of Mrs. Dinah Williams, Library Liaison to the College of Education & Human Development. The new ULM Library (www.ulm.edu/library) opened for service on April 12, 1999. The library occupies the first five floors of the building. The facility has a fully equipped computer lab, library instruction room, group study rooms and an expanded Special Collections area. ULM library resources include 647,696 print volumes, including 40,000 state documents and 210,000 federal documents, .3% (160) serial subscriptions of which 99.7% (56,672) are accessible online, and 578,611 microform volumes (Exhibit 6e1.1 Resource Allocation). Library resources are continually updated, and faculty input and requests are a priority of the Library. Faculty members utilize this additional resource for classroom instruction as well as research. The Library is a member of AMIGOS, which enables cataloging and bibliographic verification and interlibrary loan to be accomplished electronically via connections to the system headquarters. NEON, the Library’s electronic catalog, is part of LOUIS, the statewide academic library catalog network. As part of LOUIS, the library also has access to EBSCO host which provides access to bibliographic references to approximately 56,572 journals. 100% of the EBSCO A-Z titles are available in full-text. In addition, LOUIS provides access to other bibliographic and abstracting sources. Candidates and faculty members may borrow library materials by simply presenting a valid ULM ID or by utilizing the Interlibrary Loan Service. Available resources specifically and generally related to education include:
Accessibility of Library Resources Off-Campus/Distance Electronic resources (journals, e-books, government publications and others) are accessible remotely to all candidates who possess a valid ULM ID or who are affiliated with the University through a cooperative program. (Exhibit 6e4.1 Library Resources) |
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6e.5. How does the unit ensure the accessibility of resources to candidates, including candidates in off-campus, distance learning, and alternate route programs, through electronic means? |
The unit supports the mentioned learning methods through electronic means by offering resources available to all ULM candidates that possess a valid student identification number or are affiliated with ULM through cooperative programs. All candidates have access on and off campus to the ULM library resources. Electronic databases such as EBSCO, ERIC, and JSTOR along with many others can be utilized by candidates after authenticating their account with a student identification number. The Library also offers e-books, government publications, and other various electronic resources. On-line courses offered through the College of Education provide a link for candidates for quick access to the resources offered by the Library. Candidates enrolled in courses offered through the CEHD are also informed of technology assistance offered through the Digital Media Studio (DMS). By contacting the DMS, candidates can get one on one help with technology and multimedia projects, gain access to tutorials for Moodle and TaskStream, or receive trouble shooting guidance related to technology and the use of required electronic systems. Multimedia equipment is also available for student use to any student affiliated with ULM. ULM Call Center is available for all candidates or affiliates of ULM. Candidates can be guided through technical issues by calling. The Call Center supports candidates with the course management system, software assistance, and various generic questions related to computer use. The ULM Counseling Center helps candidates who may have special needs or require specific accommodations for face to face courses as well as online courses. A link to the Counseling Center is available in Moodle for all types of courses. Video tutorials have been created for TaskStream and Moodle. A link to the TaskStream Helpdesk is also made available to candidates on all types of courses. (Exhibit 6e5.1 Accessibility of resources) |
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6e.6. (Optional Upload for Online IR) Tables, figures, and a list of links to key exhibits related to unit resources, including technology, may be attached here. [Because BOE members should be able to access many exhibits electronically, a limited number of attachments (0-3) should be uploaded.] |
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1. What does your unit do particularly well related to Standard 6? |
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2. What research related to Standard 6 is being conducted by the unit or its faculty? |
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