With the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education visit scheduled for Oct. 18-22, a mock visit was held in early September to give the College of Education a taste of what the actual visit may consist of.
The purpose of the October NCATE visit will be to make sure the College of Education has the proper requirements for continuing accreditation. If the college loses accreditation, teacher candidates will obtain a diploma that may not be recognized by many employers.
“(The loss of accreditation) is not going to happen,” Obie Cleveland Hill, dean of the College of Education, said.
A representative from the state Board of Education, as well as other NCATE evaluators, conducted an evaluation to see what was being done right and what needed to be improved on before the October visit. Interviews with faculty and teacher candidates were conducted, and documents were reviewed to give the College of Education feedback on its program.
An aspect of the college that the mock team positively pinpointed was the new electronic report that is in place. The NCATE team will be able to use a laptop computer and read the College of Education’s report. The report also holds links to electronic images, work samples and various education data. This feature enables NCATE members to evaluate a large amount of information on or off Nicholls campus. NCATE team members may also view all electronic information on paper.
“(Mock team members) were very complimentary about that,” Carmen Broussard, assistant psychology professor and accreditation committee member, said. “They thought that our electronic documentation was very well done, and will facilitate the process and will help when the real team comes.”
Some areas of emphasis that the mock team wanted improvement on was explaining better how the College of Education works collaboratively with others, especially University faculty members in other departments. Community involvement should also be highlighted, according to the team.
Not only did the mock visit emphasize documentation aspects of the college, but feedback on the physical look of the building was conducted as well. The mock team suggested that the college try to pursue as many planned work orders as possible in an effort to get ready for the visit. Many work orders have been underway for various improvements, such as ceiling tile replacements and updated paint, and assistance in prioritizing the jobs so they can be completed by the October visit.
“The impression of our building is certainly important,” Broussard said. “And that’s for NCATE, but it’s for a long term purpose as well.”
The official NCATE visit will consist of a weeklong review of documented evidence of teacher candidate and faculty performances.