Teacher Preparation Program Assessment
Secondary Education Graduates

Thank you for agreeing to assist your alma mater in evaluating the teacher preparation program.  We are proud of our graduates and are eager to learn from you!  This focus group has been designed to cover 2 hours of discussion.  Part I will focus on program EFFECTIVENESS issues (45 minutes); Part II will focus on program QUALITY issues (45 minutes). 

1. Please indicate your MAJOR:__________________________
2. Please indicate your MINOR:__________________________
3. Please select all that apply to you:         

____I transferred to the UM-F from ____________________________________.

____I received my undergraduate degree (including my teaching certificate) from

the UM-F.

____I received my teaching certificate from the UM-F (undergraduate was

received from another institution).

PART I:  Assessment of PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS:  (45 minutes) 

We are interested in how effective the teacher preparation program is in preparing our graduates for the classroom experience. 

Recalling your experience as a new teacher… 

4. How prepared were you to teach courses in your MAJOR concentration?

Very Prepared                                                       Not Prepared at All

1          2          3          4          5 

5. How prepared were you to teach courses in your MINOR concentration?

Very Prepared                                                       Not Prepared at All

1          2          3          4          5 

6. What STRENGTHS can you identify in the current Department of Education curriculum?

7. What WEAKNESSES can you identify in the current Department of Education curriculum?

8. What coursework should be added (if any) to better prepare our graduates for the experiences they will face in the classroom?

9. What coursework in the Department of Education curriculum (if any) would you recommend be eliminated from the curriculum?

PART II: Assessment of PROGRAM QUALITY:  (45 minutes) 

10. In your opinion, how knowledgeable are the faculty members in the Education Department?

Very Knowledgeable                                             Not Knowledgeable at All

1          2          3          4          5

11. In your opinion, how prepared to deliver instruction were the faculty members in the Education Department?

Very Prepared                                                       Not Prepared at All

1          2          3          4          5

12. Did you find the faculty in the Education Department to be interested in their students’ individual needs?

Very Interested                                                      Not Interested at All

1          2          3          4          5

13. Did you find the Education Department faculty to be accessible to students? 

Very Accessible                                                     Not Accessible at All

1          2          3          4          5

Transition to the Program…

Regarding the transition from being a general education major or community college student to a teacher preparation major in the Education Department…

13. As a pre-education student, did you receive useful advising services from:

a.       Academic Advising?

Very Useful                                               Not Useful at All

1          2          3          4          5

b.      College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)?

Very Useful                                               Not Useful at All

1          2          3          4          5

c.       Your transfer institution? 

Very Useful                                               Not Useful at All

1          2          3          4          5 

14. Once admitted to the Education Department, did you receive useful advising from your advisor? 

Very Useful                                               Not Useful at All

1          2          3          4          5 

15. Were you able to secure the courses you needed in a timely fashion? 

Very Much So                                            Not at All

1          2          3          4          5

Navigating the system… 

There are many people that help make the experience at the UM-F Department of Education a quality experience for students.  For example, counselors, the Director of Student Teaching, the clerical staff and others, all contribute to the overall quality of education that Education students receive.: 

Based on your experiences with the support staff in the Education program … 

16. Did you find the support staff to be knowledgeable about the requirements of the program?

Very Knowledgeable                                 Not Knowledgeable at All

1          2          3          4          5 

17. Did you find the support staff to be interested in your needs as a student?

Very Interested                                          Not Interested at All

1          2          3          4          5 

18. Did you find the support staff to be accessible to you?

Very Accessible                                         Not Accessible at All

1          2          3          4          5
 

Regarding the communications you received from the Education Department…

19. In retrospect, was the information you needed to make decisions about your professional education available to you?

Very Available                                          Not Available at All

1          2          3          4          5 

If answer to #19 was “1” or “2”: 

a.       Was the information provided in a helpful format? 

Very Helpful                                              Not Helpful at All

1          2          3          4          5 

b.      Was the information provided in a timely manner? 

Very Timely                                               Not Timely at All

1          2          3          4          5 

If the answer to #19 was “3”, “4” or “5”: 

c.       Please explain. 

20. The Education Department attempts to schedule courses at convenient times for students.  With this in mind…

a.       Did you find that courses were offered at convenient times? 

Very Convenient                                       Not Convenient at All

1          2          3          4          5 

If the answer to #20 was “3”, “4” or “5”: 

b.      Please explain:

Please use the back of this sheet to add whatever other comments, suggestions and/or recommendations you would like to share with the Education Department at the UM-F. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule!
 

Key Teacher Competencies

The following list of 10 competencies is generally accepted by the Education Community to include the most important skills that a new teacher must possess in order to be successful in the classroom.  Thinking back to the preparation that the UM-F Teacher Preparation Program provided to you as a student, please indicate how well prepared you felt as a new teacher in each of these important competency areas (Column 2).  Also, if you have comments that will help us better understand your choices in column 2, please briefly state them in column 3.