Teacher Features

Showcasing Events of the Union College Education Program

Dr. Joseph R. Allison, the Chair of the Division of Human Development at Union College, which includes the Education Program, just returned from an annual visit to Canadian University College where he met with the School of Education faculty to review and discuss the events leading to the end of this collaborative venture.

The original partnership began in 1979 and since 1997, Union College and our sister college Canadian University College in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, have conducted a joint program for education majors whereby the graduates from the Canadian campus receive transcripts from Union College in order to obtain Nebraska State Teacher’s Certificates. This collaboration qualified those graduates after 1997, who applied, to request a Letter of Professional Standing in the Canadian Province where they desired to teach.

This 29 year agreement between Union College and Canadian University College comes to an end in April 2007 when the last students under the program graduate.

A new agreement between the Canadian government and Canadian University College now allows graduates from that college to obtain certificates directly from the province where they will teach.

On November 19, two elementary education seniors took their Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment exam. This two hour exam covers material that teachers across the nation are required to know in order to be considered Highly Qualified Teachers under the “No Child Left Behind” program.

The Professional Education courses at Union College prepare students in the areas covered by this exam in the methods courses, practicum experiences and evaluations, lesson plans, teacher work samples, portfolios and student teaching placements.

Good scores on the Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment exam and graduating from a National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) approved program assures prospective employers that graduates from the Union College Education Program will be highly qualified. This gives our students the best chance for successful placement.

Today is the end of the first week of summer school for the education professors. This summer we are offering the following courses for practicing teachers.

There are also two ESL courses for graduates and undergraduates toward an endorsement in ESL Education.

Week of June 4-8

EDUC 342 - Human Relations
EDUC 360 - General Elementary Methods
(and 10 specific endorsements)
EDUC 477 - Secondary Reading Methods

Week of June 11-15

ENGL 303 - Second Language Acquisition (undergraduate)
MATH 487-01 - Mathematical Connections for Elementary and Secondary Teachers

Week of June 18-22

EDUC 301 - ESL Teaching & Curriculum (undergraduate)
EDUC 355 - Secondary Methods

For more information about summer courses offered by the Education Program at Union College, contact us at humandev@ucollege.edu

Upon graduation from the Education Program at Union College, new teachers qualify for a Nebraska Department of Education Teacher’s Certificate, which allows them to teach in their endorsement area in the State of Nebraska and an SDA Certificate for the North American Division of the SDA church.

If a graduate takes a position in the public school system in another state, they must apply to the department of education in that state for a certificate since each state has their own Rules & Regulations. Most states expect that a graduate will obtain a certificate from the state in which they graduated. Therefore, each teacher who graduate with an Education degree from Union College is encouraged to apply during the last semester of teacher training.

For further information, visit the website of The Nebraska Department of Education and The Mid-America Union Conference Education Department