Concurrent Education: 

1. Increase the quality of candidates entering the Bachelor of Education (“the Program”) through the Concurrent pathway. 
   1. Increase the cumulative GPA required for Concurrent Education admission to 3.5 (proposed), from 3.0 (current). 
2. Addition of four prerequisites for Concurrent Education students. 
   1. EDST 1000U – Foundations of Learning
   2. EDST 2110U – Assessment for Learning
   3. Two additional EDST courses of their choice.

Increased GPA to Remain in the Bachelor of Education: 

1. Retain quality teacher candidates by increasing the GPA requirements for program continuation from “B- (70%) overall average” to “achieve a B (73-76%) in each Bachelor of Education course”.

Program Delivery Modifications to 12 Courses: 

4. Increase flexibility for students, faculty, and logistics by reclassifying the delivery mode of 12 courses (3 core, 9 elective) from in-class only to hybrid, as outlined in the Delivery Method spreadsheet attached.

Editorial updates to General program information sections.

The Bachelor of Education (Intermediate/Senior) is a teacher education program consisting of 60 credit hours and a minimum of 80 field experience placement days across four consecutive semesters. In addition to our innovative programming, our program offers two unique characteristics: one fully-online semester, modelling effective education in a virtual environment, and the ability to complete the program and enter the profession one semester earlier than most other teacher education programs. Successful completion of the program results in students’ recommendation to the Ontario College of Teachers for official certification, and preferential admission into the Master of Education program. 

The last significant change to the BEd program took place in 2015, when the Ontario Ministry of Education required universities to double the length of their teacher education programs from two semesters to four.

Pressures on Current Program Structure:  

1. Budgetary need to increase enrolment.
   1. Goal of increasing enrolment by 60% (from 406 to 650) by 2026. 

Proposed Solution: 

• Modifying the delivery method of select courses (as indicated above) will reduce the physical space needs of the program, allowing for the creation of additional course sections to accommodate program growth without conflicting with building infrastructure.
• We anticipate that the flexibility offered by increased hybrid and fully-online course options will have a positive impact on student retention.

Pressures on Current Infrastructure: 

2. Lack of adequate classroom availability to accommodate enrolment targets (and resultant increase of course sessions required). 
   1. Following the closure of the 11 Simcoe St. N. building, the Mitch and Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education (“the Faculty”) has amalgamated with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities across Charles Hall, Bordessa Hall, and the Regent Theatre. This has resulted in substantial scheduling challenges, often requiring that the Faculty seek space off-site to host student events, meetings, and classes (e.g., Health and Physical Education). 
   2. Pressures to increase enrollment across the university will further exacerbate scheduling challenges across Downtown Campus facilities during current program hours. 

Proposed Solution: 

• Modifying the delivery method of select courses (as indicated above) will reduce the physical space needs of the program, allowing for the creation of additional course sections to accommodate program growth without conflicting with building infrastructure.

Demonstrated Need for Program Flexibility: 

3. Requests from prospective students to offer alternative program delivery. 
   1. Following the temporary transition to online teaching and learning during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Faculty has received an influx of requests for alternative course scheduling, including online offerings. 
   2. Prospective students have indicated that alternative program scheduling could address several needs, including but not limited to: 
      1. Lack of high-quality teacher education in their geographic region. 
      2. Maintaining current employment while attending school. 
      3. Balancing education with personal and familial responsibilities. 

Proposed Solution: 

• Increasing the number of courses offering a hybrid or fully-online delivery model will provide much-needed flexibility for students, particularly those who live a considerable distance from Ontario Tech or have other considerations that would benefit from the opportunity to learn from home. 
• Modifying the delivery method of a select number of courses at this time will allow for the development of institutional best practices to inform future shifts in course delivery (as approved by the Ontario College of Teachers). 

Reputation Management and Program Quality:

4. The Faculty is willing and ready to expand its enrollment. However, we are equally mindful of the need to uphold our favourable reputation and attract quality candidates. 
   1. In recent years, the Faculty has observed an upwards trend of challenges related to students’ demonstration of the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession. 
   2. To ensure that the Faculty maintains a positive reputation for academic excellence, a supportive learning environment, and the development of exceptional teachers and leaders, we aspire to attract students aligned with our values and vision.

Proposed Solution: 

• Increasing the minimum GPA required for Concurrent Education students to transition to the Bachelor of Education from 3.0 (current) to 3.5 (proposed) will increase the likelihood that candidates are (a) capable of effectively managing a demanding workload, and (b) committed to academic excellence. 

5. The Faculty appreciates the diversity of students’ experience and subject expertise attracted via the Concurrent program, but has observed a gap in understanding related to foundations of education. 

Proposed Solution: 

• In collaboration with the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Educational Studies program, the Faculty will require students enrolled in Concurrent education to complete a minimum of four Educational Studies courses as part of their undergraduate programming. Pre-requisite courses will include: 
  • EDST 1000U – Foundations of Learning
  • EDST 2110U – Assessment for Learning 
  • Two EDST courses of their choice.

The proposed modifications align with the Faculty’s vision to “graduate exceptional teachers who will truly make a difference and become educational leaders.” By adding a minimum of four pre-requisite courses in Educational Studies and increasing the GPA required for Concurrent Education students to transition into the Bachelor of Education, we expect to see an increase in the quality of teacher candidates. In addition, we hope to reduce the incidence of high quality candidates exiting the program as a result of scheduling imbalances. 

The proposed modifications also align with Ontario Tech University’s strategic priorities. Specifically, modifications to course delivery methods (as outlined above) represent our commitment to “learning re-imagined”. Recognizing that (a) the province of Ontario is not without online education options for K-12 students (e.g., Learn at Home, DDSB@Home), and (b) co-location is not a condition of effective teacher education, the Faculty endeavours to extend our hybrid and fully-online offerings to not only grow the program, but also to continue modelling best educational practices across face-to-face and virtual contexts. Similarly, Ontario Tech’s “inclusion” and “innovation” are well-represented in our proposal. The current program arrangement (with over 75% of the program components delivered exclusively in person) deters and disadvantages students without certain privileges such as consistent access to a vehicle, proximity to campus, unconditional childcare, etc. Offering a wider range of courses hybrid or fully-online promotes equity and inclusion for students whose circumstances prevent daily travel to campus. In addition, our proposed modifications are in line with both the Faculty’s and University’s drive for innovation. The Mitch and Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education is proficient in creating engaging, interactive online programming, and has done so for over 15 years. Drawing on these skills, we aim to be leaders of innovation in teacher education by providing effective, high-quality courses in both hybrid and online formats beginning with the courses identified above. 

At present, the Program is facilitated by: 

• 70% Sessional Instructors
• 15% Limited-Term Faculty Members
• 10% Teaching Faculty
• 5% Tenured Faculty

In the short-term, no additional faculty are needed for implementation of this proposal.

At present, no additional human resources are required to implement the proposed changes.

No additional physical resource requirements needed.

No additional funding requirements.

NA

The proposed changes would take effect Fall 2024. 

Instructional Delivery Changes: 

As part of the standard communications preceding Fall course registration, students will be informed about the change in delivery method for the aforementioned courses. This change in delivery would be reflected in the course registration system and students’ timetables via the appropriate code.

To ease current scheduling challenges and avoid reserving classroom space unnecessarily, hybrid courses will share space in the timetable.

Concurrent Education Changes:

Students presently enrolled in the Concurrent Education program will not be affected by this transition. These students would be required to maintain the competitive average stated in their acceptance letter. The increased GPA requirement and pre-requisite courses would only apply to students applying to Concurrent Education following the implementation of these changes. 

Letters of acceptance into the Concurrent Education program will be modified to reflect the updated GPA required for transition into the Bachelor of Education. These letters will also contain the text above, stating that students must complete the requisite Educational Studies (EDST) courses prior to program completion, with a recommendation to meet with their first-year advisor to design a program map that will enable them to meet program requirements. 

Program GPA Changes: 

Students who were enrolled in the Bachelor of Education prior to the implementation of these changes will not be affected. This cohort of students will be in their final semester, and will be expected to complete the program requirements as previously stated. 

Letters of acceptance into the Bachelor of Education program for Fall 2024 will be updated to reflect the updated expectations around attaining a B (73 - 76%) in each course of the program.

Alternate Course Delivery Methods: 

Over the last several years, the Faculty has seen an influx in requests from both current and prospective students for flexible course offerings. These have inspired numerous conversations with program instructors to determine what courses are best suited for online delivery. 

The Faculty has also been in ongoing conversations with personnel in charge of scheduling regarding the increasing pressure on the downtown campus.

Increasing Concurrent GPA: 

As a professional program, the Bachelor of Education is demanding. Conversations with faculty and staff throughout the program have identified that students entering the program with a higher undergraduate GPA tend to experience greater success in their classes and field experience placements, and fewer challenges transitioning to the increased demands. 

Discussions with representatives from the Registrar’s Office have also revealed that the admissions average for Concurrent Education has historically varied by time of year: September has been the most competitive, while students applying for January or May undergraduate start dates have been admitted with substantially lower GPAs. To make the admissions process more equitable and improve the conditions for student success once they are in the program, the Faculty has proposed an increase to the GPA required for admission to Concurrent Education. 

Addition of EDST Prerequisites for Concurrent Students: 

Meeting with the Faculty’s Academic Planning Officer, the Director of the Program (Christian Elia) and Dean (Robin Kay) were assured that most faculties’ (with the possible exception of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science) program maps could accommodate the addition of four elective courses from the Educational Studies as pre-requisites for the Concurrent program. 

The BEd administrative team also met with stakeholders of the Educational Studies program to ensure that courses would have sufficient space for Concurrent students. 

Informal conversations with academic advising revealed that students felt it would be beneficial to take Faculty of ED courses before entry to the BEd to familiarize themselves with the faculty, education topics and courses.

Increasing GPA for Students in the BEd:

The Faculty is engaged in ongoing discussions with faculty members, program directors, etc. related to supporting student success. Concern has continually been expressed about students’ ability to achieve the currently listed 70% overall GPA without necessarily meeting all program requirements (e.g., poor performance in certain courses being offset by exceptional performance in others). Adjusting the requirement such that students must achieve a B in each individual course will help ensure that the minimum program requirements are being met.

Feedback from Academic Advising revealed that students have also indicated that it would be beneficial as this keeps them on track with their program progression and meeting their professional standards for placement. Having different expectations for each course was more problematic and having it the same across the board is easier to manage.

There are no changes to program content with this program change. Courses will continue to represent a diversity of perspectives and narratives as they relate to educational history, theory, and practice. 

Accessibility has, and will continue, to inform the Faculty’s program decisions. The proposed modifications to course delivery will benefit students without regular access to transportation or those with personal and/or familial commitments that make daily commutes to campus challenging. Similarly, for students who depend on public transit, this series of changes will help to reduce total commute time and expenses. Tools and technologies to minimize barriers to learning will also be more readily accessible, such as built-in captioning in Zoom or Google Meet, screen reader technology for digital platforms, etc. 

Increasing the GPA required for Concurrent Education students to transition into the Bachelor of Education program will enhance the accessibility of the program in several ways. Not only will admitting students with a stronger academic background ensure that the program can provide higher-quality education, the level of preparedness and academic fluency required to achieve the proposed GPA will enhance the likelihood of student success and reduce rates of withdrawal, resulting in a smoother academic journey. The program will continue to monitor students’ progress in their classes in order to intervene and connect with support services as needed to ensure their continued success. 

The Faculty already carefully considers the principles of Universal Design in preparation of its courses, materials and resources, etc., and that consideration will extend to the redesign of any course components as a result of the modified delivery method.