UAS Academic CatalogElementary Education, B.A.
Juneau, On-site and e-Learning
Contact: Dr. Jeffrey Lofthus
(907) 796-6404
jllofthus@alaska.edu
The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education prepares students for recommendation in the state of Alaska for initial teaching certification in grades K-8. This program is for students in Alaska who desire the flexibility of an e-Learning program. Students in this program must be self-directed learners, have access to high speed internet connections, and prepare for a 9-month intensive student teaching experience in their senior year. Students are assessed relative to national and state standards, including Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards, the Alaska Teacher Standards, the Alaska Student Content Standards, and the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools.
The degree requirements are interdisciplinary and provide breadth in the content areas necessary for successful teaching at an elementary level and depth in the opportunities to connect theory and practice in a variety of real classroom, school, and community contexts.
The main components of this program include:
- subject area coursework in UAS General Education Requirements (GERs);
- additional subject area coursework in those areas important for successful teaching at an K-8 level;
- foundation courses in education with practical experiences in the schools; and
- a capstone year-long experience where the professional education courses are integrated with field experiences and student teaching.
Program assessment plans and student learning outcomes are posted at the Program Assessment website.
Admission Requirements
Applicants will be considered for initial admission into the Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program after completing all UAS general admission requirements.
Admission to Senior Year Student Teaching
In addition to the above admission requirements, all students entering the senior year are required to have successfully completed the following:
- Minimum GPA of 3.00
- Successful completion of all pre-senior year courses with grades of C 2.00 (not C-) or better
- Praxis Core/CASE or CBEST exam scores meeting Alaska DEED cut scores and Praxis Subject Assessment Elementary Education 5017 or 5018
-
Application for student teacher candidacy including education philosophy/theory essay, current resume, letter of introduction to future host teacher and principal, and two letters of recommendation from someone other than an education professor speaking to the student's potential as a certified teacher
Exit Criteria
3.00 GPA, successful completion of all program courses with grades of C 2.00 (not C-) or better.
Students must complete the GERs, the Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement, as well as the specific program requirements as listed for a minimum of 120 credit hours. Courses in a degree program may be counted only once. Courses used to fulfill the major requirements cannot be used to fulfill the GERs. Specific recommendations for the GERs in Elementary Education are listed below. Degree must include 42 credit hours of upper-division (300 or above) courses, 24 of which must be completed at UAS.
| Requirement | Hours |
|---|---|
| Minimum Credit Hours | 120 |
| General Education Requirements | 42-48 |
| Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement | 3 |
| Breadth Requirements | 23 |
| Major Requirements | 55 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Written Communication Skills | ||
| WRTG S111 | *Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| WRTG S211 | *Writing and the Humanities | 3 |
| Oral Communication Skills | ||
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3 | |
| *Fundamentals of Oral Communication | ||
| *Small Group Communication and Team Building | ||
| *Interpersonal Communication | ||
| *Public Speaking | ||
| Computational Skills | ||
| MATH S151 | *College Algebra for Calculus | 4 |
| or STAT S107 | *Survey of Statistics | |
| Humanities | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| Theatre Appreciation | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| World History I | ||
| World History II | ||
| Social Science | ||
| GEOG S101 | *Local Places, Global Regions: Introduction to Geography | 3 |
| PS S101 | Introduction to American Government | 3 |
| PSY S111 | *Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| Science | ||
| Select either: | 4-8 | |
| *Biology and Society | ||
| *Fundamentals of Biology I and *Fundamentals of Biology II | ||
| Select one Physical Science and one Earth/Space Science course: | 7-8 | |
| Physical Sciences | ||
| *Introduction to General Chemistry | ||
Or other advisor-approved physical science lab GER course. | ||
| Earth/Space Sciences | ||
| *Introduction to Oceanography | ||
| *Earth and Environment | ||
| *Physical Geology | ||
| *Geological History of Life | ||
| Breadth Requirements 2 | ||
| Computational Skills | ||
| MATH S211 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I | 3 |
| MATH S212 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II | 3 |
| Humanities | ||
| PE S100 | Health and Fitness | 1 |
| PE Elective | 1 | |
| Advisor approved English writing or literature course | 3 | |
| HIST S131 | History of the U.S. I | 3 |
| or HIST S132 | History of the U.S. II | |
| Social Science | ||
| PSY S245 | Child Development | 3 |
| or PSY S250 | *Lifespan Development | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| *Introduction to Alaska Native Studies 3 | ||
| AK Native Ecological Knowledge 3 | ||
| Alaska Studies | ||
| Alaska Native Cultures | ||
| Alaska Native Social Change | ||
| History of Alaska | ||
Advisor approved elective 4 | ||
| Other Skills | ||
| Advisor approved elective | 3 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| ED S222 | Orientation to the Teaching Profession | 3 |
| ED S230 | Introduction to Educational Technology | 3 |
| ED S302 | Foundations of Literacy and Language Development 5 | 3 |
| ED S320A | Art in the K-8 Curriculum | 1 |
| ED S320B | Physical Education in the K-8 Curriculum | 1 |
| ED S320C | Music in the K-8 Curriculum | 1 |
| ED S320D | Drama in the K-8 Curriculum | 1 |
| ED S320E | Health in the K-8 Curriculum | 1 |
| ED S333 | The Learner and the Learning Process | 3 |
| ED S380 | Multicultural Education | 3 |
| EDSE S482 | Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| ED S405 | Children's Literature in the Alaska Context | 3 |
| Senior Year Requirements 6 | ||
| ED S416 | Teaching Literacy in the K-8 Curriculum | 4 |
| ED S417 | Teaching Social Studies in the K-8 Curriculum | 2 |
| ED S427 | Teaching Math in the K-8 Curriculum | 3 |
| ED S428 | Teaching Science in the K-8 Curriculum | 2 |
| ED S448 | Classroom Management in K-8 Classrooms | 3 |
| ED S452 | Student Teaching | 7 |
| ED S460 | Integrated Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
| ED S494A | Applications of Teaching: Field Work (Applications of Teaching: Field Work) | 3 |
| ED S498 | Professional Portfolio Preparation | 2 |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
| 1 | Grade C 2.00 or better |
| 2 | This area is designed to provide breadth necessary for elementary classroom teaching and depth necessary to respond to CAEP Standards and Alaska Student Content Standards. |
| 3 | This course meets the Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement. |
| 4 | Must be Alaska Department of Education approved course for Alaska Studies. |
| 5 | Requires passing scores on Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (CASE) or passing scores on DEED approved Basic Competency Exams (BCE). |
| 6 | All course work, other criteria listed above and Praxis Core/Case and Praxis Subject Assessment Elementary Education must be successfully completed prior to the start of the senior year. |