Welcome to the College of Education at UAA! Founded as a stand-alone “college” in 2002, the College of Education is in its sixth year. In 2005, COE sought, and received national accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

As one of UAA’s academic units, COE enrolls approximately 11.5% of UAA’s students, with 1,855 individuals enrolled in COE courses in spring 2008.

COE offers 16 education programs, which are housed in three different departments. The largest department is the Department of Teaching and Learning (DTL). DTL programs include the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Early Childhood Development; Bachelor of Arts (BAEC) and Post-Baccalaureate degrees in Early Childhood Education; Bachelor of Arts (BAEL) and Baccalaureate degrees in Elementary Education; Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT); and two Occupational Endorsement Certificates in School-Age Care, one for practitioners and one for administrators.

The Department of Educational Leadership (EDL) offers graduate-level programs in the following options: Principal, Superintendent, and Teacher Leadership. The Teacher Leadership option was initiated Spring 2008 in response to community and state demand. An M. Ed. in Adult Education is also offered, along with a certificate in e-Learning.

The Department of Counseling and Special Education (CASE) offers graduate-level programs in Special Education; Early Childhood Special Education; Counselor Education; and leveling courses for the affiliated M. S. in Speech, Language and Auditory Pathology via a UAA-MOA with East Carolina University.

For the past two years, COE has made a concerted effort to improve the quality and quantity of its distance-delivered courses. COE went from having 19% of its courses offered via distance in Spring 2006, to 32% in Spring 2007. College-wide, 49% of our courses are offered via distance Fall 2007. This increase in distance delivery was intentionally designed to meet the needs of non-traditional students and those living outside of the Anchorage area.

The College recently added new alternative certification options for Special Education and Secondary Education in an effort to assist school districts in recruiting more special educators and high school teachers in the high needs areas of science and math.

The College is piloting a college-wide system of web-based portfolios; digitizing student files; developing new courses for distance delivery; and establishing communities of practice across the state linked via Internet, allowing students and teachers to better communicate with each other.

Please take time to investigate our website and learn more about the inspiring activities happening in the College of Education!

Sincerely,

Mary L. Snyder, Dean

February 15, 2008