Practicum for Transition to Teaching
To enroll in this six-credit, full semester-full day practicum, students must have:
- Completed all course and requirements;
- Met GPA requirements of 3.0 in the major/minor;
- Passed all DPI and program assessments by April 15 for fall teacher candidacy and October 15 for spring teacher candidacy;
- Established an ePortfolio for completion during this teacher candidacy semester;
- Completed the application for teacher candidacy which is submitted to the Academic Advisor for distribution to the Director of Teacher Education and the Dean; and
- Attend an orientation to teacher candidacy prior to the official commencement of the placement.
Additional requirements and expectations are described in the Teacher Education Handbook. The Teacher Candidacy Weekly Seminar has required attendance/participation and is graded as a part of this practicum.
Practicum
To enroll in this three-credit practicum, students submit to the Dean of Professional Studies the Practicum Application which includes:
- A signed agreement between the student and the site coordinator as approved by the instructor of record of the practicum;
- The goals of the practicum;
- A rationale for the experience and it relevance to the student’s program;
- A list of the expected experiences; and
- A timeline for completion of the practicum.
NOTE: Administrative licensure areas must complete a special additional set of tasks for each administrative licensure area as part of this practicum which must be documented according to the assignment details and must be integrated into the exit portfolio.
Conducted over during either the fall or spring semester, this practicum affords students the opportunity to:
- Demonstrate the skills and knowledge acquired during the formal academic process;
- Acquire new competencies and skills identified as part of the practicum experience; and
- Engage in an agreed upon project.
- Present the practicum project and overall components of the experience for review and evaluation in a voiceover sideshow uploaded to You Tube or similar process.
This practicum is designed to be a mutually beneficial experience: Both the cooperating organization(s) and student benefit from the exchange of expertise and abilities in “real world laboratories.” It is required that students have completed all coursework in the specialty except for EDU 692 and EDU 693 . Evidences from this practicum are to be included in the professional electronic portfolio (for administrative licensure) and provide background for the research components in the capstone.
Research Design Course
Following the practicum experience, MA students engage in an eight week course that refines their practical and theoretical experience into a research design that is utilized for the Capstone project. Concepts, principles, and methods in measurement are examined, including the importance of reflexivity, reliability, validity and item analysis.
Students are expected to identify suitable questions for study, establish an appropriate research design based on the questions asked, and develop methodically acceptable analytic procedures that lead execution of these ideas in the capstone project. Approaches to designing/conducting a practical action research project address qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method research applications.
Students also develop a research proposal that is submitted for approval to the Institutional Review Board prior to conducting research in the capstone course.
Institutional Review Board
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversees student and faculty research involving the use of human subjects. The IRB’s primary mission is to protect the rights, welfare and privacy of all individuals participating in research sponsored by Wisconsin Lutheran College. The IRB reviews, approves, and monitors all research involving human subjects for safety, compliance with regulations, scientific quality, and ethical standards and guidelines. The IRB also offers guidance and resources for investigators on all levels at WLC.
The IRB is a committee designed to approve, monitor, and review research involving humans; it aims to protect the rights and welfare of the subjects.
The IRB at WLC has been firmly grounded in the Belmont Report.
- Respect for persons (Informed Consent)
- Beneficence (IRB Risk/Benefit Analysis)
- Justice (Equitable Subject Selection)
The IRB also adheres to Federal Regulations
- Common Rule
- 45 CFR 46
At WLC, the IRB:
- Consists of eight members (complying with federal requirements);
- Meets several times a semester;
- Holds two to four orientation/training sessions;
- Conducts three to five protocol review sessions;
- Reviews between 70-90 Social/Behavioral Protocols per semester.
All students who are planning projects that use human subjects as a part of their research need to submit their research proposal to the IRB either immediately following the EDU 692 - Educational Research Design Course or immediately at the beginning the EDU 693 - Capstone: Integration of Theory project. The IRB needs to ensure that provisions for obtaining consent are made and carried out.
Research projects are reviewed at one of two levels, according to the IRB’s determination of the project¡¦s potential risk to human subjects and the federal categories of review
- Exempt: screening for exemption from full IRB review, or
- Full Review: fully convened IRB
The level of review is determined by the IRB chairperson.
IRB Submission Guidelines:
- Students must complete a proposal for IRB approval and all informed consent materials.
- The proposal is screened by the IRB chair to determine if the proposal:
- Involves no risk to the subject according to criteria 45 CFR 46.101, and is thus exempt from full IRB review, or
- Requires full IRB review because it involves greater than no risk to the proposed activity.
- If required, the IRB meets to make a determination regarding the proposal
- After review, the IRB may:
- Approve the proposal as submitted;
- Approve with minor suggestions for changes;
- Approve with stipulations to be met prior to final approval; or
- Not approve.
- All documentation of IRB action sent to the researcher and Dean of Professional Studies, and a copy is kept on file.
- All non-exempt research is subject to annual continuing review, but potentially more frequently as determined by the level of risk to subjects.
Students then develop an action plan approved by the capstone advisor, institutional review board, and the Dean of Professional Studies.
NOTE: All details of the IRB are found on myWLC in the “Research@WLC” portal.
Capstone Project
The intent of this three-credit, full semester (8-16 weeks) capstone project is to enable the student to apply theory to practice in a variety of educational settings. From classroom to staff position to administrative office to the boardroom: the project can take the form of action research in the field, a curriculum design, a thesis, or other similar endeavor.
Project Components
The project encompasses two parts: Research and assessment. In consultation with the academic advisor and capstone instructor of record, students identify a study focus, which seeks to impact academic and/or learner achievement; they conduct a professional literature review regarding the best practices in that focus area and their selected research design(s).
During this capstone, the students are concurrently engaged in an online course as they implement the plan, conduct analysis of the project and its impact on academic achievement, articulating the results and recommending future applications for data-driven practices.
Project Presentation
Students formally present the project, as an element of their culminating program portfolio, to the capstone instructor and peers, dean, graduate faculty, and invited community. The instructor of record and members of the invited capstone reviewers provide feedback through the use of appropriate rubrics to assess the presentation, and written aspects of the project. The presentation dates are set as first Saturday in December for fall and last Saturday in April for spring. If a student is unable to attend in person due to distance, s/he must make arrangements with the dean for an online presentation or alternative date.
Capstone Timeline
The capstone project is designed to span 8 to 16 weeks. In the event that the student needs additional time, the student must apply for ONE extension of eight weeks or one module through the use of an Incomplete Form that details the timeline and must be approved by the instructor of record and the dean. If an additional time of eight weeks is needed, the student must pay a continuing education fee equivalent to an additional three credit graduate course. If, after those extensions, the student is unable to complete the capstone, the student must re-enroll in the Capstone course to complete the process.
Completion Deadlines
| Graduation |
Application Date |
Presentation Date |
Paper Submission |
| May |
January 15 |
Last Saturday/April |
June 1 |
| December |
August 15 |
First Saturday/Dec. |
January 1 |
Commencement Participation
Commencement exercises are held at the end of the fall and spring terms. A student is eligible to participate in commencement only once. In order to be eligible to participate in a commencement exercise, students must be registered to complete by the end of the same semester all the necessary remaining degree requirements and must have presented their Capstone project successfully.
Graduation
A one-time graduation fee of $150 is charged on all accounts of ALL students scheduled to graduate, regardless of whether or not they plan to participate in the commencement ceremony. This charge appears on their student tuition account upon submission of an application for degree. This fee covers the cost of the cap and gown (announcements sold separately), diploma cover and printing expenses, a transcript, ceremony expenses, etc.
Portfolio for the Transition to Teaching, Administrative Licensure and Post-Baccalaureate Programs
This culminating program experience is a collection of documentary evidence to demonstrate that the graduate student has met the requirements, outcomes, and standards of the certification program. It serves as an assessment of the candidate’s growth and an assessment of the program.
This electronic portfolio is expected to address the learner outcomes of the graduate program and any specific standards identified as part of the specialty and/or required for licensure. Artifacts that are expected in the portfolio include the following:
- Reflections on entry and exit philosophical statements and professional goals;
- Identified “Essential Tasks” from the coursework;
- Practicum application, description of the experience, assessments, including self-assessment, and reflection;
- Capstone project documentation and assessments;
- Artifacts related to specific licensure code and statute requirements.
Other supplemental artifacts may be selected by the candidate to add dimension to the outcomes and standards. These could include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Performance assessments of clinical experiences;
- Teacher work samples, including samples of learner work;
- Taped examples of lessons and/or presentations;
- Samples of prepared assessments;
- Samples of written work in a variety of applications and for diverse audiences;
- Evidence of technology growth and application.
NOTE: More detailed information about the portfolio and presentation process are found in the Teacher Education Handbook for Transition to Teaching. Specific information is contained in the Portfolio Guidelines, the Presentation Rubric, and Narrative Rubric. Students are introduced to these processes at Residency I/Orientation and in the first required entry course for Transition to Teaching and Residency II for all licensure programs prior to the practicum.
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