Faculty in the Department of Special Education

** Please reaed! This is a very important announcement, especially if you are a new SPED p/t faculty member. Click here to read and download the announcement from the department. **

Faculty members of the Department of Special Education are nationally recognized for their contributions in the field of Special Education. The Department of Special Education is proud of the qualifications, skills, achievements and diversity of member faculty. Qualified faculty members teach courses and supervise field experiences in graduate and credential programs. Full-time tenured and tenure track faculty have Doctorates in addition to significant field based experiences. Part-time faculty members are periodically evaluated via the department personnel process. All part-time faculty members are required to have specific field-based experiences as well as a minimum of a Master's Degree. The utilization of part-time faculty augments the needs of the department with specific emphasis on generic and service type courses.

Collaboration with General Education Faculty

Faculty members in the Department of Special Education collaborate with colleagues in Educational Leadership, Elementary, Bilingual, Reading and Secondary Education to serve the needs of general and special education classrooms and settings. Faculty members, meeting in both formal and informal situations, have developed professional relationships based on common education goals and guidelines. Our offices are together in the Education Classroom (EC) building. It is not unusual to see faculty from various departments standing in a hallway discussing a current education theme or supporting each other with ideas for the next research project or professional presentation. Many of our colleagues in general education are nationally recognized for their contributions to the field.

During the Level I Credential Program, Education Specialist Candidates complete coursework from the Multiple or Single Subject Credential Programs. These courses are collaboratively taught with colleagues in elementary and secondary education. Faculty in these departments model a variety of effective teaching and intervention strategies in the classroom and in the field. Interactive and dynamic classroom environments are modeled and active construction of knowledge is encouraged at all levels. Passive participation is held to a minimum wherever possible through the use of dyadic groupings and small group cooperative learning. Active participation in large group discussions and student response to lectures is encouraged. Reflective journal keeping is incorporated in coursework and field site experiences. Extensive use of case studies, plus, individual and panel presentations, promotes development of high-level critical thinking and problem solving skills. Development of professional level communication skills is facilitated by assignments involving interviewing parents, students, other professionals and all levels of school site personnel. Assignments also emphasize demonstration of clarity and focus in oral and written communication, in report making, teaming, and especially when communicating with parents/care providers, where the issue of "informed consent" is vital.