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The College of Education (COE) is one of the five academic colleges at CSU, San Bernardino.  Its stated mission is to provide high quality teachers, administrators, counselors and other education professionals well prepared to address the diverse needs of the parents and school children throughout the service area.  The service area encompasses 27,400 square miles, an area that includes all of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.  In serving the region the COE is currently offering:

The COE currently offers 29 basic, advanced, credential and Masters' programs.  The COE (June, 2002) received successful accreditation recommendations for all programs from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and intial provisional accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

College of Education Programs

The College aggressively pursues federal and state grant opportunities and offers service clinics so as to enrich the educational experiences of sthe students and the faculty.  One of the first dederal grants was Teacher Corps.  During the academic year 2001-2002 the COE brough in more than $4,000,000.00 in grants and contracts.  Among the multiple year federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education are Career Ladder, Gear Up, Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers for Technology and Partnership Teacher Recruitment and Training.  Several community-based clinics for Literacy, English Language Development, Mathematics, School Psychology, and Counseling have been operative for a number of years.  The COE continues to develop programs that respond to the rapidly changing educational environment of the region.

Purpose of the Project

This project is to construct a building for the College of Education to alleviate the chronic space shortages in classrooms and laboratories as well as to address the clinical and technological needs of the COE's post-baccalaureate and graduate programs.  Presently a majority of the instructional classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices are in temporary modular units, Chaparral Hall, Pfau Library, University Hall, and Faculty Office Building.  This project would help alleviate the chronic facilty shortage and its completion would achieve the following objectives:

Continuity of Functions

The new College of Education building would make it possible to bring together faculty, staff, College offices, classrooms and laboratories in the same building, thus improving the functioning of the departments.  Presently, classes, labs and faculty offices are located throughout the campus in any available space.  The lack of close proximity limits communication and program identity.  Within this building, students would have improved access to laboratories, study areas, program services, and faculty offices.  Equipment could be maintained on site.

More importantly the new building would contain the appropriately designed activity, laboratory and graduate research spaces for the clinical programs that are essential to education.  Twenty years ago teacher education curriculum and education graduate programs were largely lecture-based and materials driven.  Many academic spaces could serve the needs of education courses.  This situation has changed radically.  New legislated program standards/requirements for both basic credentials, advanced credentials and masters' degrees characterize the preparation and development of teachers and education professionals as "a clinical profession" (2002 Carnegie Challenge: Teaching as a Clinical Profession: A New Challenge for Education, 2002).  This argument will be further developed in the rationale for the increased percentage change in the ratio between lecture/laboratory/activity/self-instructional identified spaces.

Teaching as a clinical profession is a theme reflected in the 2002 Draft Master Plan for Education (Recommendation 7.2: "The State shoud promote the recognition that becoming and remaining a qualified and effective teacher is, as with mastery of any profession, a long term, developmental process".)  This view of teacher education as a clinical profession is consistent with the conceptual framework of the COE that emphasizes that the COE is dedicated to the development of wise professional educators (COE Conceptual Framework articulated for NCATE unit report, 2002).

Community Atmosphere

A central location will enhance a community atmosphere among students, staff and faculty.  Opportunities for collaboration and camaraderie will increase, and an identify maintained.  These are important contribtors to quality programs of instruction.  The COE's programs are based upon a multifaceted field of study that requires: 

• A common core of understanding
• An integration of several content areas
• A clinical approach
• An emphasis on performance assessment
• An interdisciplinary approach to curricular planning and programming
• An environment that encourages the transfer of learning from one class to another and from one level to another.
• An emphasis on internship where the proportion of clinical interns to traditional students is 4:1 at all levels.
• An integration of technology into all levels of instruction and clinical practice.

Faculty/Faculty and Faculty/Student Interaction

Education is a field of study within which multiple forms of "disciplinary inquiry" (Schulman, 1986) are applied to formulate and solve theoretical problems and problems of policy and practice.  The COE accommodates multiple disciplines.  The overall instructional programs integrates these into comphrehensive fields of study.  In addition to the common core courses, degree and credential programs in the College have a course content that is integrated by concept.  Such concepts require an interactive faculty that is motivated to share resources, facilities and equipment.  This motivation is currently hindered because of the dispersal of functions in facilities scattered throughout the University.

A central facility will improve day-to-day instructional programs because:

Students hand faculty will be closer to their classes and will spend less time en route.  This in turn:

• frees time for the faculty/student interactions that provide for immediate feedback necessary to clarify or enhance the classroom activities;
• allows the faculty more time for preparation and better access to instructional technology/materials.  Demonstration materials are at hand and can be more efficiently transported to, and more frequently used in class; and
• provides "Smart Classrooms" and technologically sophisticated labs dedicated to the integration of technology with instruction for K-12 students and teachers.
• Liberal Studies and PALS Center will be located in the COE building, to facilitate undergraduate students access who will pursue a teaching career.

The team-teaching, shared planning, guest appearances by faculty, and other collaborative efforts so common to this type of instructional program are encouraged and modeled.

Guest speakers and other community resources can be shared efficiently.

Supporting elements such as staff offices, credential offices, conference areas, laboratories, and smart classrooms will provide better services to students if located in close proximity.

The identity that comes from housing all departmental or College functions in a specific location encourages the active support and participation of representatives from the community and provides integrated services to students seeking basic and advanced education credentials and degrees.

Students with disabilities will have more convenient and easier access to faculty, services, and classrooms.

The College of Education Building will be a visible educational community.  It will enhance the professional and personal growth of the College's faculty, staff, and students by promoting collaboration within the College, University and community at large.  The COE, housed in the new facilities, will be accessible, valuable, and useful both to the campus community and to its multifaceted outreach commitments

Centrality of Education in the CSU Mission

It must be remembered that a professional College of Education is primarily post baccalaureate in nature.  It is clearly the place for the continuing education and specialist training of practicing teachers, administrators and other educational professionals.

The COE is a leader in teacher preparation.  It is one of the largest producers of credentialed teachers in the CSU system.  The FTES for the College of Education has nearly doubled in the past five years (1997-2002).  Bot of the CSU's major accreditation agencies have a common standard on "equity of resources".  Currently that standard is strained as noted in the recent NCATE/CCTC accreditation report:

The unit's offices, classrooms, and activities are spread over five buildings dating from 1960's; facilities development has not kept pace with growth in enrollment.  A new building has been in the planning stages for years and has been delayed for a number of reasons, even as other facilities on campus have been built.

Community and Alumni Relations 

The College of Education maintains an ongoing relationship with the community and alumni.  Housing the College in one building will foster this relationship, which is extremely important for the future growth of the College

The University's Graduate Evening Program will prosper if a more appealing and safe environment is provided.  Consolidation under one roof will make access easier as well as provide for a more efficient use of campus facilities in the evening programs.  Lounge areas are essential to facilitate student interaction and learning from each other.

Faculty Recruiting

The College's expansion requires an intensive, ongoing faculty recruitment effort, since faculty members are being added at a high percent every year.  The quality of work environment is a significant factor in attracting and retaining top quality faculty.

Rationale

The need for a College of Education building is based on the following factors:

Physical Environment

The physical environment for educating future teachers, counselors and other education professionals requires facilities that are not currently available on this campus nor can they be fashioned out of existing spaces.  Although the College of Education has operated degree programs since 1973 and the College has consistently experienced phenomenal growth during the past decade.  There has not been a building designed for the unique professional needs of the burgeoning College.  Currently, computer lab facilities are camped and ill-equipped.  The lack of clinical space with appropriate observation capacity and room has forced some programs to move off-campus.  The last two accrediation reviews clearly indicated that the COE needs to provide vastly improved facilities to graduate clinics, demonstration classrooms and student advisement.  Inadequate facilities and limited space have forced the College to split the Student Teaching, Credential, Teacher Education advisement and M.A. offices critical to efficient and requisite high quality advisement.  Students matriculating through degree or credential programs and Liberal Studies or other students wishing to receive information about teaching programs have no central office.  Duplication in record keeping and a reduction in the quality of service to students have been an unfortunate result.  A new facility for Education must keep the lifelong learning needs of career teachers in mind and design a center that enhances the advising responsibilities of faculty and students.

It should be noted that the current distribution of faculty across five buildings makes it particularly difficult for students with mobility problems.  Students with disabilities may be required to ask credential questions in one building, meet with an advisor in another, deliver a form in another, and take classes in yet a different building.  Although every effort is made to assist students in less movement across buildings, faculty may not know that these efforts have been taken until after they are complete.

The Faculty Office Building, which currently houses a majority of the faculty, has limited access for students with disabilities.  It is very difficult for students in wheelchairs or scooters to access faculty.  This is contrary to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The proposal when constructed would provide facilities where instructors can deliver lessons utilizing current technologies, methods and materials and where graduate students can learn and develop competencies through lecture, observation, technological means and supervised clinical experiences.  It would also provide facilities to continue to conduct collaborative projects with area school districts and agencies and to carry on research projects unique to education and the training of teachers and other education professionals.

Enrollment has Increased Significantly

Enrollment in the College of Education has grown a tremendous rate as a result of the population growth in the region and the maturity of the academic programs.  Enrollment in the COE has accounted for 55% of the total campus growh since academic year 95-96 and is 15% of the campus enrollment total.  Despite the introduction of a state-supported summer session and the expansion of distance education offerings, the FTES continues to grow in the regular academic year.

Year round operations do not and will not adequately address the growth demands on the programs of the COE.  As noted above, despite increased summer session offerings fall enrollment has not decreased or stabilitized.  It is not possible to significantly increase our summer offerings for several reasons.  Most importantly, all teaching credential courses require field components.  There is not an adequate number of year round schools to accommodate a significantly larger summer session than is presently offered. 

Year round high schools and middle schools are especially lacking with year round high schools almost non-existent.  Elementary schools with year round operations are limited and are not evenly distributed throughout our service region.  Therefore, they are not easily accessible to students in all geographic regions.  Due to socio-economic, family responsibilities, employment issues, CSUSB students require close proximity to field sites or they are unable to meet field-based course requirements.  The varied start dates and schedules of year round schools also present major challenges for students trying to complete field assignments.  If a year round school is not available to them unitl mid-July, candidates are unable to gain access to the classroom throughout the full course time period.  Again, variability makes it impossible for the COE to develop a more adequate summer schedule of courses.

An additional challenge to year round operations is a shortage of full time faculty to teach the courses and a shortage of qualified supervisors.  Thus, even if more summer field sites were available, adquate staff is not available throughout the summer months.  Increased reliance on part-time faculty is not an option due to accreditation standards.  Supervisors are already at a premium during the regular academic year, and as noted by our recent accreditation reviewers, supervisors must be matched to the content area and grade level expertise of the candidates they vist.