The University of Washington - Seattle

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Education (This Major's Salary over time)
University of Washington at Bothell - Elementary (K-8)Post Baccalaureate Teaching Certificate Program.

Comment on Advising: This degree follows a cohort format which means that the course sequences are pre-determined. The program is lock step. Because it is in a cohort format, students are not assigned to an academic advisor. I found this to be problematic a few times. Due to the lack of advising, I was left to resolve a situation on my own and it was distracting, stressful, and time consuming. I handled it well and it all worked out but I feel that I should have had support. I felt like the lack of advising was a cost cutting measure.

Comment on Placement Process: In my opinion, the on-site field experience coordinator seemed to be awkward with people (poor people skills), including with both teaching program students and teaching professionals in the school system. My brief personal experience with the coordinator was disappointing and he seemed to lack the professionalism, organizational abilities, and decorum needed for this important position that is all about people skills and networking.

Comment on Coursework: In my opinion, some of the coursework was top-notch. Though a lot of it seemed to lack substance and theory. The basis for many courses was student reflection. As a result, much of the class time was spent in group discussions, group activities, and group communications. I thought we spent a lot of time in class talking about how we felt. I think this was due to the constructivist approach to instruction. Prior to enrollment in this program, I did not know colleges used constructivist methods as I was familiar with direct instruction used for my bachelor's degree. Personally, the constructivist approach did not work well for me. Some other teaching students seemed to like it though. If I had known this was the approach, I would have gone to another school. I would have preferred to spend less time discussing and more time hearing about and studying current educational theory. Some reflective discussion and group activities would have been welcome as long as it was not the majority of the class time.

Comment on Administration: Leadership seemed to be in flux and did not seem reliable. As a result, policies and expectations seemed to shift. I found this stressful.

Staff Experience: A couple of the instructors were exceptional and I enjoyed their approaches and course content. These good experiences made the program shortcomings and logistics issues more bearable.

Now that I am in the teaching profession, I thought I would take a minute to go back and offer my thoughts about this program. Maybe it will be the right one for you or maybe you will fit in better elsewhere. From my experience in this program, I have learned the importance of doing research to ensure that a program of study. Hope this information helps you.