Some Experts Feel There Is a Need for More Teachers

ECU to offer online teaching degree opportunities Online learning provides students with flexibility in their learning schedule

Christopher Stevenson, Staff Writer August 23, 2006

The College of Education will soon be offering online teaching degrees for students who have finished their general education requirements at any N.C. community college.

The program is designed to offer prospective teachers an opportunity to get a degree within their home communities.

Students will be able to get online degrees in elementary education, special education-general curriculum and middle grades education with math and science concentrations.

This online degree program will be through Wachovia Partnership East and classes will be taught be ECU faculty.

Some experts feel there is a need for more teachers.

"Data from the N.C. State Department of Public Instruction shows that 10,000 new teachers are needed per year, and N.C. colleges/universities graduate about 3,500 of which about 2,500 go into teaching in N.C.," said Dr. Vivian Martin Covington, director of the office of teacher education at ECU.

ECU is trying a new tactic in response to the need for more teachers, and online learning gives students flexibility in their learning schedule. Students will be able to access this program from any where in the state.

"We will be helping to recruit teachers from areas that may have been traditionally underserved, and people in those areas can fulfill their desire to become teachers with the access this program will provide," Covington said. Covington said about 50 percent of the students currently enrolled in their programs is concentrated in the site-based model of teacher assistants. ECU hopes to get the same level of interest, if not more, with the online model.

"Teacher assistants are people who are vested in their communities, who know the public schools in the communities, and who wish to work and remain in the communities where they currently work and live," Covington said.

With education students becoming teacher assistants in their home communities, it is ECU's hope that some of these students will remain in their communities and fill positions to help alleviate the shortage of teachers in their area.

ECU's enrollment goal is to have 20 students per cohort for special education and 24 students per cohort for both the elementary and middle grades cohorts, which is a total enrollment goal of 68 students per year for the three online programs.

"We will begin in the spring 2007 with 20 in the special education cohort, then add 24 for middle grades in summer 2007 and 24 in elementary education in fall 2007," Covington said.

This cycle will be repeated on a yearly basis as long as enrollment in the programs remains steady.

Concerning the online program, Covington said, "It is not for current on campus students to transfer into, nor does it serve licensure only students, second degree students or lateral entry teachers."

Applications are due by Oct. 1 for spring 2007 special education applicants; Jan. 15, 2007 for summer 2007 middle grades education applicants and Feb. 15, 2007 for fall 2007 elementary education applicants.

Interested applicants should contact Paula F. Hopper, WPE Virtual Consortium Coordinator by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 252-493-7659 for further information.