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Memorandum

To:

Senate

From: Professional Foundations

Subject: Amended Entrance Requirements to

J. F.

Ellis

Professional Development Program

rate: October 24, 166

The following motion was passed at the Faculty of Education meeting of October 30,

and is subrnited for

your

consideration.

"iioved that the minimum requirement for entry into the

Professional Development Program be increased from 45.,

semester hours to 60 senieter

hours jn

the Faculties of

Arts nd Scieace0l,,

Subject to 3snate approval this amendment will become effective on anuary 1, 1S68.

The following are presented in support of this proposal:

.

1)

increasing the academic preparation of teachers has been

well

established trend in teacher traini-ng for some years. Changes

in curriculum with respect to iathematics, Ccience, Language

Arts )

and proposed curriculum changes in social Studies call for

substantial improved academic preparation for beginning teachers.

2)

The present requirement of 45 semester hours results in the

acquisition of an Elementary Basic teaching certificate on grad-

uation from the Prfessional Development Program. Althcugh

this certificf

.

..

'a now requires a full calendar year of additional

work as compared with U. B.C., it must be upgraded

through

the

medium of a further semester of studies in Arts or Science to an

Elementary Advanced certificate within four years.

3)

60 semester hours of academic preparation wcuid provide a sounder

basis for predicting success as students proceed to a degree. Fur-

thermore, students with 60 semester hours would, at this point, be

well advanced into a majors program before entering the Profes-

sional Develoment Program • Students meeting the 45 hour re-

quirement must concentrate on required courses stipulated by the

Department of Education at the expense of prerequisites for majors.

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4)

Both

the

academic and in-school portion of the Professional

Development Program lay heavy stress on the personal respon-

sibility of students. There is considerable evidence to show

that mature.- students are more ready to accept the advantages

of a freely structured program. students who complete Grade XIII

and one semester often do not have sufficient exposure to the freer

learning environment of the university to take full advantage of the

self-initiating opportunities provided by the program. It is felt

that a further semester cf studies in a university environment

would add materially to the overall academic maturity of our

student body.

5)

The :ofessional Development Program has seen its student

population increase 10 times within one year. Course enrolment

projections predict a further increase of 140% by September 167.

This increase places great strain on orderly and efficient growth.

We have a'-ready the largest teacher education program of this

type in North

America. Our program, with the trimester system,

is the most

Complex of its kind and the diffucion of students is the

most wide-spread.

6)

There is a direct ratio between staff requirements and student

pcpulation. Staff is normally appointed once a year but there

are three intakes of student annually. It may be necessary for

Professional Foundations to control the size of student intakes in

any given semester. A recent survey of students shows that the

increased academic requirements would result in reduction of

about 10% of applicationsto the Professional Levelcpment Program.

This fact encourages the opinion that there is substantial student

acceptance of the increased requirement to 60 semester hours

resulting in a much superior teaching certificate.

J

FE/rd