Clinical Experience
The College of Education seeks to enmesh Teacher Education Program (TEP) candidates into the P-12 school setting from the very beginning of its programs. Clinical experiences are designed to further a candidate's knowledge, skills, and dispositions regarding the content matter in which they are enrolled and to allow candidates a wide range of activities from observing school culture to teaching opportunities. These experiences provide the avenue whereby candidates are exposed to the culture of schooling and develop an understanding of schools as learning communities. In addition, clinical experiences allow candidates to observe and reflect on practice, as well as application of instructional strategies.
To ensure an exposure to diverse educational settings, TEP candidates are required to complete a specified number of clinical hours in diverse settings prior to their internship semester:
| Undergraduate Diversity Requirements: |
| 100 |
Urban/Low Income |
| 20 |
Private |
| 40 |
Rural |
| 24 |
Special Education |
| 40 |
Suburban |
| 300 |
Total |
(Note: The 92 hours not mandated above can be completed in the area of candidate's choice. However, candidates will only be given credit for a maximum of 50 non-school practicum hours.) |
| CACC Diversity Requirements: |
| 24 |
Urban/Low Income |
| 0 |
Private |
| 80 |
Rural |
| 24 |
Special Education |
| 80 |
Suburban |
| 300 |
Total |
(Candidates will only be given credit for a maximum of 50 non-school practicum hours.) |
| Graduate Diversity Requirements: |
| 50 |
Urban/Low Income |
| 0 |
Private |
| 50 |
Rural |
| 20 |
Special Education |
| 50 |
Suburban |
| 201 |
Total |
(Candidates will only be given credit for a maximum of 50 non-school practicum hours.)
*50 total hours are required in rural and suburban. The candidate may choose which setting in which to complete these 50 hours. |
TEP candidates are placed for clinical experiences through the College of Education. The Field Experience Director works with each school or school system to identify teachers' strengths based on the field experience focus for the candidate's particular professional studies course. Together, an appropriate match between candidate and school teacher occurs.
Clinical Experiences are designed to integrate the College of Education's Conceptual Framework, content knowledge, professionalism, pedagogical knowledge, skills and professional dispositions. These attributes are assessed through the Field Experience Form B. P-12 personnel complete the Form B evaluation on each candidate's dispositions and interaction with candidates while placed under their observation. Candidates submit this evaluation via LiveText®. For each Form B evaluation, candidates must submit a Field Experience Report (FER) via LiveText®. The FER includes summary of the learning experience and requires a reflection of learning environment as it relates to classroom management, technology, diversity, the candidate's disposition to care, dialogue, and calling, as well as how the experience will shape the candidate's professional practice.
All Teacher Education Program candidates are required to complete a semester long internship following the completion of their degree plan coursework. This internship is comprised of two eight-week placements in an approved P12 school setting. During the internship process, candidates are required to teach a minimum of 20 consecutive days. Candidates are evaluated by university and P12 personnel a minimum of eight times throughout their internship process using an evaluation tool based on the public schools' evaluation system EDUCATE Alabama.
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