Candidate Recruitment
The MAE has multiple methods of recruitment. First, we participate in all Showcase Days, which are held throughout the Fall and Spring and are sponsored by the Admissions Office. Prospective students and parents are invited to attend a session designed specifically for the MAE program. Our recruitment/retention GTRAs work with faculty during the meet and greet portion of the morning and then work with the Department Chair for the 30 minute session.
MAE faculty meet with individual prospective students and families when they are touring the campus virtually or face to face and request a meeting.
Our MAE faculty recruit informally when they are in schools for site visits. Students sometimes will ask questions about Truman. Faculty take swag to give to mentor teachers and interns. Other teachers and colleagues in buildings will ask us questions about the MAE and other programs at TSU.
All graduates from Truman State University get swag to display in their classrooms and it is not atypical for a prospective student to comment about a TSU graduate who encouraged him/her/them to attend Truman.
We work closely with our Admissions Office and meet each year to discuss changes to our Quick Facts and other materials that we create for recruitment. All Admissions Advisors have the Department Chair’s phone number and will call with questions as they work for students.
The recruitment/retention GTRAs have presented at the Educator Rising Conference held annually. From that presentation, we have had several advisors of Educator Rising Clubs reach out to us asking if we can present to their club. We have had several virtual presentations this way, which have been very successful. In addition, we have heard from one Future Teachers of America advisor this fall and they are coming to campus soon with their organization. We plan on reaching out to other Future Teachers of America.
We have hosted different events on campus. For example, we coordinate with the Art Gallery at Truman to present lessons to K-12 students who come as part of a field trip. Currently, we are working on a STEM day for 8th graders to come to campus and visit different departments within our school.
Self and Society, Action Symposium, and JINS (Junior Interdisciplinary Seminar) are undergraduate courses that MAE faculty often teach. Recruitment is a natural outcome in those courses and frequently students will inquire further. In addition, we have undergraduate courses that are open to any student such as ED 388 and ED 389. Students who enroll in those courses will sometimes pursue education and the MAE.
Transfer students who are interested in the MAE meet with the MAE Certification Officer to determine a plan to earn MAE degrees and certification. The recruitment and retention GTRAs invite transfer students to different events we host and the Department Chair of Education will meet with them each semester.
Admission to the MAE
A history of discussions about admissions from Education Department meetings (beginning in 2007) illustrates a long and consistent examination of our admission practices, as well as the reflection and care with which the department approaches admissions. We have tried to become very transparent so that there are no surprises for a Truman undergraduate student who wants to enter the MAE.
Requirements for admission differ by the particular MAE program. The Special Education and Elementary Education programs allow direct admission. There are four gateways that candidates must meet and then they become a graduate student upon completion of their undergraduate degree. Secondary and K-12 programs have four core components that are common to all programs and then they each list requirements that are particular to their programs.
For current Truman undergraduate students who are Special Education or Elementary Education focused, they complete a form in their XXX 608G courses that allows them to become a graduate student. For other TSU undergraduates applying to other MAE programs, they complete an application in Slate. The application is reviewed by the MAE faculty contact person in that department and/or a committee. The Department Chair of the discipline reviews the application and then the Department Chair of Education reviews the application. Finally, the Dean of the School of Health and Sciences reviews the applications. All applications are reviewed within the month that they were received unless the student is missing components of the application.
For non-Truman graduates who are interested in the MAE, there is a slightly different process. First, they cannot have earned a teaching certification. Second, they must meet certain requirements prior to admission so they are non-degree seeking students until they meet those requirements. Third, they are assigned an MAE advisor to ensure a smooth transition.
From Fall 2018 to Spring 2021, MAE programs had 12 students who started an application, but never completed one. During that time period, there were 307 completed applications. Of those applications, 305 students were admitted. One international student was denied due to the personal statement requesting a program that our MAE does not have. Another student was asked to become non-degree seeking first to meet undergraduate criteria and did not pursue the MAE. Our acceptance rate is 99%.
Our add-on certifications do not require admissions.
Monitoring and Retention of Enrolled Students
Across the content areas, the MAE faculty employ a variety of monitoring processes to help ensure the success of all students. Some examples include regular observations, periodic check-ins via email/text/Zoom, journal reflections, development of goals for professional growth, formal documentation of progress, and linking students to both internal and external resources. For struggling students who may need more support, personalized plans for accountability and remediation measures may be employed.
Across departments, there is a heavy emphasis on advising students interested in teaching as soon as possible. For the most part, Education faculty begin advising students as soon as these students express a desire to teach or that they are interested in learning more about teaching. This advising is often done in-person in faculty classes, as well as at MAE welcome events, but also during Truman Visit Days and Truman Showcase events. As soon as students express an interest in possibly pursuing a teaching career, many faculty begin advising these students either the summer following their freshman year, once they transfer into the program/university, or, for some, in the spring of the students’ first year.
To support retention, we have multiple avenues including advising, eliminating unnecessary blocks to students’ success, and providing additional support as needed. For example, we had implemented a GPA requirement and faculty had no idea that we were losing students as early as sophomores who did not meet the GPA requirement for ED 389 (Rationale for dropping the GPA requirement for ED 389 to increase retention). There have been no issues with dropping that GPA requirement, but the benefit has been that we are recruiting and retaining more students than previously.
Another method to support students and increase retention is to introduce the MEES earlier in the program. Prior to the internship experience in ED 609G, all students become familiar with the MEES rubric through their capstone experiences in the 608G courses. Feedback to students from faculty mentors typically highlights desired MEES outcomes and provides a tool for monitoring pre-professional competency growth toward acceptable candidate criteria.
The MAE has multiple student organizations and opportunities such as professional development and social events to stay connected to the programs, which we believe contributes to retention.
If students are struggling with courses and/or field components, faculty will work with the individual to design a professional improvement plan to support growth. During 2018-2021, we have had three students with professional improvement plans (one in Special Education, one in Foreign Language, and one in Health Exercise Science) and they all graduated with certifications. In addition, we have many services available at Truman to support students who are struggling.
Further Evidence
An examination of data from F19 -Summer21 admitted students revealed that of all the students admitted, all but three students graduated. One person took a medical leave from the ELED program during the internship, one person was accepted in the ELED program, but did not start courses due to medical leave, and one person decided to attend Business School rather than pursue the ELED MAE. Of those that graduated, two have not earned certification from DESE–both of whom have been impacted by COVID-19 and we are working with to help them earn the certification. From the admitted students to graduation with the MAE, we have a 98% success rate of graduation. From F19-Summer21, we have a 99% rate of graduates earning certification.
On the Graduate Student Exit Questionnaire, students were asked if they could start graduate school over again, would they attend Truman State University. The 2018 graduates responded that 55% would definitely and 34% would probably attend again. In 2019, 54% of graduate students reported that they definitely would and 32% said probably. In 2020, 65% of graduate students said definitely yes and 30% responded probably. One graduate commented:
“The faculty in the MAE really make the program. They were fantastic in every way. I had an advisor that fit my style and personality perfectly, and had an easier time understanding and explaining things to me because of that. I had several teachers who would meet with me to discuss any questions I had that were more in their wheelhouse than my advisor. Julie Lochbaum in particular was probably the single most important interaction that I had outside of my faculty advisor. She assisted me in finding financial resources, helped me through an emotional crisis that had me considering withdrawing from the program, and inspired me to be a far better teacher than I ever thought I could be. Bev Peters, Dr. Maglio, and Dr. Yoder were also very inspiring and offered assistance whenever I felt lost.”