SUU Prepares Teachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Published: March 18, 2021 | Author: Savannah Byers | Read Time: 2 minutes
As the COVID-19 pandemic changes the future job descriptions of many college students, Southern Utah University’s teacher education programs are actively addressing new changes to the teaching profession and continue to prepare a new generation of highly-qualified teachers during a global pandemic and a state and nationwide teacher shortage.
“The Beverley Taylor Sorenson College of Education and Human Development has been fortunate during the COVID-19 pandemic to have had courses and faculty prepared for using synchronous remote technologies like Zoom and for being comfortable and confident in an online environment,” said Dr. Shawn Christiansen, dean of the College of Education and Human Development at SUU.
Enrollment in the College of Education and Human Development is up more than 10% from the 2019-2020 school year. This can be attributed to the college’s established online programs, specifically graduate studies. The college has and continues to expand its online degree programs to continue accessibility and quality education for future teachers.
“COEHD has a long history of providing distance education courses in its graduate programs and we recently added online programs in Elementary Education and Family Life and Human Development,” said Dr. Shawn Christiansen. “The majority of our classes are still being taught face-to-face and there have been some adaptations that have needed to be made in regard to practicums and student teaching because of COVID. With the adjustments that have been made during this pandemic year, I am proud of our faculty, staff, and students for their resilience in adjusting to these challenges and for their success in making learning a priority.”
SUU has also been recognized by Best Value Schools for having 2021’s fourth most affordable teaching degree in the United States. However, affordability does not outweigh quality of education at SUU. Job placement rates for teachers from SUU is nearly 100%. The only reason the placement rate isn’t solidly 100% is to account for graduates who choose to defer their teaching profession. Usually this is to get married, have children, etc.
“Our graduates are well versed in the needs of today’s diverse classroom, and the hands-on engaging experiences our students get early and throughout the program shows when they enter the classroom ready to meet the needs of all learners,” said Dr. Nichole Wansgrad, associate professor of special education. “School districts know this and they tell us this.”
Learn more about SUU’s teacher education programs.
Tags: Teacher Education College of Education and Human Development