Affordability comes first at EOU, education program goes hybrid in fall of 2023

Affordability comes first at EOU, special education program goes hybrid in fall of 2023

LA GRANDE, Ore. – The special education initial teacher licensure (SEITL) undergraduate program designed by Eastern Oregon University faculty member Jerred Jolin has just been made more accessible.

EOU has announced that the program will go hybrid in the fall of 2023.

Students in Eastern Oregon University’s College of Education can major in Special Education, putting them on track to graduate with a state-approved, preliminary teaching license with a special education endorsement and go directly into classrooms where their expertise is in high demand.

The increased accessibility of a hybrid program is due to its distance-learning format. Classes will be held online so it isn’t necessary to come to campus. This kind of program is ideal for classified school district employees who need to keep their jobs working as educational assistants or paraprofessionals in classrooms but want to eventually become special education teachers.

Classes will be held in the late afternoons and early evenings to accommodate work schedules.

Since part of the program includes practicums, which are classroom-based learning experiences, students can satisfy these credit requirements in the classroom they are working in for their job.

The SEITL undergraduate program reduces the amount of time it takes to get teachers into the special education field. Now, if a student wants to teach special education they no longer have to finish a four-year degree and then an additional one-and-a-half-year, postgraduate program to obtain the special education endorsement that is required by the state.

According to Jolin, “students that don’t necessarily want to be general education teachers but want to teach individuals with disabilities can save time and money with this program. EOU is the only university in eastern Oregon to offer the degree.”

“Our goal is to address the shortage of qualified special education teachers in this state and nationwide,” Jolin said. “Students can make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities by learning the skills needed to help them be successful in the classroom.”

Program completion entails 76 quarter credits–55 comprising coursework and 21 comprising practicum and student teaching field placements.

To qualify for enrollment into the SEITL undergraduate program students must have completed an AAOT/ASOT degree or equivalent.

Students participate in practicums during their junior and senior years, and then a 15-week student teaching field placement in the program’s final year. Jolin explained that offering multiple hands-on experiences allows students to explore a wide range of special education settings, such as resource rooms, life skills classrooms, classrooms for students with behavior challenges, or academic interventions with math or reading.

The SEITL undergraduate program is open for enrollment for fall 2023. To learn more about the program or to apply visit this website: https://www.eou.edu/special-education/.