Southern Wesleyan University

All students take an entry level methods course that includes a 30-hour field experience, a mini-lesson and an interview ("Why I Want to Be a Teacher").

All students take preparatory methods courses, as well as 12 hours in skills (Introduction to Teaching and Assessing Reading). A required Instructional Technology course provides students with skills in virtual teaching, electronic gradebooks, blogging, movie creation, creating webpages and podcasting.

All students are required to take courses mandated by their certification area: 

First Semester

• Pre-Clinical (2 credits: 80 hours in two school placements. The second placement will be the same placement for Clinical). 
• Behavior and Classroom Management

Second Semester 

• Clinicals (12 credits: The student has a 70-day placement in the grade level and content area where they will be certified.)

During sophomore and junior years, education majors have 100+ hours of field experiences with seasoned classroom teachers in their content area and grade level. Senior year, students have an 80-hour pre-clinical experience, which prepares them for their second semester clinical teaching assignment. Virtual learning is incorporated into all majors, as well as a required instructional course which prepares students with distance learning skills.

All students are required to take Introduction to the Exceptional Child, which explores challenges working with K-12 students from a variety of backgrounds, including differences in culture, language, abilities and socio-economic status. All courses encourage students to develop effective teaching strategies for a wide range of learners.

During the pre-clinical experience, each student is assigned a school cooperating teacher and a SWU supervisor who will act as mentors. During clinicals, each student is assigned a school cooperating teacher, a cooperating school administrator, and University supervisor who will mentor, assess, and give feedback, to ensure that future teachers can turn their learned theory into practical use.

Southern Wesleyan's Education program is nationally accredited and has a commitment to research, data-driven decisions and continuous improvement. 96% of Education graduates either find employment in the Education field or continue to graduate school. Seniors often sign "open contracts'' with districts during either Pre-Clinicals or Clinicals. Focus groups composed of program completers and an advisory group of stakeholders inform program decisions.