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State Accreditation - Florida International University Teacher Preparation Program

Project type

Mixed Methods university program assessment

Role

Research Associate

I, in collaboration with another researcher, conducted a mixed-methods (qualitative focus group interviews and quantitative surveys) examination of the FIU Teacher Preparation Program’s foundational courses as part of the Florida TPI State Accreditation process. Our study of curriculum, teaching practices, and employment outcomes across various spaces was designed to ensure the program courses reflected our programs’ principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access but also fit within the restrictive principles of the Florida Department of Education.

We began by discussing course development and teaching philosophies with program and other department faculty to draw upon their areas of expertise. We then conducted focus groups and meetings with past and current instructors of the courses to gain a deeper understanding of what teaching practices currently exist within the course. Once we established the current state of the courses within the university and state frameworks, we reached out to graduates to find out what course topics they used in their professional practice as active teachers. Upon completing the data collection, we conducted a content analysis of interview data and descriptive statistics of survey data. We synthesized the analyses and compared them to crosswalks we created to analyze course syllabi and assignment instructions.

Ultimately, through analysis of stakeholders’ perspectives including faculty, staff, clinical teachers, and students, we provided the state with a clear report of how our program’s teaching philosophies and practices were meaningful. We also provided actionable insights and suggestions to realign cross-curricular perspectives that meet the state requirements while also adhering to our justice-oriented teaching philosophy.

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