Memorandum. Executive Committee, College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR)

Transcription

1 Memorandum To: CC: From: Executive Committee, College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) Dr. Trever Crowe, Associate Dean, CGSR Dr. Laureen McIntyre, Graduate Chair, Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education Dr. Dionne Pohler, Chair, Graduate Programs Committee, CGSR Date: November 13, 2014 Re: Proposal for credit unit reduction and minor program modification in School and Counseling Psychology Master of Education program The Graduate Programs Committee of CGSR met on November 10, 2014, to consider the credit unit reduction and minor program modification in the Master of Education program in School and Counselling Psychology. The committee discussed the proposal at length and noted the following: - The proposal to reduce the credit unit requirement from 36 credits to 33 credits did not seem unreasonable as the credit unit requirement was still quite high for a thesis-based master s program. - Comparator institution requirements were not provided as the UofS thesis-based program was a unique offering meeting accreditation requirements. - Removing SCP 815: Family Interventions, from the list of required courses would not impede a student s ability to gain employment in an educational field where accreditation was required, and students would have the option to pursue the course as an elective if desired. - Though the committee appreciated the honesty of the Department indicating that instructor resourcing had been problematic, that was not a sufficient rationale for changing academic requirements. - Increasing the available options for research methods courses would better compliment thesis preparation. The Graduate Programs Committee of CGSR is recommending approval of the credit unit reduction and minor program modification for the Master of Education in School and Counseling Psychology program in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education. DP:kc Attachments (2): Clarified table of requirements Original Proposal

2 Revised Table Current Required Courses (12 Required Courses; 36 Credit Units) ERES 800.3: Introduction to Research Methods ERES 840.3: Statistical Methods Intermediate OR ERES 841.3: Statistical Methods Advanced OR ERES 845.3: Qualitative Research Methods SCP 810.3: Ethics in Counselling and School Psychology SCP 811.3: Psychopathology Assessing SCP Developmental Risk SCP 812.3: Assessment of Intelligence and SCP Cognitive Abilities SCP 813.3: Academic Achievement and SCP Language Assessment and Intervention SCP 814.3: Individual Interventions SCP SCP 815.3: Family Interventions SCP SCP 816.3: Group Interventions in Schools SCP and Communities SCP 817.3: Career and Transition Planning SCP SCP 818.3: Practicum I SCP SCP 819.3: Practicum II SCP SCP 994.0: Thesis SCP SCP 990.0: Professional Identity Seminar SCP SCP 991.0: Professional Practice Seminar SCP GSR 960.0: Introduction to Ethics & Integrity GSR GSR 961.0: Ethics & Integrity in Human Research EPSE 821.3: Biological Basis of Behaviour Proposed Requirement (11 Required Courses; 33 Credit Units) Two 3-credit unit courses at the 800- level in Research Methodology, chosen in consultation with the EPSE department (i.e., Graduate Chair). Courses could include: ERES 840.3, ERES 841.3, ERES 845.3, ERES 810.3, ECUR 844.3, ECUR and/or other courses as approved by the EPSE department SCP GSR EPSE 821: Biological Basis of Behaviour SCP 815: Family Interventions

3 October 31, 2014 Dear Graduate Programs Committee Members: Re: Rationale for Proposed Minor Changes in the M.Ed. in School and Counselling Psychology Degree The Educational Psychology and Special Education (EPSE) Department currently offers thesis and course-based Masters of Education degree options in Special Education and a thesis-based Masters of Education degree in School and Counselling Psychology. In order to: (1) decrease the overall course credits students are required to complete in their program of study; and (2) increase the flexibility of course selection for students (i.e., increase the course offerings they are able to access across terms and across campus to complete program requirements; and take advantage of new research methodology courses being offered across campus, such as Cross Cultural or Indigenous Research Methodology), we are proposing to make the following minor program changes to our Master of Education degree in School and Counselling Psychology: Request #1: Students in the School and Counselling Psychology M.Ed. stream will be required to 33 credits units of coursework (plus thesis) versus the current 36 credit units of coursework (plus thesis) to graduate. Rationale: The School and Counselling Psychology stream of the Department Educational Psychology and Special Education s M.Ed. program currently requires students to complete 36 credit units of coursework (plus thesis) to graduate. We are proposing to reduce the required courses from 36 credit units to 33 credit units by moving one of our required courses (SCP 815: Family Interventions) to become a potential elective course offered every 2 years (see Table 1). We would like to remove SCP 815 as a required course for students, since: (1) We want to reduce the required course load for students enrolled in this program; (2) Our department no longer has a faculty member on staff who has expertise in the field of family counselling interventions, and have had significant difficulty finding a qualified sessional instructor to teach it on a yearly basis. By moving this class to be an elective that can be taught on as needed basis (i.e., every two years), we will have time to find an appropriate sessional instructor to teach the class; and 1

4 (3) Students will still able to take the course and add it to their program of study if the student and their supervisory committee (i.e., thesis supervisor and committee) feel its content will add to their knowledge base, and facilitate future job opportunities when out in the field. Request #2: Students in the M.Ed. School and Counselling Psychology stream will be required to complete two- 3 credit unit graduate research related courses in their 33 credit unit program of study instead of ERES 800 and ERES 840, ERES 841, or ERES 845 (see Table 1). Rationale: In the M.Ed. (School and Counselling Psychology stream), students are required to take the following research methodology courses: ERES 800 (Introduction to Research Methods), and one of ERES 840 (Statistical Methods Intermediate), ERES 841 (Statistical Methods Advanced), and ERES 845 (Qualitative Research Methods). We would like to change the listing of specific required research methods courses (i.e., ERES 800 and ERES 840/841/845) to stating we require students to complete 6 credit units in graduate research methodology. This change will allow us to vary the types of research courses students are taking in their program of study to: (1) ensure they are expanding their knowledge base and not repeating coursework they already completed in their undergraduate programs; and (2) take courses that will directly support their proposed thesis research. This minor change to the students program of study will increase the flexibility of course selection for students (i.e., increase the course offerings they are able to access across terms and across campus to complete program requirements; and take advantage of new research methodology courses being offered across campus, such as Cross Cultural or Indigenous Research Methodology) and allow students to self-select a more research intensive or applied measurement focus to their program of studies in the school and counselling stream. 2

5 Table 1. M.Ed. Thesis-based (School and Counselling Psychology Stream) Proposed Program Change Current Required Courses (12 Required Courses; 36 Credit Units) ERES 800.3: Introduction to Research Methods Proposed Requirement (11 Required Courses; 33 Credit Units) Two - 3 credit unit graduate level courses in Research Methodology, chosen in consultation with the EPSE department (i.e., Graduate Chair). For example: ERES 840.3: Statistical Methods Intermediate or ERES 841.3: Statistical Methods Advanced or ERES 845.3: Qualitative Research Methods SCP 810.3: Ethics in Counselling and School Psychology SCP 811.3: Psychopathology Assessing Developmental Risk SCP 812.3: Assessment of Intelligence and Cognitive Abilities SCP 813.3: Academic Achievement and Language Assessment and Intervention ERES or 3 credit units in Intermediate Statistics as approved by the EPSE department; ERES or 3 credit units in Advanced Statistics as approved by the EPSE department; ERES or 3 credit units in Qualitative Research Methods as approved by the EPSE department (e.g., ERES 810: Indigenous Research Epistemology and Methods; ECUR 844: Narrative Inquiry) ECUR 809: Models and Methods for Evaluation of Educational Programs or 3 credit units in Program Evaluation as approved by the EPSE department SCP SCP SCP SCP SCP 814.3: Individual Interventions SCP SCP 815.3: Family Interventions SCP 816.3: Group Interventions in Schools and SCP Communities SCP 817.3: Career and Transition Planning SCP SCP 818.3: Practicum I SCP SCP 819.3: Practicum II SCP SCP 994.0: Thesis SCP SCP 990.0: Professional Identity Seminar SCP SCP 991.0: Professional Practice Seminar SCP GSR 960.0: Introduction to Ethics & Integrity GSR GSR 961.0: Ethics & Integrity in Human Research EPSE 821.3: Biological Basis of Behaviour GSR EPSE 821: Biological Basis of Behaviour SCP 815: Family Interventions 3

6 Thank you for considering our request for these minor program changes. We look forward to your response. Sincerely, Laureen McIntyre, Ph.D., S-LP(C), CCC-SLP, Registered SK Speech-Language Pathologist Associate Professor, Graduate Chair, and Director of the Special Education Certificate Department of Educational Psychology & Special Education 4