Content Knowledge for Teacher Candidates
(Initial and Continuing Preparation of Teachers)

PROGRAM FOLIO: PhD Program in Deaf Education

Ph.D. Program – Department of Education
Gallaudet University

1. How does the Conceptual Framework relate to the Ph.D. Program?

The Ph.D. Program relates to the ten components of the Conceptual Framework in the ways detailed below and results in students who (1) reflect upon practice regularly, (2) foster individual development in students, (3) seek continuous professional growth opportunities, (4) commit to the importance of a sign language based communication system and visual communication, (5) cooperate with professionals and lay persons outside their particular field, in the spirit of communication, and (6) intelligently and thoughtfully consume and conduct research in one’s particular field so that the candidate remains on the cutting edge of the various deafness fields.

a. Deaf Community

1. Individuals who are Deaf are specifically targeted for recruitment by the doctoral program.

2. Retention of deaf students is promoted by federally supported stipends and tuition waivers.

3. International students with promise to improve the lives of deaf children outside the U.S. are encouraged to apply.

4. Deaf faculty teach doctoral courses, advise students, serve on the Ph.D. Program Development Committee, Department Doctoral Studies Committee, Qualifying and Comprehensive Examination Committees and Dissertation Committees.

b. Collaboration

1. The revised doctoral program curriculum, submitted to university curriculum committees for approval, is specifically structured to promote student cohort groups. New students cite this as one of the major strengths of the program.

2. Doctoral students are encouraged to join departmental research teams and collaborate with faculty and other students in research and the production of journal manuscripts and conference proposals.

3. During the Fall, 2000 semester, students in a new doctoral seminar in professional writing that was offered as a Special Topics course submitted proposals for presentations at professional conferences. Seven students had proposals selected for the Association of College Educators of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students and two students had proposals accepted for the American Educational Research Association.

4. An excellent example of collaboration between and among students was the collaborative effort of two first year students, one deaf international student and one hearing student, who worked together to prepare a manuscript and ACE-DHH conference proposal comparing communication systems for deaf students in China and the United States.

5. An example of collaboration between faculty and students is the third year student who worked with two faculty to submit a 5-year federal grant

6. Several students are working in the Signs of Literacy Research project with department faculty and faculty of the Clerc Center at Gallaudet.

c. Individualization

1. Doctoral students’ programs of study are individually designed with their advisors, reflecting both their concentration area and the professional role they plan to assume upon graduation

2. Doctoral students select and prepare for one of three professional roles: (a) teacher educator, (b) researcher, or (c) coordinator of an instructional program

3. Doctoral students select one of the following concentration areas identified by the field as desirable in leadership personnel: (a) literacy, (b) early education, (c) multiple disabilities, (d) curriculum, (e) applied linguistics, (f) school to work transition, (g) instructional interactive media, and (e) research. Students complete 15 credits in their concentration area

4. Core courses address the diversity of deaf and hard of hearing student populations, views of parents, teachers, school administrators and scholars about how to address the needs of deaf and hard of hearing children and youth, and emphasize the need to respect differing views

d. Scope of Program

The Ph.D. Program complements the Master’s Program in deaf education in the Department of Education and the Department of Educational Foundations and Research at Gallaudet. It also complements concentration area courses offered in other departments at Gallaudet or in universities in the D.C. Metro Area Consortium

e. Continuous Improvement

1. The Ph.D. Program is committed to a process of continuous improvement. This is accomplished via the following:

1.  

   1. Regularly seeking and securing federal funding to promote the improvement of doctoral programs in special education

   2. Bi-weekly meetings of the Ph.D. Program Development Committee Study

   3. Program Self-Study and participation in the tri-annual University Program Review

   4. Annual meeting of the Ph.D. Advisory Board

   5. Formal and informal input from students about the program is obtained formally via required course evaluations, faculty-student meetings, and the Gallaudet On-line Discussion Forum of faculty, current doctoral students, and program graduates. It is collected informally in conversations and meetings with advisors and the Ph.D. Program Director.

f. Personal Professional Characteristics

1. Personal professional characteristics are evaluated in the application process via letters of recommendation. Students are also continuously evaluated in courses by faculty and peers, by faculty advisors and by faculty on the Qualifying and Comprehensive Examination Committees and the Dissertation Committee.

2. Faculty model professional ethics, are evaluated annually by peers for ethics and integrity, and emphasize ethics with students in research and scholarship

g. Strong Knowledge Base

1. All faculty involved with the doctoral program possess a strong knowledge base in deaf education and at least one faculty member related to the doctoral program possesses expertise in each of the different concentration areas

2. The Ph.D. Program addresses specific competencies in the areas of: (a) research analysis and application, (b) policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation, (c) professional writing and dissemination, (d) service delivery model design, (e) higher education personnel preparation and professional development, (f) program evaluation and service monitoring, (g) application of technology and computers (h), supervisory skills for direct service supervisors, (i) university and or professional participation, and (j) specific content-focused program competencies in deaf and hard of hearing children and youth.

3. During FY 1999, core knowledge and skills, expected of all students, were identified by the Ph.D. Program Development Committee and new core course proposals were developed to address that knowledge-skill base. These course proposals are currently being reviewed by the different university faculty curriculum committees.

4. The knowledge base of students is evaluated in both the comprehensive examination and dissertation oral defense.

h. Reflective Practice

1. Faculty model reflective practices in both their formal and informal interactions with students.

2. Core course pre-assessments require students to reflect upon their strengths, needs, and interests, and course assignments require students to reflect upon and defend views related to different educational issues.

3. The qualifying and comprehensive examinations require students to take positions on different issues and defend them.

4. The dissertation process requires students to reflect on the generalizability of the results of their study as well as other limitations of their research.

i. Tolerance for Ambiguity

1. Faculty model tolerance for ambiguity in both their formal and informal interactions with students.

2. Students are encouraged throughout the program to be able to explain the different views on the various issues in the field of deaf education and to identify the questions related to the different issues that still need to be addressed.

j. Continuous Professional Growth

1. Faculty model continuous professional growth by:

1. Their syllabi reflecting most current professional literature

2. Presentations at professional meetings

3. Conducting and reporting research related to education of deaf individuals

4. Publishing articles, chapters, or books related to deaf education

5. Participating in workshops or seminars

1. Faculty encourage students to attend professional meetings and require them to regularly read journals that that will enable students to continue their growth after graduation.

2. Students receive funds to support their travel to and participation in professional conferences.

1. What are the philosophy, objectives, and knowledge base of the Ph.D. Program?

1. Philosophy and Conceptual Framework

It is the philosophy of the Department of Education that the optimum Ph.D. program in Deaf Education should: (1) meet the documented leadership needs in Deaf Education for additional and better prepared teacher educators, researchers, and direct service program coordinators; (2) be designed in a way to meet rigorous certification and accreditation standards; (3) be individualized according to students' concentration areas and primary professional role for which they are preparing; (4) incorporate both course work and practical experiences, including a research component; (5) utilize rich resources in the Washington metropolitan area, including Gallaudet faculty and faculty in the Washington DC Area Consortium of Universities; (6) encourage active learning in its students; and (7) engage in on-going program review which incorporates information from regular and comprehensive formative and summative evaluation techniques. Graduates of the program should demonstrate specific core and concentration area competencies and competency in sign communication and should exemplify characteristics of:

o A critical thinker

o A reflective professional

o A seeker, generator, and disseminator of knowledge

o A dedicated educator of future professionals

o A subscriber to personal and professional ethics

o A leader among peers

o An active collaborator

1. This philosophy is reflected in the conceptual framework on the following page.

2. Ph.D. Program Competencies can be found in the Ph.D. Program Handbook (p 131-156)

Conceptual Framework - Department of Education Ph.D. Program

3. What is the Course of Study for the Ph.D. Program?

The doctoral program is in the process of revision based on an extensive self-study, feedback from faculty and students involved in the program, University program review, and objectives of a federal grant that partially supports the program. Proposed revisions are intended to strengthen the research component of the program, increase EDU faculty involvement with the program, and increase communication between new and continuing students. New courses are being offered as EDU 895 (Special Topics) courses this year. They are currently in the process of review and approval for inclusion in the Graduate Catalog by the Professional Education Programs Committee (PEP-C) and Council on Graduate Education.

a. Core Courses (33 credits)

Introduction to Doctoral Studies in Deaf Education (3)
Trends and Issues in General and Special Education (3)
Statistics/Research Methods Course I (3) Title TBA
Statistics/Research Methods Course II (3) Title TBA
Statistics/Research Methods Course III (3) Title TBA
Trends and Issues in Reading and Writing for Deaf Students (3)
Language, Culture, and the Literacy (3)
Assessment and Evaluation with Deaf Children (3)
Curriculum and Academic Achievement (3)
Professional Writing Seminar (1)
On-Going Doctoral Seminar (1)
Structure of ASL and English (4)

b. Concentration Area Courses (18 credits, including one 3 credit statistics/research methods course)

Students must take 18 semester hours of course work in their concentration area (i.e., literacy, applied linguistics, family centered early education, multiple disabilities, curriculum, research, school-to-work transition, or interactive instructional media). Included in the 18 hours is a fourth 3 credit research methods or statistics course relevant to the student’s dissertation topic. At least two of the concentration area courses must be doctoral level courses. Course work may be taken at Gallaudet, through universities in the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area; and in special circumstances, up to 24 credits of pre-planned, pre-approved coursework may be transferred to the Ph.D. program. All transfer credits beyond 12 credits must be in the student’s concentration area. In order to be accepted as transfer credits, courses must be at the graduate level.

c. Practica/Internships (6 to 12 credits)

Students complete a 2-3 credit practicum in university instruction supervised by a department faculty member and a 4-9 credit, role-related internship designed to develop competencies in the primary role for which the student is preparing. Internships vary from shadowing a university teacher educator, assisting in the writing a federal grant, developing and delivering a series of workshops, or working in a research laboratory.

d. Dissertation (9 credits)

Every student must complete a dissertation for the doctor of philosophy degree. The dissertation must incorporate a research design capable of addressing a theoretical problem in education of deaf children and youth. Once enrolled for dissertation credit, the candidate must maintain continuous enrollment. Over the course of the program, students must register for a minimum of 9 credit hours of dissertation. In the event that more than 9 hours are accrued, only 9 hours will be reflected on the transcript at the satisfactory completion of the dissertation

4. What modifications, if any, have been made to the Ph.D. Program since 1997?

Based on feedback from faculty, students, and Ph.D. Advisory Board, and findings from a University Program Review, the core curriculum of the program has been revised to delete some required courses, increase the number of core course offerings within the Department of Education, add a core course from the Dept of ASL, Linguistics, and Interpreting, strengthen the research component, and increase interaction between new students and continuing students. To this end, a Ph.D. Program Development Committee met for one year to identify the core content program graduates should have and to develop the courses needed to address that knowledge/skill base. Results of that effort were (1) the concentration area requirement of 21-24 credits was reduced to 15-18 credits, (2) two current core courses offered in the Dept of Administration and Supervision (ADM 834 and 858) were dropped as requirements, (3) a 4-credit course from the LIN dept in the structure of ASL and English was added, and (4) the number of Dept of Education courses was increased from three to seven courses.

A summary of the core course changes in the Department of Education is as follows: Two core courses related to issues and trends in Deaf Education (EDU 880 and 881) have been revised in a way to: (1) reduce the scope of those two courses to more adequately address trends and issues not related to language, communication and literacy of deaf students, (2) add two courses to comprehensively address trends and issues related to language, communication, and literacy of deaf students, (3) retain the department’s course in Assessment and Evaluation of Deaf Students and Youth, (4) add a 1-credit Ongoing Ph.D. Seminar, designed to increase communication between new and continuing students, and (5) add a 1-credit Doctoral Seminar in Professional Writing and Presentation Skills that specifically addresses the development of these abilities.

The 4-course statistics and research methods sequence offered in the Department of Educational Foundations and Research required of all students is in the process of being revised in a way that core content, required of all students, will be presented in three courses and 1-2 elective courses will be developed for our students. The sequence of core courses has been developed in a way that students can take them in a summer-fall-spring-summer sequence. This design allows current leadership personnel who can only be away from their job one year to complete the core requirements during that year and complete the remainder of their program requirements near their place of employment.

5. What kind of field experiences are required of the program?

All students complete a 2-3 credit practicum in university instruction that is supervised by a department faculty member and a 4-9 credit, role-related internship designed to develop competencies in the primary role for which the student is preparing. In addition, students who are federally supported conduct research with department faculty as part of a research team.

6. What, if any, partnerships exist with local schools or school districts, for the Ph.D. Program?

The Ph.D. Program is housed on a campus that also has facilities for early childhood education (birth – 3^rd grade), elementary, middle school and high school deaf students. A number of doctoral students are currently involved in an extensive qualitative study of deaf students in those programs with Department of Education faculty member, Dr. Carol Erting. Dr. Marilyn Sass-Lehrer and Dr. Barbara Bodner-Johnson serve on the Advisory Board of the Clerc Center. Dr. Jay Innes is on the Board of Trustees of the Maryland School for the Deaf. A number of department faculty also have formal collaborative links with school districts and university research units via federal and private-sector grants. For example, Dr. Carol LaSasso has obtained an NIH grant with Georgetown University and Montgomery County public schools to investigate phonological abilities of deaf students. Dr. Richard Lytle and Dr. Simon Guteng have recently received a five year collaborative grant with the Fairfax County Virginia Public Schools from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs to address the needs of deaf students with multiple disabilities. Doctoral students are involved with that project. A third grant supports Project Achieve, funded by the Knight Foundation and directed by Dr. David Martin. Project Achieve , in its fourth year, is an innovative and highly successful collaborative program with the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, Maryland School for the Deaf, the Clerc Center, and Fairfax County Public Schools that addresses the educational needs of traditionally under-served adult populations, including adults who are deaf and/or from under-represented racial-ethnic groups. In addition, doctoral students are part of a research team with department faculty and faculty of the Clerc Center.

7. What evaluation process is used to determine Ph.D. Program effectiveness?

The formal evaluation plan in the OSERS grant, reflects the ways in which different aspects of the program are evaluated (See Attachment #1). The program is formally and regularly evaluated by the Department Chair and Dean, Department faculty on the Ph.D. Program Development Committee, Ph.D. Advisory Board, the NCATE Professional Educational Program Committee, and current students. Progress toward the achievement of leadership project goals, designed to strengthen the Ph.D. Program, is also evaluated annually by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Additionally, every three years, the Ph.D. Program conducts an extensive self-study and is formally evaluated by faculty, students, graduates, and program administrators via regular University Program Review. Program curriculum changes are formally reviewed and approved by three independent faculty units including: the Professional Educational Programs Committee, the Council on Graduate Education, and the Faculty Senate. NCATE evaluates the program every five years. Core courses and instructors are evaluated every semester via student course evaluations that are submitted to the Department Chair and included in faculty portfolios used for annual faculty evaluations. Core courses, their faculty instructors, and the Director of the Ph.D. Program are formally evaluated annually by peers, department chair, and Dean in the annual peer review. A questionnaire to program graduates, modeled after one used by the Psychology Department, is being developed to get input from program graduates and their employers.

In terms of informal feedback, faculty and students provide it regularly to the Ph.D. Program Director and Department Chair. Faculty advisors and other faculty also get regular informal feedback from students that they incorporate in their suggestions for improving the core courses and other aspects of the program including the Qualifying Exam. The formal mechanism currently in place for faculty and students to dialog on topics of interest to students, including curricular changes, is this GDOC forum and the weekly face-to-face interactions at the Ongoing Ph.D. Seminar.

8. How does the Ph.D. Program fit with either the standards of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC)?

These are not relevant to the doctoral program.

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