Web Applications for Communication, Community Outreach, and Student Recruitment and Retention in Teacher Education: An Ongoing Evaluation

Paper present at the WebNet 2001 World Conference
Orlando, Florida, October 24-27, 2001
Friday, October 26, 2001, 2:45 P.M.
Holiday Inn
also found at http://www.csudh.edu/soe/faculty/NMach/WebNet2001.html and at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/stoloff/webnet2001.htm

David L. Stoloff, Ph.D., 
Professor and Department Chair, Education Department
Eastern Connecticut State University
83 Windham Street, Webb Hall Room 129
Willimantic, CT 06226
tel. no. (860) 465-5501  fax. no. (860) 465-4538
email:  stoloffd@easternct.edu

Nada Mach, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Assistant Chair, Teacher Education Department
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Teacher Education Department
1000 East Victoria Street
Carson, CA 90747
tel. no. (310) 243-3915  fax no. (310) 243-2800
email: nmach@dhvx20.csudh.edu

Abstract
Over the last five years, the authors have examined how teacher educators in university programs (SCDEs - schools, colleges, and/or departments of education in colleges and universities) have made use of the World Wide Web to communicate with other potential and current educators (defined as cybercasting). An evaluation matrix was developed to demonstrate which programs are exemplary, have models of effective Web use, and which may be followed as best practices. The authors have expanded their examination from 50 to 70 Websites of SCDEs, and have expanded the foci of their matrices to reflect changing uses. The current study reviews changes in the uses of the WWW by teacher educators since 1996, and projected directions for the future.

Introduction
The authors, faculty members in teacher education programs in California and Connecticut, have been reviewing the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) by teacher education programs since 1996. They have chosen the term cybercasting to represent how teacher educators use the WWW to reach specific audiences of educators, as well as to make information about their programs and activities accessible to all who seek the knowledge. The number of sites reviewed and the nature of the reviews have expanded in the last five years ? going from a review of the functions of Websites for teacher educators, to an evaluation of Web presences of teacher education programs, to a discussion of how these Web presences foster educational leadership, and to a showcase of programs which make use of their Websites to share responsibility for recruiting and retaining caring and competent teachers. The authors have also expanded the focus of the discussion to how teacher educators use communication on the WWW for sharing leadership and for expanding online opportunities and access for all learners.

The 1996 Teacher Education Cybercasting Review
During the second half of 1996, Stoloff (1997) examined applications of the WWW that might prove useful for the expanding roles of leadership in teacher education and higher education reform. These emerging applications were seen as tools for expanding student recruitment, admission and retention, curriculum development and implementation, multi-media linkages, learning communities, Academy discussions, school-university partnerships, community outreach, research, and assessment, and professional placement.
Some findings included that of the one hundred teacher education Websites that were initially selected in June 1996, 24 had moved to other sites by February 1997. Several sites that once offered music or public documents were closed to free access by Web wanderers. Other sites had been upgraded and moved to their own servers - particularly those of the professional societies. The use of video for transmitting information on the WWW seemed to be limited, while examples of the use of small audio segments were evident.  During the latter part of 1996, there seemed to have been increased interest in placing course materials and distance learning courses on the WWW.

The 1998 Review of Cybercasting for Teacher Education
Stoloff and Mach (1999) expanded on the previous review by developing a grid for evaluating teacher education Websites. Fifty-one teacher education programs’ Websites were reviewed for the following indicators:

The authors found that none of the teacher education Websites had a perfect score in 1998. One feature that was frequently missing from the SCDE homepage was the address and phone number, although it was often clearly present on the university's homepage, or easily accessible through a link.  Most SCDE Websites did not have a formative program evaluation posted, but there were many that did have email addresses for any type of informal feedback. Clarity of navigation was essential. Those Websites that went beyond the knowledge level for all of their programs, as well as most of their faculty and courses were truly impressive.  Taking advantage of all that electronic communication has to offer, they presented a clear inviting picture of the pursuit of a career in education.

The 1999 Review of Cybercasting for Teacher Education
Stoloff and Mach (2000) reviewed how teacher education programs discuss their PK-12 school-university collaborations on the World Wide Web. Over 50 teacher education Websites were reviewed for the presence of:

The reviewers were able to find examples of all of these kinds of Websites among the teacher education programs, with some of the more advanced Websites and programs offering all of the elements within their cybercasting.

The 2000 Reviews of Cybercasting for Teacher Education and 2001’s New Directions
Mach and Stoloff (2001) found changes in cybercasting in the last two years. Teacher education Websites in general have become more navigable and more attractive. Faculty homepages are far more common, although not necessarily as informative as one might prefer. Online courses now proliferate, whereas in 1999 they did not. When syllabi were found in 1999, they were open to review by the casual observer. Now more and more frequently, the pages are created within a closed system for which a password is necessary, as in Blackboard or WebCT.

Stoloff and Mach (2001) examined online resources which expand the roles of educators, including models of virtual high schools, school-university partnerships and their online courses for future teachers, general education courses for undergraduates, online teacher education courses and resources for upper division or graduate students, inservice coursework, graduate teacher education programs online, and professional development learning communities for educators. This study documented the potential of online resources to augment, supplement, and supplant the formal structures of schooling.

As we explore Web use by SCDEs in the future, we anticipate a trend toward utilizing the exemplary features. We look forward to increased sharing of experiences in the applications of the WWW in teacher education and in higher education in general, as well as increased collaboration across institutions, including the possibility of developing an international consortium of online educators.

Webliography in Reverse Chronological Order

 

Criteria for Evaluating Websites of SCDEs

In their efforts at community outreach, communication, as well as recruitment and and retetention of teachers, SCDEs have used a variety of means that are evident on their Web sites. A few of the techniques used in recruitment and retention include:

  1. links to current news articles on educational issues of general interest, particularly those focused on the growing need for teachers;
  2. publicity on works published by noteworthy faculty and administrators;
  3. dates and topics of interesting symposia and other interesting events to be held at the SCDE;
  4. educational journals/articles published and available on line;
  5. provision for student and alumni home pages;
  6. an active alumni association for the SCDE, as evidenced by available contact information, employment links and listservs;
  7. evidence of community outreach services, such as programs for gifted k-12 students and/or school/university collaborations, most particularly efforts to support beginning experienced teachers; and
  8. last, but not least, is easy to navigate.

SCDE 

WWW Address 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Arizona State University

http://tikkun.ed.asu.edu/coe/

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Bank Street College 

http://www.bnkst.edu/

x

x

x

x

 -

 -

x

x

BinghamtonUniversity, SUNY

http://sehd.binghamton.edu/

 -

x

x

x

-

-

x

x

Bishop's University(Quebec)

http://www.ubishops.ca/gse/home.html

-

x

x

-

-

-

x

x

Boston University

http://web.bu.edu/education/

x

x

x

x

-

x

x

x

Bridgewater State College

http://www.bridgew.edu/CATALOG/edallied.htm

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

x

Brigham Young University

http://msed.byu.edu/

 -

x

-

-

-

-

x

x

California State University (CSU), Chico

http://www.csuchico.edu/educ/index.html

-

- 

- 

-

-

-

x

x

CSU, Dominguez Hills

 http://www.csudh.edu/soe/index.htm

-

x

x

-

-

-

x

x

CSU, Hayward

http://edschool.csuhayward.edu/

-

-

x

-

-

x

x

x

CSU, Los Angeles

http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/csoe/

-

x

x

-

-

-

x

x

Clark University

http://www2.clarku.edu/departments/education/

-

-

x

-

-

-

x

x

Colorado State University

http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/SOE/

-

x

x

x

-

x

x

x

Columbia University

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/Teachers College

-

x

x

x

-

x

x

x

Concordia University (Quebec)

http://doe.concordia.ca/

 -

x

 -

-

 -

-

-

x

Cornell University

http://www.cals.cornell.edu/cals/dept/education/

 -

 -

-

 -

 -

-

x

x

Drake University

 http://www.educ.drake.edu/

 -

x

-

 -

-

 -

x

 x

Eastern CT State University

http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/edu.html

 -

x

x

 -

 x

 -

x

 x

East Tennessee State University

http://coe.etsu.edu/

 -

x

 -

 -

-

 x

x

 x

Florida State University

http://www.fsu.edu/~coe/

 -

x

x

 -

 x

 -

x

 x

Harvard University

http://gseweb.harvard.edu/

 x

x

x

x

 x

 x

x

 x

IllinoisWesleyan University

http://sun.iwu.edu/~edstu/

 -

 -

 -

-

 -

 x

 -

x

Indiana State University

http://web.indstate.edu/soe/

 x

-

x

x

-

 -

-

x

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

http://www.coe.iup.edu/

 -

x

 -

-

-

 -

x

 x

Iowa State University

 http://www.educ.iastate.edu/homepage.htm

 x

x

x

 -

 -

 x

 x

 x

Kent State University

 http://www.educ.kent.edu/

 -

-

-

 -

 -

 -

 x

 x

Louisiana State University

http://obelix.ednet.lsu.edu/

 -

 -

 -

 -

 -

-

 x

 x

Loyola University Chicago

http://www.luc.edu/schools/education/

 -

 x

 -

 -

 -

 -

 -

 x

Makerere University, Uganda

http://www.muk.ac.ug/faculty/educat~1/index.html

 -

-

-

-

-

 -

 -

 -

McGill University (Quebec)

http://www.education.mcgill.ca/

 -

x

-

-

-

-

 -

 x

New York University

http://www.nyu.edu/education/

 x

x

 x

 x

 x

 x

 x

 x

North Carolina State University

http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/cep/

 x

 -

-

x

 -

 -

 x

 x

Northwestern University

http://www.sesp.nwu.edu/

 -

x

-

 -

-

 -

 x

 x

Ohio State University

http://coe.ohio-state.edu/

 x

x

x

x

x

 x

 x

 x

Oswego State University, SUNY

http://www.oswego.edu/education

 -

 x

 x

 -

-

-

 x

 x

San Diego State University

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/

 x

x

 -

x

 -

 -

 x

 x

Slippery Rock University

http://www.sru.edu/depts/educatio/coll.htm
educatio/coll.htm

 x

 -

 -

 -

 -

 -

 x

 x

Southwest Missouri State University

http://www.smsu.edu/education/

 x

 x

 -

 -

 x

 -

 x

 x

Stanford University

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/

 x

 x

 x

 x

 x

 x

 x

 x

Texas A & M

http://www.coe.tamu.edu/

 -

 -

 x

 x

 -

 -

 x

 x

Université de Montreal

http://www.scedu.umontreal.ca/

 x

 -

 -

 x

 -

 -

 x

 x

Université de Sherbrooke

http://www.usherb.ca/educ/index.html

 -

 -

 -

 x

 -

 x

 -

 x

Université du Québec a Montreal

http://www.regis.uqam.ca/Index_pgm/education.html

 x

 -

 x

 x

 x

 -

 -

 x

Université Laval

http://www.ulaval.ca/sg/annuaires/fac/sed.html

 -

 -

 -

 -

 -

 -

 -

 x

University of Alberta

http://www.education.ualberta.ca/

 x

 x

 -

 x

 -

 -

 x

 x

University of California, Berkeley

http://www-gse.berkeley.edu/

 x

 x

 x

 x

 -

 x

 x

 x

University of California, Los Angeles

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/

 x

 x

 x

 x

 -

 -

 x

 x

University of Bridgeport (CT)

http://www.bridgeport.edu/education/index.html

 -

 -

 -

-

 -

 -

 -

 x

University of British Columbia

http://www.educ.ubc.ca/

 x

 x

 -