Teacher Education Undergraduate Teacher Education Majors, Endorsements and Certificates

The UIU Advantage

Want a career where every day can make a meaningful difference in the life of a child? UIU’s Teacher Education program, with more than 15 endorsements to choose from, prepares you with the knowledge, skill and confidence you need to shape the lives of those you teach and help them succeed. All UIU faculty have extensive teaching experience and are dedicated to instilling that expertise in you.

Why Teacher Education at UIU?

• UIU students get hands-on learning and great resume experience through 100 hours or more of field work in area schools.
• Enhance your education with study abroad opportunities.
• Learn from faculty who have real-world experience and are experts in the fields they teach; enjoy the support of helpful, caring staff who are there for you from start to finish.

Areas of Emphasis

Over 15 majors to choose from and multiple endorsements for each grade level. Master’s degree programs are also available.

• Elementary Education
• Birth – Grade 3: Inclusive Settings
• Family Consumer Science: In partnership with Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC)
• K-12 American Sign Language (ASL): In partnership with Eastern Iowa Community College
• K-12 Instructional Strategist – All
• K-12 Instructional Strategist BD/LD/ID
• 5-12 All Business
• 5-12 All Language Arts
• 5-12 Life Science (Biology)
• 5-12 Reading
• 5-12 Social Science: Basic
• 5-12 All Social Science: Authorizes the holder to teach all social sciences in grades 5-12 in the state of Iowa (Economics, American Government, Psychology, American History, World History, Sociology, and Geography)
• 5-12 All Science: Authorizes the holder to teach all sciences in grades 5-12 in the state of Iowa. Noyce Scholarships available for All Science majors.
• 5-12 Industrial Technology: In partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), Eastern Iowa Community College (EICC), Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), Hawkeye Community College (Hawkeye)
• 5-12 Agriculture Education: In partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC)

Outcomes

The focus of Upper Iowa University’s Teacher Education program are the children in the PreK-12 schools. With the children as the focus, the program prepares well those who will be their teachers. A UIU’s pre-service educator is ready to hit the ground running when he/she obtains a teaching position.

UIU’s Teacher Education program has partnerships with many community colleges and PreK-12 schools. Many pre-service educators come from community colleges with which UIU’s Teacher Education program has partnerships. A number of additional opportunities exist for pre-service educators in the Program with PreK-12 schools including a student teaching partnership with the Aldine Independent School District on the north side of Houston, Texas.

The standards of the Teacher Education program are based on the work of the Renaissance Partnership for Improving Teacher Quality. They are aligned with the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) principles and the Iowa Teaching Standards. Pre-service educators are assessed on their Teacher Work Sample. Seven standards frame the Teacher Education program:

1. Pre-service educators use information about the learning-teaching context and student individual differences to set learning outcomes and plan instruction and assessment.
2. Pre-service educators set significant, challenging, varied and appropriate learning outcomes.
3. Pre-service educators use multiple assessment modes and approaches aligned with learning outcomes to assess student learning before, during, and after instruction.
4. Pre-service educators design instruction for specific learning outcomes, student characteristics and needs.
5. Pre-service educators use ongoing analysis of student learning to make instructional decisions.
6. Pre-service educators use assessment data to profile student learning and communicate information about student progress and achievement.
7. Pre-service educators analyze the relationship between instruction and student learning in order to improve teaching practice.