Redesigned ICL Programs Receive TDOE Approval
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A nearly 18-month course redesign within the College of Education (COE) has ended with the best news possible, approval from the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE).
Since the Fall of 2022, COE’s Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership (ICL) had been working to update the curriculum for several degree fields. The most notable change is the addition of special education within ICL’s Early Childhood Education program, a focus that was not included in previous curricula. The undergraduate and master’s program has been renamed to Integrated Early Childhood.
“It has truly been a labor of love for all of us,” said Nichelle Robinson, EdD, COE’s director of Teacher Education and Clinical Practice.
Course redesign approval is “a huge undertaking,” according to Robinson. Changes have to be submitted to and approved by UofM’s Undergraduate University Council then to TDOE for approval, and there’s a lengthy back-and-forth of feedback and revisions throughout the process. That process is now behind ICL and its faculty, and a new program lies before incoming students.
“I’m extremely proud of the hard work that the ICL department chair and faculty dedicated to making necessary changes to meet TDOE licensure changes, as well as create cutting-edge programs for our teacher candidates,” Robinson said.
Other programs within ICL that were redesigned include the undergraduate Teaching All Learners Program, and the Master of Arts in Teaching for the SPED and Elementary Education Program.