In 2018 a teacher education program at a small research university implemented three initiatives to improve the practicum experience for teacher candidates. This program evaluation focusses on one of three initiatives, specifically, peer-oriented triads during practicum. The faculty members used the Spiral of Inquiry (Kaser & Halbert, 2017) as…

The potential of ePortfolios is derived from a learner's ability to synthesize learning experiences to better understand how seemingly disparate modalities are connected (Alvarez & Moxley, 2004; Chen, 2009). This is best accomplished through a program-wide implementation of ePortfolios, including providing time for selfdirected learning…

Recent calls to improve the quality of education in schools have drawn attention to the importance of teachers' preparation for work in classroom settings. Although the practicum has long been the traditional means for pre-service teachers to learn and practice classroom teaching, it does not always offer student teachers the time, safe practice…

This study explicated the theory underpinning the Human Ecology Practicum Program offered in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta. The program has operated for 40 years but never been formally evaluated. Using a document analysis, focus group and individual interviews, and a stakeholder working group, we explored…

This report describes a preceptorship model that provides student nurses with clinical practice in rural health facilities. The development and implementation of a preceptorship model reflects a partnership between nursing education and nursing service--between the urban nursing school and the rural hospital. A five-stage preceptorship model is…

This document presents the proceedings of a 1974 workshop by the Canadian Teacher Federation's Teacher Education Committee on designing a quality practicum. The introduction to the document indicates that the proceedings were broken into two parts. Part 1 addressed the basic question, What are we trying to do? and covered the following topics:…

The authors synthesize preliminary findings from an interdisciplinary study of the practicum/clinical phase of undergraduate pre-service education in the professions. Early data analysis identified similarities and differences across disciplines in terms of: (a) the terminology describing each practicum program, (b) the programs' key…

A Faculty of Education dramatically restructured its preservice teacher education program by putting experience first through introducing an extended fall-term practicum of 14 weeks. Focus group interviews were conducted with elementary and secondary teachers and administrators over a 3-year period, prior to and twice during the controversial…

This paper describes a pilot project in which interns were clustered in an elementary school in Saskatchewan (Canada) to work in collaboration with the teaching staff toward school goals as well as internship goals. The role of the college supervisor was primarily one of supporter, problem-solver, resource provider, and idea stimulator. The…

A rationale is presented for both investigating the context of educational organizations and building in a program renewal capacity as an essential operational component of every such organization. The findings of several program evaluation studies conducted at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Education are reviewed. These studies were…

Defines "co-operating teachers" as full-time teachers who, as part of their professional responsibilities, tutor or mentor student or novice teachers. Summarizes findings and includes verbatim statements from a survey of cooperating teachers in an art education program. Addresses the benefits, weaknesses, problems, and incentives of…