2021-2022 Catalog 
    
    Nov 21, 2024  
2021-2022 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Inclusive Early Childhood Leadership, BI™


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This innovative program is designed to prepare UCCS students to work with and for all children and their families in agencies and organizations serving children and families or to design and launch their own businesses or educational products. This program integrates knowledge, skills, and dispositions to successfully work in diverse teams, manage complex projects and cases, practice the ethics of care, and advocate for healthy outcomes for children and families.

In this unique program, students collaborate with other innovative and creative thinkers as well as master interdisciplinary problem-solving and team building. Develop your skills as a visionary entrepreneur and organizational manager while becoming a highly effective inclusive early childhood professional. The program focuses on:

  • transdisciplinary teamwork
  • leadership
  • program administration
  • grant writing
  • community-based early childhood and family services

Inclusive early childhood professionals may have the opportunity to work in case management, family service, intervention programs, run their own business, or invent, design, and market curriculum, technology, and applications. Inclusive early childhood educators will have preparation in the areas of inclusive education and care, innovation, business, and marketing and be able to take ideas developed while working with children and enhance them through business planning and implementation. A Bachelor of Innovation will prepare students to take advantage of the many opportunities that they will encounter throughout their careers.

Faculty

  • Lissanna Follari, Ph.D., Program Coordinator IECE, Assistant Professor 
  • Ji Hyun Oh, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
  • Kassy Lopez, Ph.D., Instructor
  • Christi Kasa, Ph.D., Associate Professor

General Academic Information


Academic Policies

It is the responsibility of each student to know and follow all academic policies established by UCCS and the College of Education that are set forth in this catalog.

Course Prerequisites

Students are responsible for knowing and completing all course prerequisites. Course prerequisites are strictly enforced for all classes at UCCS.

Email Accounts

All students are assigned an official UCCS email address. Email is the official means of communication for UCCS, so it is imperative that students check their email accounts regularly.

Advising

Education students in good standing are not required to meet with their academic advisor before registering for courses in any semester, but it is recommended. Academic advising assists students in selecting their classes so that they can progress effectively through their degree program. To make an appointment with a College of Education faculty advisor, please contact the COE Student Resource Office, University Hall Room 324, 719-255-4996 or education@uccs.edu.

Probation/Suspension

Students in the College of Education who have attempted at least 12 or more credit hours at any CU campus will be placed on academic probation in the College of Education for the following semester if their cumulative CU Grade Point Average (GPA) falls below a 2.0.  The cumulative CU GPA includes all courses taken at any CU campus.  Students may remain on academic probation for a maximum of 3 semesters as long as they maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.5 during that time to demonstrate academic improvement.

Students on academic probation may continue to take a normal course load but should plan their schedules carefully and are strongly advised to meet with their Academic and Faculty Advisors regularly.  While on academic probation, students will have a registration hold placed on their student account and they will not be able to register for the next semester (excluding summer) until their current semester grades have been posted and academic improvement can be verified.  Once a cumulative CU GPA of 2.0 or higher can be verified, students will be removed from academic probation.

If, after being placed on academic probation, the student’s semester GPA continues to fall below the required 2.5 or their cumulative GPA is still below 2.0 after 3 semesters, then the student will be suspended from the College of Education. Students who have been suspended from the College of Education are not automatically suspended from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Suspended students may apply to transfer to another college within the university and, if approved, take courses in the new major.

Students who have been suspended may apply for re-admission to the College of Education once they have raised their cumulative CU GPA to 2.0. Suspended students must apply to have their suspension removed (after meeting the above requirement) with their Academic and Faculty Advisors. In addition, students may be required to reapply to the University. Students who are in doubt of their academic standing with regard to scholastic deficiency are strongly urged to consult with the College of Education Academic and Faculty Advisors.

Course Load

A full-time course load is 12 credit hours in a semester. The maximum course load is 18 credit hours in a semester. If a student wishes to take more than 18 credit hours in a given semester, special permission must be obtained through the Academic Advising Center. Students who expect to work while enrolled in university courses should register for course loads that they can complete without unusual difficulty. Recommended course loads based on work hours are listed below.

Employed Hours  Enrolled Credit Hours
40 hours per week  6-9 credit hours
30 hours per week  8-11 credit hours
20 hours per week  10-13 credit hours

 Degree Requirements

  • A minimum of 120 hours must be completed with a cumulative CU grade point average of 2.5; at least 45 of these hours must be at the upper-division level (courses numbered 3000-4999).
  • A minimum GPA of 2.75 or higher must be maintained in upper-division level College of Education courses to be awarded the BI in Inclusive Early Childhood Education.
  • A cumulative CU GPA of 2.50 or above must be maintained in the upper-division level to remain in good academic standing in the program.
  • Students must complete all Block 1, Block 2, and Student Teaching or IECE Professional Internship courses as a student in the College of Education.
  • Students pursuing Teacher Licensure must complete student teaching.
  • Students pursuing the Non-licensure option must complete IECE Professional Internship.
  • Courses numbered below 1000 do not count towards degree completion.
  • Additional course options may be available for the Humanities and Natural Science requirements. Contact your faculty or academic advisor for more details.

Application and Admissions Requirements

Please visit our website for admissions information.

Course Requirements


The IECE program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours of College of Education coursework.

All upper-division (3000+ level) IECE courses must have a grade of “B-” or better.

All other courses must have a grade of “C-” or better.

Cross-Disciplinary Core - 15 Credit Hours


Complete one of the Cross-Disciplinary Cores listed below. Each Cross-Disciplinary Core consists of 15 credit hours. Open the expandable lists to see course options.

Composition Courses - 3 Credit Hours


General Education Courses - 16 Credit Hours


Note: Although any Gateway Program Seminar course can be completed, students are encouraged to choose “Head of the Class” or “Teaching in a Muggle World.”

Humanities - choose one of the following

Natural Science - complete one of the course combinations listed below

OR

OR

Gateway Program Seminar

Quantitative Reasoning Skills

General Electives

  • 9 credits of upper-division electives

Licensure/Endorsement Requirements


Students must successfully pass the PRAXIS ECE and ECSE tests before being given an institutional recommendation for licensure. Students should verify specific test codes on the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) website for the most current test information.

Student Teaching Offered in Spring - 12 Credit Hours


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