Bachelor of Education Resources

Download the at-a-glance timetable

Winter Session 1 (September to April)
Register in June/July

Term 1 (Sept. – Dec.)

EDUC 403: Becoming a Scholar-Practitioner

EDUC 431: Developing a Pedagogical Stance

EDUC 440: Field Experience – Literacies and Numeracies in Action

Term 2 (Jan. – April)

EDUC 436: Developing a Curricular Vision for a Democratic Society: Educational Purposes, Policies and Practices (part one)

EDUC 441: Field Experience – Formative Practicum

EDUC 437:Developing a Curricular Vision for a Democratic Society: Educational Purposes, Policies and Practices (part two)

Summer Session 1 (May to August)
Register in March

Term 1 (May – June)

EDUC 442: Community Field Experience

EDUC 438: Educating for the Whole Person

Term 2 (July – August)

Summer Institute of Education: You must register a total of six (6) credits of Summer Institute of Education coursework. Choose any combination of courses that support your professional learning goals. Courses change each year, view current course offerings.

Winter Session 2 (September to December)
Register in June/July

Term 1 (Sept. – Dec.)

EDUC 444 Field Experience – Final Practicum/Internship

Note: This is an extended immersion in a school community, where teacher candidates will plan, teach, and assess alongside mentor teachers and professional colleagues. Teacher candidates will assume a lead role in planning and curricular enactment.

Plan to be available 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily.  The specific times of your coursework will vary throughout the program of study.  Detailed schedules and syllabi will provide specifics as your program unfolds. School and community practica require you to have much flexibility within  your day-to-day organization and management.

Teacher candidates are committed to lifelong learning and to supporting their colleagues (classmates, mentor teachers, and professors) in their learning as well. As a result, you are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Because of the interactive, collaborative and experiential nature of Education classes, missing classes is not a simple matter of “getting the notes” from a missed class. If you are unavoidably absent because of illness or emergency you should report to your instructors as soon as possible.

Regular attendance during field experience is required. You are expected to notify your mentor teachers and the faculty advisor whenever a school visit cannot be kept.

Vacations, weddings, and/or other personal events must not conflict with scheduled classes, professional learning sessions, on-campus sessions and field experience. Although we recognize and appreciate your personal time, it is expected that you maintain a full time commitment to your Education program.

You are guided by principles of professional conduct, as outlined by the B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB) Standards, while on campus, in the schools, and in your personal lives. This includes your online activities.

If you wish to become a teacher, please ensure that your online presence (e.g. pictures you post or have posted and comments you make or have made) aligns with the high standard of self-leadership that is expected of educators.

During the field experiences, you are also subject to the School Act and you are expected to comply with the standards for professional conduct followed by school personnel and to act in accordance with guidelines published in the Members’ Guide of the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF).

You will engage in field experiences as part of your professional learning. Through site-based seminars and field experiences, you will have the opportunity to observe, implement and reflect on professional practice in schools, specific classrooms and community sites.

Field Experiences are normally in schools and/or school districts in the Thompson Okanagan region. The availability of placements in some areas may be limited and you must be prepared to accept placement for your field experience anywhere within 125 km of UBC’s Okanagan campus. You must make their own arrangements for and bear the cost of personal transportation and accommodation during field experience.

As an expectation of the Bachelor of Education Okanagan program, all teacher candidates will be expected to commute throughout the Thompson Okanagan Valley for various field experiences for the duration of the program. All teacher candidates are strongly advised to have regular access to reliable motor vehicle transportation with adequate snow tires.

Shared driving arrangements:

You have the prerogative and may decide to make arrangements with your program colleagues to travel together in a vehicle for scheduled field experiences if circumstances permit. It is your responsibility to make arrangements with the driver of the vehicle, to be aware of the competence of the driver and/or any driving restrictions of the driver, and to confirm that the vehicle has adequate insurance (including liability). Accepting passengers is ultimately the responsibility of the driver of the vehicle.

Weather conditions:

We do take into consideration the potential for inclement weather conditions, particularly during the winter months when you are expected to commute to their scheduled field experiences. To miss a field experience day due to hazardous weather conditions you must first obtain approval from the designated instructor and, if granted, must then inform the field experience site in a timely manner.

Field Experience placements are arranged by the Field Experience Coordinator and are normally in schools and/or school districts in the Thompson Okanagan region. The availability of placements in some areas may be limited and students must be prepared to accept a placement for a field experience anywhere within 125 km of UBC’s Okanagan campus. Students make their own arrangements and bear the cost of personal transportation and accommodation during field experiences. Teacher candidates do not arrange their own placements for their Formative Field Experiences (EDUC 440 and 441). After completing their formative experiences, candidates complete a community-based field experience (EDUC 442) in their choice of local, regional or international setting in May. The Okanagan School of Education must approve all agencies and institutions serving as field experience placements.

Teacher candidates have a duty of care for the students in their host schools, thus full-time attendance and professional accountability are fundamental expectations during all field experiences.

At the beginning of the BEd program, teacher candidates will be organized into cohorts. The cohort composition is based on many factors including, but not limited to, the information shared by teacher candidates in their field experience profiles and the available placement opportunities within the region. Each cohort will work within a designated network of schools in the Thompson Okanagan region for the duration of the program.

Please be prepared to accept the cohort assignment deemed appropriate for you by the Okanagan School of Education.

The Okanagan School of Education will take reasonable measures to organize cohort assignments with teacher candidates’ special circumstances in mind; however, not all special circumstances can be accommodated.

The following are not considered special circumstances:

Employment:
Teacher candidates are strongly advised to give their full attention to their field experiences.

Transportation (e.g. no automobile):
Teacher candidates make their own arrangements and bear the cost of personal transportation.

Personal preferences:
Particular mentor teacher, school, network of schools or district. Placements are limited and cannot be tailored to personal preferences. If you have special circumstances that will affect your field experiences, please provide pertinent information in the space provided on the profile form.

If you are a student with a disability, please refer to the UBC website for information regarding academic accommodation for students with disabilities.

The mission of the Bachelor of Education Program (the “Program”) within the Faculty of Education (the “Faculty”) at the University of British Columbia is to prepare teachers who are knowledgeable, skillful, flexible, and compassionate members of the profession guided by a sense of social and ethical responsibility in relation to their students and the wider society. The Faculty understands teaching as a moral activity guided by ideals of human good and conceptions of what is educationally valuable.

While many graduates of the Program enter the teaching profession and teach in public schools, others teach in international schools, independent schools, or non-school settings such as museums, art galleries, and recreational settings. The current Program reflects this diversity by placing students in a range of learning environments including, but not limited to, public school settings.

Students in the Faculty must comply with this policy in their interactions with faculty, peers, teachers, staff, and pupils at all times.

Role of the Faculty

The Faculty is charged with ensuring that all graduates of the Program have the requisite competencies and can meet the professional practice standards to be eligible for professional certification as educators in the Province of British Columbia from the British Columbia Ministry of Education. While students are ultimately responsible for their own behaviour, the Faculty appreciates that students are still in the process of learning. The Faculty and others involved in instruction in the Program are expected to model professional conduct and, where necessary, help students improve their understanding of professional conduct expectations.

Expectations for the Professional Conduct of Students

Professional conduct is the set of attitudes, behaviours, and characteristics deemed desirable in members of a profession and that define the profession and its relationship to its members and to society.

It is the responsibility of students in the Program to familiarize themselves with and meet the expectations for professional conduct in all settings.

Faculty members are expected to help students interpret specific school and/or practicum guidelines and apply them appropriately in their conduct.

Membership in the teaching profession demands integrity, competence, and adherence to ethical standards. Teaching is a profession that is enormously demanding and carries considerable responsibility as teachers assume a crucial and challenging role in the support, care, and development of other people’s children.

At all times students in the Program are expected to demonstrate:

Honesty and Integrity

• Act with integrity and demonstrate personal and academic honesty in all interactions and communications, both orally and in writing. Communicate truthfully with students, teachers and other school-based personnel, peers, faculty members, and staff.
• Acknowledge contributions made to course assignments, lesson plans, and materials designed or provided by others.

Respect for Others

• Engage only in respectful interactions with others that do not discriminate on grounds protected by the British Columbia Human Rights Code.
• Contribute to a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning and the conduct of professional work. Maintain personal composure and consideration for others in all interactions.
• Ensure that all communications, including those on the internet and social media, are respectful.
• Establish and maintain appropriate personal boundaries in relationships with others both on and off campus.
• Do not engage in conduct that exploits students or others for personal, sexual, ideological, or other advantage.
• Respect the confidentiality of student information, the dignity of children, and their right to confidentiality, subject to your legal and professional obligations, which include a duty to report abuse or suspected abuse.
• Treat students and their families with respect and dignity both in their presence and in discussions with other members of educational teams.

Responsibility

• Be accountable for personal conduct. Show enthusiasm, initiative, adaptability, and curiosity.
• Receive feedback in a non-defensive and receptive manner.
• Meet expectations related to dependability, punctuality, attendance, and participation. Meet deadlines.
• Use social media responsibly, refraining from posting any information or comments related to students or colleagues or any personal information without appropriate consents.
• Assure the primacy of students’ wellbeing.
• Respect boundaries between teachers and students in all interactions, including social media.
• Create environments that are conducive to student learning.
• Recognize your own limitations and seek help when your level of experience is inadequate.

Students are expected to adhere to the UBC Statement of Respectful Environment for Students, Faculty and Staff

Students are also expected to be familiar with and to comply with the policies of the University relating to conducting including but not limited to:

• UBC Policy on Academic Honesty and Standards
• UBC Policy on Non-Academic Misconduct

In addition, when students are in school or field settings, they are expected to be familiar with relevant policies and procedures governing conduct within those settings including but not limited to:

• Teacher Regulation Branch Standards for the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in British Columbia
• British Columbia Teachers Federation Code of Ethics
• Child, Family and Community Service Act – Duty to report abuse or suspected abuse

After accepting your offer of admission and prior to beginning the BEd program:

In preparation for coursework:

• Consult with the UBCO Disability Resource Center (DRC) and/or with the Faculty of Education DRC liaison person. Appropriate documentation of the disability will be required. Note: It is the responsibility of the student to initiate the request for accommodations in a timely manner to allow for arrangement of accommodations.
• DRC staff will review the documentation provided and, in consultation with the student, a range of reasonable academic accommodations will be determined. These will be summarized in a letter from the DRC. Note: While sensitive personal information related to a request for accommodation will be treated with confidence, it may be necessary to share some information with instructors, mentors and administrators to ensure proper implementation of the appropriate accommodation.
• With support from the Faculty of Education DRC liaison person, the student will share the DRC letter outlining academic accommodations with the faculty advisor and instructors prior to the start of a course. The instructors, faculty advisor and DRC liaison person will collaborate with the student to determine how the accommodations will be implemented. Note: Accommodations cannot compromise the learning purposes for a course or field experience, the educational environment, including the timing of course and/or field work, or the sustainability of the program, for example by requiring excessive financial costs and/or excessive human or other resources. Please refer to the section entitled ‘Personal/Professional competencies for teaching’ for more information.
• The student will inform the DRC liaison person and/or the faculty advisor in a timely manner if the disability and/or accommodation need changes significantly during the term.

In Preparation for field experiences:

In many instances, an academic accommodation for coursework does not extend to the field experiences. The student should consult with the faculty advisor and the Field Experience Coordinator prior to beginning the program if accommodation is sought for field experiences.

Determining reasonable accommodations during field experiences may require consultation with the host school administrators and the mentor teacher(s). Further consultation with the Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB) may also be required, particularly if accommodations are requested for the certifying field experience/internship. The Field Experience Coordinator and faculty advisor will work collaboratively with the student to determine the consultation process and the information shared with these organizations.

Accommodations may be noted in the final report for a field experience

Note: While accommodations may be made to help facilitate a student’s learning, such accommodation cannot compromise the safety and well-being of pupils in schools or the academic and professional integrity of the Faculty of Education program. Additionally, accommodations cannot compromise the learning purposes for a field experience, the educational environment, including the timing of the field work, or the sustainability of the program, for example by requiring excessive financial costs and/or excessive human or other resources. Please refer to the section entitled ‘Personal/Professional competencies for teaching’ for more information.

1. Course Assessment: Course instructors development criteria for assignments using the program-wide assessment frame.

2. This course assessment criteria is used formatively during the course; for example: students (self assessment), instructors (formative assessment), and peers (peer assessment).

3. a) Student is satisfactorily meeting expectations on all criteria for each assignment

3. b) Student is experiencing difficulty and/or is not meeting assignment expectations. The student and instructor will met and collaboratively determine a re-submit or remediation plan. The student will resubmit or complete the remediation plan by the end of the course break. If the student’s resubmission or remediation is still not meeting expectations then the instructor can either provide one final opportunity to resubmit or remediate (if time permits), and/or the student and instructor will meet with the Director of Undergraduate Programs or designate to review the plan and/or develop a Professional Assessment Report.

4. Academic Performance Evaluations/Progression: At the end of each course break or field experience:

• Instructors complete their course assessments using the course assessment criteria
• Faculty Advisors review assessment information
• A course grade of pass or fail is provided

If a student fails, the student will be discontinued or withdrawn from the program. A “student of concern” is one that is at-risk academically, if this is the case, a Professional Assessment Report with action plan will be developed and/or reviewed. If a student is “of concern” for more than two courses, or field experience, they will be withdrawn from the program.

Addressing areas of disagreement or concern may be initiated by either the faculty member(s) (instructor and/or faculty advisor and/or faculty mentor) or the teacher candidate/intern and may pertain to academic performance, assigned standing, and/or professionalism.

In all cases of disagreement or concern between faculty members and teacher candidates/interns, the preferred course of action is for the candidate/intern or faculty member to raise the concern directly and constructively with the other party who is obligated to actively listen and provide a timely, respectful response. It is expected that most disagreements and concerns can and should be resolved informally.

If more formal process is required, the following steps should be followed:

Step 1. Teacher candidate/intern and faculty member(s) meet and discuss the concern. If the concern is not resolved informally, then, as an outcome of the meeting, a written summary that outlines the concerns, the desired outcome and a proposed action plan with a timeframe should be developed either collaboratively or by the person who initiated the process.

Normally, this meeting should occur within seven days of the written request.

Step 2. Teacher candidate/intern and faculty member(s) meet with the Director of Undergraduate Programs or designate. The summary from the initial meeting is discussed. If necessary, a formal Professional Assessment Report including desired outcomes, an action plan with a timeframe is developed.

Normally, this meeting should occur at the earliest possible date following the initial meeting (Step 1).

Step 3. Teacher candidate/intern and faculty member(s) meet with Associate Dean or designate. The Professional Assessment Report is reviewed and discussed.

Normally, this meeting occurs at the earliest possible date following the second (Step 2) meeting.

Step 4. Recommendations by Associate Dean or designate to the Dean regarding the issue are made. The final decision is made by the Dean.

Normally, this meeting occurs at the earliest possible date following the third (Step 3) meeting.

If a teacher candidate/intern is designated with a ‘Student of Concern’ status as an outcome of the Academic Performance Evaluation/Progression review at the end of each course and/or the Candidacy Review in June, then either Step 2 or Step 3 of the formal process will be initiated by faculty member(s) in consultation with the teacher candidate/intern and the Director of Undergraduate Programs.

The resulting Professional Assessment Report could involve re-submission of assignments and/or a remedial plan to address areas of concern.

Please refer to the sections entitled ‘Assessment Guidelines & Procedures: Coursework’ and ‘Assessment Guidelines & Procedures: Field Experiences’ for more information regarding addressing concerns during coursework or field experiences.

A teacher candidate/intern with a ‘Student of Concern’ status for more than two courses and/or field experiences may be required to discontinue or withdraw from the program. Please refer to the Academic Calendar sections entitled ‘Academic Performance Evaluations & Progression’ and ‘Candidacy Review’ for more information.

The Bachelor of Education program must be completed within four years of the date of original admission. If you have been absent from the program and wish to return, please read the procedures below.

Reinstatement refers to the type of registration required when a student is returning to the program after an absence of less than one year due to an academic leave or a required discontinuation of studies. For more information about reinstatements, please refer to the Academic Calendar.

Readmission refers to the type of registration required when a student is returning to the program after an absence of more than one year due to an academic leave or a required discontinuation of studies. A completed application form and application fee is normally required for readmission. For more information about reinstatements, please refer to the Academic Calendar

Students who were granted an academic leave

WHO:

You are a student in good academic standing who requested and was granted an academic leave from the BEd program at some point during the coursework and/or field experience.

ACTION:

1. Prior to April 1st of the calendar year in which you are requesting reinstatement/readmission, contact the Education Office in writing and request an appointment to discuss reinstatement or readmission. In your email, please indicate your availability for either an on campus or a telephone appointment.
2. An appointment confirmation will be sent with instructions regarding how to prepare for the on campus or telephone appointment. This may include questions you may be asked and documents you will need to have ready to submit. Normally these appointments occur in mid-April.
3. Following your appointment, you will be asked to complete an application form either for Reinstatement or for Readmission to the Bachelor of Education Program. At this point, if applicable, you may need to provide information about courses or other steps you have taken that will demonstrate your readiness to return to the program. Applications for reinstatement or readmission are due by May 1st.
4. Your request will be reviewed by the Faculty of Education. By mid-May, you will receive a written summary of the initial meeting or phone call, and the decision to grant (full or conditional), defer or deny reinstatement or readmission. Instructions for your ‘next steps’ are also provided.

Students who were required to discontinue

WHO:

You were required to discontinue the BEd program. This may include having received a standing of Fail for any course or field experience.

ACTION:

1. Prior to April 1st of the calendar year in which you are requesting reinstatement/readmission, contact the Education Office in writing and request an appointment to discuss reinstatement or readmission. In your email, please indicate your availability for either an on campus or a telephone appointment.
2. An appointment confirmation will be sent with instructions regarding how to prepare for the on campus or telephone appointment. This may include questions you may be asked and documents you will need to have ready to submit. Normally these appointments occur in mid-April.
3. Following your appointment, you will be asked to complete an application form either for Reinstatement or for Readmission to the Bachelor of Education Program. At this point, you will need to provide information about courses or other steps you have taken that will demonstrate your readiness to return to the program. Applications for reinstatement or readmission are due by May 1st. Reinstatement or readmission is not automatic. Each application will be considered on its merits.
4. Your request will be reviewed by the Faculty of Education. By mid-May, you will receive a written summary of the meeting and the decision to grant (full or conditional), defer or deny reinstatement or readmission. Instructions for your ‘next steps’ are also provided.