Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology Education (MSITE): Assessing our potential and current students William Sugar, Carol Brown, Frank Crawley, Tammy Lee, Ken Luterbach, and Tony Thompson Department of Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology Education East Carolina University Overview During the past three years, the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology Education (MSITE) and its respective areas (Mathematics Education, Science Education, and Instructional Technology) collected data on potential and current students. One of its primary goals is to recruit and increase its enrollment within North Carolina with an emphasis on eastern North Carolina region. In this poster, specific recruitment initiatives are described and illustrated. Specifically, we described initiatives with our: – General Science (Elementary) concentration – MS in Instructional Technology – MAEd in Instructional Technology – BS in Mathematics Education – MAEd in Mathematics Education We expect to continue these efforts in the foreseeable future with all of our programs. General Science (Elementary) concentration In an effort to promote the teaching of science in the elementary school, the Science Education Faculty explored the possibility of revising its Science concentration to Elementary Education students. The Faculty surveyed current Elementary Education majors (n=776) to determine their interest in the new program, science, and science teaching. As shown in Figure 1, the area received 63 responses. Specifically, 51% of the respondents were Seniors (n=32), 38% of the respondents were Juniors (n=24), 8% of the respondents were Sophomores (n=5), and 3% of the respondents were Freshmen (n=2). Instructional Technology (MAEd) As illustrated in Figure 5, the analysis of collaborative partnerships extends from 2010 to During the Fall 2011 semester, 22 MAEd interns were placed in practicum sites and during the Spring 2012 semester, 24 MAEd interns were placed in practicum sites. The placement of interns east and west of Interstate 95 is important in order to determine the ratio of instructional technology facilitators likely to work in Eastern North Carolina compared to other parts of North Carolina. As shown in Figure 6, 14 interns were placed west of I-95 and 8 interns were placed east of I-95 in in Fall In Spring 2012, 16 interns were placed west of I-95 and 8 interns were placed east of I-95. The practice of collecting data on location of intern placement remains important to the area. Expanding the analysis to include designation of intern placement east or west of I-95 will help gauge the likelihood that the instructional technology facilitators the area is preparing will serve schools east or west of I-95. This baseline data collected during this past academic year will permit future analyses. Instructional Technology (MS) In an effort to identify potential students for the MS in Instructional Technology program, we surveyed graduates of the program. As shown in Figure 3, twenty- eight MS in IT graduates responded to the survey. 32% of the respondents worked in a community college (n=9), 28% of the respondents worked at a university (n=8), 21% of the respondents worked at a military training setting (n=6), 10% of the respondents worked at K-12 schools (n=3), and 7% of the respondents worked in a corporate training setting (n=2). One survey item asked the graduates to identify particular sites at which we may find future MS in IT students. As illustrated in Figure 4, 82% of the respondents recommended corporate training settings, 71% of the respondents recommended recruiting in community colleges, universities, and military settings, and 57% of the respondents recommended medical training settings. The respondents identified 18 sites (e.g., Fort Bragg, Craven Community College) to which promotional materials could be sent. Faculty will continue to analyze the possibility of contacting prospective students at the various sites and will send promotional materials to viable sites. Overall, the Science Education area received a positive response towards this potential Science concentration for Elementary Education majors. 43% of the respondents said that they would be interested in pursuing a general science concentration. One respondent observed, “As I have participated in my practicum and Senior I experience, I have found teaching science to be interesting and engaging.” 68% of the respondents thought that this additional concentration would be beneficial in finding a job. One respondent wrote, “Science is becoming very important in elementary schools, especially since it has been added to the End of Grade testing.” As result, the Science Education area successfully added this concentration to the list of Elementary Education options. Figure 5. Amount of internship placements. Figure 6. Amount of interns placed East and West of I-95. Figure 4. Potential job setting to promote MS in Instructional Technology. Figure 3. Job setting of survey respondents (n=28). Figure 1. Percentage of respondents by undergraduate classification (n=63). Figure 2. Amount of positive responses about proposed General Science concentration. Table 1. Amount of Math Education graduates Math Education (BS) Math Education (MAEd)11521 Math Education (BS and MAEd) During the past academic year, the Math Education area granted fifteen BS degrees and twenty-one MAEd degrees (see Table 1). This is a significant increase over the previous two years, specifically a 50% increase for the BS program and a 91% increase for the MAEd program. The Math Education area is determined to keep recruiting as a primary goal. The Math Education faculty will continue to recruit students as well as endeavor to secure funding to support students. In addition, pursuant to the College of Education Dean’s recommendation, the area is considering a cohort model for its MAEd program beginning in Summer 2013.