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KSU Polytechnic Campus adds technology education to bachelor’s degree offerings

Enrollment is open for a new degree option at the Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus for individuals interested in teaching technology at the high school level.

A Bachelor of Science in secondary education with a technology education endorsement is being launched at Kansas State Polytechnic in fall 2018. The degree option is a collaboration with the university’s College of Education and is designed to help address state and national needs for more science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, educators. Students will study mechanical, electronic and computer systems curriculum through Kansas State Polytechnic’s engineering technology program while the education pedagogy will be supported by the College of Education.

“The mission of the Polytechnic Campus is to provide students with relevant, hands-on learning experiences that are easily transferable to various industries, and we believe technology education is an appropriate fit for our mission and that style of teaching,” said Verna Fitzsimmons, CEO and dean of Kansas State Polytechnic. “Thank you to the College of Education for partnering with Kansas State Polytechnic to make this offering possible.”

Along with general education courses, the technology education degree option combines 67 credit hours of mechanical engineering technology, computer systems technology, and electronic and computer engineering technology courses with 35 hours of professional pedagogical courses. Many of the courses, which will cover basic electronics, computing principles hardware and software fundamentals, machine design and manufacturing methods, include lab time and project-based assignments, providing students hands-on demonstrations for their own classrooms.

The secondary education curriculum will be taught through video conferencing by College of Education professors, and students will perform their student teaching at a local high school.

“We are excited to work with the Polytechnic Campus to expand into this new licensure area,” said F. Todd Goodson, chair of the College of Education’s curriculum and instruction department. “It is difficult to overstate the importance of technology today. We have a pressing need to produce more high school graduates with advanced technology skills to meet the demands of industry and higher education. I expect graduates of the technology education degree to find high schools eager to consider them for teaching positions.”

Alysia Starkey, associate dean for undergraduate studies at Kansas State Polytechnic, said many students who would fit well in the technology education degree option. High school students with an interest in teaching or who excel in engineering technology classes such as manufacturing, construction, energy, power and technical design should consider enrolling. Also, transfer students and current teachers who want to change their endorsement are encouraged to apply.

For more information or to apply, contact Kansas State Polytechnic’s admissions office at 785-826-2640 or polytechnic@k-state.edu or the College of Education’s Center for Student Success and Professional Services at 785-532-5524 or csps@k-state.edu.

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