Professional development of the participants is tied to an inquiry ethic. Other educational professional training programs in the college have pioneered other models of collaboration. All programs require multiple field experiences of various kinds and durations. Because of the size of the college, there is not a single pattern for all candidates. Candidates in Early Childhood Education must show evidence of having at least fifty hours of work in a school or child-related activity prior to being admitted into the program.
Student teaching lasts for ten weeks.
During student teaching, each candidate works full time in a middle grades classroom for twelve weeks. Thus, each teacher candidate spends a minimum of 480 clock hours in a middle grades classroom during student teaching. The total amount of time spent in schools equals or exceeds six hundred hours. Most, but not all, secondary programs have a pre-admission requirement similar to those mentioned for early childhood and middle grades programs. All programs also require field experience during their methods and curriculum coursework.