New GRADUate Concentration Proposals
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF GRADUATE STUDIES

This form should be used for academic units wishing to propose new concentrations for existing graduate degrees.

A concentration is a subspecialty within a degree and major which reflects that the student has fulfilled a designated, specialized course of study which qualifies the student as having distinctive skills and training in one highly concentrated area of the major. Concentrations are formally-recognized educational designations (including the assignment of a university curriculum code for reporting/record-keeping purposes and appearance on the ASU transcript). Concentrations are to be distinguished from not formally recognized academic distinctions frequently referred to as “emphases,” “tracks,” “foci,” “options,” etc.

Please type.

COLLEGE/ SCHOOL/ DIVISION NAME
Liberal Arts and Sciences / ACADEMIC UNIT NAME (or proposing faculty group for interdisciplinary proposals)
Geography
EXISTING GRADUATE DEGREE AND MAJOR NAME
Master of Advanced Studies
PROPOSED CONCENTRATION NAME
Geographic Education http://alliance.la.asu.edu/MASGE/abor.html

1. Overview

Provide a brief description of the new concentration (including the specific focus of the new concentration, relationship to other concentrations in this degree program, etc). Is this an interdisciplinary concentration? If yes, please address the relationship of the proposed concentration to other existing degree programs and any parallel concentrations in these degree programs.
The Geographic Education concentration builds on twelve years of teacher outreach carried out by ASUs Geography Department through the Arizona Geographic Alliance. Supported by more than $1.4 in grants from the National Geographic Society and Arizona's Department of Education, the Arizona Geographic Alliance has built a firm base of materials for this concentration. All of the courses have been taught previously to teachers. The content for on-line delivery exists, although it needs to be reformatted for this program. At the present time, no graduate programs exist in the state of Arizona for teacher training in geography education. There are 'place-based' programs in other states, and there is an on-line program in London designed for the U.K. educational system. There is a hybrid place-based and on-line program offered by Texas State University at San Marcos. However, these existing programs do not meet the needs of Arizona teachers, either because of the place-based requirement or the inapporpriate nature (U.K. system) of the materials.
Explain the unit’s need for the new concentration (e.g., market demand, research base, direction of the discipline, interdisciplinarity, etc).
This concentration is a direct outgrowth of the success of the Arizona Geographic Alliance, with a statewide teacher membership of over 3000 and teacher trainings that have impacted more than 140,000 students in the past 3 years. The teachers attending these trainings have requested more advanced work. The concentration is interdisciplinary in that it combines 24 units of geography and 6 units of education in two different colleges. The market demand is strong, based on extensive surveys of teachers who attend the Arizona Geographic Alliance teacher trainings. The overwhelming signal is that an on-line masters in geographic education would have a constant flow that could exceed 50 MAS-GE degrees a year by 2010. The intention, however, is to grow the program slowly, starting with an initial class of 20. The oversight board, an Executive Review Board, would review the program each year to ensure quality control.

2. Impact Assessment

How will the new concentration complement the existing degree program, including enrollment, national ranking, etc?
The MAS in Geographic Education would not influence any aspect of the Geography Department's programs, except to increase the number of degrees granted. Thus, when graduate degrees are compiled, the total figure would jump and would increase geography's rankings in this numerical fashion. There would be no drain on faculty time and resources, other than to "tape" faculty lectures for streaming video presentations. The bank of video presentations would need to be updated, and thus we would anticipate asking faculty to teach some of their existing course lectures in a lecture hall appropriate for video taping. In conclusion, the MAS in Geographic Education would offer a new dimension appropriate to ASUs mission of community engagement, and the impact on national ranking would be marginally positive.
The Master of Advanced Studies was created by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences specifically for Master's degrees that terminate the students proposed study. The MAS is designed specifially to re-use expertise and re-market courses to new audiences. The MAS-GE meets this criteria and complements the existing Master of Advanced Studies in Geography Information Systems.
Please identify other related ASU programs and others in the state. How will the new concentration complement and/or compete with existing programs at ASU, in the state and at other peer institutions? (Non-impact statements from potentially-affected academic unit administrators at ASU only need to be included.)
There are no existing programs in Geographic Education. We are partnering with ASUs College of Education in the delivery of 2 courses (6 units) of an Applied Project and Introduction to Research. This will be the first masters in geographic education in Arizona, and only the second one in the country. Dr. Billie Enz of ASUs College of Education could provide a statement of need and a statement of support. Dr. Elizabeth Hinde of ASU West's Teacher Leadership College could provide a statement of impact on the need for this program among social studies educators in the state.

3. Unit Assessment

Please list the primary faculty participants with regards to the proposed concentration.
Name / Title / Area(s) of Specialization as they relate to proposed concentration
Ronald I. Dorn / Professor / Geographic Education
Duncan Shaffer / Lecturer / Geographic Education
Discuss the workload implications for participating faculty in view of other programmatic commitments.
Ronald Dorn will direct the program. His workload profile entails working with geography K-12 teachers across Arizona through his role as co-coordinator of the Arizona Geographic Alliance. He will work closely with the assistant director of the program, a full-time position that will be supported through tuition funds. Drs. Dorn and Shaffer will play an important role in updating the "bank" of streaming video presentations that will form a core component of this on-line masters concentration. Dr. Dorn will also be taping members of the Geography Departments at ASU, University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University as a part of the streaming video content. The bulk of the student assessment work will be carried out by Instructors. These are practicing teachers in the field, those who already have their masters and are experts in geographic education. However, the responsibility of updating and monitoring quality rests with Dr. Dorn and the Executive Review committee of this program.

4. Curriculum

What is the total minimum hours required for the major and degree corresponding to the proposed concentration? 30
Please provide the admissions criteria for the proposed concentration. If they are identical to existing admission criteria for the existing major and degree program, you may attach a copy of these criteria as they appear in the Graduate Catalog, departmental website, or other source.
If the proposed concentration is part of a larger, interdisciplinary agenda, please provide additional admission information related to students who may enter with various academic backgrounds, including expected entry-level competencies.
This concentration is part of a larger, interdisciplinary agenda to meet the needs of practicing teachers in Arizona. The federal No Child Left Behind program has created a giant demand among K-8 (elementary) certified teachers who occupy secondary positions in middle schools. These individuals in social studies classes need 24 units in their field, or a masters, to meet the definition of highly qualified. This program would be one of the first to meet this national agenda. Furthermore, the larger interdisciplinary agenda of ABOR is to generate on-line programs to meet the needs of time-bound and place-bound individuals in Arizona. Teachers are indeed both bound in time and place and are unable often to even take the time to participate in evening programs held at ASU campuses. Thus, the completely on-line nature of this degree program is a part of this larger ABOR agenda.
The admissions criteria would need to be simple: (a) A teacher with bachelor's degree and existing teaching certificate; (b) 3.0 GPA OR evidence of postgraduate experiences and recent accomplishments indicating the potential for success in a graduate program, where such evidence could include professional development experience. (c) no GRE requirement (d) completed Application for Admission to ASU via DGS Application and fee ($50 nonrefundable fee) (d) Current resume or bio statement (e) Personal letter indicating interest in the geographic education concentration (f) Official transcripts from previous colleges or universities (g) Two letters of recommendation, each in a sealed envelope from the recommender, signed across the seal.
Please attach a sample program of study, listing all required courses for the degree, major, and proposed concentration, as well as listing typical electives students may take.
If the concentration is part of a larger, interdisciplinary agenda, please provide additional sample programs of study relating to students with various academic backgrounds who may pursue the proposed concentration, including expected mastery of core competencies (e.g., course work, skills, knowledge).
Please describe the culminating experience(s) required for completion of the existing degree and major, and the proposed concentration (e.g., thesis, dissertation, comprehensive exams, practicum, applied projects, etc.).
The program of study, along with the learning outcomes assessment plan, is attached and can be reviewed at this website: http://alliance.la.asu.edu/MASGE/MASGE.html This website presents the required courses that will be presented on-line. There are no electives. All of the courses are required.
The Master's of Advanced Studies does not require a thesis. The culminating project will be directed by ASUs College of Education in their "Applied Project" course and in their "Introduction to Research Course". The teachers will be working on their applied project throughout the program. The last 6 units will generate a project. There are two times where the on-line students will come together at ASU Tempe Campus. The first time will be an orientation to the program, where the teachers learn the operation of the blackboard system, meet the personnel involved in the program face-toface, and where the teachers can "practice" various modules of the courses in an environment where they can ask questions. The second time will be at the end of the program, where teachers present to each other, to the College of Education faculty, and to the Geography Faculty, the results of their applied projects.
Please describe any other requirements for completion of the existing degree and major, and the proposed concentration
(e.g., internships, capstone course(s), foreign language skills, etc.).
The requirement for completion of a degree will be: filing a program of study, completing an applied project, presenting on the project, applying for graduation and completing a report of the final master's examination. Teachers would need to keep in mind for completion of the degree the need for access to a K-12 classroom, such that they can carry out the research-based applied project in their classroom. There would also be a requirement, to be met by the individual teacher, of having a computer capable of accessing the internet resources delivered by blackboard and supplementary programs. The individual would also obtain books, supplies, parking etc. as needed.

5. Administration

How will the proposed concentration be administered, including for admissions, student advisement, retention, etc.? Describe the administering body in detail, especially if the proposed concentration is part of a larger interdisciplinary agenda.
Professor Ronald Dorn will be in charge of oversight for the MAS in Geographic Education program. Administration will be carried out by the graduate coordinator for Geography. Professor Dorn will oversee the Executive Committee as well as student admissions and advisement as a part of his duties, requiring no additional salary. Formal appointment of the Executive Committee will require approval by the Geography Faculty at a scheduled faculty meeting. All admission and advisement will be carried out in coordination and conjunction with the Division of Graduate Studies. The Assistant Director will perform the administrative tasks associated with admission, records, as well as student recruitment and student retention. The Assistant Director is a key player in the administration and the salary is to be obtained through tuition. There will also be a marketing budget for student recruitment. This Assistant Director will partner with Professor Dorn in carrying out all advisement and retention duties. An Executive Review Committee will provide valuable input and oversight of the program both the curriculum and the administration.
How many students will be admitted immediately following final approval of the concentration? What are enrollment projections for the next three years?
The first year's class will be limited to 20. Although the survey demand suggests that a larger enrollment, we must cap the class in this first year and include some teachers who are willing to becoming instructors/apprentices in future years. The apprentice concept is to take existing master teachers of geography who do not have their masters (we have a list of 15 interested persons). They take the courses that they then agree to teach in subsequent years, as Instructors receiving pay as an Instructor. They will receive scholarships and will sign a contract in return. The net effect is that these enthusiastic and motivated individuals end up recruiting participants for the masters program. Most importantly, they grow professionally. The second year's class would grow and we anticipate serving a cap of 50 in year 3.
What are the resource implications for the proposed concentration? Will new books, equipment, space and/or personnel be required now or in the future? If multiple units/programs will collaborate in offering this concentration, please discuss the resource contribution of each participating program.
The startup for the proposed concentration to put the 9 courses on-line will require an investment, and an ARRO ABOR grant will hopefully cover this startup cost (already applied). There would be space needed in the Geography Department for this program. The new Assistant Director would need an office, and the current Arizona Geographic Alliance space would need to remain as a location where course instructors (as well as master's students) could meet and obtain resource assistance as/if needed. The tuition from this program will then cover future marketing, Instructor pay, course improvement, and other dimensions needed to grow this program into a model of community engagement. (Exec Director pay is part of the regular teaching load).

6. Additional Material