Graduate Program Admission Requirements
Graduate M.S. Concentration - Library Media Specialist
Graduate M.S. Concentration - Educational Technology
Graduate Certificate - Educational Technology
Graduate Endorsement - Educational Technology
Graduate Rank 1 Program for School Library and Educational Technology Graduates
Graduate Program Portfolio and Practicum Requirements
Graduate Program Advising Information
THE PRACTICUM AND PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO
The Practicum Capstone Course (LME 590)
The Practicum experience provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in Educational Technology and Library Media Education in a "real world" setting. A total of 120 practicum hours are required in the course. 40 of these hours must be in either an educational technology or library media center assisting students. For these hours, students will be under the supervision of a cooperating educational technology or library media specialist. For students seeking certification, cooperating specialists must be experienced and certified in library media education or educational technology. For students who are not seeking certification, the specialists must have experience working in a private or public sector informational technology setting. These cooperating specialists are not compensated for their time. Their work with students is considered a professional courtesy. The cooperating educational technology or media specialist must be willing to work with students in the practicum setting, maintain contact with the university practicum supervisor, sign the student's time log of practicum activities, and complete an online evaluation of the practicum student's work.
Students spend the remaining 80 hours of the practicum working in media centers, computer labs, classrooms, or other educational settings on activities aligned with state and national standards for educational technology or school media specialists. The university supervisor is responsible for overseeing these activities.
As part of the practicum class students are also responsible for developing the Professional Portfolio. Students are strongly advised to keep copies of all their coursework for potential use in the Professional Portfolio. A brief syllabus of requirements for the practicum is posted below:
LME 590 Practicum Syllabus for LMS/EDTECH Concentrations
Internship in Library Media Education (LME 592)
The Internship in Library Media Education is for students who seek certification as a school media librarian at the graduate level but do not have prior teaching certification. The internship is a field-based experience in an appropriate setting under supervision of a certified library media specialist. Student complete 70 consecutive days or equivalent in the school media center setting. As part of the internship class students are also responsible for developing the Professional Portfolio. Students are strongly advised to keep copies of all their coursework for potential use in the Professional Portfolio. Students must be admitted to Professional Education at WKU to enroll in the internship. Information on admission to Professional Education can be found through the Office of Teacher Services
For additional information about the practicum or internship contact andrea.paganelli@wku.edu or Barbara.fiehn@wku.edu
Application for the Practicum Capstone Course or Internship
Students gain admission to LME 590 or LME 592 by permission of the instructor, completion of 24 hours of course work including LME 501, 512, 535, and 537; and admission to candidacy (Form D on file). Students must not have any outstanding incomplete courses remaining in their program of study to be eligible for the practicum. Students who do not have prior teacher certification and who are seeking LMS certification must be admitted to WKU Professional Education before being admitted into the internship. Students with no Form D on file, or who lack teacher certifiation and have not been admitted to Professional Education, must contact their advisor immediately. DO NOT complete this application. Students must fulfill the above requirements and complete the Application for the Practicum form below to be eligible to enroll in the class.
Online Application form for the Practicum
The LME Portfolio Process
The LME Professional Portfolio is required in the Practicum and Internship courses. It is a culminating activity in the WKU Library Media Education Program. The Portfolio demonstrates that students are able to reflect on and provide evidence of professional growth in either library media education or educational technology. The reflections, actions and evidences which are part of the Portfolio are aligned with state and national professional standards for either library media education or educational technology, depending on a student's concentration. The national standards used in the LME program are established by the following professional societies: the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the American Association for School Librarians, and the International Society for Technology in Education.
The process for developing the professional portfolio begins with the Portfolio Planning Document (PPD) in the Practicum/Internship class. The PPD provides the framework for the Professional Portfolio and is aligned with professional standards. Evidence used in the PPD include papers, projects, and activities students complete in LME courses, and activities and projects students are engaged in as educational professionals. Students are strongly advised to keep copies of all their coursework for inclusion in the Professional Portfolio. Templates and instructions for the PPD and Portfolio are listed below:
