Bachelor of Education (Special and Inclusive Education) In-service

In summary the requirements are that to be eligible to be admitted to a bachelor’s degree programme a person shall, as a minimum:

• have passed a Senate-recognised Form 7 or equivalent examination; or
• have completed a diploma or a degree at a recognised tertiary institution; or
• have completed a qualification that USP recognises for cross credits; or
• have met the mature student admission criteria.

All new degree-level students will sit an English proficiency test, English Language Skills Assessment (ELSA). Students identified by ELSA will be enrolled in the course, EL001 English Language Skills, which provides students with an opportunity to acquire the English language skills needed for successful university studies.

Students enrolling at Laucala, Emalus and Alafua Campuses can complete their enrolment process online via the USP website. All other students, including those without online access, should fill out the appropriate form, available at all USP campuses.

Programme Requirements:

• The Bachelor of Education (Special and Inclusive Education) In-service consists of 21 courses:
• 8 at 100-level
• 6 at 200-level
• 7 at 300-level (including practicum).

Courses:

1. ED182 (Integrated Arts) - This course takes an integrated view of the role and relevance of the arts in relation to both schooling and culture generally. The arts represent society`s most profound and acute insights, as well as a sure way to empathy and emotional understanding.


2. ED184 (Physical Education and Leisure Education I) - This course seeks to integrate components of physical education, games teaching, outdoor and leisure education. It offers practical activities and draws theoretical insights from teaching games for understanding, pedagogy, and outdoor education.


3. UU100 (Communications and Information Literacy) - From 2010 all students admitted to degree programmes will be required to undertake four generic courses as part of their programme. UU100 will be offered in Semester 2.


4. UU114 (English For Academic Purposes) - By the end of this course students will be expected to have achieved a proficiency in academic writing, reading and speaking sufficient to support their language needs in courses in the humanities, social science or sciences and in future professional tasks.


5. plus one (1) of;
• LL161 (Fijian Language Studies I) - This course introduces students to the study of the Fijian language, its major divisions and varieties and the pivotal concepts of its grammar, as well as its relationship to other Austronesian languages.
• LL171 (Introduction To Hindi) - The aims of this course are to give the student an understanding of the Hindi language, to develop the user`s skills in the use of Hindi and to enhance through understanding and practice the ability to use it with confidence. OR (other Pacific language)
• UU104 (Pacific Worlds: An Introduction to Pacific Studies) - This course aims to present fundamental features of Pacific societies and to examine them from a Pacific perspective. It looks at the following themes: origins, relationships, knowledge, language and contemporary identity from the point of view of Pacific peoples.


6. ED207 (Introduction to Exceptionality) - This course is a core course in the Bachelor of Education (Special Education) or for anyone with an interest in special education e.g. parents, teachers, journalists, NGO advocates and Pacific community workers.


7. ED208 (Study of Exceptional Individuals I) - Equivalent to PS208. Students will be given an introduction to the study of individuals with diverse educational needs. Students will be introduced to the global philosophy/trend on inclusive education/classrooms at all levels of education.


8. ED209 (Educating Individuals with Visual Impairments) - This course will enable students to work with children with vision impairment across the curriculum in particular in PICs. Students will acquire an historical overview, politically correct terminology, current trends in teaching children with vision impairment and will also address the students social and emotional needs and concerns.


9. ED210 (Educating Individuals with Behavior Disorders) - This course will focus on students with emotional and behavioural disorders. Teaching strategies and technologies used for specific behavioural areas such as ADD and ADHD, shy, withdrawn, conduct disorders, autism, emotionally disturbed and some mental health conditions encountered in children in general in PICs will be discussed.


10. ED252 (Educational Psychology and the Teaching - Learning Process) - This course aims to provide a framework within which teachers, or those intending to be teachers, can identify the contribution of educational psychology to an understanding of how children learn, and formulate a theoretical base from which effective teaching practices can be designed, implemented and evaluated.


11. ED305 (Early Intervention) - This course provides field-tested, research-based guidelines and strategies for working in early intervention. The focus will be on preventing disabilities at different levels (conception to age eight) and how it affects adolescents and adults.


12. ED/PS308 (Study of Exceptional Individuals II) - This course will extend the various concepts of exceptionality introduced in ED/PS208, and will focus on the use of various assessment and screening instruments, score interpretation and the design of appropriate individual education plans (IEPs) based on the relevant data.


13. ED309 (Educating Gifted and Talented Children) - This course will enable students to identify and program for gifted and talented individuals in their classrooms/ centres. The course reviews current issues in the field of the education of gifted and talented individuals, discusses the characteristics of gifted and talented students as well as the challenges of parenting and provides understanding and counselling of gifted children.


14. ED321 (Educational Programming for Students with Learning Disabilities) - This course is a core course in the Bachelor of Education (Special Education) and an elective for the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) because it will be especially useful for class 1 and 2 teachers.


15. ED322 (Educating Individuals with Hearing and Communication Impairments) - This course is a core course in the Bachelor of Education (Special Education). People with such difficulties are numerous in the Pacific and their conditions are quite often undetected until it is too late to help them to achieve their potential or to develop their speech and language.


16. ED323 (Educating Individuals with Physical, Multiple Health Impairments) - This course is a core course in the Bachelor of Education (Special Education). People with physical, multiple and health impairments are numerous in the Pacific and their conditions are quite often overlooked and have problems accessing the curriculum.


17. ED324 (Practicum In Special Education) - This is a structured course with set tasks. It comprises a compulsory workshop component of up to six weeks on-campus and a full time compulsory placement in two special schools of four weeks each (a total of eight weeks). Set tasks will be assigned for each week of the practicum.

Note: Please click on the course codes to access detailed information about the course from the USP database.