UF introduces online teaching degree
Article Published: FAMUAN
A new online degree could help solve Florida’s teacher shortage, but it may be only a quick fix.
The University of Florida has launched a new online bachelor’s degree in in elementary education. It was developed by the College of Education through UF Online.
However, the question remains: Does this program address the teacher shortage or provide temporary solution?
According to a press release from UF, the program is funded by a state grant and provides accessible, high-quality training to students aspiring to be educators. The program allows you to work throughout the state and is said to be flexible. The program also requires hands-on classroom experience, allowing students to work alongside experienced educators throughout their studies.
UF also developed four new courses that focus on real-world learning.
The elementary education program follows the success of UF’s online early childhood education degree .Students will be certified to teach kindergarten to sixth grade. Graduates will be eligible for professional teaching certification in elementary education, with endorsements in reading and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
However, while the new program is expected to help increase the number of certified teachers, some education leaders warn it is only a short-term solution. The Florida Education Association (FEA), the state’s largest teachers’ union, argues that policies keeping wages low and limiting job security are key factors driving teachers out of the profession.
FEA President Andrew Spar “applauds” UF’s initiative but said it does not address the root causes of Florida’s teacher shortage.
“We are seeing teachers with 10, 15, 20 years of experience leaving the classroom, leaving teaching or going out of state, and those teachers would have been career teachers,” Spar said. “I think one, we have to pay more, Florida is 50th in the nation for average teacher pay, ahead of only one other state. We also have to bring back job security. Teachers have to be renewed every year, and basically, that job can decide they don’t want you anymore.”
Spar believes that the best way to solve the teacher shortage in Florida is to address it at the Capitol and that’s what the FEA is doing. The FEA is advocating for legislative action to improve teacher retention. The organization is supporting Senate Bill 136 and its companion bill, House Bill 439, which aim to increase teacher salaries and provide additional job protections. Additionally, the FEA backs Senate Bill 166, introduced by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, which would provide more pathways for aspiring teachers and improve workforce development efforts.
The new elementary education program will admit students each fall, with its first cohort set to begin in later this year. The application deadline for the first class is Monday, April 28. While most hope this course is successful, it will be tested if this moves things in the right direction for teachers in Florida.
