Conceptual Framework

As an integral part of the College of Education at UCF, the Instructional Technology program and related coursework adheres to and supports the Conceptual Framework developed by the College. Specifically, Instructional Technology program focuses on the development of skills, knowledge and dispositions within all candidates. Instructional Technology courses take an academic, technical/scientific, practical, and social orientation, and the conceptual framework has helped us identify the need for, and to further advance our humanistic orientation. We also value high-quality education, life-long learning, ethics, social justice, caring, democracy and academic standards, and stress the application of research and documented best practices throughout the program.

The graphical representation of our conceptual framework is based on basic geometric shapes that aptly portray key aspects of the framework:

I. At the heart of the model are three concentric circles creating a "target" for graduates from all of our professional education programs. The core objective ("bull's eye") is becoming a Professional Educator, an achievement that requires continuous reflective practice (middle ring) and professional development aligned with applicable national, state, and institutional standards (outer ring).

II. The outer pentagon of the conceptual framework represents five broad orientations regarding the preparation of professional educators (Academic, Teaching/Scientific, Practical, Critical/Social, and Humanistic), which serve as a broad foundation for the framework.

III. Integrated throughout all aspects of our conceptual framework and thus reflected as a circle-in-motion is our circle of core beliefs (Research Base, Best Practice, Life-Long Learning, Ethics, Social Justice, Equity, Diversity, Caring, Democracy, Academic Standards, and High Quality Education).

IV. Note that the triangle represents the three major dimensions of professional development: Knowledge (Subject Matter Pedagogy, Ethical Standards), Skills (Communication, Systematic Inquiry), and Dispositions (Professional Commitment, Professional Collaboration). The next three overlapping triangles represent three broad levels of professional development: Pre-professional, Professional, and Accomplished (note the physical progression indicating that professional development always moves in the direction toward Professional Educator).