College of Humanities and Education - Special Education

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Introduction

The Department of Special Education at Chung Yuan Christian University was established in 1997. The master’s program was launched in 2006. The department aims to produce excellent special education teachers and researchers who are dedicated, innovative, possess adequate professional knowledge, and have an international perspective. The department also established the Special Education Center as well as the Early Intervention Center to provide social services for people in the local community. The Special Education Center was founded in 1997. It has been providing in-service training for teachers, offering assistance in student assessment and placement at schools, providing consultations through hot lines for the general public, and publishing newsletters to disseminate knowledge of special education. The Early Intervention Center was founded in 2004. It provides consultation services for families of young children with special needs. The Early Intervention Center also conducts research on early intervention and related fields by actively collaborating with local hospitals and institutes.

The curriculum of the Department of Special Education was designed to prepare students to be competent and professional special education administrators and teachers. The main emphasis is on preschool, elementary, and secondary education. The undergraduate program provides five sub-fields: education for mild disabilities, multiple and severe disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, early childhood, and giftedness.

The master’s program is designed to increase students’ knowledge, refine their teaching strategies, and develop their research abilities. The program especially focuses on the intervention and research for young children and students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The master’s program curriculum contains research method courses, core courses, specialized courses, and a thesis requirement. The master’s degree is awarded to graduate students who have earned a minimum of 30 credits with the completion of a thesis.

Mission

  1. Cultivate special education professionals
  2. The major goal of the Special Education Department is to train students to become special education teachers, administrators, and managers for pre-schools, elementary and secondary schools and agencies.

  3. Build the competencies in students necessary for special education research
  4. Students in our program will be able to carry out meaningful research studies related to special education theories and practical issues.

  5. Promote awareness of special education counseling
  6. The Department will integrate its resources and collaborate with the architecture, psychology, and medical engineering departments at Chung Yuan Christian University and other related agencies. In addition, the Department aims to facilitate special education schools, classes, and agencies in providing special education in-service training and services to upgrade the quality of special education and services in Tao-Yuan, Hsin-Chu, and Miao-Li areas.

Objectives

The main goal of the Special Education Department is to produce competent special education teachers at pre-school, elementary school, and secondary school levels as well as other professionals. More specifically, students are trained to:

  1. have a holistic educational perspective, passion, and professional competence.
  2. have the ability to understand the needs of special students.
  3. have the knowledge and skills to serve the needs of special students and their families.
  4. have the knowledge and ability to research issues in special education.
  5. practice the spirit and ethics fundamental to professional collaboration.

Features of the Special Education Department

  1. Emphasis on holistic education.
  2. The curriculum is in accordance with students’ various needs.
  3. Value the importance of teaching ethics and professional performance.
  4. Emphasis on the cultivation of creativity and the ability to problem solve.
  5. Emphasis on the integration of theories and practices.
  6. Actively arrange for international cooperation.
  7. Conduct early intervention research projects.
  8. Cooperate with Yia-Wen Children’s Hearing Foundation.

Features of teaching and curriculum—Integrating theories and practices

  1. The curriculum is designed for both types of students: those who desire to be special education teachers and those who choose not to be special education teachers.
  2. The curriculum is designed to train pre-school, elementary, and secondary education teachers.
  3. The Department requires all students to complete a senior project course in order to give students the chance to apply their newly acquired abilities of creativity, cooperation, and problem-solving.
  4. The Department also provides courses in social work, audio-verbal speech method, and electronic learning across different professional fields.

Future Prospects

Future plans of the Special Education Department:

  1. Refine teacher training courses and develop specialized courses.
  2. Expand internationalization to increase interaction with international programs.
  3. Implement student competency evaluations and strengthen students’ professional abilities.
  4. Develop training models for early intervention staff.
  5. Enhance teachers’ professional growth and improve the quality and quantity of teaching and research.
  6. Continue providing service learning courses and refine the parameters of holistic care.

Future outlook for students’ career opportunities

  1. Become special education teachers in special education classes or schools.
  2. Become staff in special education agencies.
  3. Become social workers.
  4. Become administrative staff in educational or social affairs departments in the government.
  5. Become speech therapists in auditory-verbal approach agencies.
  6. Become researchers or developers in teaching material design or become administrative staff in electronic learning.
Enter graduate schools in Taiwan or abroad.

Undergraduate

  1. For students taking the Teacher Education Track: 34 credits for school general requirements, 37 credits for department requirements, and 57 credits for department electives (including unrestricted electives 16 credits) which are 128 credits in total.
  2. For students not taking the Teacher Education Track: 34 credits for school general requirements, 25 credits for department requirements, and 69 credits for department electives (including unrestricted electives 46 credits), which are 128 credits in total.

Graduation Credits for Students Taking Teacher Education Track
Minimum Graduation Credits 128
Category Credits
1. General Requirements 22
2. Department Requirements 37
3. Department Electives at least 41
4. General Education Electives 12
5. Unrestricted Electives at least 16
Graduation Credits for Students NOT Taking Teacher Education Track
Minimum Graduation Credits 128
Category Credits
1.General Requirements 22
2. Department Requirements 25
3. Department Electives at least 23
4. General Education Electives 12
5. Unrestricted Electives at least 46
Note:

  • General Education requires 12 credits, and is divided into four categories: Life Education, Humanities, Practical Sciences, and Labor Service. Students need to earn 2 credits from each category.
  • Student must pass the first stage of the GEPT at the intermediate level in their freshman year. If not, they must spend two semesters studying “Studio Classroom” by self-learning and take “mid-term” and “final” exams. If they do not pass the exams, they have to pay for English courses offered by the Language Center in their senior year.
  • All students shall take the courses of Training in Special Education (I) and (II), and take part in volunteering services for at least 96 hours.
  • For the course “Instructional Methods and Materials for Students with Disabilities,” students need to take “Practicum in Special Education (I)” and “ Practicum in Special Education (II)” so as to enhance practical experiences.
  • Students need to take the course of “Graduation Project” and participate in a project achievement exhibition for the purpose of developing creativity, cooperation, and problems-solving ability.

Graduate

  1. For students not taking the Teacher-Education Track: Students are required to take 36 credits, including 7 required credits and 6 credits for thesis. In addition, students will take at least 6 required elective credits and 17 optional elective credits.
  2. For students taking the Teacher-Education Track: Students who intend to acquire a teaching certificate may apply for it, and when approved, they need to fulfill the same requirements as the students not taking the teacher-education program. In addition, they may take 40 extra credits for the special education teacher program.
  3. Required credits for both groups of students:

Credits Classification Required Credits
Students not taking theTeacher-Education Track Students taking theTeacher-Education Track
Required 7 credits 7 credits
Required 6 credits for thesis 6 credits for thesis
Elective 23credits 23 credits
Special Education Teacher Program 0credits 40 credits
Total Credits for Graduation 36 credits 76 credits

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TEL:886-3-2656702
Fax:886-3-2656729
spes@cycu.edu.tw