At ECU, the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree with a major in Birth through Kindergarten (BK) Teacher Education is delivered both on campus and online. Online delivery is a type of Distance Education (DE). Therefore, online delivery of the undergraduate BK program is referred to as BS-BK-DE. In both formats, licensure requirements prescribed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) are maintained. Instructors for online courses are the same faculty who teach on-campus courses. Differences are methods of delivery and criteria for admission. Currently, only individuals who reside in North Carolina are eligible to register for BK courses that are delivered online.

BS-BK-DE is open to undergraduate students seeking a bachelor’s degree and to non-degree graduate students seeking initial licensure in BK. It is administered in cohorts with a new cohort beginning in first summer session each year. Twenty students are accepted for each cohort. Admission to ECU does not guarantee acceptance into a DE cohort. To be admitted to a DE (online) cohort, individuals must

• have completed most (preferably all) Foundations Curriculum requirements;
• have acceptable scores on PRAXIS I, SAT, or ACT; (See Teacher Education Testing Options for Admission to Upper Division.)
• be competent using a computer; and
• have reliable high speed internet access.

BS-BK-DE is a 2+2 degree-completion curriculum leading to initial licensure in BK. A 2+2 program means that students have completed Foundations Curriculum (general education) requirements which are usually taken in the first two years of a baccalaureate degree program. Personnel in the BK program have no control over whether or not Foundations Curriculum (FC) courses are offered online, and there is no guarantee that they will be. Thus, individuals will not be accepted into an online cohort until they have completed FC courses. The exception is MUSC 3018, Introduction to Basic Music Skills for Elementary School Teachers. Most students have not taken an equivalent course, and MUSC 3018 is offered online.

FC requirements for the BK major are listed on the first page of the Check Sheet and Cumulative Record. FC courses may be taken at a community college and transferred to ECU so long as they have been approved to satisfy the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) general education core requirements (i.e., they must be college transfer courses). In fact, the Associate in Arts (AA) and the Associate in Science (AS) college transfer programs at community colleges are appropriate paths for individuals who wish to pursue a BK major online. The document, Foundations Curriculum Courses for AAS Early Childhood Education Students at Community Colleges in North Carolina Who Plan To Pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Birth through Kindergarten Teacher Education at East Carolina University, shows community college courses that will meet FC requirements for the BK major at ECU.

The 72 s.h. required for the BK major are offered on a course rotation which begins during first summer session (May) each year. Not every course is offered every semester. See Schedule for Offering BK Major Courses Online. Major courses are offered in a sequence that builds one course upon another. It is the student’s responsibility to meet prerequisites for each course.

In April, an orientation program is held on campus for individuals admitted to the upcoming cohort that begins in May. Although all 72 s.h. of courses required for the BK major are offered online, on-campus attendance may be required for admission to upper division interviews and senior year internship seminars.

Initial Steps
Once you have determined that you possess the personal characteristics and computer skills required for success in online classes and have made the decision to seek admission to a BS-BK-DE cohort, you must obtain formal admission to ECU.

A step-by-step guide is available on the ECU Options web site http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/options/index.cfm. Click on How Do I Start? Each step has links to forms and additional information.

Note: If you are seeking a bachelor’s degree, you will apply as an undergraduate. If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you will apply to the Graduate School as a non-degree student for licensure only. On the application form, indicate that you wish to be a distance education student and that you would like to be considered for a BS-BK-DE cohort.

Upon receiving your official letter of acceptance to ECU, contact Debi Levine levined@ecu.edu, the Distance Education Coordinator for BK, who will provide further instructions. To be considered for a May cohort, the following must be completed by February 1: formal admission to ECU, evaluation of transcript(s) by the Admissions Office, and processing of records by the DE coordinator. To meet the February 1 deadline, you are advised to submit your application to ECU by mid-December.

More Information
For additional information regarding the Birth through Kindergarten Teacher Education program, see Undergraduate Programs on the CDFR web site http://www.ecu.edu/che/cdfr/index.html. Also, additional information is available for each of the following groups.

AAS Early Childhood to BS in Birth through Kindergarten
Additional Information for individuals who complete the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Early Childhood Education program at a community college in North Carolina and want to obtain a BK license can be found in the document AAS Early Childhood to BS in Birth through Kindergarten under Community College to University.

Licensure Only
For individuals who have completed a bachelor’s degree at a regionally accredited institution and wish to obtain a BK license, additional information is available in Alternative Licensure—BK under Certificates/Licenses.

Preschool Add-on License
Individuals who hold a clear license in elementary education, special education, or family and consumer sciences education with specialization in child development/early childhood and wish to obtain Preschool Add-on licensure can find more information in Preschool Add-on Licensure Program under Certificates/Licenses.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Many questions about distance education/online learning at ECU are addressed on the Options for Adult Learners web page http://www.ecu.edu/options/ and on the Academic Outreach web page http://www.ecu.edu/academicoutreach/.

Distance Education/Online Learning at ECU
At the Options website http://www.ecu.edu/options/, clicking on Distance Education will yield answers to questions such as
What is distance education?
What courses are offered?
How much does it cost?
How do I start?

Clicking on Once You’re Admitted (yellow band near top of page http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/options/firsttimestudents.cfm) yields information on topics such as
Characteristics of successful online students
Tips for online success
Computer skills
Online course etiquette
Test taking
Internet course contingency plan
Library services

Clicking on Current Students http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/options/currentstudents.cfm, provides information about
Registration—including Tuition, Drops and Withdrawals, and Refund Information
Resources—including tutorials on how to use Piratemail, OneStop, and Blackboard

Additional information can be found on the Academic Outreach website by clicking on Distance Education: Student Orientation http://author.ecu.edu/cs-acad/DEOrientation/index.cfm.

Debi Levine, MS
Teaching Instructor and BK DE Coordinator
Department of Child Development and Family Relations
College of Human Ecology
Rivers Building—169
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
Telephone: 252 328-2912
Fax: 252 328-4276
e-mail: levined@ecu.edu