Library Media Education Practicum and Portfolio Information Page

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THE PRACTICUM AND PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

The Practicum Capstone Course (LITE 590)

The Practicum experience provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in Educational Technology and Library Media Education in a "real world" setting. A total of 120 practicum hours are required in the course. 40 of these hours must be in either an educational technology or library media center assisting students. For these hours, students will be under the supervision of a cooperating educational technology (EDTECH) or library media specialist (LMS). For students seeking certification, cooperating specialists must be experienced and certified in library media education or educational technology. For students who are not seeking certification, the specialists must have experience working in a private or public sector informational technology setting. These cooperating specialists are not compensated for their time. Their work with students is considered a professional courtesy. The cooperating educational technology or media specialist must be willing to work with students in the practicum setting, maintain contact with the university practicum supervisor, sign the student's time log of practicum activities, and complete an online evaluation of the practicum student's work.

Students spend the remaining 80 hours of the practicum working in media centers, computer labs, classrooms, or other educational settings on activities aligned with state and national standards for educational technology or school media specialists. The university supervisor is responsible for overseeing these activities.

As part of the practicum class students are also responsible for developing the Professional Portfolio. Students are strongly advised to keep copies of all their coursework for potential use in the Professional Portfolio. A brief syllabus of requirements for the practicum is posted below:

LITE 590 Practicum Syllabus for LMS/EDTECH Concentrations

Application for the Practicum Capstone Course 

Students gain admission to LITE 590 by permission of the instructor, completion of 24 hours of course work including LITE 501, 512, 535, and 537; and research tool. Students must not have any outstanding incomplete courses remaining in their program of study to be eligible for the practicum. Students must fulfill the above requirements and complete the Application for the Practicum form below to be eligible to enroll in the class.

Online Application form for the Practicum

The LITE Portfolio Process

The LITE Professional Portfolio is required in the Practicum and Internship courses. It is a culminating activity in the WKU Libraries, Informatics, and Technology in Education Program. The Portfolio demonstrates that students are able to reflect on and provide evidence of professional growth in library media education and educational technology. The reflections, actions and evidences which are part of the Portfolio are aligned with state and national professional standards for either library media education and educational technology. The national standards used in the LME program are established by the following professional societies: the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the American Association for School Librarians, and the International Society for Technology in Education.

The process for developing the professional portfolio begins with the Portfolio Planning Document (PPD) in the Practicum/Internship class. The PPD provides the framework for the Professional Portfolio and is aligned with professional standards. Evidence used in the PPD include papers, projects, and activities students complete in LITE courses, and activities and projects students are engaged in as educational professionals. Students are strongly advised to keep copies of all their coursework for inclusion in the Professional Portfolio. Templates and instructions for the PPD and Portfolio are listed below:

Portfolio Instructions

Portfolio Rubric