Education

About this opportunity

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College offers a variety of undergraduate programs in both campus-based and remote formats through ASU Online. These include bachelor’s programs that lead to initial teacher certification for elementary and secondary educators, as well as an educational studies program that prepares graduates to work in a variety of learning environments such as community organizations, youth-serving organizations and other institutions where teaching and learning happen.

The mission of the college is to create knowledge, mobilize people and take action to improve education. In pursuit of this mission, the college brings people and ideas together to increase the capabilities of individual educators and improve the performance of education systems.

Through its Next Education Workforce initiative, the college is shaping the national conversation about how educators are prepared and how schools operate. To build the Next Education Workforce, Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College works with schools and other partners to 1) provide all students with deeper and personalized learning by building teams of educators with distributed expertise and 2) empower educators by developing better ways to enter the profession, specialize and advance.

Thesis

Completing an Honors Thesis in Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Honors students complete their thesis  under the direction of a Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Faculty Mentor who serves as Thesis Director, assists with the project, and whose professional interests support the student’s thesis topic. 

Please note that part-time faculty, such as faculty associates, are not permitted to serve as Thesis Directors for TEL 492/493. 

Completion of an honors thesis in Teachers College reflects the expectations of the Honors College. Honors students are encouraged to work with faculty from other colleges if their areas of expertise support the project.

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College offers a maximum of 6 credits for thesis work. Students who select a Teachers College faculty member to serve as Thesis Director register for TEL 492 Honors Directed Study during the design and data collection portion of their work, and for TEL 493 Honors Thesis during the semester they complete and defend their work. Prior to enrolling in TEL 492 or 493, all students must complete a thesis workshop information session.

Completing aspects of honors work within the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College is a valuable, fulfilling experience for both students and faculty. Faculty involved in the growth and mentoring of undergraduate students are rewarded with opportunities to reflect on their own teaching and learning.Similarly, students who systematically examine relevant issues in the field of education are more effectively prepared for future scholarly work and work as a professional. Some students elect to conduct their honors thesis/projects as part of their year-long internship activities. This context offers an available opportunity to study, implement, and evaluate instructional activities with K-12 students.



Group Projects
Barrett allows more than one student to work on a thesis project. Group projects are at the discretion of the Thesis Director. Group thesis projects give students valuable experience and enable them to take on larger, more complicated topics. They can collaborate with peers and work with students in other disciplines in order to approach the topic from a variety of viewpoints. Group projects can and should grow out of a variety of student/faculty interactions including—but not limited to—labs, capstone classes, creative work, internships, and faculty research projects that utilize undergraduates. Each student in the group is required to submit an individual prospectus document. The individual roles of each group member should be articulated and a “code of conduct” agreed upon, particularly when the project is interdisciplinary. A detailed prospectus ensures that there is sufficient work for each student.

Academic Preparation

Students will want to begin the process of developing thesis ideas and connecting with potential committee members at least one semester prior to enrolling in TEL 492, the first of the thesis courses. Students wishing to engage in research opportunities related to their thesis topic and in collaboration with faculty members may enroll in TEL 494, an independent study course, under the direction of a MLFTC faculty member. In addition, honors contracts completed in MLFTC courses may also serve as the basis for the later development of the thesis.

Recommended Timeline

Honors students are strongly encouraged to focus on an area of interest, identify a Thesis Director, and begin the process of completing their Honors Thesis/Creative Project upon acceptance into the professional program, which is typically at the beginning of the junior year. Projects can be completed during the junior or senior year; however, many students choose to do their projects early so that they can focus on student teaching during the senior-year residency.

Other Honors Opportunities

Enrichment Contracts and Honors Courses in Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
For students accepted into Barrett, opportunities exist for developing Honors Enrichment Contracts in both lower and upper division courses while completing requirements within Teachers College. As with all honors courses, Enrichment Contracts must be designed and completed under the direction of a regularly appointed full-time faculty member.