Program Purpose

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The purpose of this degree program is to prepare undergraduate students to be licensed by the State of Utah for teaching Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) in secondary school classrooms. To prepare students for licensure, students take classes to help them achieve mastery in content areas outlined by the Utah State Specialist in Family and Consumer Sciences including: family and human development, interpersonal relationships, finance and consumer issues, nutrition and wellness, housing and interiors, clothing and textiles, and careers.

In addition, the Family and Consumer Sciences Educaiton (FSCE) major aims to contribute to the mission of BYU, which is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life and in the balanced development of the total person (BYU Mission Statement). Additionally, the program seeks to support the AIMS of a BYU Education by preparing undergraduate students with an educational experience that is "spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging, and character building, leading to lifelong learning and service."

Curricular Structure

Catalog Information

Major Academic Plan

Learning Outcomes

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Instructional Design and Reflection

Identify and use a variety of instructional strategies and tools of inquiry in Family and Consumer Sciences to create learning experiences that encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

General Teacher Preparation Competency

Demonstrate mastery of the Utah General Teacher Preparation Competency throught the BYU Teacher Candidate Assessment (TCA)

Family and Consumer Sciences Content

Demonstrate an understanding of the core concepts and principles associated with the Family and Consumer Sciences curricula taught in secondary classrooms (related to child development, family studies, foods and nutrition, clothing, home management, and interior design).

Evidence of Learning

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Direct Measures

1. Formative and summative classroom observations and student teaching evaluations.
2. BYU Teacher Candidate Assessment.
3. Lesson Plans.
4. Exams (FCS Praxis Content Test).

Indirect Measures

1. ORCA grants and other student publications, presentations, and awards.
2. Alumni surveys.
3. Senior surveys.
4. Employment or admission to graduate school.

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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Faculty who work directly with students in the senior capstone course and with teachers in the field placements are responsible for reviewing formal and informal data about program needs. Data are also stored in Educator, an on-line site that manages the scores of the BYU Teacher Candidate Assessment (TCA) for the Education Preparation Program Office of Accreditation. The student responses to questions are uploaded on the educator site and stored. In addition, Praxis scores are available upon request from the Teacher Education Department.

The FCSE program coordinator provides leadership for reviewing student data. The process of curriculum change and renewal culminates in September when we follow standard university procedures for submitting curriculum changes: FCSE faculty come to consensus about needed changes, then change forms are submitted to the school, college, and the university curriculum committee for approval.