Notes for Newly Admitted Students
Now that you have joined the Program, we hope you become immersed in your learning, enjoy the intelligent and diverse student body, and, along with faculty and alums, contribute to knowledge and practice that builds on critical and creative thinking.
The directory is available by request to all CCT students and alums who submit updates of their addresses and other information (form). It is designed to foster on-going support, communication, and the sharing of resources among current and former students, and others who have been associated with the Program.
To include you in the CCT community, we ask students to send us notes about yourself as soon as you are admitted. You might write this as a precis of your application to the CCT, including: General background (e.g. teacher education, curriculum development, science for middle school education); Specific interests and priorities you have as a student, scholar, teacher, artist, computer wizard, philosophizer; Work experience and projects you have completed in the past; Problems and topics you want to focus on in future study/work; Workshops you can offer; Other resources you can offer CCT or other CCT'ers. These notes will also be forwarded to your CCT advisor and other CCT faculty to help them get to know you.
When you are ready to register for fall and spring courses, you can do so by phone following the steps in the Graduate Student Worksheet. You will need a personal PIN number which you can get by calling or emailing the Program (617-287-6520, cct@umb.edu). (Alternatively, Graduate Admissions will send your PIN number by mail if you call them, 617-287-6400.) For summer and winter courses, contact Continuing Education.
Individual advisor: Once you are admitted you will be assigned a general advisor to help you plan your program of study. Please contact the Program's Faculty Advisor if you have not been informed who your advisor is, or if you want to change your advisor for any reason.
New Student Orientation: During the first week of the fall and spring semesters there will be an Orientation for new students combined with a CCT Community Gathering. Please make every effort to attend.
CCT's Faculty Advisor: Early in 2001 the College of Education eliminated its Program Director title and the course release that went with those positions, but the Faculty Advisor for CCT continues to undertake the duties of the Program Director. It is hard for this person to find time to follow up on completion of incompletes, coach students who need to wrap up their syntheses to graduate, and check in with students who have taken official or unofficial leave or deferred their matriculation. In these circumstances, please respect the following guidelines to help CCT serve students:
1. For advice on your studies, consult the CCT handbook or website before contacting your advisor or the Faculty Advisor. Nudge the advisors to get up to date and up to steam with CCT guidelines, course offerings, etc.
2. Make explicit written contracts for incompletes and finish them before a year has gone by so they don't get turned into IFs (which stay on your record and mean you have to pay to take the course again).
3. Before the start of the synthesis semester, finish the practicum course, arrange a reader for the synthesis, and get a proposal approved -- or postpone taking the synthesis course for another semester. Don't use pressure of getting your studies finished (e.g., for a pay raise) as a reason to pressure faculty to waive requirements/ reduce expectations. Jumping ahead always lead to backfill that involves more work for your synthesis advisors/readers.
4. If you take leave, pay the program fee to keep your file active so you avoid having to petition for readmission. When you get a notice like this from the Program, let us know your situation and plans. Ditto, if you defer your matriculation.
5. View the resource constraints on CCT not as a reason to complain, but as an opportunity to develop peer and other horizontal relationships -- to seek support and advice from peers (and alums), and to give support and advice to them when asked for.
Curriculum & Instruction Advising: You are also welcome to visit the Advising Office for the Curriculum & Instruction Department (W-2-157) to ask for advice or forms. The office is open staffed until 7pm.
updated: 9-28-02