StepsSpr09B

Action items in red items in blue added since email

0. News Five students shared the scholarship money as we requested, $823 each to Alyssa, Tara, Ashley, Jeneen, and Jeff. (Still waiting for confirmation of whether Andy & Jeremy got awards but without money, as requested.)

CCT Forum got Beacon Student Leadership award for best student group program, namely, the CCT Network.

Jeremy was interviewed but not selected for convocation speaker.

1. Admissions and matriculations

admits: 2 MA, 2 certificate for fall '09 + 1 deferred hoping for visa Shepherding applicants thru to matriculation, esp. in summer: jeremy poehnert will check weekly & arthur & peter to review and shepherd thru?

2. Synthesis completion

08-09 all on track to finish, but scott likely an august degree past synthesizers: michael lihon looks good for may; virginia dela garza done; julie barrett coming to marathon day; ... others?: most dropped out of contact this semester

Check-in with your synthesis advisees -> get them to attend Marathon day May 16th to get them thru to completion

Looking ahead, pre-emptively, for future synthesizers: entrance interviews + Mid-program interviews, May 16

Fall synthesizers--Arthur: Sandra Knight, Jeneen Mucci, Ashley Smith Spring synthesizers--Carol: Kristin Capezio, Marie Celestin, Marie Levy-Pabst, Candace McDuffie, Sheila O'Shea-Resto, Diana Truong (with Diana & Marie having to tackle writing issues before they can start)

3. Funds The $1700 CCT received in Oct has now been transferred into the CCT ESS account + $370 for 1 credit indep. studies from the fall. After allowing for the 9% overhead charge on any expenditures the budget is spent or spoken for 450	602/612 guests 344	L. Alcalay prep work for online CCT612 211    Exeter dinner 200	Synthesis reading 200	Conference table for publicity 150	wikispaces subs 150	646 guests 140	Nov 6 & 19 publicity 75	L. Witkowski honorarium 52     Bookmarks for advertizing summer courses 36	Parking passes In fact, we spent over the budget once the Exeter dinner is included, but there was a little carry over from last year so there's no fiscal crisis.

4. CCT (alum) network & Monthly Open Houses Going well, but need to get more current students to attend. Jeremy will coordinate in 09-10 and be the instructor of CCT688, Reflective practice (now fully approved and on WISER). Thanks for faculty attendance. Audio recordings of events at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/16894

5. Admin. load Admin. support through CCT-CCDE partnership is on hold because of hiring freeze (even at the old level of a student assistant). PT picking up the CCT slack. GAs for CCT no longer earmarked. Stay tuned. No response to request for regular part-timer to be assigned to coordinate Track A (and thus help with PT's workload & with MEd-CCT synergies)

5a. Program operation priorities

we need to discuss some students..
 * 1) 1. Teaching existing classes; advising our students; sharing the advising/reading of syntheses.
 * 2) 2. Improving the ways we serve the students who need help writing and thinking, including those who have finished all course work but have not completed their syntheses during the synthesis semester [writing support initiative this spring, PT &TT + http://www.cct.umb.edu/StepsToCompletion.html, including Marathon day and Entrance interviews];

Writing support initiatives (see http://cct.wikispaces.com/WritingSupport) Although the term “writing coach” has been used to describe my supportive role for students this semester, I usually find that- while students do need help with the formal rules of grammar and writing- usually the problems people have with writing a paper are deeper than just the actual written text. In questioning and talking with students about their work, I usually find that most have problems with time management and/or stress management, don’t understand the material they’re trying to write about, or don’t understand the actual assignment they’re trying to complete. As such, while my general goal has been to help several students improve their basic writing skills, in practice I’ve been giving them a much broader type of support.
 * 1) 2a. Extra care for students of color who have difficulty;

During this semester, four students have contacted me for help, but only two actually followed through to work with me through the semester. I have tried to help them in their academic work in the following ways: - explain and clarify assignment objectives and requirements - question students to make them articulate the specifics of their general ideas - stress the importance of including and explaining those specifics in their writing - help students organize the structure of their writing so as to lead the reader point by point through their argument - help students clarify the language of their text by explaining why certain elements were confusing to the reader - explain grammar rules that impede the clarity of their text - talk through subject material with students to help them understand the material they are writing about - help students make assignment sub-goals to make task more manageable/less overwhelming - help students work out a strategy/time line to work through assignments - provide emotional support to let student vent, cope with, and manage frustration - try to help students develop coping strategies for dealing with frustration tara

Next steps??

hasn't happened for CCT612 in the fall, but needs to for CCT612 for the spring CCT649 in the spring will be promoted thru Pub Policy, Marine Grad. consortium track proposal working thru governance -- at FC 5/11 provost's core group of 4 meeting on 5/11 to plan future steps, including bringing other interested faculty into planning and outreach
 * 1) 3. Admin, see http://www.cct.umb.edu/AdminChecklist.html;
 * 2) 3b. Must keep everything well-documented & transparent & consistent in case CCT is ever sued by a litigious student (as learned by American Studies)
 * 3) 4. Recruitment advising and admissions processing through to matriculation [see 1, above]
 * 4) 5. Cross-listing/hosting and Promotion of courses to students beyond CCT to get the numbers up.
 * 1) 6. Reviewing CCT's shortcomings to improve as well as to reduce strain on Peter.
 * 2) 6a. Continuation of efforts (started last January) re: curriculum integration across our courses [including require Reflective Practice Portfolio?].
 * 3) 7. Outreach events tied into recruitment.
 * 4) 8. Science in a Changing World emphasis to support PT's aspirations and CCT strengths

starting with 601 & 602 taught face2face in Shanghai in August; approval of M.A. online withdrawn; instead 692, 693, 616 to be taught "at a distance" track A students seem to be taking more CCT courses PT promoting CCT courses in role as co-cordinator of Track A [now called "Learning, Teaching, and Educational Transformation"] share advising of capstones?, ... CCT has to do TEAC accreditation things as well as AQUAD -- stay tuned for details AQUAD in 09-10 -- no plans yet. Also:
 * 1) 9. Timely attention to possibilities about a new line [no developments since Eunny's request was rejected last spring]
 * 2) 9a. Case for continuation of Nina's appointment or another arrangement.(see discussion below under 7.)
 * 3) 10. Certificate/MA partnership with CCDE (promotion of courses so that they run; needs of part-timers; China initiative
 * 1) 10a. G&T certificate development?
 * 2) 11. CCT Network
 * 3) 12. Non-network open houses
 * 4) 13. Collaboration with the non-licensure MEd track to get students in CCT classes (or joint MEd/CCT classes)
 * 1) 13a. Alignment with GCE efforts towards new accreditation and continuous improvement thru assessment of learning outcomes.
 * 1) 14. Infusing CCT into other MEd programs.
 * 2) 14b. Collaboration with new C&I faculty member, Donna DeGennaro, re: offerings for Ed Tech & Instr. Des.
 * 3) 15. CCT workshops for UMB groups.
 * 4) 16. Kodaly?"
 * 1) 17. Exeter partnership
 * 2) 18. Arts initiative
 * 3) 19. CCT on the Cape...

7. Continuation of Nina's appointment beyond 08-09 no 2nd course for the fall in Teacher Research yet. 1st course in the fall subject to change (if PT loses his CLRs or has to teach a required CCT course) info from Dean's office about terms of reappointment?

11. CCT on the Cape [|publicity]