June 10, 2005
Student Name
Student Address
Dear Student’s first name,
As you may know, the School of Education Masters of Education programs in Elementary and Secondary Education have recently undergone a number of changes. We reconfigured the required courses to create a sequence to the program as well as include two checkpoints to monitor student progress.
While we realize that you are not officially registered in this program, you are part of a specially selected group that we are asking to assist us with testing some of our instruments and procedures. You have completed half (18 credit hours) of the required 36 credit hours in our program. This is a good time to stop and reflect on your educational experiences. In the future, students who are at this point will have a formal portfolio check point which will entail, for example, submitting a portfolio of artifacts and reflections from courses and P-12 experiences, updating resume and personal educational biography, as well as completing a series of reflections about the School of Education’s vision statement and use of technology.
The benefits to you for assisting us in testing our instruments and procedures include 1) being publicly recognized at the School of Education Graduation and Alumni Dinner in May 2006, 2) meeting and interacting with a small group of faculty to discuss the Master’s program, and 3) having the opportunity to reflect on your educational experiences in the program and share those reflections with a small group of selected colleagues who are also at the same point. While we believe this experience will benefit you, we also realize that the program and faculty will significantly benefit as well. For example, we will 1) become more informed as to how students are experiencing our program, 2) increase the lines of communication between faculty and students, and 3) receive important information about the effectiveness of our tools and procedures that we are preparing to use in our new program.
To minimize your time away from your course work, we are asking that you complete only 2 tasks in preparation for the 1-hour meeting. As both of these tasks involve personal reflections on your experiences, there are no right or wrong answers. We want to hear your interpretations and perspectives. You are being asked to complete the following:
A)Reflection and analysis of the program’s vision statement, and
B)Reflection on your use of technology (see enclosures for additional details and directions)
In order to accommodate busy schedules, we have planned two meeting times from which you can select the ONE time that best fits your needs. This 1 hour, informal meeting will allow you to join with selected colleagues in the Master’s program who have also completed 18 credit hours and faculty members to discuss your reflections. Please RSVP to Cheryl Wolever ( ) by Friday, July 8as to which meeting you will be attending. The days/times to choose from are:
Tuesday July 12from 10:00 – 11:00 am in Neff 257
Tuesday July 12from 3:00 – 4:00 pm in Neff 257
We realize that you may be in class during this time. All professors have agreed to allow you to miss class in order to participate in this important meeting. So that you know how the hour-long meeting will be conducted, we are providing the following agenda:
1.Welcome and snacks
2.Brief introductions of faculty and students
3.Complete a self-report of professional dispositions
4.Divide into small groups of students and faculty to discuss your reflections and educational experiencesin the Master’s program and ask questions of each other.
We appreciate your dedication to IPFW and your willingness to assist us in making our graduate programs even stronger. We look forward to discussing our program with you in July.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kathleen Murphey,Dr. Terri Jo Swim
Associate Dean of SchoolAssistant Professor and Member of
of Education andUAS Committee
Chair of UAS Committee
Enclosures:
Scholar-Practitioner Reflection
Technology Reflection Format and Rubric
Technology Log
Conceptual Framework