HANDBOOK FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS (M.Ed.)

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the degree of Master of Education are expected to satisfy the following requirements:

1)         an undergraduate degree from an approved university with standing in the B range overall and at least B standing in the final two years;

2)         a Bachelor of Education degree or equivalent professional preparation;

3)         at least one year of successful professional experience in education.

In exceptional cases, the Faculty may recommend admission for applicants holding an honours Bachelor's degree or the equivalent with at least B standing overall and at least B in the final two years who can demonstrate experience, interests, and motivation that make them appropriate candidates for the degree.

Documents Required

Applicants are required to provide the following documents:

1)         two official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate work from all the colleges and universities you have attended ("official" means that the transcripts are sent directly from the institution concerned to the Office of the Registrar, Graduate Studies Division, University of Windsor);

2)         two Confidential Reports from individuals in positions to assess your suitability for graduate work in education; it is helpful if you can arrange to have at least one report from a former course instructor;

Advanced Standing

Admission Deadlines 

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

STUDIES IN THE AREA OF CONCENTRATION

Compulsory Courses         

                                                80-510     Statistics in Education (Curriculum & Administration)

                                                80-527     Research in Education (Curriculum & Administration)

                                                80-524     Fundamentals of Curriculum  Theory and Development (CURRICULUM)

                                                82-529     Theories of Educational Administration (ADMINISTRATION)

                                               80-796     Major Paper, or

                                               80-797     Thesis

Educational Administration Courses

                                                80-530     Qualitative Methods in Educational Research

                                                                80-531     Supervision of the Instructional Process

                                                                80-534     Individual Reading

                                                80-555     Strategies for the Implementation of  Change in Education

                                                                82-529     Theories of Educational Administration

                                                                82-532     Organization and Administration Of the School

                                                                82-535     Organizational Behaviour in   Educational Institutions

                                                                82-550     Issues in Education

                                                                82-560     Politics of Education

                                                                82-561     Legal Aspects of Education

                                                                82-562     Educational Finance

                                                                82-565     Sociological Aspects of Education

                                                                82-566     Interpersonal Relationships in Education

Curriculum Studies Courses

                                                                80-524     Fundamentals of Curriculum Theory  and Development

                                                                80-530     Qualitative Methods in Educational Research

                                                                80-534     Individual Reading

                                                                80-554     Fundamentals of Instructional Design

                                                                81-503     The Psychology of Learning and Teaching

                                                                81-537     Language Arts in the Elementary School

                                                                81-539     Second Language Teaching: Theories and Applications

                                                                81-541     The Social Sciences Curriculum

                                                                81-547     Learning in Science

                                                                81-551     Microcomputers for Educators

                                                                81-552     Curriculum Developments in Mathematics Education

                                                                81-553     The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

                                                                81-556     Approaches to Literacy Development

                                                                81-557     The English Language Arts

                                                                81-558     Psychology of Learning Problems

                                                                81-572     Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Education

Transfer Credit

Substitution for Compulsory Courses

Time Limits

Visiting Graduate Student 

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Thesis

A Thesis. A thesis approved by the Faculty of Education has been judged to make an original contribution to knowledge in the field of education. It can do so by:

a) presenting and interpreting the results of an empirical study carried out in accord with appropriate principles of research design and data analysis; or

b) presenting a novel argument based on sustained critical, historical,  philosophical, or theoretical analysis of a substantial body of scholarly and/or professional resources.

Thesis Sponsor

The first step towards a thesis is to find a faculty member prepared to act as a sponsor for the research you have in mind. You can do this two ways: you can approach a faculty member directly; or you can ask the Coordinator to help you find someone who might be interested in your project. In either case, it is helpful if you have put some thoughts down on paper beforehand so that the faculty member can get an early sense of what you hope to do.

While arranging for a sponsor, please keep in mind that faculty members can only undertake to supervise students' projects in areas where they themselves have some expertise and where the Faculty has the necessary resources to support the study. Consequently, it is not always possible for students to do the exact project they may originally have in mind. You will find a list of faculty members and their areas of scholarly interest later in the Webbook (pp. 30-34).

Thesis Petition

The purpose of the Thesis Petition is to address concerns related to (1) the topic, (2) the preparation of the student, (3) the availability of resources, and (4) successful completion.

(1) The Graduate Committee will use the information provided by the student in the Thesis Petition as a preliminary screening device for the topic. The objective is to determine if the topic is appropriate for a thesis given the literature cited.

(2) The Graduate Committee will use the information provided by the student in the Thesis Petition as a preliminary screening device for preparation. The objective is to determine if the student has the adequate background preparation for this thesis topic.

(3) The Graduate Committee will use the information provided by the student in the Thesis Petition as a preliminary screening device for resources. The objective is to determine if the Faculty of Education has the appropriate faculty support for a thesis committee given the information provided in the petition.

(4) The Graduate Committee wishes to ensure the successful completion of the MEd program for each candidate. Aware that many graduate students complete coursework yet fail to complete theses and dissertations, the Graduate Committee wishes to provide wise counsel to students with respect to theses and major papers.

Your Sponsor will help you prepare a thesis petition for the Graduate Committee to consider. In five to seven pages, your petition should provide the following:

1. a brief outline of the proposed study and a statement of its educational relevance supported     by a brief (two-page) literature review with appropriate scholarly references

2. a tentative plan for the procedures to be followed and a proposed timeline;

3. a brief account of the background which the candidate brings to the study;

4. the names of two members of the Faculty of Education who are willing to serve as    supervisor and internal reader on the proposed thesis committee and, when possible, the name of a member of another faculty who is willing to serve as outside reader (this committee structure should be worked out in consultation with your potential supervisor);

5. a brief statement of the expertise which each member of the proposed thesis committee  brings to the study.              

The Graduate Committee may expect you to answer any questions which arise when it considers your Thesis Petition. Generally this can be done in writing, but occasionally the Committee finds it necessary to have candidates come to a meeting for fuller discussion.

The thesis petition, normally from five to seven pages in length, must receive approval from the Graduate Committee before the beginning of the semester in which the candidate registers for the thesis for the first time.

Thesis Committee

Normally, if your thesis petition is approved, your sponsor becomes your thesis advisor and the chair of your thesis committee. There will be at least two more members: a second reader from within the Faculty of Education, and an outside reader from another faculty within the University of Windsor. The Graduate Committee may also recommend additional members if it thinks that further areas of expertise would benefit the supervision of the thesis. As a last step, your proposed thesis committee is sent to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research for final approval.

Thesis Defence  

When your thesis committee is satisfied with your work, you will be asked to defend it in public at least three weeks before Convocation. Your advisor will arrange a date with the Coordinator, who will appoint a chair for the oral examination of your thesis and post public notice of the date, time, and place. You must provide one copy of your thesis to the Graduate Secretary for general inspection at least three weeks before your defence.

At your defence, you will first be asked to give a brief account of your work and its significance (approximately 15 minutes). Then, your committee members will be invited to direct questions to you specifically about your thesis and perhaps more generally about matters related to it. Following that, the floor will be open to other members of the Faculty, and then to anyone else who may be present. At the end of the questioning, you will be asked to withdraw while your committee considers the success of your thesis and its defence. Theses are not awarded grades and are simply granted Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory standing.

It is not unusual, following the defence, for candidates to be asked to make revisions in their theses. If these are comparatively minor, you will be asked to show them to your advisor, and perhaps other committee members, before final approval is given. If the revisions are seen as major, you may be asked to return for another defence.

Thesis Deposit

At least two weeks before Convocation, you must hand in three copies of the final version of your thesis to the Academic Assistant at the Office of Graduate Studies, who has the responsibility of seeing that all University of Windsor theses are presented in an acceptable format.

Along with the thesis itself, you must provide three copies of an abstract (no more than 150 words) and a brief autobiography (called the vita auctoris) to be bound with it.

At the same time, you should make arrangements to have your thesis bound and also microfilmed at the National Library. You can find out the current fees connected with depositing your thesis from the Academic Assistant at the office of Graduate Studies.

A copy of your thesis will be held in the Leddy Library.

Major Paper

Major paper. A major paper is a work of personal research carried out to further the professional development of the candidate. While the Faculty of Education expects major papers to be based on a solid knowledge of relevant scholarly and/or professional resources and to adhere to appropriate principles of scholarly enquiry and reporting, it does not see their primary objective as making an original contribution to knowledge in the field of education. Given the goal of professional development, the faculty is prepared to allow candidates considerable flexibility in choosing their topics for study and in selecting methods for studying them.         

Major Paper Committee

The committee for a major paper generally consists of two members of the Faculty of Education: an advisor and second reader. Occasionally, when further guidance seems called for, additional members, from inside or outside the Faculty, may be asked to join the committee.

You can approach faculty members directly about serving on a major paper committee for you, or you can contact the Coordinator for help. In either case, it is helpful if you have a preliminary proposal for your project written out so that faculty members can readily grasp the nature of the research you have in mind.

As was stressed in the thesis section, it must be appreciated that faculty members cannot undertake to supervise students' projects in areas where they themselves have little knowledge or in which the Faculty lacks the necessary resources. Consequently, establishing a committee for a major paper may sometimes require students to modify their original intentions. A list of faculty members and their areas of scholarly interest can be found later in the Webbook (pp. 30-34).

Major Paper Defence

When your committee is satisfied with your work, you will be asked to defend it in public at least three weeks before the Convocation at which you hope to graduate. Your advisor will arrange a date and time with the Coordinator, who will post notices informing the public. You must provide one copy of your major paper for general inspection to the Graduate Secretary at least one week before your defence is to be held.

The conduct of the actual defence is the same for the major paper as for the thesis, and candidates should refer to the outline given in the thesis section above.

Major papers in this Faculty are graded either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.

Major Paper Deposit

A bound copy of your major paper is required for the Leddy Library. Arrangements and payment for binding are made through the Academic Assistant at the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, Third Floor, Windsor Hall Tower.

Ethics Approval

As an ethically responsible institution, the Faculty has an obligation to ensure that all research involving human subjects conducted under its auspices is carried out with appropriate regard for the welfare and integrity of the subjects and of any third parties that may be involved. If the research you are proposing for a thesis or major paper involves human subjects, which is often the case in Education, you must obtain the approval of the University Research Ethics Committee for your project. Guidelines and the necessary forms are available on-line at:  Ethics Guidelines and Forms .

THE COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION 

Twice a year, in May (normally a Saturday morning) and then again in November (normally a Friday morning), the Faculty holds a Comprehensive Examination which M.Ed. candidates who are not writing theses must pass before the degree will be awarded.   

Information meetings are held annually to outline the nature of the examination and its procedures and to provide candidates with an opportunity to ask questions about the examination. 

The examination has two sections. The first sets a small number of general questions relevant to curriculum studies and educational administration. The second provides a wider range of optional questions which call for candidates to deal with more specific aspects of administration or curriculum. 

A reading list, updated regularly, is provided for the guidance of candidates and can be obtained from the Graduate Secretary. Please note that the titles listed are only suggestions and that others may serve to prepare just as well. 

The Coordinator will send you a letter before every Comprehensive Examination, giving the date and time and asking you to indicate in writing whether you plan to sit the examination.  If you intend to write, you will be assigned a number to use rather than your name to identify your answer papers.

If you do not pass the examination, or a section of it, you are able to write the examination, or unsuccessful section, again the next time. At the discretion of the committee responsible for the examination, a supplemental examination may be offered to candidates who have satisfied all other requirements for the degree but who do not succeed in May so that they have a second opportunity to graduate at Fall Convocation.

REGISTRATION

For a more complete statement on registration requirements and procedures, you should consult Section 1.4.1 of the Graduate Calendar. The following regulations are listed because they address the questions most frequently asked by M.Ed. candidates.

1. Part-time students may not take more than two courses a term.

          Note. Registration for a major paper or thesis is considered equivalent to a course.

2. Graduate students must be registered in the term preceding the deadline for Convocation in order to graduate.

3. Part-time students must register in every session in which you are using the facilities of the University or consulting with members of the Faculty on a major paper or thesis.

4. Part-time students who have not registered in two consecutive terms must apply for readmission. You should also write to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Research, providing whatever information you  consider relevant to your case.

5. You may not register for a thesis, major paper, or individual reading course until the arrangements to supervise your work have been approved.

6. Full-time students are required to maintain continuous registration through all terms of their program, except when on approved leave of absence.

Course Registrations

All graduate registration will be completed via the website at  www.uwindsor.ca .  The dates that you can register and drop courses via the web are sent to you each semester.  Late registrations and withdrawals are completed by course change forms only.

Registration Limits

Registration for graduate courses in the Faculty is capped at fifteen.

Course Changes

Course changes after the last day to register via the web must be submitted for approval using a regular course change form. If you wish to withdraw from a course, or to drop one course and add another, you should get a "Course Change Form," commonly called a "Drop/Add Form," from the Main Office at the Faculty of Education. You will need to get signatures from the instructors concerned and from the Coordinator before the form is sent on to the Dean's office.

Special Conditions for Full-time Students

Residency Requirement for Full-time M2 students

In all programs students are required to register and pay for at least three terms at the M2 level before they may be allowed to graduate.
 

Transfer to Part-time Status

Once you have completed three consecutive terms of residence, you may ask the Dean of Graduate Studies to have your status changed to part-time.  The usual grounds for asking are that you have become employed or have moved away.  You should note that the change to part-time status, if granted, does not affect the time limit for your degree program.

Leave of Absence

If you find that you need to discontinue your program for a term or more, you should write to the Dean of Graduate Studies requesting a leave of absence and providing reasons.  There is an administrative fee for a leave of absence.

COURSE INFORMATION

Manuscript Preparation

Written work submitted for credit in graduate courses in the Faculty of Education is expected to follow the guidelines and conventions of the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, commonly known as "APA Style."

Grades

Candidates must maintain at least a B average in their course work. Credit is given for courses completed with A or B standing and, with the approval of the Faculty and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, may be given for up to two courses completed with C grades if candidates have a B average overall in their course work.

Theses and Major Papers in the Faculty of Education are awarded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory standing.

Theses or Major Papers which have not been completed at the end of a term will be recorded as IP (In Progress).

Incomplete Standing

If, because of illness or other acceptable reason, you are unable to complete the requirements of a course within the normal time, you should discuss the matter with the course instructor and set a date for completing the work required. You should be prepared to provide supporting statements. If the instructor accepts your reasons, and the Dean of the Faculty of Education authorizes the entry, the course may be recorded as INC (Incomplete). If you do not complete the work by the set date, the INC entry will become permanent. The maximum time allowed for removing incomplete standing is twelve months. Graduate students may not normally carry more than one incomplete grade.

Plagiarism

Appeals

The policies and procedures for Graduate Appeals are set out in Senate Bylaw 51.B. and C. Since there can be several different kinds of appeal in a graduate program and the procedures for handling them vary, you should consult the bylaw if you find that you cannot resolve your problem informally with the instructor or committee concerned. A copy of the Senate Bylaws are available on-line.

Since the most common form of appeal concerns course grades, here is what you should do if you wish to question a grade:

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Scholarships

Information about postgraduate awards and financial aid open to graduate students in the University of Windsor is available in the Graduate Calendar. You can obtain application forms for most awards from the Office of Graduate Studies (Third Floor, Windsor Hall Tower, 253-3000, X2112). For the Ontario Student Assistance Program, however, the forms are handled by the Student Awards Office at 401 Sunset Avenue (253-3000, X3311).

Of particular interest to full-time M.Ed. students is the Gregory Blake Nephew Memorial Scholarship of $1000 awarded annually on the basis of scholarship and financial need. Application is made by letter before April 15 to the Dean of the Faculty of Education.

Deadlines for awards are posted on the bulletin board in the Graduate Student Lounge. If you can't find the information you need, please ask the Graduate Secretary.

Graduate Assistantships

Every academic year, the Faculty is able to support several full-time graduate students with Graduate Assistantships. In return for assistance during the Fall and Winter Terms, generally helping with research or course preparation, the G.A. is paid a stipend at an amount which is adjusted annually. You can find out the current rate from the Graduate Secretary.

If you are interested in being a Graduate Assistant, you should write to the Coordinator asking to be considered for the next academic year. Since assistantships are awarded in the summer, you should make certain you have a letter on file by the end of June.

Since the Coordinator consults with individual professors when assigning assistantships, it is helpful if you include in your letter any interests or abilities you have that would seem relevant but which might not be readily gathered from your application to the program (e.g., word processing, statistics).

FACILITIES

All M.Ed. students should become aware of the rich resources available to support graduate study within the University. Both the Leddy Library and the Computer Centre have informative pamphlets describing their services, and both have staff on hand ready to provide help.

Library Facilities (The Leddy Library)

All M.Ed. students should become aware of the rich resources available to support graduate study within the University.  One of the best ways to do this is to explore the Leddy Library’s website (www.uwindsor.ca/library/leddy).  From this website you can connect to such things as:

Graduate Student Offices

            To provide full-time graduate students with private space for study, the Faculty has a number of offices equipped with desks and bookcases adjacent to the Graduate Student Lounge, Room 2200. These offices are allocated for the year on a first-come first-served basis. There is a key deposit. Please see the Graduate Secretary to make arrangements.

Graduate Student Computer Room

In addition to the Faculty's main computer rooms, for the use of all students, the Faculty has a smaller Computer Room, Room 2202, set aside exclusively for the use of graduate students. WordPerfect and SPSS are available.

Computer Userids

All registered graduate students can acquire a UserID for computer usage.  Activation of your account is done on the web at http://www.uwindsor.ca/userid.  You will need to have both your student number and Personal Identification Number (PIN), which can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office.  Any assistance you need with your UserID or any IT issue is available from the ITS HelpDesk at x 4440 or helpdesk@uwindsor.ca.

Parking

 Parking is available in Q Lot adjacent to the Faculty of Education after 4:30 pm on weekdays. The entrance is on Sunset Avenue, just north of the Faculty. You will need a $1.00 coin. Other lots available at night are L and S.

Before 4:30 pm there is short-term parking available in any of the pay-and-display lots on the campus, these are A, R, V, Z, P, G, H and U.

Application to Graduate

USEFUL NAMES AND NUMBERS

INDIVIDUAL READING COURSE INFORMATION

05-80 534(01)

Forms are available from the graduate secretary, or may be downloaded (see above)

The Information You Need:

Candidate: ______________________________

Please type your name and reading course title directly on this form or the provided form from the office. Attach additional pages as requested.

To ensure that there is sufficient time to give proposals careful consideration, whenever possible they should be submitted to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies by the following dates:

For a registration in Winter Term           December 1

For a registration in Summer Term        April 15

For a registration in Fall Term                August 1

l.What is the working title of the Individual Reading Course (IRC) you are proposing?

In the Faculty of Education. an IRC is seen as serving one of the following purposes:

a. enrichment    that is, extending a candidate's knowledge in some area of education beyond a foundation built by formal coursework or evident experience,

b. substitution   that is, enabling candidates to study areas of educational interest which are of evident value to them but which the Faculty cannot accommodate within existing course offerings.

2. On the basis of either enrichment, or substitution, please attach a brief rationale for the IRC you are proposing.

3.(i)      Please attach a personally compiled preliminary list of resources for the IRC you are proposing. Your list should be sufficient to establish that there is a substantial body of scholarly material relevant to the proposed topic, and it should be prepared in accord with APA convention (5th edition).

   (ii)    Please indicate in an attachment the further extent of the bibliographic search you hope to complete.

4. Since an IRC carries credit value equivalent to a term course with 13 weeks of classes in addition to course assignments, the Faculty expects the amount of reading done for IRC credit clearly to be beyond that normally completed in class courses. While it is not possible to reduce this expectation to exact requirements applicable in all situations, candidates are invited to think of resource lists in the area of 35-45 articles or 9-12 books, or some proportionate combination of the two, as likely to provide a solid foundation for a worthwhile IRC. A proposal will not receive approval if the IRC Committee is not convinced that it will not involve work to at least this level of expectation. 

To satisfactorily complete an IRC, the Faculty expects candidates to demonstrate:

1. a thorough knowledge of the scholarly resources relevant to their topic by compiling an annotated list of those resources or an appropriate equivalent;
2. an understanding of a significant research question related to their topic, established in consultation with their supervisor, by writing a paper based on their knowledge of the relevant resources;
3. an ability to present and defend their views upon their topic in discussion with their advisor and/or other faculty members where appropriate.

At the completion of their course, candidates are required to submit a copy of their annotated list of resources or equivalent and of their paper to the Coordinator. These will be kept for reference in their files while they are active in the program.

5. The following annotations are provided for guidance as samples of acceptable form:

Kagan. D. M. (1992). Professional growth among preservice and beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research. 62 (2), 129_169.

   This article reviews 40 learning-to-teach studies published or presented between 1987 and 1991 in order to construct a model of professional growth for novice and beginning teachers. The author identities five components involved in professional growth: an increase in metacognition: the acquisition of knowledge about pupils; a shift in attention from self to pupils. the development of standard procedures: and a growth in problem­solving skills. The author outlines various implications of the emergent model for preservice programs likely to promote professional growth.

Levinson, R.. & Menges, R. J. (1981). Improving college teaching: A critical review of research. Review of Educational Research, 51 (3), 403_434.

This article reviews studies of interventions to improve university teaching made in the following categories: (1) grants for faculty projects; (2) workshops and seminars; (3) feedback from student ratings; (4) practice_based feedback; and (4) concept_based training. Based on the review the authors offer eight implications of interest to researchers and practitioners in teaching improvement. Of particular interest is the recognition that the quantitative methods which dominate the research tend to oversimplify teaching and learning and do not reveal the world_as_experienced by teachers and students. The authors call for more qualitative research including careful classroom ethnographies. disciplined case studies. and sensitive clinical interviews.

6. Candidates should be aware that the content of an IRC and that of any other course towards their degree must not duplicate each other.

Signature:____________________  Date: ________________________

Supervisor's Signature (if available): _____________________________

Return To: