The Contract

1. Welcome to McGill UniversityDepartment of Integrated Studies in EducationMA Orientation, August 27, & Sept 32014

2. The Contract • The relationship between the student and the faculty, staff, and department is considered to be a contract. • All those involved in this contract are responsible for upholding their responsibilities. • Deadlines, regulations, rules and practices should be clear, consistent, and respected. • All contract members are responsible for keeping informed and in touch.

3. Table of Contents • Student Groups & Welcome Events • Useful Links • DISE MA Programs • Co-Curricular Activities • Funding • Good Advice

4. 1. Student Groups & Welcome Events

5. PGSS (Post-Graduate Students’ Society) For all graduate students, university-wide: • organizes social events • provides financial advice • Provides some funding for cultural activities • provides insurance coverage advice • is a route for participation in PGSS and university committees • provides student advocacy services • has headquarters in Thomson House (two buildings downhill) with a restaurant and space for socializing Contact: http://pgss.mcgill.ca

6. PGSS ORIENTATION OPEN HOUSE & WELCOME EVENT Thomson House, 3650 McTavish Tuesday Sept 2 15:30 – 19:00 Requested Time for Education 17:30 – 18:30 • meet other new students • get info re McGill Services • meet faculty Deans • meet PGSS executives http://www.mcgill.ca/firstyear/grad-students/fall-orientation

7. EGSS -Education Graduate Students’ Society • For graduate students in the Faculty of Education (DISE, ECP, KPE) • shares insights, expertise and fellowship • supports you in getting through program • recognizes the collective voice of the graduate student body • provides representation on departmental committees • provides study spaces and a lounge (EDUC 631) • supports solidarity initiatives • organizes the annual Graduate Student Conference (March) • President: Currently vacant egss@mail.mcgill.ca http://egss.mcgill.ca DISE representative, Ashley DeMartini, Ashley.demartini@mail.mcgill.ca

8. 2. Useful Links

9. Common Abbreviations • DISE = Dept. of Integrated Studies in Education • Note: this will soon be DESS: Dept. of Education, Schools & Society • ECP = Dept. of Educational & Counselling Psychology (Faculty of Ed.) • GPS = Graduate & Post-Doctoral Studies • GPD = Graduate Program Director (MA) • GPD = Graduate Program Director (PhD) • GPC = Graduate Program Coordinator & Graduate Program Committee • SP = Service Point • ES = Enrollment Services • CAPS = Career Planning Service • TLS = Teaching & Learning Services • MINERVA = student online information system • myCourses = online Learning Management System

10. MCGILL Academic LINKS • GPS policies: http://www.mcgill.ca/gps • Faculty of Education: http://www.mcgill.ca/education/students • DISE: http://www.mcgill.ca/edu-dise/ http://www.mcgill.ca/study/2014-2015/ • Teaching & Learning Services: http://www.mcgill.ca/tls/ • Statistical Consulting Service: http://www.math.mcgill.ca/~scs/

11. MCGill Student Services • Service Point, Enrollment Services: http://www.mcgill.ca/es/ • First Year Office: http://www.mcgill.ca/firstyear/ • CAPS Career Planning Service: http://www.mcgill.ca/caps • Student Legal Information Clinic: 398-6792 http://licm.mcgill.ca/site.php?lang=en&page=legalclinic • International Students Office: http://www.mcgill.ca/internationalstudents/ • IT (Computer Help Desk): 398-3398 http://www.mcgill.ca/it/ • Student Financial Aid: http://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/awards/ • Student Health Services 398-6017 http://www.mcgill.ca/studenthealth/ • Counselling Centre 398-3601 Mental Health 398-6019 http://www.mcgill.ca/studenthealth/information/mentalhealth

12. Calendars of Key Dates For registration, adding and dropping courses, class schedules… • http://www.mcgill.ca/importantdates/ • http://www.mcgill.ca/students/courses/dates/ Key Regulations • http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/policies/regulations#REGULATIONS • http://www.mcgill.ca/study/2012-2013/university_regulations_and_resources/graduate/gps_gi_regulations

13. 3. DISE M.A. Programs

14. DISE GRADUATE STUDIES • Chair of DISE Dr. Steve Jordan steve.Jordan@mcgill.ca • Graduate Program Director (MA) Dr. Anila Asghar, Rm. 248 anila.asghar@mcgill.ca, • Graduate Program Coordinator: Mr. Michael Larivière, Rm. 244 michael.lariviere@mcgill.ca 398-1591

15. Advising: Ask the GPC first Call, e-mail or stop in to see Michael Lariviere. • Funding • Program requirements and course selection • Registration for courses, reading courses, projects and thesis courses • Grades (e.g. incompletes) • Changes of status between full-time and half-time • Change of program (thesis ~ non-thesis only once!) • Leaves of absence • http://www.mcgill.ca/students/records/forms • Thesis submission (deadlines, preparation and submission guidelines) (see below) You can telephone, email or stop in. Office hours for Michael Lariviere are 9:30-4 TWH, 10-4 MF. Make an arrangement by email or phone to see him 4-5pm. Always follow up with a confirmation email.

16. Academic Integrity OutreachOnline Tutorial • Information on critical issues of academic integrity. • Intended to reduce the number of academic infractions. • On your MINERVA student menu for you to do. • At some point a hold will be put on registration if you have not done this.

17. M.A. Program Requirements General information: http://www.mcgill.ca/education/prospective/graduate • M.A. Education and Society: Thesis; or Non-Thesis with 6-credit project • New Concentration (Mathematics and Science Education) Thesis • M.A. Educational Leadership: Thesis; Non-Thesis with 12-credit project; or Non-Thesis Coursework • M.A. Second Language Education: Thesis; or Non-Thesis coursework • All programs are 45 credits. • All thesis programs have 24 credits of thesis courses. • All programs have a Gender & Women’s Studies option • Passing grade is B-.

18. M.A. Project • Available for Education & Society (6 credits) and Educational Leadership (12 credits). • Project topic and requirements are negotiated between student and supervisor. • Fill in online project form and hand in to GPC. • Can be school-based or community-based. • Some M.A. projects take the form of a report or substantive paper. Others have included: art exhibition, dance performance, play-writing, teacher guidebook for gender inclusivity, production of children’s book on social justice issues, development of interactive website for community organization, course or workshop design.

19. M.A. Degree Schedule • Time to complete program: 3 years full-time 4.5 to 5 years part-time (non-thesis) or half-time (thesis) • Residence requirement: 3 terms full-time or 6 terms part/half -time. • Thesis and project students should have a supervisor by the end of the first year. • Non-thesis students must apply online for graduation. • You must be registered for every single term from the time you first register until you graduate, including leaves and thesis writing.

20. Registration & Fees • You must be registered for ALL terms between the time you first register and the time you graduate. This includes leaves, additional sessions, and thesis writing. • International /ROC / Quebec Status: affects tuition and eligibility for some grants. • STATUS: full-time / half-time • international students must be full-time. • you must be full-time to apply for external grants • RESIDENCY PERIOD: 3 terms (first summer term is free) • ADDITIONAL SESSION: • you pay lower fees for additional terms after the residency period is completed. • http://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-fees • http://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-fees/non-tuition-charges

21. LEAVES OF ABSENCE • Different types of leave, usually family, medical or employment; all require documentation. • There are no longer any “Non-Resident Leaves” • Grants and student visas do not continue during a leave. • You must be officially registered while on leave. Do not simply disappear; you may end up not finishing, or owing lots of back fees. • Stop the clock rather than grind to a halt! http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/progress/leave-vacation

22. Thesis submission • Submission Dates Note: “Initial thesis submission” refers to official submission to Thesis Office of entire thesis as the beginning of the official examination process. When you are getting close to submission, sit down with the GPC and go over the steps. Plan with adequate time for review, getting signatures, etc. Do not cut the deadlines too closely! • Thesis Evaluation Status: applies to fees when the thesis evaluation process crosses two terms. http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/thesis/guidelines/initial-submission http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/thesis/deadlines

23. Official Thesis Submission Deadlines

24. 4. Co-curricular Activities

25. CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Workshops, talks, seminars and presentations: • Practical help in learning specific skills, from reference formatting to grant-writing. • Opportunities for informal learning about educational activities and research in a wide variety of areas with students, faculty and educators. • Keep track of your attendance on the Co-curricular Activities Report sheet (on DISE website).

26. Practical Help • SKILLSETS (GPS &TLS) http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/skillsets • myRESEARCH (in the Education Library) http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/skillsets/research/myresearch • Grant-Writing Support (DISE, GPS and SKILLSETS) see below

27. Speaker Series • DISE TALKS! Students, faculty and visitors talking about their work and projects. • “Globalization, Education and Change”: inter-disciplinary perspectives from local and international scholars and educators. • “Meet the Neighbours”: experiences in community education, research, knowledge production and social change with community educators, organizers and practitioners

28. 5. Funding Support

29. DISE FUNDING • DISE Graduate Excellence Entrance Awards • Eligible: full-time students in M.A. thesis and 12-credit project option only. • Awards for 2014-15 are: $1500 (Quebec), $2000 (ROC) and $2500 (international) • Research Assistantships • Given on entrance or later to work on a funded research project. • RA positions are posted on CAPS and must be applied for. • RA unit is unionized, with a collective agreement. • Teaching Assistantships • TA positions are posted on CAPS, and must be applied for. • Degree requirements vary for levels of courses. • TA unit is unionized, with a collective agreement and a priority pool

30. GREATS: DISE TRAVEL awards http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/fellowships/great • Helps fund cost of conferences at which you are presenting. • One presentation given between May 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014 is eligible. • The amount of individual awards depends on the number of applicants • Send notice of submission to GPC; requests are considered and funds reserved as they are received. Include name, ID, name/dates/place of conference. • Confirmation of acceptance required before disbursement. • Funds available only after September 1.

31. Graduate Travel Fellowships: • These are awards for travel NOT to attend conferences, e.g. research, data collection, special summer course. • A call for applications usually goes out in October. All decisions will be made at one time shortly after the due date. • The amount of individual awards depends on the number of applicants. • Preference is given to those applicants who did not receive an award during 2013-14 EGSS Travel Fellowships: • $250 (N. Am.) or $500 (outside N.Am.) for conference presentation • number of awards as funding permits • deadlines to apply can be found on EGSS website

32. DISE and Faculty Awards http://www.mcgill.ca/education/students/graduate/awards Notifications of award deadlines will be sent to you by email. DISE Awards: 1 PhD and 1 MA award each; application dates in Winter Community Engagement Award Educator Practitioner-Researcher Award Innovative Dissemination of Research Award Faculty of Education Awards: A variety of awards of varying amounts • Two application sessions, in Fall and Winter terms. EGSS Fellowships: two $500 MA awards and two $1,000 PhD awards. • Based on research and professional excellence. • Deadline usually in April.

33. GRANTS: External Information on external and internal grants and awards: http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/fellowships SSHRC: www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/ [must go through Dept.] FQRSC: http://www.fqrsc.gouv.qc.ca/fr/accueil.php Although forms change slightly from year to year, the basic sections remain the same. You can get a head-start on your drafts by using the most recent forms on these sites.

34. 6. Good Advice!

35. Words to the Wise… • Communicate with us only via your official McGill student email address. Always include your student ID number. • Pay attention to your email messages. • Check your advising transcript regularly on MINERVA • Check your physical mailbox, 2nd floor inner corridor, often. • Make sure your current coordinates are up-to-date on MINERVA. • Register on time. Respect deadlines. Allow time for signatures. Allow time for unforeseen unknowns. • Double-check conflicting advice! • You must be officially registered for ALL semesters, even on leave. Do not disappear. • Use the assistance available before you really need it. • Take advantage of McGill and community resources. They are for YOU!