INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION COHORT

October, 2007

An Exciting Option for CCT Synthesis Students!

This year, 2007-2008, the CCT Master of Arts Program is embarking on an experimental International Collaboration Cohort program with the University of Exeter in England. The students in that program at the Master’s Degree level must complete a dissertation that in a number of ways is parallel to the CCT Synthesis Project in terms of emphasis on creative and critical thinking.

We are now seeking voluntary participants from the current CCT cohort of students who expect to complete their Syntheses some time during the year 2008. The activities recommended are expected to benefit students from both institutions in the preparation of their final projects in the fields of creativity and critical thinking.

Specifically, the expectations of this voluntary activity would be as follows:

1. Identification of a partner at the University of Exeter who is pursuing her/his own project; the topic of the Exeter student’s project would not need to be the same as the CCT student’s topic.

2. Approximately once per week email exchanges between the pair of students, from the beginning of the collaboration through at least May of 2008 (or beyond). Participating students will be asked to keep a file of these exchanges to in order to show others in the future the nature of the exchanges that take place. These files would be shared with appropriate Tutors or Advisors at the respective institutions.

3. Communication between students would center on the processes that each student is using to conduct research and data, what is being learned by each student, metacognitive ideas about what is occurring in the students’ respective thought processes, and any other sharing about their respective projects that is useful.

4. On 3 occasions during the period of collaboration (once early-on, once in middle of the period, and once close to the end), a “live” communication between the two collaborating students, using either Skype or Yahoo Messenger or Webcam or other interactive communication using the computer (at no cost). During these 3 occasions, students would elaborate on their processes, ask each other questions and advice, and provide encouragement to each other.

5. At the mid-point of the collaboration period, the CCT student would share an outline (maximum 2 pages) of her/his project with Dr. Linda Rolfe of the University of Exeter, for further thoughts and feedback, and Exeter students would share a similar outline with Dr.Nina Greenwald and/or Dr. David Martin of UMass/Boston for the same kind of brief feedback and thoughts. To facilitate this communication, further contact could be made with the specific Tutors of Exeter students by Dr. Greenwald and Dr. Martin.

6. At the end of the collaboration period, each participating student in the collaborative cohort would write a two-page reflective piece on what had been gained from the collaboration experience, as well as recommendations for broadening the collaboration to include additional students in subsequent years.

7. Optionally, participating students could provide a 15-minute oral presentation on their completed project, to the students in the other institution as an enrichment experience for all students in the respective programs. “Live” video broadcast would be used if possible for these presentations, or at least a telephone connection with a speakerphone at the receiving end. Because of the five-hour time difference between the U.K. and USA, scheduling would need to be done carefully.

8. Optionally, participating students are encouraged to travel to the other institution’s campus to meet and interact with other students including each other’s specific partner at some point during or after the completion of the collaboration. Overnight accommodations for Exeter students visiting the United States would be provided at no cost through the hospitality of University of Massachusetts faculty or students.

9. Optionally, Tutors from Exeter and Advisors from the University of Massachusetts could also carry out intervisitations for the purpose of exchanging ideas on expansion of the collaboration and on further familiarizing themselves with the other institution’s program.

10.At the end of the collaboration, a Letter of Recognition would be provided for the file of each participating student in the cohort, and the student would also be able to list on her/his resume/vita the activity “International Collaboration Cohort with the University of Exeter” or “International Collaboration Cohort with the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Students who would be interested in further information or in making a commitment to be a member of the initial cohort are asked to contact Nina Greenwald at nlgreenwald@umb.edu.