Information, forms, and handouts related to CCT Syntheses

Before you get started
• This "Capstone experience" is an opportunity for you to synthesize your practical and theoretical learning in Critical and Creative Thinking through a project in an area of your special interest. There are many specific options for the Synthesis project, from the development of a traditional theoretical paper to a curriculum or professional development series, to the creation of a web site. One component of each option is a 20-40 page paper or "Synthesis." Through the meetings, activities, and tasks of the Synthesis seminar the instructor, who is your advisor, coaches you along towards completing the "Synthesis" and you get input and support from other studentsÑboth during class and outside in buddy aka writing support pairs or trios.
• You should spend the summer or winter before the synthesis semester doing reading and research on your project in consultation with your advisor. Once the semester starts, each CCT694 class meeting will begin with a check-in on your progress (including work with your buddy and editor), and end with a check-out on your concrete goals for the coming week. (You should be aiming for 6 pages or 1200-1500 words of new or revised material each week.) In between check-in and check-out, you will spend time on the week's theme or tools , in student-instructor conferences and working with other students in "buddy" or writing support groups. Over the course of the semester you should move though and/or revisit the "phases of research and engagement" introduced in the CCT692 course. This work may lead you to revise what you thought was "finished," but openness to revision is one of the goals of reflective practitioners. In any case, the review of the different tools and practices of research and engagement will help prepare you to coach/teach/support students and/or colleagues.
• Given the teaching and advising load of faculty, you should not rely on your advisor to do detailed copy-editing of your writing. Moreover, a copy-editing relationship between student and teacher usually gets in the way of dialogue around the content and overall organization of your synthesis. Assistance from some outside party, skilled in manuscript editing, should be arrangedÑit is worth the cost.
• The final Synthesis should be 20-40 pages (4500-9000 words), depending on the option selected, which include:
  • Long essay/paper;
  • Case Study/Practitioner's Narratives;
  • Curriculum Unit/ Professional Development Workshop Series;
  • Original Products (with documentation); and
  • Arts Option (Performance) (also with documentation).
  See the syllabus, the CCT Handbook, or the Graduate Catalog for further description of these options. Syn/theses from previous years can be viewed online in Scholarworks, in the Healey Curriculum Library and in the CCT Office.
• Hybrid option: Process Review + reduced version of other options -- If interested start compiling material all through your CCT studies
• Proposal form
• Example of a Proposal
• Potential readers and their interests
• Advice from former students
• Guidelines for anyone who doesn't finish in one semester
• A compilation of Research and Study Competencies
Once you get going
• Guidelines for Syntheses
• Citing references, a short guide
• Site that takes your bibliographic data and formats it for you in APA MLA or Turabian.
• Syllabi PT's Spring '13
  including Target dates
• Things to plan at the outset
  including submission of application to graduate form by deadline.
• Potential editors -- Arrange someone early so you do not draw your advisor into this role
• Contact info for synthesis students (email Peter Taylor for this)
• Thinking aid
• Phases of synthesis
• Phases of research and engagement (from 692/698 course)
• SCAMPER
• Other graphic organizers to develop and focus thinking (available on request from Nina Greenwald)
• Guides to conducting and writing literature reviews, 1, 2
• Words to organize literature review in interesting ways; see also this list.
• Developing the main body of the synthesis
• Online guide to writing
• Fair use of text, images, and other work of others
• Incompletes for the synthesis course require a signed completion contract
When you can see the end in sight
• Please do not ask to graduate if you have run out of time for thorough revisions.
• Writing an abstract
  
• Abstracts from past CCT syn/theses
• Required exit self-assessment
  word version and examples: 1, 2
• Binding arrangements: The Program binds one copy for you and another for its library. Your copy will be mailed to the address you provide. If you do NOT want the full text of your synthesis to be linked as a pdf file to the online abstract, let the Program know. Abstracts are also listed on ScholarWorks. A Committee of the Program faculty decides which students to be honored by submission of the full text pdf of their syntheses to ScholarWorks as examples of engaged scholarship from the CCT program.
• If applicable: Submit the change of graduation date form that you get mailed if you do not graduate at the date specified on your application to graduate. If you misplace this form, the registrar's office can send another copy to you at your current mailing address-make sure you keep this up to date on WISER.
At graduation: academic hood velvet is White (because the degree is an M.A.)