IMED Policies

Absence / Attendance Policy

IMED is designed for the development of professional teachers.  As such, students are expected to attend classes and participate in classes in a manner consistent with the curricular design.  When students need to be absent from IMED classes, they are expected to identify alternative strategies for how and when they will make up the content of the class.  Decisions that need to be made regarding lost class time will be made between the individual instructor and the individual student on a case-by-case basis.  If there is a serious concern about either the proposed solution or the instructor’s decision, that case will be brought to the Coordinating Committee for discussion and decision.

Advisors

The major Advisors will be members of the IMED Coordinating Committee. Second readers who hold a Master's Degree, will be identified by the student and approved by the major advisor. Non-IMED faculty can assist with the advising role as appropriate in specific cases, and, under unusual circumstances, faculty with special expertise may serve in an advisory capacity.

Class Hours

Face-to-face courses are required to be 37.5 hours in length. The web-based course is designed to offer this equivalent amount of time of student engagement with the course  content and activities. Classes must meet the required number of hours, and individual instructors can modify the meeting times to fit the particular circumstances of their course. Generally speaking, classes will be held between 4:30 and 7:00 p.m. on Fridays, and 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Saturdays. Classes will meet on Fridays and Saturdays during Fall and Spring semesters, and as arranged during Summer sessions.

Computer Access

To be successful in the IMED Program, access to a computer that has word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, and presentation software, such as Power Point is necessary.  All papers must be word processed.  Class presentations are expected to be at a professional level, which in many instances will require the use of presentation software.

In addition, all IMED students need an online account and online access. A unix account is available free of charge to all UH students through UH Information Technology Services.  Use of a web browser, such as Microsoft Explorer or Netscape Communicator, is required to connect to the IMED web site that contains communications options of Private Mail, forums and chat rooms.  In addition, it is expected that the IMED students will locate reputable resources on the Internet (in addition to using the Community College Library) by using online libraries and educational, relevant web sties.

Confidentiality

Trust among cohort members is essential to IMED which is based on the concept of community and the development of a community of learners.  Students in the program must feel confident that what is said during class sessions will remain in the classroom and not be shared with outside colleagues, including fellow teachers or administrators at their home schools.  All faculty will reiterate this policy in their classes.

Grievance Procedure

Students should discuss issues of grievance directly with the faculty member involved.  If student/s are unable to resolve the issue satisfactorily, they should approach their faculty advisor or the IMED Coordinator.  If students are unable to resolve their grievance through the IMED Coordinator, they should use the Grievance Procedure outlined for the University of Hawai’i.

Professional Development File

Students will develop a Professional Development File which will be a representation of their work as professionals in Education. Students should consider how they want the community to view them and their work, and more collectively, on their contributions to the field.  It should contain a strong reflective component, and could be connected with each course at the end of the course.  It should describe the breadth and depth of professional experience, particularly as it relates to teacher leadership.  It should focus on how the teacher sees herself/himself as a leader within the school; how each thinks differently about their work; how they have been impacted by IMED; the dimensions of leadership and the multi-disciplinary nature of the program and its contributions to teacher leadership. 

The format of the Professional Development File will be negotiated with Advisors as well as the instructor of the Teaching/Training Technologies course.  Alternative or non-traditional formats may be used, including, for example, a video with narrative; an artistic rendering with narrative; a portfolio with the participant’s best work and a narrative or commentary; a home page on the Internet.  This Professional Development File will be submitted to the Instructor of the Field Experiences course, at the same time as the Plan A or B paper is submitted to the Advisor.  This File should not be considered a substitute to the final paper, but an addition to it.

Plan B Final Papers

The Master's Plan B (non-thesis) option is described in the degree requirements section of the University of Hawai`i Graduate Division Handbook.

“Second Readers” for Final Papers

Students’ Plan B papers will be read by the Advisor and a “second reader.” Second Readers for final papers must be persons with a Master’s degree, preferably in Education, and expertise in the topic area.  The person can be a non-IMED faculty.  A student can petition for an exception to this policy and, in doing so, must provide justification for the second reader not having a Master’s degree.  Students should work with their Advisors to identify an appropriate second reader.  Second readers might typically be, but are not limited to principals, curriculum coordinators, local experts, or other professionals with specific expertise in the topic of the Plan B paper.

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