For Admitted Students
Information for Admitted Students
As an incoming graduate student, you probably have a lot of questions about the program and what you will need to do before you arrive, the first week you get here, and for the next few years. This page was written for the new student to answer your immediate questions and to address questions and issues that may arise as you progress through the Curriculum & Instruction program. Please keep this page handy because it will serve as a valuable and current reference throughout your career as a graduate student in the Department.
In addition to this page, we suggest that you obtain The Guide to Graduate Life and the Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin, which are also available from the HUB-Robeson Center Information Desk. These two booklets provide general information for graduate students at Penn State.
The Department is committed to providing a friendly and helpful environment for all students, with facilities that will benefit everyone. If you have additional questions or need more information, please do not hesitate to contact us. A list of "Who's Who" in the Department is listed next and provides the titles, names, and phone numbers of students, faculty, and staff who will be able to address your questions.
We look forward to meeting you!
Who's Who in the Curriculum and Instruction Department
| Name | Title | Office | Phone | |
| Carla Zembal-Saul | Department Head | 141B Chambers | 814-865-0827 | cxz12@psu.edu |
| Glen Blume | Graduate Coordinator | 269 Chambers | 814-865-2169 | bti@psu.edu |
| Gail Boldt | Professor In Charge of Language, Culture and Society | 164B Chambers | 814-865-0655 | gmb15@psu.edu |
| M. Kathleen Heid | Co-Professor In Charge of Math Education Graduate Programs | 271 Chambers | 814-865-2226 | mkh2@psu.edu |
| Rose Mary Zbiek | Co-Professor In Charge of Math Education Undergraduate Programs | 272 Chambers | 814-863-1210 | rmz101@psu.edu |
| Scott McDonald | Co-Professor In Charge of Science Education | 146 Chambers | 814-865-2190 | sum16@psu.edu |
| Gwen Lloyd | EKED Pic | 266 Chambers | 814-865-0527 | gml14@psu.edu |
| Darla Homan | Administrative Assistant | 143 Chambers | 814-863-1994 | djh2@psu.edu |
| Kathy Silver | Head Staff Assistant | 142 Chambers | 814-863-8923 | kls7@psu.edu |
| Jeanette Tressler | Computer Liason | 147 Chambers | 814-865-6568 | qjm7@psu.edu |
| Jackie Taby | Financial Assistant | 180 Chambers | 814-865-1808 | jat1@psu.edu |
| Judy Nastase | Graduate Staff Assistant | 270 Chambers | 814-865-2168 | jcn3@psu.edu |
Before You Arrive
Health Insurance
According to The Guide to Graduate Life, Penn State University requires that all graduate assistants, students, fellows, and international students have acceptable health insurance. The health insurance available through the University for graduate students is MEGA including a vision plan that is available. The department pays 80% of the premiums for graduate assistants or fellows enrolled in MEGA's Basic Plan. The remaining 20% is taken out of your paycheck in three installments: September, February and April. It is very important to realize that you will be automatically enrolled in MEGA's Basic Plan unless you submit a waiver and can demonstrate that you have an acceptable alternative plan. Students required to have health insurance may choose coverage other than the Penn State Student Insurance Plan. The University will not supplement, nor will a payroll deduction be made, for insurance policies other than the Penn State Student Insurance Plan. More detailed information is available in The Guide to Graduate Life or from the Health Insurance Office in 320 Grange Building (814-865-7467). After your graduation from Penn State, you will be eligible for short-term Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans which are offered by the Alumni Association (1-800-922-1245).
Tuition Bill
About six weeks before the beginning of each semester, you should receive your tuition bill. If you are a graduate assistant (or fellow), write "Graduate Assistant (or Graduate Fellow) in the C&I Department'' on your bill, put Tuition balance due of $0.00 and return it by the due date. If you prefer, you may file your bill by phone by calling the Bursar's Office Voice Response System (814-863-2777). Note that if the Registrar's office does not receive your tuition bill before the deadline, your account will be charged $25 (which you are responsible for paying). If you are not on a graduate assistantship, follow the directions on the bill for calculating your tuition, computer fee and activity fee (all adjusted for the number of credits for which you are enrolled). If you need further assistance, call the Department Head Office.
Registration
During orientation you will be given an opportunity to meet with your advisor regarding course selection. Your advisor has been assigned to you when you were granted admission to the program. After this meeting, you should register before the first day of classes in order to avoid late registration fees. Courses may be added or dropped during the first ten calendar days of the fifteen week semester. Note that you are permitted to add or drop classes without penalty only during the first week of classes. Then, starting with the seventh day, a $6 fee is charged each day that an add/drop transaction is processed. See your advisor for the appropriate number of credits to take.
Where to Live
Graduate students and their families can choose between on- and off-campus housing. If you are planning on living off campus, we suggest making a trip to State College in the early summer (at the latest). We have found the best way to find places is to look in the Centre Daily Times (the State College regional newspaper) and The Daily Collegian (the Penn State campus newspaper), to contact realtors, and to visit or call the Office of Off Campus Living in 209 HUB-Robeson Center (814-865-2346). The Office of Off Campus Living posts lists of people looking for roommates. Also, the Department of Town Affairs in 223 HUB-Robeson Center (814-865-6851) publishes The Apartment Guide. Here you can find a listing of all State College realtors and descriptions of the many apartment complexes in the area. In addition, you may wish to contact the Graduate Secretary to see if other incoming or current graduate students in our department are looking for roommates. If you wish to live on campus, contact the Assignment Office for Campus Residences in 101 Shields at 814-865-7501.
Football Tickets
Penn State has a nationally recognized football team, and a lot of the fall activities center around football games. If you don't know who Joe Paterno is now, you will soon. You will receive an e-mail discussing the purchase of football tickets in May. If you wish to purchase season tickets, register as soon as possible because the tickets usually sell out during the summer on a first-come, first-serve basis. The seats are not pre-assigned but you can generally find someone in the department to go with you so you won't have to worry about sitting alone. For more information, visit the Penn State Athletics Tickets Department.
Additional References
The Guide to Graduate Life and The GSA Tax Guide may be obtained at the HUB-Robeson Center Information Desk. The Graduate Student Association has a home page at http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/gsa/ which has The Guide to Graduate Life online.
Orientation and First Week
The Fall 2008 semester begins on August 25. The week before, there will be an important orientation meeting for all incoming C&I graduate students as well as current students. If you are unable to attend this meeting, please notify the department and make arrangements to get your keys and necessary paperwork completed. The following topics will be addressed during this meeting.
Advisors
As a first-year graduate student, your advisor was assigned by the Professor In Charge for your option area when you received admission to the program. During orientation, you will be given the opportunity to visit with your assigned advisor to decide upon first semester courses and to begin planning your program of study. As the year progresses, you are strongly encouraged to visit with faculty members concerning opportunities for thesis research activities. One suggestion for meeting faculty and gaining insight into possible research areas is to attend department-sponsored colloquiums. After you decide on a research area, you should choose a faculty member in that field of research to be your advisor. You are responsible for informing the C&I Graduate Coordinator of advisor changes.
Course Load
Students supported by assistantships are required to be registered as full-time students. Full-time status is defined to be:
Credits per semester
for Fall and Spring Semesters
- quarter-time assistantship — 9 to 14 credits
- half-time assistantship — 8 to 11 credits
- three-quarter-time assistantship — 6 to 8 credits
- Fellows and Trainees — at least 9 credits
Assistantship Responsibilities
Most first year graduate students are given a half-time assistantship and are assigned the responsibility of being either a teaching assistant (TA) or research assistant (RA) for one or more undergraduate classes. Both positions may require up to 20 hours of work per week, but typically amount to less. As a teaching assistant, you will be responsible for grading homework and/or exams, holding office hours, and maintaining grade files. In addition, teaching assistants are responsible for holding two to four recitation sessions per week. A quarter-time assistantship may require up to 10 hours of work per week either as a teaching assistant or research assistant. Assistantship assignments are based upon your interests and the needs of the department.
Office and Key Assignments
When you arrive, you will be assigned to an office. Due to a lack of space, there are usually four to six students in a room. Each student will also be assigned a mailbox in 153 Chambers where mail and departmental information should be checked daily. You will need to obtain several keys to the building because many of the commonly used rooms will be locked after 5 P.M. and on weekends.
Keys are distributed by Jackie Taby, Budget Staff Assistant, and can be picked up in 180 Chambers. They should be returned to her office at the end of your assistantship. If lost or not returned, there will be a $20 fee per key.
Copier Code
You should obtain a copier code from the Staff Assistant in your option area. This is a number code which is necessary to use the copiers located in the department. Copiers should only be used for department business, such as assistantship duties.
Student ID
You must get a student identification card during the first week (orientation) of the fall semester. The ID can be obtained by going to ID+ office at 103 HUB-Robeson Center.
Computer Accounts
A computer account is available to C&I graduate students. This is a Center for Academic Computing (CAC) Access Account and is assigned to all incoming Penn State students and allows access to the Penn State network. Most of the computers for use by graduate assistants are networked to the CAC system. To get your Access Account, take your current Penn State photo ID card to an automatic signature station and follow the instructions there. Stations are located at 103 Boucke Building, 230 Computer Building, W111 Pattee Library, 2 Willard Building, 6 Findlay Commons, 112 Redifer Commons, 107 Waring Commons, and 108 Warnock Commons. (Note that only the first four locations listed are open during the summer; see the CAC labs Web page for hours.) Your userid and password should be active within 24 hours and will remain active until six months after you graduate. For more information, visit http://its.psu.edu/.
First Paycheck
If you will be receiving financial support from the department, you will receive a monthly payment on the last working day of the month via direct deposit to your bank account. You will need to bring a voided check and two forms of identification to the Department Head Staff Assistant as soon as possible in order to complete the necessary paperwork. To ensure a paycheck in August rather than two in September, you should get your paperwork completed before mid-August. Information about banking is available in the The Guide to Graduate Life. Many graduate students like to use the Penn State Federal Credit Union.
Instructional Development Program (IDP)
The Instructional Development Program offers workshops during the week before classes for first-time teaching assistants and instructors. By attending the workshops you will learn about some creative and effective teaching techniques, as well as what it will be like to teach at a large university such as Penn State. It is also a great way to meet incoming graduate students from other departments.
