Completing the Master of Education in Learning, Design, and Technology degree is a cause for celebration—for students and for our program. Every graduate of our program goes on to make positive impacts in teaching and learning across a broad variety of educational and professional fields. Our students work hard, have their minds stretched, and apply their skills in authentic settings throughout their studies.

However, potential M.Ed. graduates—let’s call them M.Ed. candidates—should not put the cart before the horse. Graduation from Penn State University and its graduate school is not automatic—you must notify the university when you intend to graduate. The university’s requirements are relatively few and they are strictly upheld. The LDT program has a few more requirements, and they are strictly upheld. In essence, the warning is to avoid coasting to the graduation ceremony.

Don’t put the cart before the horse! Image by Adam Smith at marketing-mojo.com

We have an M.Ed. checklist to help with the basics. We have an M.Ed. handbook that provides better detail about our program. We have faculty advisors assigned to each student who are available to help with program and graduation questions. We have support staff who can answer questions about records. We aim to make the process easy for our students.

Here are the questions to ask about potential pitfalls that are obstacles to graduating, and the potential solutions that you can do:

Q: Have I taken enough courses?

A: Does learning ever stop in a living human being? Then that’s the answer to your question. Just kidding.

The M.Ed. in LDT requires 30 graduate credits, or 10 total courses. At least 18 of those credits (6 or more courses) must be from successfully completed courses at the 500 or 800 level. “Successfully completed” means that you didn’t receive a grade lower than a C, that you didn’t drop the course, and that you have no deferred grades. Attempting a course does not mean that you’ve successfully completed it.

Students also must fulfill the LDT program’s requirements for the master’s degree. There are three required courses for the M.Ed. in LDT degree: LDT 415 A or B, LDT 467, and LDT 527. After that, all other courses must either be from the LDT program, or must have been approved by your assigned M.Ed. advisor prior to taking the course.

Lastly, graduate students must have a GPA of 3.00 or higher in order to graduate. Students with an exceptionally low GPA (i.e. 2.99 or below) will be required to successfully complete additional coursework until the end-of-term GPA reaches the 3.00 threshold. Students with a low GPA should be in regular contact with their assigned advisor.

Q: What’s the ‘SARI training’?

A: We’ve written about the SARI training previously. The Graduate School requires all master and doctoral students to complete a Scholarship and Research Integrity training program prior to graduation. World Campus (online) LDT program students complete this training requirement by participating in a three-week, non-credit, group-interactive training program. The SARI training is delivered only during scheduled timeframes the fall and spring terms; it is not delivered during the summer term—no exceptions will be made for students who have failed to complete the training prior to their planned graduation time. Links to sign up for upcoming LDT SARI trainings for World Campus students are posted to this blog.

Q: What’s the Capstone Portfolio?

A: Our M.Ed. in LDT students are asked to compile a portfolio of learning design work that exemplifies the theories, principles, best practices, and skills learned during their study with our program. Students should read the portfolio guidelines, identify three representative projects that portray their best learning design work, and contact their assigned LDT advisor prior to starting their work on the portfolio. Be sure to propose your three projects to your advisor when you contact him/her—this is a great way to kick-off the conversation about the portfolio. The LDT advisor is the primary reviewer of your capstone portfolio, and s/he will outline their expectations and their suggestions for the final portfolio product.

The timeline for the review of drafts, the approval of the final submission by the advisor, and the reporting of the successful completion by the advisor to the program all takes place well in advance of the end of the term (spring, summer, or fall). The advisor sets the specific deadlines for the student’s draft and final portfolio submissions. As a general rule, please connect with your advisor a semester in advance of when you intend to graduate so that you can learn the timeline of their availability for advising and supporting your portfolio, and ultimately your graduation timeline. Students who intend to graduate during the summer (August) graduation period should be in contact with their advisors at least a semester in advance (e.g. at the beginning of the Spring semester). Please note that many faculty advisors are assigned to other research duties or service obligations during the summer terms, and that those assignments will likely impact the timeline students will follow to complete their capstone portfolio.

Q: How will [everyone] know that I’m ready to graduate?

A: Students who are almost qualified to graduate should file their Intent to Graduate with the university via LionPATH. This must be done at the beginning of the term when the student plans to graduate, which means:

• If the aim is to graduate at the end of the summer term, in August, students will file their intent to graduate in the second half of May—at the beginning of the summer term.
• If the aim is to graduate at the end of the fall term, in December, students will file their intent to graduate in late August—at the beginning of the fall term.
• If the aim is to graduate at the end of the spring term, in May, students will file their intent to graduate in the second half of January—at the beginning of the spring term.

Please read the Registrar’s instructions for applying for graduation. Questions about filing intent to graduate via LionPATH can be directed to the Registrar’s office or to the LDT program support staff.

Students are asked to notify their assigned academic advisor of their intent to graduate at least a semester in advance of their target graduation timeline. This notification is usually accomplished by the initial capstone portfolio inquiry (see section above).

We must emphasize that graduation is not automatic: each student must declare their intent to graduate in the proper timeframe (detailed above) in order to initiate the multiple checks and reviews that must be completed during the term prior to graduation.

Q: How do I receive the postbaccalaureate certificates that I’ve earned in the LDT program?

First, all postbaccalaureate certificates require a student to apply to and be accepted into the certificate program. No certificate is automatically awarded. As soon as a student intends to earn a certificate, they should submit an application and be formally accepted into the certificate program so that the student can be advised according to their needs for the certificate.

Then, when you complete each certificate, please notify Dr. Kirby and Whitney DeShong. Completing means that the final grade of the final required course for the certificate has been posted to your transcript in LionPATH. Once you send the notification that the certificate is complete, this will trigger a verification process that will ultimately lead to your actual certificate document to be printed onto paper and postal-mailed to the address you have on file. No certificates are verified and printed automatically—we must receive the notice from the student to initiate the process.

Q: How do I participate in the graduation ceremony? Where do I get my cap and gown? Can my family attend the graduation ceremony? How do I get to the University Park campus? etc. etc.

Visit Penn State University Park’s site with complete detail about commencement ceremonies at: http://commencement.psu.edu.

M.Ed. in LDT students would attend The Graduate School’s Commencement Ceremony.

If you will attend graduation at the University Park campus please be sure to notify your assigned academic advisor (and your classmates who might also be attending or graduating!). Also note that hotel reservations in the State College, Pennsylvania area are booked months in advance of the commencement weekends, especially the spring commencement weekend in May. For example, if you plan to attend the commencement ceremony in May, please consider booking your hotel reservations in October through December of the previous year (i.e. 5 to 7 months in advance). If you would like a finer dining experience to celebrate your graduation with your family and friends, you might also want to book your dinner reservations a few months in advance.