The MFA in Creative Writing Professional Development Semester

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1 Overview: The MFA in Creative Writing Professional Development Semester The MFA Professional Development Semester (PDS) consists of a single term that may be taken for a range of 3-10 units of credit. The available options for the PDS term and number of units that may be earned under each are explained under Options for the MFA Professional Development Semester below. The MFA Professional Development Semester is limited to Antioch MFA alumni as well as currently enrolled MFA students who have already completed all requirements for the MFA except the final manuscript. The Professional Development Semester is an optional fifth (or, in the case of dual concentrations, sixth) term of work toward the MFA that focuses on further development of each student s particular professional interests in addition to further mentoring in any of the following genres: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for young people, or literary translation. Continuing MFA students may take only one Professional Development Semester but may also return for additional PDS terms as alumni. MFA students enrolled in their final semester must declare their intention to pursue a Professional Development Semester by either August 15 for a winter/spring PDS term or February 15 for summer/fall. (Because the program is currently in development, the deadline for S/F 2014 has been extended until Friday, May 16 th.) MFA alumni may enroll in as many Professional Development Semesters as they desire. However, alumni pursuing the PDS do not qualify for Financial Aid. Options for the MFA Professional Development Semester: The MFA Professional Development Semester includes the following three options. Tuition for a PDS term is figured as follows (based on $670 per MFA unit of credit): Option A: CRW560: Additional Project Period Mentoring (5 units): $3,350 Option B: CRW 561, 562, & 563: Teaching Creative Writing Online: (5 units): $3,350* Option C: CRW564: Study Abroad (3 units): $2,010 *No Option B charge for S/F 2014 (only) for Sequoias who have completed CRW 521. For payment options for the MFA PDS term, please contact: Naomi Castro, Campus Finance Director X413 ncastro@antioch.edu or Dawn Jackson, Finance Manager X405

2 2 Students and alumni who enroll in a Professional Development Semester may choose Option A, B, or C above. PDS students may also choose to take options A & B or options A & C during the same Professional Development Semester. Options B & C (online teacher training and Study Abroad) may not be taken during the same PDS term. These two options are not designed to be logistically compatible. Description of MFA Professional Development Semester options A, B, & C: Option A: CRW560: Additional Mentoring (5 units credit) One five-month online project period with an assigned genre mentor and mentee group. PDS students will submit monthly packets of creative writing to their assigned mentor as usual; however, no book annotations, critical papers, bibliographies, or other core project period requirements for the MFA degree will be included. Instead, PDS students will be advised by their mentors to prepare and submit creative work for publication. Option B: CRW 561, 562, & 563: Online Teacher Training (5 units credit) PDS students may choose to study methods of teaching creative writing online, including book coaching, and gain practical experience through a residency workshop on online course design and methods of online teaching, followed by a three-course sequence for either continuing MFA students (sections A) or MFA alumni (sections B) during the online project period: CRW 561: Methods of Teaching Creative Writing Online (3 units). This course will replace CRW 521. CRW 562: Methods of Online Book Coaching (1 unit) CRW 563: Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing Online (1 unit) All three courses in the above sequence must be taken during the Professional Development Semester, whether the participant is a continuing MFA student or a returning alum. CRW 561: Methods of Teaching Creative Writing Online will prepare MFA student and alumni graduate teaching trainees (GTTs) to teach writing in an asynchronous online environment and provide them with supervised online teaching experience. In addition to studying creative writing pedagogy, students will learn how to teach one or more of the courses offered through AULA s new hybrid community education creative writing program, Inspiration to Publication (I2P). Each student will also design and propose a 4- week I2P special topics course, which they may have the opportunity to teach. CRW 562: Methods of Online Book Coaching is a four-week course that is offered at the beginning of the Professional Development Semester. The instructional module will

3 3 provide specific procedures and guidelines for book coaching to be followed when coaching writers in the I2P program. CRW 563: Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing Online will provide MFA and alumni GTTs with opportunities to apply what they have learned in CRW 541 to the online creative writing classroom. Most of these opportunities will come through I2P program workshops and special topics courses. Some may come through specially created workshops involving MFA students. Instructional Support for I2P online book coaches: There is no formal practicum in book coaching. However, MFA core faculty will serve as pedagogical resources for I2P book coaches. MFA students and alumni who have completed online teacher training option, and who have also published, qualify to serve as I2P online instructors or book coaches (the latter requires the publication of at least one book). Option C: CRW564: Study Abroad (3 units) Professional Development Semester students (continuing MFA students or returning alumni) may participate in a one-for-one exchange of creative writing students at Bath Spa University. Because this is a one-for-one exchange, the number of Antioch student slots available in a given semester is limited to the number of Bath Spa students who have signed up to participate that term. An exchange may include both MFA students and MFA alumni in the same Antioch group. The curriculum and length of residencies for PDS exchange students may vary. Travel and lodging costs are not included. More information on this program will be available prior the program s scheduled launch in winter/spring Other study abroad options may be added in the future, including Sias International University in China and workshops run by MFA alumni who live or work in Paris, France. How MFA residencies relate to the Professional Development Semester: The MFA Professional Development Semester does not require an additional on-campus residency. However: For continuously enrolled MFA students entering a Professional Development Semester, the final residency required for their MFA immediately precedes the Professional Development Semester. Prior to entering the PDS semester, continuously enrolled MFA students must have already completed all core requirements for the MFA except the format review and submission of the final manuscript and cumulative annotated bibliography. MFA alumni returning for a Professional Development Semester do not need to attend an MFA residency. An online equivalent of the residency online pedagogy workshop will

4 4 be provided for alumni who pursue Option B. Optional bonus residency: Even though no MFA residency is required for the Professional Development Semester, continuously enrolled MFA students and returning alumni who have completed requirements for the Professional Development Semester are welcome to attend the subsequent MFA residency as guests of the Creative Writing Department. PDS guests may attend all residency events, including a peer-led PDS genre workshop at no additional tuition charge. University fees, such as parking, will still apply, and PDS students will still be responsible for personal residency costs, such as travel, lodging, and food. Participation in Commencement: Continuing MFA students in the PDS term may petition to walk at commencement with their current cohort, even though they will not graduate until successful completion of the following term. Petitions to walk with one s current cohort will be routinely approved. PDS students who do not petition will walk with the cohort that graduates following the PDS term. The is no commencement ceremony for returning alumni MFA students. MFA transcripts for PDS students: Transcripts of MFA students and returning alumni who complete the PDS term will specify that they have completed the MFA plus PDS. Taking more than one MFA Professional Development Semester: Continuing MFA students who enroll in an MFA Professional Development Semester may not take a second PDS as MFA students. MFA alumni may take as many Professional Development Semesters as serve their individual needs. Further PDS options will become available in the future. However, PDS terms for alumni are not covered by federal Financial Aid. Financial Aid for alumni who wish to learn how to teach creative writing online is available through the Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing Program, which, at the student s option, may include the threeonline-course sequence described under project period Option B above. See Financial Aid below. Financial Aid for the PDS term: Continuing MFA students taking a PDS term qualify for Federal Financial Aid. MFA alumni returning to do a PDS term are not eligible for Financial Aid. However, MFA

5 5 alumni who seek to complete the three-course online teacher training sequence described under Option B and need Financial Aid should consider enrolling in the Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing Program, as described in the next section. Important: Anyone who enrolls in the PDS term as a continuing MFA student (rather than as an alum), must complete the PDS in order to receive the MFA. Pursuing the PDS while one continues in the MFA program as a student increases the number of credit hours required for the MFA in proportion to the PDS option(s) the PDS student chooses. For example, choosing Option A: Additional Mentoring (5 units) will increase the number of hours required for the MFA from 48 to 53. A PDS student who pursues both Options A (5 units) & B (5 units) will increase the number of hours required for the MFA from 48 to 58. Students who are unable to complete the PDS term on schedule should apply for Enrollment Maintenance Status (EMS) to complete their remaining PDS work by the end of the following semester. An EMS term costs $900 and is not covered by Financial Aid. Online teacher training and Financial Aid for MFA alumni through the Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing Program: MFA alumni who need Financial Aid in order to complete the online teacher training program may receive one semester of Financial Aid by serving as a graduate teaching trainee through the Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing Program. Here are some important features of the Post-MFA program for MFA alumni interested in being trained to teach writing online: Post-MFA certificate students may choose either an online or an on-site supervised teaching placement not both. Post-MFA students who choose an online placement will enroll in CRW 561, 562, and 563, even though they are not PDS students. Post-MFA certificate students doing online teacher training will also complete all other requirements of the Post-MFA term, including the residency pedagogy workshop, online pedagogy discussion forum, and the pedagogy paper. The post-mfa certificate is a one-semester program. Post-MFA students, including returning MFA alumni, are therefore eligible for one semester of federal Financial Aid. Unlike the MFA Professional Development Semester, the Post-MFA certificate program is open to graduates of any accredited MFA in creative writing program. Post-MFA certificate students who graduated from other accredited MFA programs are eligible to teach in the I2P program as GTTs while they are students, and as online course instructors or book coaches after they complete the Post-MFA certificate.

6 6 MFA Professional Development Semester Options and Questions Frequently Asked by MFA Alumni MFA Professional Development Semester Options: Option A: Additional Project Period Mentoring (5 units): $3,350 Option B: Online Teacher Training: (5 units): $3,350* Option C: Student Exchange with Bath Spa (3 units)**: $2,010 *FREE for S/F 2014 (only) for selected alumni who have completed CRW 521. **Not available until W/S 2015, at the earliest. Options A & B and (beginning in W/S 2015) A & C may be taken in the same PDS term. 1. What do I need to do to complete the online teacher training? Answers: A) If you have previously completed CRW521: You should enroll in CRW562: Methods of Online Book Coaching offered in June 1-29, If you have previously completed CRW521 and have not previously taught more than one online course, you should also enroll in CRW 563: Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing Online. For Sequoias who have completed CRW521 and who already have extensive experience teaching creative writing online, CRW563: Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing Online will be waived. B) If you have not previously completed CRW521: You should enroll in the three courses that constitute Option B of the MFA professional development semester for S/F These include: o Section B of CRW561: Methods of Teaching Creative Writing Online (20 weeks, 3 units) o Section B of CRW562: Methods of Online Book Coaching (July 1-29, 2014, 1 unit). For alumni who are already experienced book coaches, this requirement may be waived. o Section B of CRW563: Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing Online (time TBA, 1 unit). This supervised teaching experience completes your training and makes you eligible to propose and teach I2P online courses of varying lengths. For S/F 2014 only, CRW562 and 563 are free for Alumni who have completed CRW 521. If you have not previously completed CRW521, you will have to pay for all three

7 7 courses (a grand total of $3,350). 2. What if I also want additional mentoring (Option A) during my MFA professional development semester? Answer: You should also enroll in CRW 560: Additional Mentoring (5 units) CRW 560 will cost you $3,350 in tuition. 3. What if I want to participate in the exchange program with Bath Spa University (Option C) during my professional development semester? Answer: Option C: CRW564: Study Abroad does not begin until W/S Option C will cost $2,052 plus travel, lodging, and other expenses. As an alum, you will not qualify for financial aid. Study Abroad may not be taken with Option B (online teacher training), as these two options are not designed to be logistically compatible. 4. If I choose to pursue Option A (additional mentoring) as well as Option B (online teacher training) in S/F 2014, will I be eligible for federal financial aid? Answers: Option A (additional mentoring): No. Because the professional development semester is neither a degree nor a certificate program, option A (mentoring) is not covered by financial aid. Option B (online teacher training): No, for the same reason. However, if you have previously completed CRW521, Option B (online teacher training) is offered for free for S/F 2014 only. If you need financial aid to complete Option B, consider enrolling in the Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing Program (see #6 below). 5. If I wait to do the MFA professional development semester until W/S 2015 when the Bath Spa exchange is available, may I still receive the online teacher training for free? Answer: No, for two reasons: 1) The online teacher training (Option B) and the Bath Spa exchange (Option C) may not be taken during the same professional development semester. These two options are not designed to be logistically compatible. 2) For selected alumni already qualified to serve as book coaches, the online teacher training is offered for free for the S/F 2014 MFA professional development semester only. We are offering this training for free in order to develop the curriculum for

8 8 Inspiration to Publication (I2P) and to establish a pool of instructors qualified to serve as book coaches and/or online craft course instructors when I2P launches on July 1, A) If I choose to receive the online teacher training through the Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing Program, how much will that cost and B) will I be eligible for financial aid? Answers: A) The post-mfa certificate term will cost $8,041 in tuition, plus travel, lodging, and food for the 10-day residency that begins the Post-MFA program and the 3-day residency that concludes it. The usual fees, including residency parking, associated with an MFA semester will apply. Note: If you enter the Post-MFA program immediately after earning your MFA in S/F 2014, the cost of the 10-day first Post-MFA residency is absorbed into the cost of your final required MFA residency. Instead of a final genre workshop, you will be assigned a pedagogy workshop. B) Yes, as an enrolled post-mfa certificate student, you are eligible for one semester of financial aid. 7. One of the requirements of the online teacher training program is CRW563: Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing Online. What if the 4-week I2P Special Topics Course I propose and design, or the Online Craft Workshop I am assigned does not achieve sufficient enrollment to be offered? What happens? Answer: To ensure that everyone can complete the practicum without going on EMS, the CW Department will establish an online workshop for PDS and other selected MFA students and alumni that PDS students can team-teach to fulfill the practicum requirement. If a 4-week special topics course that you propose does not achieve sufficient enrollment, you will fulfill the practicum requirement by team-teaching the end-of-term PDS workshop instead. 8. If all I want to do is be a book coach, why do I need to take CRW 561: Methods of Teaching Creative Writing Online and CRW 563: Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing Online? Answer: One of I2P s biggest selling points will be that its book coaches and online craft course instructors work together to meet individual writer s needs. I2P book coaches not only mentor writers, they will be able to recommend I2P craft workshops and special topics courses that would be of special benefit to the students they are coaching. This process requires that book coaches know the online course curriculum, and that online course instructors know how book coaching works. Also, at some point you may change your mind and want to teach an online craft

9 9 workshop or propose a new special topics course of your own design. In that event, we don t want you to have to take another online class in order qualify to teach one. 9. As an MFA professional development semester returning alumni student, do I really have the option of participating in a residency at the end of my PDS term for free? Answer: In terms of tuition, yes. An alum who has just completed a PDS term may participate in the MFA residency that immediately follows (including a peer-led genre workshop) at no further charge. However, you are still responsible for your travel, lodging, and food. Parking and other routine fees may also apply.

10 10 Professional Development Semester (PDS) Alumni Calendar Academic Year Tuesday, May 6, PDS announcements sent to MFA alumni (Facebook, Sakai, , MFA website) inviting alumni to apply for the PDS semester. Materials for MFA alumni include: o Non-matriculating student application form (MFA alumni must apply and register) o MFA PDS returning alumni registration form o Updated PDS description o MFA Alumni PDS FAQs o Alumni PDS calendar o List of potential PDS mentors (includes both MFA & PDS-only) o PDS-only mentor bios (MFA mentor bios on MFA website) o Two-page PDS writing sample form o My Goals for the PDS Term form o Non-matriculating PDS student mentor preference form Monday, May 12: alumni interested in applying for the PDS term are asked to send an to the Creative Writing Program Office indicating their intention to apply for Option A, Option B, or Options A & B of the S/F 2014 PDS term. (PDS alumni have until Tuesday, May 20 to actually apply.) PDS alumni choosing Option A (Additional Mentoring) should also fill out and the Non-matriculating PDS student Option A mentor preference form listing their top4 choices for preferred mentors for the PDS term. Tuesday, May 20: Deadline for all MFA alumni to apply for the S/F 2014 PDS term. Note below: For alumni choosing Option A (Additional Mentoring), two different sets of documents must be submitted to the Creative Writing Program Office one set by mail, the second set by All alumni applying for the PDS should mail signed hard copies of the following to the Creative Writing Program Office by May 20 th : o Non-matriculating student application form (signed hard copy) o MFA PDS returning alumni registration form (signed hard copy) Alumni choosing Option A (Additional Mentoring) should also submit by attachment the following documents to the CW Program Office by May 20 th : o Two-page PDS writing sample form o My Goals for the PDS Term form Thursday, May 22: MFA Program Office s PDS Option A alumni 2-page writing samples and My Goals statements to PDS-only mentors and also to MFA mentors

11 11 who have been requested by PDS alumni. (MFA mentors will have been assigned only Santa Ana s and PDS Sequoias at this point. MFA mentors may choose to take an Option A PDS alumni student as a sixth mentee; however, it is likely most will have no room left on their schedule. Wednesday, May 28: Deadline for PDS-only mentors to CW Program Office to confirm their availability to work with particular Option A MFA alumni who have requested them. Note: The availability of PDS-only mentors to work with specific alumni will be based on the following considerations: o Each PDS alumni student s goals for the PDS term o How many PDS students each PDS-only mentor is available to take o The PDS-mentor s personal schedule Thursday, May 29: CW Team matches Option A PDS alumni with MFA and PDSonly mentors. PDS students are sent an notifying them of their assigned mentor. This communication will include a form by which the PDS alumni student can accept her/his mentor assignment (assigned mentor s named typed in for them). Monday, June 2: Deadline for Option A PDS alumni to accept their mentor assignment and admission to the PDS term (both Options A & B). Option B PDS alumni should register for CRW 561, 562, & 563. For payment options for the MFA PDS term, please contact: Naomi Castro, Campus Finance Director X413 ncastro@antioch.edu or Dawn Jackson, Finance Manager X405 djackson1@antioch.edu Thursday, June 5: MFA & PDS registration closes. All PDS students should be registered at this point. Friday, June 13: MFA residency begins. PDS alumni do not attend. Tuesday, July 1: PDS project period begins (PDS-only mentors are contracted to begin work on this date). At this point PDS Option A alumni students mentors should contact their respective mentors and begin to negotiate a PDS project period contract. PDS-only mentor contact information will be provided at the June residency. The MFA PDS 2014 Semester runs from July 1 through November 24. Tuesday, July 1: For PDS Option B alumni students, online classes (CRW 561, 562, and 563) begin on this date. PDS Option B alumni students will be oriented on

12 12 AULA s learning management system (Sakai) on or before this date. o CRW 561 (Methods of Teaching Creative Writing Online) runs for 20 weeks. o CRW 562 (Methods of Online Book Coaching) runs for 4 weeks o CRW 563 (Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing Online) runs for 24 weeks. The 4-week special topics course designed and taught by the PDS alumni student will be likely offered sometime during the final 8 weeks of the PDS term. Monday, November 24: The MFA and MFA PDS project periods end. For PDS students, this is the end of the PDS term. No concluding residency is required. Thursday, December 12 through Saturday, December 20: Post-PDS term residency (not required). Although no residency is required for the PDS term, students who complete the PDS project period may attend the following MFA residency with no additional tuition charge. A peer-led PDS student workshop will be organized. Students who just completed the PDS term and choose to attend the December residency will be responsible for their own travel, food, and lodging (not covered by financial aid). Certain residency-related fees (such as parking) may also apply. Questions about the S/F 2014 MFA PDS term or the PDS alumni mentor selection process should be addressed to Steve Heller.