The University of Connecticut Educational Technology Program and, specifically, Two Summers Master’s of Arts (MA) / Sixth Year Certificate (SD) in Educational Technology were created as part of a 2006 reformulation of UConn’s traditional Educational Psychology Master’s and Sixth Year graduate course offerings. This reformulation, intended to better fit the schedules of working educators, included face-to-face summer courses and online versions of previously existing Fall and Spring semester courses (at the time, 45% online and 55% face-to-face).
As a consequence of the reformulation, our applicant pool shifted from career-oriented Educational Technology MA students (e.g., instructional designers) to practicing K-12 teachers seeking a first or second MA degree (or Sixth Year Certificate). Between 2006 and 2008, Two Summers grew from a small, single cohort to two cohorts of 15-20 students each; in 2009 (continuing to present), the cap was scaled back to a single cohort of 15-20 students.
The program was initially conceived using the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) / National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) 2000 standards as a foundational framework. In 2008, when the NETS-T standards were revised, Two Summers adopted the new iteration and re-aligned coursework/artifacts as necessary. The same occurred upon publication of the 2012 NETS-C standards for “technology coaches”—deemed a best fit for the program—and has continued through the current version.
Two Summers is currently managed by Associate Professor of Educational Psychology / program co-founder Dr. Michael F. Young (below) and Assistant Professor-in-Residence Dr. Stephen T. Slota with administrative assistance from Lisa Rasicot.
