General FAQs
What happened to the Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS)?
After over 30 years of providing STEM professional development as the Museum Institute for Teaching Science, we changed our name in 2019 to the Wade Institute for Science Education. We intend for the name change to better reflect our services, and to honor the organization’s founder, Paddy Wade. We look forward to providing the same consistently high-quality professional development under our new name!
Summer Professional Development Institutes FAQs
How do I register?
You may register online via our electronic registration form, linked on the the Summer Professional Development Institute page or any of the regional pages. You are not considered officially registered until the Wade Institute has received both your completed registration form and your payment.
Where do the Institutes take place?
Generally, Summer Professional Development Institutes can take place at a variety of partner institutions in multiple regions across Massachusetts. During the program you will follow a schedule that includes spending 1-2 days at each of the partner’s sites. The schedule varies depending on the number of participants in each region. The rotation schedule is given to you on the first day of the institute.
Where will I be going and what activities will I be doing?
Please refer to each institute’s page to find further information about activities.
How do I know where to go/what to bring on the first day?
The Wade Institute sends out a Welcome Packet to each fully-paid participant. We send out these packets via email prior to the start of your institute.
Will the Institute take place indoors or outdoors?
The Summer Professional Development Institutes are a balance of both indoor, classroom-based components and outdoor field experiences. Depending on your region, daily activities could include nature walks, behind-the-scenes tours of facilities, introductions to resource centers, modeling of inquiry-based activities and more.
I can’t get a babysitter – can I bring my child with me to the Institute?
Summer Professional Development Institutes are graduate level programs for adults, and the activities and learning environment are not appropriate for children. Day care is not provided.
How can I pay for registration?
You may pay for registration either via our electronic registration form, or by sending a check in to the the Wade Institute office after registering online. You are not considered officially registered until the Wade Institute has received both your completed registration form and your payment.
What is the 2024 Summer Professional Development Institute cancellation policy?
A $75 cancellation fee will be deducted from all refund requests. Refund requests must be received at least 2 weeks prior to the first on-site day of your institute. No refunds will be given if submitted after that date.
Lowell Region Refund Deadline: June 24th, 2024
Central & Southeast/Cape Cod Regions Deadline: July 1st, 2024
How do I pay for graduate credits?
You may pay for graduate credit either via our electronic registration form’s PayPal option, or by sending a check or Purchase Order in to the Wade Institute office. Graduate Credit Forms are sent out with Welcome Packets, and must be completed and returned to the Wade Institute office. The Wade Institute is your liaison for graduate credit – please do not submit payment or forms to the college/university directly.
Can the Summer Professional Development Institute graduate credits be applied to a Master’s Degree program?
You will need to check with the college or university in which you are enrolled to find out if the graduate credits are transferable to your Master’s Degree program.
When will I receive my grade/PDPs?
PDPs and graduate credits will be awarded by the end of August.
Focus Workshops FAQ
How do I register?
You may register online via our electronic registration form, linked on the the Focus Workshops page. You are not considered officially registered until the Wade Institute has received both your completed registration form and your payment.
Where do Focus Workshops take place?
Our Focus Workshops locations vary, with on-site, virtual, and hybrid options offered in the past. To see where your chosen workshop is taking place, please check the information for the program on our Focus Workshops page.
Are graduate credits available for Focus Workshops?
Optional graduate credits are sometimes available for an additional fee. To see if your chosen workshop is offering graduate credits, please check the registration information for the program on our Focus Workshops page.
Where will I be going and what will I be doing?
Please refer to each workshop’s description on the Focus Workshops page to find further information about activities.
How will I know what to bring?
All paid participants will receive information about their workshop prior to the start of the program. This information is generally sent via email.