Faculty Resources

The Massachusetts Department of Correction views Boston University faculty as volunteers. Faculty should be familiar with the DOC Volunteer Handbook and the Department of Correction website, which contains information on the facility where you will be teaching, including details on volunteer dress code and directions.

Program Structure and Faculty

The Boston University Prison Education Program is part of Metropolitan College (MET). As one of 17 degree-granting bodies that make up Boston University, MET offers rigorous academic programs and cutting-edge professional education.

New Instructor

If you are interested in becoming an instructor in the BU Prison Education Program, please fill out the Welcome to the BU Prison Education Program form and follow the instructions to submit.

Ordering Your Textbooks

Boston University strives to reuse previously purchased books whenever it is pedagogically justifiable, and the professor is amenable. Please review the list of previously used books by location to see if there is a book you were planning to use, or one which you would like to order for your class.

In preparing to select your texts, please first review the book inventories for both MCI Framingham and MCI Norfolk. If the Prison Education Program already has a text you would like to utilize, please let us know. Texts can be transferred from institution to institution.

All textbooks must pass through security inspections at the prison, which can slow down the process of getting books to your students.

Boston University Procedures

WebGrading

Grading of Prison Education Program students is conducted in the same way as the grading of students in BU’s Metropolitan College. At the end of each semester, grades must be entered via the WebGrading system in the Faculty Link.

New faculty will have to create a BU account in order to access the WebGrading system. Please contact the department at 617-353-3025 or appsoc@bu.edu.

Proofing Class Lists

Registration in prison programs can be more complex than registration on campus. Computerized class lists may contain errors that are hard to correct when grades are due, and are even more difficult to repair after the semester is complete.

Mid-semester, we require that you check your class lists on the Faculty Link. You may note that some students in your class are not listed, while others are listed but not present in your class. It is important that you take a moment to report any discrepancies to the faculty director of the program to ensure that errors are corrected.

New faculty will have to create a BU account in order to access the WebGrading system. Please contact the department at 617-353-3025 or appsoc@bu.edu.

Department of Correction Program, Educational, and Treatment Staff

The Department of Correction (DOC) educational staff orients BU instructors at the beginning of their service, and provides ongoing support and guidance throughout the duration of their courses.

The dedication and discipline that the DOC educational staff bring to their work is impressive. They work continuously with the same students for as long as it takes to make progress, and offer support all the way through to graduation.