Science and Math Peer Fellows Program 2017 ***Applications Due October 25
[email protected] *** Use “SCIENCE and MATH FELLOWS APP” in SUBJECT LINE The ELC Science and Math Peer Fellows Program is a merit-based fellowship offered by the Interdisciplinary Science Program in which junior or senior (and on occasion sophomore) students engage in science and math related peer community building for a specific course offered by the department, and register for a Science and Math Peer Fellows Course in which they explore STEM education reform by reading, discussing, and responding to assigned readings once a week (one hour face to face class time). The aim of the program is to foster more challenging experiences for more advanced level students and to offer introductory level students a peer learning experiences that expose them to upperclassman in the program and help build community. The program offers advanced level students interested in pursuing STEM education in combination with communication, media, art, policy, and education studies an opportunity to better understand the challenges associated with science and math learning and current best practices in terms of pedagogy and assessment for student learning. Each Fellow will be assigned to a course and serve as the Peer Fellow for that course for the duration of one semester. The Science and Math Peer Fellows Course is a STEM education course typically offered only once a year, semester, and this year will be offered in the spring semester at a time that works for all Fellows in the evening to avoid course conflicts. Some Peer Fellows register for the Science and Math Peer Fellows course in the semester prior or during their semester that the Student will be serving as a fellow. If the course for which they are a Fellow runs in future semester or in future years, they can continue on as an Advanced Science Fellow in subsequent semesters (more advanced readings and less frequent group meetings with other fellows and Science Fellow Instructor, and more mentorship with the faculty member of the course for which they will serve as a Fellow). Past students have said that taking the Fellows course PRIOR to the Fellow experience may be helpful, but many of completed the Peer Fellows Course in the same semester that they serve as a Fellow. . They have also said that having prior background with the course for which they serve as Fellow is helpful, as it cuts down on readings outside of class. There are some exceptions such as First Year Seminars in which content is minimal and perhaps of interest to the Fellow who may never have completed the course themselves. What do Fellows do? Science and Math Peer Fellows learn about science and math education and engage in peer learning experiences designed in collaboration with a mentor (a Science or Math faculty member). Each Fellow participates in the following activities and receives 3 academic credits. 1) SCIENCE and MATH FELLOWS COURSE (3 credits) Fellows spend 8 hours/week reading and analyzing education articles, meeting with students, documenting and analyzing peer tutoring or community building interactions weekly with the instructor and students in the Fellows Course and with the faculty member of the course for which they serve as Fellow. In some instances, Fellows may also support students in multiple courses if the class size is small, but they would not be required to attend class sessions for all courses. 2) MENTORING: Fellows work with the faculty member of a course for which they are assigned to serve as Fellow to organize learning experiences that might include: review sessions; problem solving workshops; close reading experiences; Refworks tutorials; assistant with labs/computer simulations; reviewing and analyzing animations; field trips to museums or galleries, or the Imagine Science Film Festival, and/or writing/research assistance. Fellows may also work on something more academically challenging such as designing new lab exercises or developing curricular resources for new course modules. For some the project can lead towards a senior thesis project. 3) MODEL SEMINAR LEARNING: Fellows attend 25%-50% of the class sessions for which serve as a Peer Fellow and model seminar learning or problem solving and in some cases lead a class session. If you have a course conflict we may be able to arrange an alternative option, but this is not optimal.
Who is eligible? Science and Math Peer Fellows are selected by a committee of science and math faculty. Applicants should have interest in the Interdisciplinary Science Program, the Quantitative Reasoning, or Environmental Studies programs as a possible path of study and should have completed at least one courses in these programs but preference will be given to those that have completed two courses in theses programs.. Applicants should have at least a 3.0 grade point average and received a B+ or higher in the course for which they will serve as a peer tutor. Each applicant is considered on a case by case basis and consensus among the math and science faculty will be the deciding factor in the appointment. In some cases, the GPA requirement may be flexible if a faculty member feels that a student is well prepared to serve as a fellow and can demonstrate evidence of this. Students need the permission of the instructor to register for the Science and Math Fellows course (Contact
[email protected] who will copy you and send a permission email to Registration staff). The application form is on the next page and must be submitted to
[email protected] with “SCIENCE and MATH FELLOW APP” in the SUBJECT LINE. If chosen as a fellow, Katayoun will send you a LSCI Ind Study CRN to use for registration. How long can a student serve as a Science and Math Fellow? Ideally, students could serve multiple times, expanding the challenge as they move through the curriculum and gaining experience with the non- academic responsibilities. However, we must give all IS majors a chance at this experience. In addition, some students can work during the summer as a Math and Science Peer Fellow and be paid, but receive no credit. The acknowledgment would be reflected in letters of recommendation for graduate programs and/or other employment opportunities. ELC MATH and SCIENCE FELLOWS APPLICATION FORM: Submit to
[email protected] by October 25 with “SCIENCE and MATH FELLOWS APPLICATION” in subject line; if you have questions about a particular course that you might want to serve as a fellow, contact that specific faculty (see list below) in advance. Courses for which a Fellow is needed: Indicate your choices by rank (1,2,3) SEM S2018/19 S2018/19 S2018/19 S2018/19 S2018/19 S2018/19 S2019 F2018 F2018 F2018 F2018 S2019 S2019
Course Title and Level LSCI 2040 Genes Environment and Behavior LSCI 2700 Energy and Sustainability UENV Intro to Ecology LMTH 2014 Quant Reasoning II Research Methods LMTH 2014 Quant Reasoning II Research Methods LMTH 2014 Quant Reasoning II Research Methods LMTH 2050 Math Models in Nature LNGC 1000 Biology Art & Social Justice Freshman advising UENV Intro to Ecology LSCI 2501 Chemistry of the Environment LSCI 2300 Urban Environmental Health UENV 3XXX Ecology Lab LSCI 3XXX Water Quality Lab
Instructor Chamany Venkataraman Cook Flek Yust Yust Wilson Chamany Cook Venkataraman TBD McPhearson Venkataraman
Schedule T/R 10- 11:40am M/W 10-11:40am T/R 10- 11:40am M/W 12:00- 1:15pm M/W 12:00- 1:15pm M/W 2:00- 3:15pm TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
Rank
Name _______________________________________________ Major: ______________________________________ Year in college ______________________________________ Expected graduation date____________ GPA_________ EMAIL Address___________________________________________________ Continued on next page
Science and Math courses completed thus far (include pertinent internships): Title of course /Level of Course College Grade (A-F) 1. 2. 3.
Year
Available Days and Hours- if you don’t know your course schedule yet, please speculate and it is best to include a weekly schedule in the form of a chart; fellows participate in the course for which they are a fellow between 25-100% of the class sessions.
Post graduation interest:
Statement of interest: Why do you want to become a Science and Math Peer Fellow, what experience can you bring to peer mentoring and learning and if there is a project, specific misconception, peer tutoring experience you would like to explore include that as well? (~500 words) References: Please name one reference (college faculty or administrators who can speak about your abilities as a Fellow)
Please attach a copy of your transcript with cumulative GPA highlighted or include your Newschool ID number so we can see your transcript in Degree works
