General Studies (GNST) 501.35 - L 01
Research in Selected Topics
Collaborative Learning & Peer Mentoring

Fall 2008

Monday 1700-1950

 

Instructor:	Margo M. Husby, PhD
Office Location:	SS 310
Office Phone:	403-220-4846
E-Mail:	husby@ucalgary.ca
Office Hours:	W 1200-1300 or by appointment

Additional Information

By application only.  This course includes a 40-hour practicum as a peer mentor.  Pre-term planning meetings and events are occasionally scheduled at other days and times, in lieu of class time.  This course uses Blackboard to post ongoing announcements, grades, and course information.

Course Description

A practical course in supporting peers with their learning processes using a facilitative, collaborative approach. The course will provide background useful in both the classroom and in the professional workplace, and will also enhance students' learning of their own field of study through their interaction with other students. Students will become familiar with learning theories and learning processes through readings and assignments, and will receive practical experience by helping learners in a Communication and Culture course under the supervision of that course's instructor. Activities may include facilitating discussion in classrooms or online, discussing topics for term papers, organizing and assisting study groups, or coaching peers in their oral presentation or writing skills.

Objectives of the Course

*  to build skills in mentoring, discussion facilitation, collaborative learning

    * to understand and apply theory related to collaborative learning and mentoring

    * to better understand the social contexts and challenges of university undergraduate teaching and learning

    * to enrich one's understanding of the subject area of the course in which one is mentoring

Textbooks and Readings:

 Hoff, Benjamin "The Tao of Pooh"

Rabbitte, C., Robinson, S, and Smith, T. "Curricular Peer Mentoring: A Handbook for Undergraduate Peer Mentors Serving in Courses". pre-publication edition. Available  on Blackboard

Other readings as assigned by instructor

Assignments and Evaluation

-- 5%. Semester plan (September 29)

-- 30% Reflections. (As scheduled) Each reflection is a short, informal piece of writing. You will respond to specific ideas in readings and critique, elaborate or apply them to your own experience and knowledge. You will also do peer observation & reflection on two other classmates' mentoring, and a reflection on survey results.

-- 5% Public Presentation & Discussion Event in conjunction with peer mentors in the Faculty of Nursing (Date TBA)

-- 30% Portfolios. (Midterm October 27; Final Dec 15) Portfolios are due in two installments, graded separately and worth 15% each. They are a collection of evidence, such as weekly logs, survey results, and email communications by which the instructor can assess your practicum participation & growth. Reflection on instructor comments on the first installment should be included in the final portfolio.

-- 20% Final Report. (Draft Nov 24; Final Dec 15) The score for the final report includes a required draft (of 2/3 length) and required in-class oral peer review of drafts. The report must include an analysis of your own learning, integrating both theory and practice. Penalties for a late draft or no peer review participation will be applied to your final report's score.

-- 10% Class Participation Including class attendance and discussion, any activities which replace class time, responsibility and consultation with the instructor as necessary, and a community midterm potluck and/or final social.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or instructor. If it is not possible to do so because of illness or unexpected life events, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- down to B+ for each day late)

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  NO

Collaboration

Students will read and review drafts of each other's writing. Students will also collaborate openly with the course instructor and host instructor, documenting all significant communication via email carbon-copied to both instructors. The evidence of the quality, regularity, and ethics of your tutoring interactions will impact your individual grade on related assignments and participation components, so if you encounter problems, communicate promptly with both instructors to work on an acceptable solution.

Mentoring Ethics

Students will be required to sign an Ethics Guidelines document which outlines the ethical responsibilities and limitations of the peer mentor's role http://www.ucalgary.ca/~smit/GNST501/Ethics.htm.  Failure to follow ethics guidelines may result in grade penalties to the relevant assignments.  

Instructors' Research

To improve the quality of teaching in this subject area,  Dr. Tania Smith and/or your instructor occasionally analyzes data about student learning that is gathered naturally in the course of teaching, and may present these findings at conferences or in academic publications. Unless you give signed consent, data specific to your course work and participation will not be included in such research. During course evaluation time, or after the course is over, Dr. Smith and/or the instructor may hand out consent forms or email you a request to use your work outside of the course. You are free to decline participation or withdraw participation at any time. Any signed consent forms will not be seen by the instructor until after the final grades have been submitted.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

(Revised, effective September 2008)

 

	Grading Scale	Grade Point
A+	96-100	4.0
A	90-95.99	4.0
A -	85-89.99	3.7
B+	80-84.99	3.3
B	75-79.99	3.0
B-	70-74.99	2.7
C+	65-69.99	2.3
C	60-64.99	2.0
C-	55-59.99	1.7
D+	53-54.99	1.3
D	50-52.99	1.0
F	0-49	0

 

Where a grade on a particular assignment is expressed as a letter grade, it will normally be converted to a number using the midpoint of the scale.  That is, A- would be converted to 87.5 for calculation purposes.  F will be converted to zero.

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see

The Faculty of Communication and Culture Research Ethics site: http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/ethics

or the University of Calgary Research Ethics site: http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/compliance/ethics/info/undergrad/

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

To be posted on Blackboard