General Studies GNST 501.38  Lec 01
(Research in Selected Topics)
Advanced Peer Mentoring
Winter 2008
M 17:00 - 19:20* in SS221

Instructor:	Dr. Tania S. Smith
Office Location:	SS 326
Office Phone:	220-7774
E-Mail:	smit@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	http://www.ucalgary.ca
Office Hours:	MW 12:00-1:00 and by appointment

Additional Information

By application only.  This course includes a 50-hour practicum as a peer mentor. 

*Some class activities are performed outside of class hours in lieu of class time.  Most of these activities are scheduled by students according to their availability.  If you cannot attend a participation activity scheduled at a specific time outside of class, an appropriate make-up assignment will be designed for you.  This course uses Blackboard and a Website to post ongoing announcements, grades, and course information.

Course Description

An advanced level of GNST 501.35 Collaborative Learning and Peer Mentoring, this course involves students in supporting peers with their learning processes using a facilitative, collaborative approach.  Advanced peer mentors will have fewer hours of class time and approximately 50 hours per term allotted to service so that in addition to mentoring students in a host course, advanced mentors can assist new mentors to grow into their roles.  Instead of being given pre-assigned readings, students will conduct their own textual and field research and present findings in two class presentations.  The term project involves a small self-directed mentoring communication research project and includes analysis of some data gathered from peer mentoring program surveys and observations.

Objectives of the Course

To continue to work toward goals of a) personal learning and growth and b) the enhancement of one's fellow students' learning in our faculty

1. To either add a new part-time peer mentoring role as a mentor to new mentors in the program, OR to take on a significantly different mentoring role than in the previous term. 
2. To learn new concepts and philosophies of higher education learning, leadership communication and innovation by completing an original research project which contributes to the expansion and strength of peer mentoring programs and courses. 

Textbooks and Readings

None. Students will be expected to discover their own readings relevant to their presentations and term project.  A bibliography will be provided to assist. 

Assignments and Evaluation

--  10% two in-class presentations (to be scheduled) on your self-directed choice of readings, each with a 1-page handout :  a) proposal and preliminary textual research at the end of week 4, and a progress report at the end of week 8. 

--  40% Final Report or Project, including a Required Draft.  (Draft March 31; Final April 18)  A) A ten-page student-designed research study (i.e. a research article) OR analysis of our survey data and your observational data as a peer mentor and/or B) a five-page report of data collected and analyzed from our student surveys AND a public/academic communication product that promotes or orients people to peer mentoring or an issue or concern in university learning. 

--  40% Mentoring Activity Portfolios (Midterm March 7; Final April 18) (mentoring new mentors; at least 2 reflections on observing other peer mentors; others' observations of your mentoring; the bi-weekly practicum activity log; email communication records with students / new peer mentors / instructors,  your students' surveys on their mentoring experience)

--  10% Class Participation

Specific directions for each assignment will be posted online at http://www.ucalgary.ca/~smit/PeerMentoring

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.  All assignments written outside of class time are to be submitted electronically as directed.  You must send a copy to yourself and ensure that the correct files have been attached properly.  If any assignments are in paper only, you should hand them in during class time or as directed.

Confidentiality

Students will be expected to share their writing and experiences with fellow classmates in order to learn from each other.  However, all students must treat their peers' documents and statements as confidential to their original audiences within this classroom community, and must obtain authors' written permission before communicating others' words, ideas, or intellectual property to other parties via media or text.  This applies whether they are recorded anonymously or by identifying their author(s).

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  No

Policy for Late Assignments

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

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:

A+/A (4.0); A- (3.7); B+ (3.3); B (3.0); B- (2.7); C+ (2.3);
C (2.0); C- (1.7); D+ (1.3); D (1.0); F (0)

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 U of C Research Ethics "Information for Applicants," sections 3.0 to 9.0, inclusive: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/html/ethics/info_undergrad.html

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/PeerMentoring/EthicsforPeerMentors07.pdf   Failure to follow ethics guidelines may result in grade penalties to the relevant assignments.  

Instructor's Research

To improve the quality of teaching in this subject area, 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, 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.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

The schedule will be posted online on the course website at http://www.ucalgary.ca/~smit/PeerMentoring , and is subject to revision (revisions will be announced in class and via email).