General Studies (GNST) 50135 - Lecture 01
Collaborative Learning & Peer Mentoring
Fall 2006
MON 17:00-18:30** Except Oct. 9 and Nov. 13  

Instructor:	Dr. Tania S. Smith
Office Location:	SS 254
Office Phone:	220-7774
E-Mail:	smit@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	http://www.ucalgary.ca/~smit
Office Hours:	M 15:00 and by appt.

Additional Information

** The registrar schedules 3 hours of class per week, but approximately half of weekly class time will be used for mentoring activities and/or to meet with the instructor. Because of the time of day we meet (supper time), students and instructor may bring food and drink to share, or food for themselves to eat during Monday classes. It is completely voluntary to do so.

This course uses Blackboard and a Website to post ongoing announcements, grades, and course information. Recommended: frequent internet access, and intermediate skills with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, email, and internet searches.

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.

Prerequisites: Third year standing. Admission to the course by application to instructor. See http://www.ucalgary.ca/~smit/GNST501.htm

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:

Required: Falchikov, Nancy. Learning Together : Peer Tutoring in Higher Education. New York: Routledge, 2001. Supplemented by online readings and handouts provided, and articles recommended by other students.

Assignments and Evaluation

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

Note: Please return assignments directly to the instructor in paper form if possible. If it is not possible to do so, 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.

All major assignments should be handed in in paper format. An identical backup electronic copy may be submitted to the instructor via email or the Blackboard site.

If you are unable to personally submit a paper copy by the deadline, you may submit assignments electronically via email attachment, but a paper copy should be submitted within 2 business days for grading purposes.

-- 10% (September 18) Term Work Proposal & Practicum agreement (3-4p).

-- 30% (Weekly for 7 weeks during term) Mentoring & Reading Reflections. Each includes an informal 1-1.5p piece of writing (single spaced) and a conversational presentation in class. These usually respond to readings and narrate and reflect on mentoring activities. One will be a peer observation & evaluation of another person's mentoring, and one will be a book/article review on a reading discovered by the student.

-- 30% (Draft Nov. 20; Final December 4) Final Report (8p) including a required draft (of 2/3 length) and required in-class oral peer review of drafts on Nov. 27. Late penalties for a late draft will be applied to your final report's score, and there is a -0.5 grade penalty for not participating in draft peer review Nov. 27.

-- 20% (December 4) Mentoring Process Portfolio (a weekly activity log, email communication records, your host instructor's evaluation of your work, student evaluations of the mentoring experience, and your peer's observation review memo)

-- 10% Class Participation (including GNST 501.35 pre-term preparation, class discussion, mentoring instructor consultations, midterm and final social activities with host instructors, or make-up activities if unable to attend)

GRADES: Assignment scores will be given on the 4 point scale and/or its equivalent letter grade (i.e. B+ = 3.3). The score of A+ will be awarded to students whose course work average is A if they also have an excellent class participation record.

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.

RESEARCH ETHICS: Students will learn about, and be expected to follow, university research ethics requirements as they conduct field research for their assignments (tutoring evaluation surveys, observation of peer learning, quoting from private email and discussion with writers' prior consent). This course has obtained course-based ethics approval from the faculty research ethics committee. You are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines. 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/documents/ethics_info_applicants.do...

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.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination: No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Major 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 wish help with your writing at any stage, including drafts, you are invited to contact the Writing Centre, SS110, 220-7255.

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. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. 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 (SS110) 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/info

"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.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

To be posted online on the course website, and subject to revision (revisions will be announced in class, on Blackboard email, and will be flagged on the online schedule).