Opportunities for Undergraduate Students
One of the central commitments of the Teaching and Learning Initiative is to create new opportunities for students to work in partnership with faculty, staff, and other students in the analysis and revision of courses, teaching approaches, and learning experiences. These opportunities provide you, as students, with rare chances to work collaboratively with faculty and staff members, to develop as learners and as leaders, to better understand your own learning needs as well as the learning needs of other members of the educational community at the College, and thus both help you take the greatest possible advantage of your undergraduate years and prepare you for real-world relationships and responsibilities.
Depending on the role you take up, you can earn course credit, hourly pay, or stipends. Click on the links below to explore new opportunities. The contact person listed can fill you in on details and answer any questions you have.
In addition, the Teaching and Learning Initiative is open to developing new opportunities that do not as yet exist, so if there is a teaching or learning opportunity that you would like to pursue but that does not currently exist, please let us know and we will work with you to design a forum within which to address it.
Suggestions can be directed to the Coordinator of the TLI, Alison Cook-Sather (acooksat@brynmawr.edu).
Do you want to...
1. Work in a Staff-Student partnership:
Collaborate with a student in a mutually beneficial learning exchange?
1. Empowering Learners Partnership
Work with a student mentor in a semester-long Computing class?
2. Work in a Faculty-Student Partnership:
1. Work with faculty to develop or revise a course or to re-imagine departmental offerings?
2. Work with faculty to develop or revise a course using technology?
3. Work as a Student Consultant to offer constructive feedback on a faculty member's teaching?
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1. Work in a Staff-Student Partnership
The staff-student partnerships include:
The Empowering Learners Partnership (ELP) Program, the student-mentored Computing Classes for staff, the Reading, Writing, and Communication (RWC) Program, and the Continuing Education Partnership (CEP) Program.
Currently, participating departments include Housekeeping, Dining Services, Wyndham, Copy Center, Public Safety and Transportation, Athletics, and Facilities. Students from Haverford as well as Bryn Mawr (including the McBride and Post-Bac programs) participate.
For hourly staff, the College supports staff participation in the programs for up to 30 staff members per semester through two hours of paid release time per week. A Director’s Grant from the Mellon Foundation for the academic year 2006-7 supported an hourly wage for students, now supported by the College. Students may opt instead of paid compensation to use their program participation as fieldwork in selected Education courses.
To apply for any of the Staff-Student Partnerships, fill out an application through JobX (Current Postings)
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1. Empowering Learners Partnerships (ELP)
(www.brynmawr.edu/elp)
The Empowering Learners program pairs a student and a staff member as teaching and learning partners in a unique 4-14-week partnership. Participants are encouraged to think about their work history, life experience, avocations, and goals as sources of knowledge out of which they can teach and learn. They meet two hours weekly, one hour for each subject, and reflect on their activities, accomplishments, and questions as teachers and learners through meetings and assessments with Program staff.
Topics have included cooking, woodworking, computer use, English as a second language, housepainting, an introduction to Islam, jazz appreciation, and career counseling.
The project grew out of an Education course and was developed collaboratively with stakeholders across the community (a process discussed in Cohen, J., Lesnick, A., Himeles, D., “Temporary Anchors, Impermanent Shelter: Can the Field of Education Model a New Approach to Academic Work?” Journal of Research Practice, Vol. 2, Issue 2, 2007).
Comments from Participants
“I have written about this in practically every reflection, but it never ceases to amaze me how much this partnership has made me feel like a member of a real, multi-dimensional community... The theme of community building in these partnerships is still very important to me, for I am constantly being reminded of how insular this campus really is. I am now quite thankful that I have been given a way to overcome this kind of isolation and to experience real community life once again, something which most of my peers probably won’t experience until they graduate.” – Shelley Nash, BMC ’07
2. Reading, Writing, and Communication Partnerships
Work in a one-to-one relationship with a staff mentor to develop his or her literacy learning and meet learning goals. 2 hours per week; 1-2 semesters.
3. Continuing Education Partnerships
Work as a student mentor in an a reciprocal teaching and learning partnership to plan and pursue educational options towards completing a first degree (G.E.D., Associate’s, or Bachelor‘s) while learning a skill or new interest from your staff partner. 2 hours per week;1-2 semesters.
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TLI Computer Classes
Computing I
Computing I is a small course co-designed by administrators, faculty, staff, and students with the goal of developing mutually respectful and educative relationships and experiences while ensuring that all members of the College community have access to and support in developing essential computer skills. Designed to meet a need identified by both the Bryn Mawr staff members themselves and by the Bryn Mawr College administration that all staff members be able to access and use email and certain features of the Internet.
The class will empower participants to:
- Access and use their email
- Become comfortable surfing the web
- Learn how to save files to their “Home” drive and access them off campus
- Explore the basics of Word and Power Point
- Have one-on-one staff-student partnership meetings to work on individual projects
- Get back in the classroom to work with colleagues on computing skills
Class Details: the course runs for 10-weeks and meets once per week during each semester; students and staff meet for an additional hour per week for one-on-one mentoring in which the staff members practice, personalize, and extend their skills.
Computing II
This class is based in the same core principles and uses the same structures as Computing I.
The class will empower participants to:
- Explore blogging on the Internet
- Make a resume in Microsoft Word
- Create a budget in Microsoft Excel
- Design a presentation in Microsoft Power Point
- Learn how to use and save things on a flash drive
- Improve typing skills and complete a teaching project
- Increase Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel & Power Point)
- Have one-on-one staff-student partnership meetings to work on individual projects
- Get back in the classroom to work with colleagues on your computing skills
Class Details: the course runs for 10-weeks and meets once per week during each semester; students and staff meet for an additional hour per week for one-on-one mentoring in which the staff members practice, personalize, and extend their skills.
Computing III
This course enables staff members to do an independent study in a small group of other staff members, a staff member knowledgeable on the subject of study, and a student guide.
The class will empower participants to:
- Become comfortable using a Mac computer
- Learn how to make an iMovie
- Edit pictures in Adobe Photoshop
- Discover ways to use the internet as a resource for continuing your education
- Communicate virtually via Skype or AIM (instant message programs)
- Explore social networking sites and help to edit/update the Staff Gateway Webpage
- Use online resources like Craigslist and other web communities
- Have one-on-one staff-student partnership meetings to work on individual projects
- Be in a classroom environment and help staff colleagues with their computing skills
Class Details: the course runs for 10-weeks and meets once per week during each semester; students and staff meet for an additional hour per week for one-on-one mentoring in which the staff members practice, personalize, and extend their skills.
Comments from Participants
“I feel very blessed to have been a part of this program. One of my favorite things (and the reason I want to teach) is sharing a learning experience with someone and growing in knowledge and passion together…Being able to navigate the web and feel comfortable with a computer is something I have always taken for granted; I grew up with it, and therefore I have always felt at ease playing around with a PC. Having to take a step back and break down those skills which I never formally learned, but acquired through years was a real challenge. I love what a supportive community of learners we became; many thanks to all those involved with this wonderful project.” - Maeve O’Hara, BMC ’08
Confident Computing
A class that will empower staff to feel comfortable both using their computer effectively and troubleshooting technology problems. Through coverage of topics like Photoshop, Social Networking, Excel and more, participants will gain experience with various computing software and applications and learn how to use them more effectively and collaboratively in your work place and beyond. The class will be composed of learning clusters, supported by student Learning Cluster Mentors, to foster a collegial network that can help staff work through their computing questions and struggles.
The class will empower participants to:
- Feel more comfortable troubleshooting technology problems
- Learn how to make posters and edit photos in Photoshop
- Collaborate more effectively over email – share folders and task lists
- Become more efficient in Excel and make the program work for you
- Discover ways to use the internet as a better resource for your department
- Use LinkedIn and Ning to connect with colleagues and promote events
- Become an expert in Microsoft Word formatting
- Join a Learning Cluster and create a network of colleagues for computing help
- Have a classroom space to work on technology projects
Class Details: the course runs for 8-weeks and meets for 90 minutes once per week during each semester; students and staff are paired in small, learning clusters to practice, personalize, and extend their skills. Learning Cluster Mentors can also act as great resources for extra help during the semester.
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2. Work in a Faculty-Student Partnership
1. Revising and Reimagining Departmental Offerings
The Teaching and Learning Initiative can pair or team up students who wish to work with individual faculty members or departments to help them reconceptualize a course or a program of study. Drawing on your unique perspective as a learner, you will help a faculty member or department imagine and design courses so that they might be most engaging to students and best prepare you and other students for your futures.
Contact Name: Alison Cook-Sather, Contact Email: acooksat@brynmawr.edu
2.Developing or Revising a Course Using Technology
Talking toward Techno-Pedagogy: The Teaching and Learning Initiative can convene a team consisting of a member of the library staff, a member of IT, and a student to support a faculty member as he or she develops or revises a course. This approach builds on the model of techno-pedagogy that informed workshops offered at Bryn Mawr College in the summers of 1999, 2000, and 2001 and supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. If you are interested in being a part of such a collaborative effort should a faculty request this kind of support, please refer all questions and comments to the individual(s) listed below.
Comments from Participants
“As a student... I am usually encouraged to give feedback about what’s working [in a class] and what isn’t and to develop ideas about what would work better, not to participate directly in making changes.” -Student
“[What developed in the workshop was] the recognition that emerged in the minds of different groups about what it is that the others do and what they have to offer each other.” -Librarian
“The student participation…was really invaluable to me as a faculty member because even though you have [course] evaluations, here we are talking about this stuff and thinking about it and right there you’ve got this sense of, well, no that’s not going to work at all.” -Faculty Member
“[Our goal is] an evolved role on our campuses. . . over time, whether it’s through our own actions or by changing other people’s perceptions of us, that we could have more sophisticated involvement with teaching and learning issues.” -IT Person
Contact Name: Alison Cook-Sather, Contact Email: acooksat@brynmawr.edu
Website: Talking toward Techno-Pedagogy
3. Working as a Student Consultant to Offer Constructive Feedback on a Faculty Member's Teaching
In response to faculty interest and a growing body of research that argues for the benefits of eliciting and responding to students' perspectives --- benefits to teachers and to students --- we have created the Students as Learners and Teachers (SaLT) project. Through this project, students assume the role of pedagogical consultant, visit faculty members' classes, and share their perspectives. The Coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Initiative and experienced Student Consultants prepare students for this new role and support students throughout the time during which they assume it.
Full-semester partnerships with faculty members participating in the Pedagogy Seminar or faculty members interested in working one-on-one with a Student Consultant are available each semester. You earn approximately $900 for this work, which entails working approximately 7 hours per week to:
- complete weekly observations of the faculty member's class
- type up your observation notes from those visits
- participate in weekly meetings with the faculty member
- participate in weekly meetings with the Coordinator of the TLI and other Student Consultants
- make occasional visits to the Pedagogy Seminar.
Partial partnerships are also available for you to work with faculty members for fewer hours over the course of the semester.
Contact Name: Alison Cook-Sather, Contact Email: acooksat@brynmawr.edu
Comments from Participants
Student Perspectives
"It was exciting to me to be considered someone important, someone with important things to say."
"It was so cool to be in a collaborative relationship for the time that I was working with the faculty members. You know, we would talk about the teaching as if we were kind of doing it together almost. It was like, we’re going to work together to make a plan for how to make this class better. It happened with all three faculty members I observed. So I think students often want to be in that role, and sometimes it happens in these magical moments with certain faculty members, but to have a structure that supports and encourages that is really exciting."
"The best part of this experience is the empowerment aspect of it. Someone in this experience is being asked to change their role and not only the role they are taking on formally in the initiative but they are being asked to be much more of a colleague in the shaping of these roles and how this project is going to look."
Faculty Perspectives:
"There is often a disconnect between what I do and what students see. This experience reinforced two things for me: one is that expectations for students have to be made clear and continually reiterated throughout the class; and the other one is to take the student perspective on what I am doing."
"The student successfully identified things that really did need to be improved upon, suggested ways in which they might be improved, and the next time I had a class it was better. Correlation isn’t causation, but it’s evidence. The students take it seriously and they put thought into it and I find it valuable."
"If there were anything happening in the classroom that I might have missed, it would have come out through this experience. I don’t think there is any other mechanism for that. I would always worry. I would always be wondering, “How is this being received by students?” I feel like this was really good, I can be confident that I know how it’s being received by students. I don’t think I could get that confidence by handing out midterm evaluations or having people do them on line."
"What is amazing about the TLI is that everyone involved benefits."
— Maggie Powers, Student Consultant to Faculty and Student Coordinator of Staff-Student Projects"TLI has really helped me think of the college as a learning community — it has helped me conceptualize how learning can move from just students to other members of the college community." — Student
"Being part of the TLI projects, I really learned how to learn." — Student
"It’s a good experience to be able to change roles and see things from a different perspective. It just enriches your life as a student in general." — Student