Course Overview
Peer Mentoring
11:680:395/11:115:395
Fall, Spring, Summer
Meeting days/times/place TBD
1-3 credits
This course is by permission of the course coordinator only.
Contact Information
Course Coordinator: Dr. Ines Rauschenbach
Lipman Hall, Room 215
848-932-5635
inesrau@sebs.rutgers.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Mentoring Students/Faculty: TBD
Course Website, Resources, and Materials
- Canvas
- Text (Will be provided): Lessons from Plants by Beranda Montgomery
Course Description
The objective of the class is to provide mentorship and guidance in teaching, leadership, and research pertaining to microbiology. Students and faculty will serve as mentors to undergraduate students. Students will receive instruction on implementing effective mentoring and teaching strategies that will directly translate to community building within the majors, schools, and Rutgers, career-oriented skills and skills that can be applied to post-secondary programs.
There will be two peer mentoring opportunities:
- Students will be able to participate in the microbiology course of their choice (from an approved list) and support the faculty with active learning activities, class discussions, or lab demonstrations. Students will also be able to implement their own active learning activity during the last part of the semester. This will fulfill the experiential learning requirement for SEBS and may be used as elective course for the microbiology/biochemistry major.
- Undergraduate peer mentors will assist incoming transfer students in their transition to their academic and college life. Mentors will be trained in effective mentoring practices and the mentor-mentee pairs will meet throughout the semester to provide and share academic, social, and community support. This will fulfill the experiential learning requirement for SEBS and may be used as elective course for the microbiology major.
Learning Goals
Course Learning Goals
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Effectively guide peers in critical thinking skills needed for academic and career success.
- Develop professional interactions and leadership skills.
- Practice metacognitive skills ("thinking about thinking").
- Create a diverse community to heighten their sense of belonging in their major.
Program Learning Goals
After this course, students will be able to:
- PLG #2 (Microbiology and Biochemistry):
Apply the scientific method to formulate questions and hypotheses, design experiments, employ appropriate methodology to solve problems in microbiology, and be able to analyze, interpret, and present scientific data in microbiology.
Assignments/Responsibilities, Grading, and Assessment
Please read and sign the contract at the end of the syllabus.
The final letter grade will be pass/fail.
Expectations
Students will be required to participate in class discussions, engage within their mentoring group, support faculty with active learning activities, and if assigned to a lab, support other undergraduates with their lab experiments. We will have discussions about what it means to be a good and effective mentor and students are encouraged to think critically about what it means to be a good mentor/leader.
A book will be provided to start discussions among the cohort, training will include improving mentoring skills and how to build lasting mentor-mentee relationships, setting up SMART-goals, and ways to introduce their mentees to various Rutgers resources (e.g., libraries and learning centers). The pairs will meet at least once a month and be invited to reflect on their meeting in the program's Canvas page. The Canvas page will serve as a source of resources and support for and from the extended mentoring community; students and program faculty will be able to share questions and resources on the site and discuss their experiences and questions using the discussion boards.
We expect that the mentoring program will be a learning experience for both mentors and mentees and fosters a sense of community and responsibility.
Reflection Journal
Students are asked to keep a weekly journal documenting challenges, reflecting on mentorship and leadership development, and questions that may arise. Reflection journal entries will be discussed during meetings.
Accomodations for Students With Disabilities
Please follow the procedures outlined at ods.rutgers.edu/students/getting-registered. Full policies and procedures are at ods.rutgers.edu.
Absence Policy
You are expected to attend EVERY lab during the time that you have signed up for. We understand that there are unforeseen circumstances or emergencies that prevent you from attending. If you need to miss lab, you are expected to immediately contact your instructor and TA and provide appropriate documentation for your absence. A very limited number of make ups may be available only for documented absences. No exceptions. If you anticipate missing lab due to scheduled interviews or conferences, please let us know right away so she can find you a make-up spot.
Tentative Course Schedule
Track 1
| Week | Topic | Readings/Due Dates |
|---|---|---|
| #1 |
Introduction to the course & expectations; Course due dates and deadlines | Syllabus |
| #2 |
Teaching challenges and importance of mentors | Posted article – Importance of Peer Mentoring/td> |
| #3 |
Attend course of choice, entry into reflection journal | Posted article – Learning
|
| #4 |
Teaching challenges; backwards design and learning outcomes Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal |
Posted article – Active Learning Examples of active learning activities |
| #5 |
Teaching challenges; group work Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal |
Posted article – Case studies Examples of case studies |
| #6 |
Teaching challenges; fairness and rubrics Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal |
Posted article – Fairness Examples of rubrics Develop assessment rubric for midterm and final observation |
| #7 |
Midsemester reflection/Course Observation Idea outline for active learning/case study activity |
Posted article – Metacognition |
| #8 |
Teaching challenges; diversity Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal Work on active learning/case study activity |
Posted article – Diversity and cultural sensitivity |
| #9 |
Teaching challenges; critical thinking Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal Work on active learning/case study activity |
Posted article – Metacognition and critical thinking |
| #10 |
Work on active learning/case study activity Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal |
Draft due active learning/case study activity |
| #11 |
Work on active learning/case study activity Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal |
Finished activity with teaching notes/key |
| #12 |
Implement active learning/case study activity Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal |
Article of choice for discussion |
| #13 |
Attend course and assist with discussion etc., entry into reflection journal/Final Course Observation | Article of choice for discussion |
| #14 |
Course Wrap Up and presentation Final reflection; course survey |
Reflection paper due |
Additional content will vary based on class assignment.
Track 2 - Tentative Training Schedule
| January |
Planning (organizing Canvas page, ordering of books and materials, organizing 1st mentor-mentee activity) Recruiting mentors & mentees |
|---|---|
| February |
Mentor training meeting 1st mentor-mentee meet up activity Mentor-mentee check in 1 (arranged by participants) Book club discussion @ Canvas/in-person meetings |
| March |
Mentor-mentee check in 2 (arranged by participants) Book club discussion @ Canvas/ in-person meetings Mentor-mentee check in 3(arranged by participants) |
| April |
Mentor-mentee check in 4 (arranged by participants) Book club discussion @ Canvas/ in-person meetings Mentor-mentee check in 5 (arranged by participants) |
| May |
Book club discussion @ Canvas/ in-person meetings End of the semester event Final report submission |
Final Exam/Paper Date and Time
There is no final exam. There will be a semester project and final reflection paper instead.
Academic Integrity
Read the university's policy on Academic Integrity . The principles of academic integrity require that a student:
- properly acknowledge and cite all use of the ideas, results, or words of others.
- properly acknowledge all contributors to a given piece of work.
- make sure that all work submitted as his or her own in a course or other academic activity is produced without the aid of impermissible materials or impermissible collaboration.
- obtain all data or results by ethical means and report them accurately without suppressing any results inconsistent with his or her interpretation or conclusions.
- treat all other students in an ethical manner, respecting their integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitate academic dishonesty by others nor obstruct their academic progress.
- uphold the canons of the ethical or professional code of the profession for which he or she is preparing.
Adherence to these principles is necessary in order to ensure that:
- everyone is given proper credit for his or her ideas, words, results, and other scholarly accomplishments.
- all student work is fairly evaluated and no student has an inappropriate advantage over others.
- the academic and ethical development of all students is fostered.
- the reputation of the University for integrity in its teaching, research, and scholarship is maintained and enhanced.
Failure to uphold these principles of academic integrity threatens both the reputation of the University and the value of the degrees awarded to its students. Every member of the University community therefore bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld.
Student Wellness Services
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848-932-7884
17 Senior Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
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Disability Services
848-445-6800
Lucy Stone Hall, Suite A145, Livingston Campus, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ
08854
Rutgers University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, a student with a disability must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation: https://ods.rutgers.edu/students/documentation-guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability services office will provide you with a Letter of Accommodations. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. To begin this process, please complete the Registration form on the ODS web site.
Scarlet Listeners
732-247-5555
Free and confidential peer counseling and referral hotline, providing a comforting and supportive safe space.