The following narrative describes these anticipated activities in more detail. While colleges and universities have asked graduate students or advanced undergraduates to serve in various capacities as mentors, lab assistants, and tutors, careful and expanded use of this approach can be extremely helpful in providing selected students with first-hand experience in a teaching environment. At a beginning stage, advanced undergraduates may assist faculty within a lab setting, where both the faculty member and assistant are present. Within this proposal, member institutions plan to review their current use of student mentors and assistants, with the intent of increasing the opportunities available. For undergraduates, this can give an initial teaching experience.
Graduate students can gain direct teaching experience by preparing and teaching a short module.
This proposal places that module in an undergraduate course at a partner college. Specifically, this proposal envisions graduate students working with partner colleges for each of the three years of the grant. In each case, a graduate student would consult with a faculty member at a partner college prior to presenting a module. This would allow a faculty member to give advice as to the depth, the type of examples, the pace of presentation, and so on. Such contact would provide some insight and experience that the graduate student may not have.