Dear GSIs,
Happy New Year from ELI!
I am writing to tell you about an exciting new opportunity for international GSIs this Winter. ELI is partnering with the Science Learning Center Center (SLC) to offer a co-mentoring program which will pair GSIs in STEM fields with the SLC's undergraduate tutors and study group leaders.
GSIs who participate will have the opportunity to practice English with a fluent undergraduate speaker, to learn about US culture, and to hear an undergraduate's perspective on the courses they are teaching. The undergraduates benefit from the GSIs' expertise in the field and learn about another culture.
If are currently teaching or have previously been a GSI in of the BIO, CHEM, MCDB, and Physics classes listed below, we hope you'll apply to become part of the very first cohort of this pilot program.
Applications must be received before midnight on Wednesday, January 28th.
The program is free and voluntary. It does not fulfill any employment or course requirement. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me, Pamela, at pbogart@umich.edu.
ELI-SLC Co-Mentoring Program
Overview
In the Winter 2015 term, the English Language Institute (ELI) and the Science Learning Center (SLC), two units of LSA’s division of Undergraduate Education, are joining forces to pilot a voluntary co-mentoring program which brings together international GSIs who are leading discussion or lab sections in U-M STEM gateway courses with undergraduates who are working with the SLC as peer tutors or study group leaders supporting these same courses.
Co-mentoring is based on the idea that individuals who play different roles in an organization (often with different status) can benefit from sharing their knowledge, skills, and experience with each other. Co-mentor relationships have the potential to develop into mutually-supporting partnerships in which participants provide each other with personal, professional, and cultural support. They can also strengthen the overall organization by forging connections with otherwise isolated groups.
This ELI-SLC Co-Mentoring Program provides participants with academic, cultural, and personal support. It also contributes to a more connected, engaged U-M community by forging connections across the divides between between students and instructors, graduates and undergraduates, and between domestic and international students.
International GSIs in the STEM fields receive real-world English language practice, learn about US culture, and increase their understanding of the perspective of the US undergraduates they are teaching.
Undergraduate peer tutors and study group leaders gain intercultural competence, improve their knowledge of a STEM content-area, and gain insight into the experience of being a graduate student in a STEM field.
Note: This voluntary program is intended to foster fun, collaborative, informal relationships which enrich the experience and life of all participants and provide them with a unique personal and professional development experience. It does not constitute job training for either GSI or peer facilitator/tutor roles.
Eligibility
International GSIs: The ELI-SLC Co-Mentoring Program is open to international Graduate Student Instructors who completed undergraduate education in a language other than English, who have participated in at least one ELI GSI language course, and who have taught or led a lab or discussion session for one of the following LSA courses:
BIO 171, 172
CHEM 130, 210, 215, 230, 260, 351
MCDB 310
PHYS 135, 140, 235, 240
SLC Peer Tutors and Peer Facilitators: The ELI-SLC Co-Mentoring Program is open to any SLC Peer Tutor or Peer Facilitator who has completed at least one full semester of service in either of these roles working with one of the following LSA courses:
BIO 171, 172
CHEM 130, 210, 215, 230, 260, 351
MCDB 310
PHYS 135, 140, 235, 240
Requirements
1. Each pair of co-mentors commits to meet at least once a week for one hour for a minimum of 8 sessions at a time and place which is convenient to both participants. Additional meetings and/or online communication, via email or Skype for example, are encouraged but not required.
2. Participants are to complete and submit a brief report of each week’s meeting and to report any questions or concerns to the ELI/SLC staff.
3. All participants agree to participate in required one-hour initial orientation and end-term debrief sessions. Additional optional social sessions will be scheduled throughout the term.
4. Participants agree to abide by the LSA and U-M standards of conduct regarding academic integrity and all FERPA guidelines covering academic and personal information.
5. Participating tutors and facilitators may not schedule any co-mentoring activities that conflict with, or prevent the fulfillment of, their paid SLC work.
Important notes:
- Participants who fulfill these requirements will receive a certificate of participation at the end-of-term debrief session.
- ELI and SLC staff will be available to provide guidance and support throughout the program.
- This voluntary program does not constitute job training for either GSI or peer facilitator/tutor roles.
Dates and Deadlines
Applications must be received by midnight on January 28th.
Successfully matched co-mentors will be notified by Feb 2nd.
Opening orientation meeting: Week of February 2 (date/time tba).
Co-mentoring pairs begin weekly meetings: February 2 - April 12.
Final debrief meeting, at which certificates of participation will be awarded: Week of April 13th (date/time tba).
Application Procedures
Prospective co-mentors fill out this Google Form explaining why they are interested in participating and what they hope to gain from the experience.
Selection Process
Applicants whose complete applications demonstrate eligibility and motivation to participate in the program and for whom a subject-area grad-undergrad match can be made will be offered a co-mentoring match. We aim to match approximately half a dozen pairs in the Winter 2015 pilot.
Participation Procedures
- Participants become members of a CTools project site
- Meetings have no required agenda, but ELI-SLC coordinators will regularly post suggested (optional) discussion topics and questions for reflection.
- Participants will report attendance and a brief “What we did/talked about this week” report via a google form.
- Pairs who have attended at least 8 meetings plus the opening orientation and final debrief event will be awarded a formal certificate of participation.
Contacts at ELI and SLC
English Language Institute
Pamela Bogart, Lecturer
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Science Learning Center
Kelley Emerson, Study Group Program Manager
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References
Kochan, F. K., & Trimble, S. B. (2000). From mentoring to co-mentoring: Establishing collaborative relationships. Theory into Practice, 39(1), 20-28.
Mullen, C. A. (2000). Constructing co-mentoring partnerships: Walkways we must travel. Theory into practice, 39(1), 4-11.
Reger, J., & McGuire, G. M. (2003). Feminist co-mentoring: A model for academic professional development. NWSA journal, 15(1), 54-72.
