Proposal Title
The Tomlinson Engagement Award for Mentoring (TEAM) at McGill University promotes student engagement
Session Type
Presentation
Room
P&A 150
Start Date
7-7-2017 1:40 PM
Keywords
undergraduate education, education accessibility, mentorship, peer teaching, student initiatives
Primary Threads
Teaching and Learning Science
Abstract
Large undergraduate class sizes limit the interactions students can have with the course instructors and teaching assistant(s). This can translate to lower student engagement and consequently lower academic performance. To mitigate this effect, the Tomlinson Teaching Project (established in 2002) launched a program in 2013, The Tomlinson Engagement Award for Mentoring (TEAM), that aims to improve the quality and accessibility of education to undergraduate students. Through the TEAM program, undergraduate students who were successful in a course are selected to assist the instructor with course delivery the following year. TEAM members are awarded $ 300 (not taxed) for 25-30 hours of service. They may undertake tasks such as participating in tutorial sessions and responding to online discussion posts. Additionally, TEAM members have taken initiatives to offer extra help and exam review sessions for students. To date, there have been over 1000 TEAM members participating in over 146 courses mainly from McGill University’s STEM departments. As a tool to measure program success, feedback forms are completed by course instructors and TEAM members at the end of each term. From the 2016 academic year, 98 % of TEAM members (n= 56) perceived that their support had a positive impact on the students learning experience. Similarly, according to course instructor feedback (n= 32), 97 % perceived TEAM members to be valuable to them and their students. We hope that these findings will provide support for the growth of the TEAM program at McGill University, consequently improving student learning experiences.
Elements of Engagement
The goal of our presentation is to share with the participants the details of McGill University’s TEAM program and how it is working to change learning spaces and educational resources to enhance learning and ultimately the experience of undergraduate students. During our presentation, we will engage the participants by having them work in pairs to discuss our material before sharing with the group. We will present participants with different scenarios and ask them to come up with a solution by working with their peers. This is the same format we use to train TEAM members for the program. Our presentation also includes moments for personal reflection and sharing.
The Tomlinson Engagement Award for Mentoring (TEAM) at McGill University promotes student engagement
P&A 150
Large undergraduate class sizes limit the interactions students can have with the course instructors and teaching assistant(s). This can translate to lower student engagement and consequently lower academic performance. To mitigate this effect, the Tomlinson Teaching Project (established in 2002) launched a program in 2013, The Tomlinson Engagement Award for Mentoring (TEAM), that aims to improve the quality and accessibility of education to undergraduate students. Through the TEAM program, undergraduate students who were successful in a course are selected to assist the instructor with course delivery the following year. TEAM members are awarded $ 300 (not taxed) for 25-30 hours of service. They may undertake tasks such as participating in tutorial sessions and responding to online discussion posts. Additionally, TEAM members have taken initiatives to offer extra help and exam review sessions for students. To date, there have been over 1000 TEAM members participating in over 146 courses mainly from McGill University’s STEM departments. As a tool to measure program success, feedback forms are completed by course instructors and TEAM members at the end of each term. From the 2016 academic year, 98 % of TEAM members (n= 56) perceived that their support had a positive impact on the students learning experience. Similarly, according to course instructor feedback (n= 32), 97 % perceived TEAM members to be valuable to them and their students. We hope that these findings will provide support for the growth of the TEAM program at McGill University, consequently improving student learning experiences.