iSchool Undergraduate Student Support Program

If you are teaching an Undergraduate course, please do consider using an IST 337 undergraduate support student (UGSS). IST 337 allows undergraduate students to earn academic credit by assisting an iSchool instructor as an undergraduate student support person.  This opportunity is available in relation to several undergraduate courses.  The Undergraduate Student Support (UGSS) assumes responsibility for some activities directly related to the conduct of the class, such as maintaining office hours, providing out-of-class assistance with course assignments, assisting with lab and class activities, or working as a consultant on team projects.  These experiences provide these students with the ability to further develop their skills in a specific area, to develop their leadership skills, to establish a close professional relationship with a faculty member and gives our students an edge in whatever they do after they leave SU. These skills can translate into the next stage of their work life or learning paths. There are many benefits to having an Undergraduate Student Support (UGSS): You can develop deeper connections with our students You get a fresh set of eyes (from the student perspective) on your teaching material and receive feedback before you present to class UGSS can test the weekly labs, assignments and class activities before the class completes them to fix any bugs or alert you of any confusion UGSS learns the material in a whole new way, helping them gain a deeper understanding often leads to them pursuing more coursework in that subject area This person is present in the classroom to help you answer questions when all those hands go up UGSS can assist with organization of projects and office hours If you are thinking about having undergraduate student support for a class this coming semester, please reference the information below: ANY instructor (full-time or adjunct) can utilize one of our Undergraduate Student Support positions. If it will enhance your class and the students’ classroom experience, we are all for it. Therefore, think about what you would like an Undergraduate Student Support to do for you and how they would help enhance your class instruction. You can use the documents attached at the top of the page for ideas and talk to other professors about how they leverage their Undergraduate Student Support (we are happy to recommend some regular Undergraduate Student Support-users to you). The student must have successfully completed the course for which they want to be an undergraduate student support person for (regardless of the instructor who taught the course), whom you know you can trust to be responsible, and who has demonstrated proficiency in the work.  PLEASE NOTE: Students must have received a B+ grade or better when they attended the course as a student.  The student must be able to attend six mandatory classes throughout the semester. These classes are held on Wednesday 11:40 am – 12:35 pm. The first class is held during the second week of the semester. Once you have a student who agrees to be an Undergraduate Student Support for your class, have a talk with the student about the structure of your class. Build out the expectations (very specifically) that you have for your Undergraduate Student Support and amend the IST 337 Agreement (can be found at the top of this page) to match your goals. Make sure to go through your syllabus in detail with your new Undergraduate Student Support and let them ask questions to be sure that you’re both on the same page with how the semester will run. Both of you should sign the IST 337 Agreement form in the necessary spaces. Send your student to Peggy Takach in Hinds Hall 245B, with the signed IST 337 Agreement form. She will keep a copy for her records, and you should keep a copy for yourself for review. The only way your perspective UGSS can receive credit for the work they are doing is if they bring in the paperwork as they are required to enroll and attend the IST 337: iSchool Support Practicum course. Please note: The signed IST 337 Agreement form must be submitted to Peggy Takach by the second week of the semester, as this is the first scheduled mandatory IST 337 class session. Once the IST 337 Agreement form is received by Peggy Takach, the perspective UGSS will then be able to register for the course. They WILL NOT be able to register for IST 337 until the signed IST 337 Agreement form has been received by Peggy Takach. Students will receive permission to register for IST 337. Students must register for IST 337 prior to the SU academic add deadline. PLEASE NOTE: Students may not count IST 337 in the IM&T or Data Science Minors  We are happy to enhance your teaching experience by providing you with the ability to have Undergraduate Student Support for your class. Hosting an Undergraduate Student Support is often really rewarding and the student finds the experience extremely beneficial as they get to connect further with a professor, have a deeper understanding of material and develop the people skills that come with serving others.

IST 337 allows students to earn academic credit by assisting an iSchool faculty member as an undergraduate student support person.  This opportunity is available in relation to several undergraduate courses.  Undergraduate student support (UGSS) assumes responsibility for some activity directly related to the conduct of the class, such as maintaining office hours, providing out-of-class assistance with course assignments, assisting with lab & course activities, or working as a consultant on team projects.  These experiences provide students with the ability to further develop their skills in a specific area, to develop their leadership skills, and to establish a close professional relationship with a faculty member. Our instructors want and need your help! It is recommended to review the IST 337 syllabus (located at the top of this page) and read the list of requirements listed below before beginning this process to be sure that you meet all the requirements. Requirements: You must have taken the course that you want to student support for (may be with the same or different instructor) Obtained the grade of at least a B+ Be responsible enough to be willing to help other students Finally, be able to meet six times throughout the semester. These meetings are mandatory and count towards your final grade for this course. The meetings are not held in succession of one another, so you need to plan these meetings around your schedule for the semester. The class meetings are all held on Wednesday from 11:40 am - 12:35 pm. Dates for these six sessions will be listed in the syllabus and course schedule. Please Note: You must be able to register and attend these six sessions - do not register for another class during this time. If you cannot to attend, you will be ineligible to be an undergraduate student support person. Meet all the requirements? Get Started: If you know the course you would like to be the UGSS, you can and should contact with the appropriate faculty member directly. Set a time to meet. If you need assistance connecting with an instructor, please complete the iSchool IST 337 Undergraduate Student Support Interest Form Meet with Instructor and Complete IST 337 Agreement Form: You will meet with the instructor, you will complete the IST 337 Agreement together, and you both sign this agreement. You will submit that signed form to Peggy Takach in Hinds Hall 245B. You will then be given permission to register for IST 337 iSchool Support Practicum. This is a 3-credit course taught by Peggy Takach, which covers how to be an effective student support person. What does a UGSS do? You are available to support the instructor and students. You will work a maximum of 10 hours a week both in the classroom and conducting office hours. Brief overview of the tasks of being a student support person (full list of what the responsibilities for this role are listed within the IST 337 Agreement Form): Develop deeper connections with iSchool students Test the weekly labs, assignments and class activities before the class completes them to fix any bugs or alert the instructor of any confusion Learn the material in a whole new way, helping you gain a deeper understanding which often leads to pursuing more coursework in that subject area Help answer questions when all those hands go up in the labs and classes Assist in organizing projects, in-class activities, etc. A fresh set of eyes (from the student perspective) on the teaching material and can give feedback before the instructor presents to class Hold weekly office hours Credits: At most, three credits of IST 337 can be taken in any one semester.  You may be eligible to repeat being a UGSS for a second semester - up to six (6) credits of IST 337 can be counted toward fulfilling the major elective requirements of 15 credit. You may only be a UGSS once for any particular course and you can only participate a maximum of two semesters. The breakdown is as follows: First time being a UGSS = 3 credits Second time being a UGSS for a different class = 1- 3 credits, depending on hours 1 credit - 1-3 hours per week spent being an undergraduate student support 2 credits - 4-6 hours per week spent being an undergraduate student support 3 credits - 7-10 hours per week spent being an undergraduate student support Interested: If you are interested, please fill out the iSchool IST 337 Undergraduate Student Support Interest Form expressing your interest. You can list up to 3 courses that you would like to be a student support person.