FIRST YEAR INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS (FIGS)

PEER INSTRUCTOR 2016 RECOMMENDATION FORM

Applicant’s Name:

is applying for a Peer Instructor position for the First Year Interest Group Seminars (FIGS) program. Individuals selected for these positions must possess leadership ability, strong interpersonal communication skills and a high degree of responsibility and maturity. An effective PI should exude confidence, have the ability and willingness to clearly articulate information, and be able to organize creative and effective lessons and activities. It is also important that PIs have achieved academic success during their time at Rutgers and have an interest in mentoring first-year students.

First-year Interest Group Seminars (FIGS) are one-credit (pass/no-credit) courses offered to first-year students who share an interest in a specific topic or field of study (i.e. Business, Law & Leadership, and Psychology). Trained upper-class students (Peer Instructors) develop a syllabus and serve as instructors for the 10-week course. The seminar is designed to introduce first-year students to an academic interest area, career paths, and resources and opportunities at Rutgers. With assistance from professional staff members and faculty mentors, Peer Instructors work independently to develop their course and must be creative in the delivery of the content to their students. Each FIGS section is limited to 25 students in order to facilitate an intimate educational experience and lively participation in class, trips/tours around campus, and group projects.

Recommender’s Name: Recommender’s title:

Recommender’s email address: Recommender’s phone number:

How long have you known the applicant and in what context?

Please provide your rating of the applicant’s leadership skills based upon your observations:

Excellent / Above Average / Average / Fair / Poor / Unable to Rate
Ability to work independently
Ability to work with and motivate others
Ability to multitask and effectively balance multiple priorities
Interpersonal communication skills
Awareness of own strengths and areas in need of improvement
Dependability
Initiative
Organizational skills
Creativity
Maturity
Respectful of others’ differences
Presentation skills

Please provide a candid evaluation of the candidate in the categories indicated on the first page. Feel free to include comments and be as specific as possible with examples and observations. Your comments will help provide a more detailed overview of the candidate’s skills and abilities. Or, if you would rather include a general letter of recommendation, please attach a letter with this recommendation form to the email address provided below.

Please indicate your overall reaction to this person’s candidacy for a Peer Instructor position. (check one)

Highly Recommend Recommend with Reservations

Recommend Would Not Recommend

Please submit this form via email attachment to

no later than Wednesday, February 24, 2016.