PEERASSISTEDLEARNINGPROGRAMRECRUITINGMENTORSFOR SEMESTER1, 2017
Applicationsclose: Sunday Oct 16, 2016 Midnight
AsaPALmentor,youwillfacilitatepeerlearning for a specific ANUcourse.Thiscouldinvolvefacilitatinggroupstudysessionsforfirstyearsorworkingwithlecturerstofacilitateworkshopsincoursesbasedaroundaflippedclassroom.
Across the various implementations,the PAL programhas three central goals:
•Buildingpeerlearning communities, assistingstudentsto collaborateeffectivelyandsupporteachotherthroughouttheiruniversitystudies.
•Tailoring effective support to each individual student as they grow and learn
•Conveying the skills and strategies which will assist students as they transition from high school to university studies.
PALmentoring teamsevaluate the best sessions and skills,inconsultationwithcoursecoordinatorsandlecturers.BeingaPALmentorgivesyoutheopportunitytoimprovePALsessionsandmakingthemasengagingaspossibleforcurrentstudents. As part of a team, you willbeexpectedtoimproveonwhathappenedinyourcourselastyear,bycriticallyevaluatingwhatdidanddidn’tworkinthepreviousyearsandworkingwithothermentorsandcoursestafftoaddresstheareasinneedofimprovement.
Inaddition,youwilldevelopyourcapacityforeducationalleadershipthroughyourparticipationinthePALmentordevelopmentprogram. Theprogramtakesaverypracticalapproachtoleadershipdevelopment,focusingonidentifyingbestpracticeinthedifferentaspectsofPALmentoring.MentorsandthePALcoordinatorthencollaboratetodeterminehowbesttosupportothermentorstoadopttheseapproaches,continuallyrefiningthesupportoffered.AlthoughthepriorityishelpingyouinyourroleasaPALmentor,mentorshavefoundtheyhavedevelopedmanygenericskills,suchascollaboration,strategicplanning,reflection,effectivecommunicationandevaluationthroughtheirinvolvementinthePALprogram.
ThePALprogramiscurrentlyrecruitingmentors through the central application on the Science website where a full list of courses is available. (http://science.anu.edu.au/resources/peer-assisted-learning-pal-mentors)
PAL mentors arepaidforthetimespent both facilitatingandinpreparationforsessions. Theposition is an ANU officer level 2 (currently $28.50 per hour). The numberofhoursperweekwill varyfromcoursetocourseandwillbeconfirmedat the start of semester.
Participationinthementordevelopmentprogramisnotpaid,butwillberecognizedthroughtheANUCentreforHigherEducationLearningandTeaching(CHELT).Thementordevelopmentprograminvolves:
•CompulsorytrainingsessionsalldayontheThursdayandFridayofO-Week,the11thand12thofFebruary 2017
•Approximatelytwo hours per semesterofsupportactivities - forexample,receivingfeedbackfromasessionobservation or meetingwithPALmentorsfromotherdisciplines.
•Twowrittenreflections throughout or following a semester - scheduled around the time of heavy coursework.
Pleasenotethattrainingiscompulsory.We cover all the mentoring and planning skills you will need as a PAL mentor as well asplanningyourfirstPALsessionwiththehelpofexperiencedmentorsandsoisdifficulttoreplaceifyoumissit.Ifyouhaveaverygoodreason,itmaybepossibletocatchyouuponasmallamountoftraining(max½day)-pleasecontactuswithyourreasons.Wewillonlymakearrangementstocatchpeopleuponthefulltwodaysoftraininginthemostunavoidablecircumstances,forexampleillnessorinterruptionstotravel.
Basicrequirementstoapply:
•BeenrolledasanANUundergraduateinsemester1, 2017.
•HavetimetorunandpreparetwoPALsessionseachweekofsemesterandparticipateinthementordevelopmentprogram.
•Beavailabletoattendthetrainingworkshop at the end of O week 2017
Formoreinformation,
ApplicationProcess
TheapplicationprocesstobecomeaPALmentorisdivided intotwostages.Duringthefirststage,applicantsareaskedtosubmita written reflection and aseriesofdocuments online.The written portion of the application will be used to shortlistasetofapplicants who will be invited through to a group interview.
Stage1:Applications
Toapply,pleasefilloutthewebformfoundathttp://science.anu.edu.au/resources/peer-assisted-learning-pal-mentors
Youwillneedtouploada single pdf containing allthreedocumentsdetailedbelowinPDFformat.
Labelyourfilewithyournameand preferred course code (ie. Smith MATH1115)
1.CV/Resume
A one page document including a 1-2 sentence statement of intent describing why you are applying to be a PAL mentor
2.StatementofResults
Pleasenotethatthisdoesnotneedtobeaformalacademictranscript.ThePDFavailableoffISISisadequate.
3.ReflectionResponse(PDF)
Writea1-2pagewrittenapplicationansweringthefollowingquestions:
•Whatchallengesdidyoufacewhenstartinguniversityasafirstyear,ingeneral?
•Whatchallengesdidyoufaceinthecourse(s)thatyouareapplyingtobeaPALmentorfor?
•Whatstrategiesdidyouusetoaddressthechallengesabove?Trytogointodetailaboutwhen,whyandhowspecific strategieswereuseful.Agoodwaytodothisisimaginingyou’reexplainingyourstrategiestoyourself at the start of first year; before you knew how to use the strategieseffectively.
Throughout this written response please keep in mind that this is areflectiontask.Ensure youspendthetimeanalysingandreflectingonthechallengesyouraiseratherthantotellastory.Focusonasmallernumberofexamplesinthedetail,ratherthanbrieflymentioneverychallengeencounteredandstrategyused.Ifyourstrategyinvolvedgettinghelpfromotherpeople,youshouldexplainwhatyoulearntfromthosepeople,notjustthattheywerehelpful.
HelpfulHint:Don’tjustwrite‘Ireadthetextbook’.Forsomeonewhodoesn’tknowhowtoreadatextbookeffectively,theycouldeasilythinkthismeansstartingatpage1andreadingstraightthroughtothe end(that’showyoureadanovelafterall). Simplytellingthispersonto‘readthetextbook’isn’tgoingtobeeffective. Insteadyoumightexplain,‘WheneverI’msolvingaproblemandI’mnotquitesureifIhaveadefinitioncorrect,IwritedownwhatIthinkitisandthengolookitupinthetextbook.ThatwayI’mconstantlygettingfeedbackonhowwellI’verememberedthedefinitions.’
Stage2:Interviews
ShortlistedapplicantswhohavenotpreviouslymentoredinthePALprogramatANUwillbeaskedtoattendagroupinterview.Thegroupinterviewwilllastonehourandwillbeconductedtowards the end ofthesemester 2 examperiod.Youwillbeaskedtospecifyyouravailabilitywhenyouareshortlisted.