MIIETL Student Partners Posting – Fall/Winter 2016-17 In 2013-14, the Arts & Science Program and the McMaster Institute for Innovation & Excellence in Teaching and Learning (MIIETL) collaborated to create "student scholar" positions for students who are interested in pedagogical research and innovation. Since this time, a wide range of students from across campus have contributed to the enhancement of teaching and learning at McMaster by participating in projects underway at MIIETL. Members of the student partner team have contributed to the design and development of new courses, helped to create resources for faculty and students, and collaborated with MIIETL partners on research projects related to teaching and learning. Several have also co-authored research articles and conference presentations with MIIETL faculty and staff. Encouraged by these successes, we’re thrilled to continue the student partner program in Summer 2016. We’re currently looking for students to work with us on a number of projects. Some of these are already underway, while others are just being formulated, so students will have opportunities to enter into the work at the stage that is most of interest to them. These positions will involve approximately 5-10 hours of paid Institute work per week, between September 2016 and April 2017. The specific number of hours worked will depend on the project. Projects for which student partners are currently being recruited are described on the following pages. If you are interested in filling one of the student positions, you will be asked to identify ONE to THREE of these projects and write a brief (~250 word) interest statement for each. These project interest statements should include the following:   

A description of why the project seems interesting/important to you. (Why do you want to join the project team? What are your goals in relation to the project?) A proposal for the role you might play on the project team. (What might you do to develop the project and help it meet its goals? What work do you see yourself carrying out?) An indication of the skills/experiences/interests/perspectives that you’d bring to the project team. (Why are you a good fit for this project?)

To apply, submit your project interest statements, along with some information from your resume, using the following application form: http://tinyurl.com/SPPFall16 Any student (undergraduate or graduate) enrolled at McMaster University is eligible to be a Student Partner. While prior experience in teaching and learning research/practice would be an asset, it is not required. Indeed, we’re interested in working with a wide variety of students with a range of backgrounds and experiences, including members of equity seeking groups. Some projects do indicate preferences for students with particular experiences, skills, or educational levels, so be sure to read the project descriptions carefully and make the case for why you would be a good fit. Applications MUST be received by 8 August 2016 at 4:30p.m. to be considered. Further information about the student partners program, including guidelines for the application process, can be found in the Student Partners Handbook. If you have any questions about the student partner team, or about MIIETL and its work, please contact Dr. Beth Marquis at [email protected].

Project Descriptions: Fall/Winter 2016-17 Assessing Evidence of Active Learning as a Course Evolves: The Case of Introductory Financial Accounting.............................................................................................................................................2 Building Classroom Community Through Social Media and Other Modalities ....................................3 Community Engaged Education Working Group: Capacity Building, Communicating & Consulting ...3 Course Design Consultants....................................................................................................................4 Curriculum Consultants (French) ..........................................................................................................4 Curriculum Consultants (Life Sciences) .................................................................................................5 Curriculum Consultants (Nursing) .........................................................................................................5 Evaluation and Impact of the Teaching and Learning Certificates of Completion Program ................6 Exploring International Experiences of Student-Faculty Partnerships .................................................6 Exploring the Undergraduate Experience of Research & Inquiry at McMaster University ..................7 Faculty, Students and Pedagogical Change...........................................................................................7 Implementation and Evaluation of a Learning Portfolio in the McMaster English Language Development Program ..........................................................................................................................7 Inclusive Student Engagement in SoTL .................................................................................................8 Learning Portfolio Passport Program ....................................................................................................8 MacChangers .........................................................................................................................................9 McMaster Child and Youth (MCYU) in the City Facilitator Training Study ...........................................9 Media Representations of Higher Education ......................................................................................10 MIIETL Distinguished Scholars Program..............................................................................................10 One Week, Many Ripples: Measuring the Impacts of the McMaster Fall Break ................................11 Perceptions of Approaches to Teaching and their Relationship to Student Performance.................11 Teaching Assistant Decision Making: An Exploration .........................................................................11 Transforming Lecture-Based Pedagogy and Encouraging Active Learning Among Undergraduates at McMaster ........................................................................................................................................12 Additional Opportunity: Student Partners Initiatives Research, Support & Development ................12

Assessing Evidence of Active Learning as a Course Evolves: The Case of Introductory Financial Accounting We are looking for an upper level undergraduate student partner to help collect and prepare data for analysis. The work includes both qualitative and quantitative elements, but no prior experience with either methodology is required. The candidate should be able to work 5 hours per week through fall and winter. The project explores the impact of a change in the learning environment that we have been tracking over time. The current project uses three markers of durable learning to understand students’ engagement and approaches to learning in a large introductory financial accounting course. The three instruments are the Classroom Survey of Student Engagement (© Indiana University), and two members of the family of approaches to learning instruments developed at Lancaster University. The course is Introductory Financial Accounting, but it is not necessary for you to have taken this course (in fact, we are looking for someone who has NOT taken COMM 1A03 at McMaster). We have lots of data, so you will be able to use your numeracy skills and attention to detail. Job tasks are: managing focus group announcements and scheduling; transcribing focus group data; tabulating survey response data using MSExcel; preliminary model 2

building using SAS. Requirements are: credit in Math 1M03 or equivalent; methodical; attentive to detail; collaborative; able to meet deadlines and ask questions; curious about education research. The project is being led by Dr. Emad Mohammed (2016 Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellow, School of Business) We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 140 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Building Classroom Community Through Social Media and Other Modalities Do you remember your first term at McMaster? Reality and expectations came face to face, and the honeymoon period was over! Research tells us that, despite freshman orientation and outreach efforts by the university, individual faculties, and the program departments, students can rapidly feel isolated and alone. It is risky because feelings of disconnection can lead disengagement from the course, the program, and ultimately the university. This study is going to investigate feelings of community at the class level, which has not received much attention to date. There are many ways that instructors can create a sense of community, such as small group work; the focus of this study will be on social media applications, such as Facebook Groups. Students will compare classroom community across two courses that they are taking in their first term. Selected research questions include: What is the perceived level of Classroom Community in first year courses and how does it change over time? Does the use of a Facebook Group have a positive impact on the sense of Classroom Community for first year students? How do students view the use of a Facebook group by an instructor? What other aspects of curriculum design promote Classroom Community? There are many ways to build community, such as small group projects, tutorial/lab groups, in-class exercises, etc. The project is being led by Dr. Frances Tuer (2016 Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellow, School of Business) We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 130 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Community Engaged Education Working Group: Capacity Building, Communicating & Consulting McMaster’s 2016-2021 Strategic Plan for Community Engagement was launched in June 2016. The result of broad consultations with both community and University partners, the strategic plan provides a road map for the Network for Community-Campus Partnerships to pursue the University’s Community Engagement goals over the next 5 years. Community-engaged education is one of three central areas of focus for the Network. Priorities for this area include building c apacity for community-engaged education, improving information-sharing practices across campus and with the community, developing measures of success for community-engaged educational projects, and supporting existing initiatives and projects. To move our community-engaged education priorities forward, the Network will be supporting an action-oriented working group that is comprised of colleagues from both the greater Hamilton community and the University. We are seeking two student partners to support this group through attending meetings with various partners, planning capacity-building events, writing outcome 3

reports from meetings and events, contributing to the development of training programs and resources, connecting with other students and groups involved in work related to communityengaged education, and providing a student perspective on community-engaged education at McMaster. As the major priorities of the working group have already been set, this project is set to begin in early Fall 2016. Project staff: Dave Heidebrecht (Network for Community-Campus Partnerships), Professor Sheila Sammon (Director of Community Engagement). We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 240 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Course Design Consultants Faculty members are often challenged to develop their identities as researchers and as teachers. For new faculty members, this challenge is often coupled with the demands of adjusting to a new environment. The continued satisfaction and success of faculty members is strongly coupled to their experiences and the support that they receive during their first few years at an institution. The student-consultant partnership program was developed to provide ongoing and meaningful support to new faculty members in course design. This program pairs new faculty members with a second to fourth year undergraduate student whose role is to provide feedback for course design. Students will be paired with a new faculty member during the fall semester to provide feedback for courses that are in development for delivery in the winter semester. The student partner is expected to meet with their faculty partner 1-2 hours per week to provide feedback and assistance in course development. Student partners will also meet with the program coordinator, Kris Knorr (MIIETL), for 1 hour per week to discuss relevant pedagogical theory, the provision of meaningful feedback and effective mentorship. Time commitment for the student partner is approximately 3 hours per week. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 50 hours of work, over one term. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Curriculum Consultants (French) The French M.A. program is scheduled to undergo a program review during the Spring 2017 and would like to form a partnership with two graduate students in co-creating the program's self study. The student partners, in teams with faculty, will be involved in bringing students perspectives and voices throughout the self study process and into several sections of the selfstudy document in the Fall term. The student partners will welcome and meet with the external review team in the Winter term. In addition, the student partners will meet regularly with other student curriculum consultants and staff within MIIETL to help shape their understanding and identify ways of meaningful contributions as curriculum consultants. The goal of this collective self-reflection is to create an intellectual community and a shared sense of responsibility. Including students in the program review and pedagogical reflection and planning will allow them to influence the future shape of the French M.A. program on a deeper level than 4

through the usual interview consultation. It will also give student partners a valuable professional experience, relevant to all students interested in teaching and learning, Higher Education and administrative positions in academia or government. Dr. Lori Goff (MIIETL) and Dr. Elzbieta Grodek (French) are looking for two graduate students who have familiarity with McMaster's French M.A. program. Required skills include: leadership, teamwork, good social skills, interest in community involvement, good time management skills, pedagogical interests, analysis skills, creativity, reading, speaking and writing in French. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 100 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Curriculum Consultants (Life Sciences) The Life Sciences Program is scheduled to undergo a program review during the Spring 2017 and would like to form a partnership with four undergraduate students in co-creating the program's self study. The student partners, in teams with faculty, will be involved in reviewing the core curriculum (created in 2015) and subplans (created in 2016). Student partners will be involved in the developing, administrating, and analyzing surveys and focus groups to better understand student experiences in the program. They will also be involved in bringing students’ perspectives and voices into several written sections of the self-study document. The student partners will be involved in the preparing for and meeting with the external review team in the Winter term and will help prepare a response to the review team’s recommendations. In addition, the student partners will meet regularly with other student curriculum consultants and staff within MIIETL to help shape their understanding and identify ways of meaningful contributions as curriculum consultants. Dr. Lori Goff (MIIETL) and Dr. Kim Dej (Life Sciences Program, School of Interdiscipnary Sciences) are looking for four undergraduate students who are in Level 4 or 5 of the Honours Life Sciences or Life Sciences Co-Op Program. Required skills include: leadership and communication skills (both verbal and written are essential); experience in using Excel for data management, data presentation, and statistical analysis; an ability to collaborate with s tudents, staff, and faculty. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 100 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Curriculum Consultants (Nursing) The School of Nursing would like to form a partnership with four undergraduate students to act as curriculum consultants on a project designed to enhance the clinical competence of second year nursing students. This project was inspired by feedback received during the IQAP study completed in 2014 and ongoing program evaluation initiatives. The student partners, together with the level 2 leadership team, will be involved in revising the clinical labs and designing evaluation measures (professional practice exam / quizzes) to assist in the development and assessment of students’ clinical competence. In addition, the student partners will meet regularly with other student curriculum consultants and staff within MIIETL to help shape their understanding and identify ways of meaningful contributions as curriculum consultants. 5

Dr. Lori Goff (MIIETL) and Dr. Lynn Martin (School of Nursing) are looking for four undergraduate students who are in Level 4 of the BScN program to act as curriculum consultants. Required skills include: critical thinking, communication, clinical knowledge, principles of teaching and learning, and research skills. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 100 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Evaluation and Impact of the Teaching and Learning Certificates of Completion Program In Winter 2015, MIIETL and the School of Graduate Studies launched the Teaching and Learning Certificates of Completion program for McMaster graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. In an effort to evaluate the program and document its impact, Dr. Erin Allard (MIIETL) has collected survey data from participants before and after they completed a certificate of completion. She is currently awaiting ethics approval to use the data for research purposes, collect new data, and conduct focus groups with certificate of completion earners regarding their experiences in the program. She is looking for a Student Partner to assist in analyzing the existing survey data, revising the surveys for future use, planning the focus groups, transcribing and coding the focus group data, and writing up the research findings (for an ISSOTL poster and a manuscript). Ideally, the partner will be a graduate student at McMaster for the 2016/17 academic year who has experience analyzing quantitative and qualitative data and writing up research findings . They should also be organized, detail-oriented, and capable of producing high quality work. The project is already underway and will require approximately 10 hours of the partner’s support per week through until the end of April, 2017. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 320 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Exploring International Experiences of Student-Faculty Partnerships In May 2016, MIIETL hosted an international summer institute (SI) on students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education (see https://macblog.mcmaster.ca/summer-institute/). Approximately 100 faculty, staff, and students from 7 countries worldwide attended the 4 day event, which was collaboratively facilitated by faculty and students from Australia, England, and the US. Alongside the event, we developed and conducted a preliminary research project exploring (through focus groups and participant reflections) institute participants’ experiences of working in faculty-student partnership on teaching and learning and their perceptions of the SI. The present project will focus on designing and conducting follow up research, which will involve gathering data from SI participants 6 months to a year following the event. Student partners at McMaster will collaborate with students at the University of Queensland (Australia), and with Dr. Beth Marquis (Arts & Science/MIIETL), Dr. Kelly Matthews (University of Queensland), and Dr. Mick Healey (University of Gloucestershire) to design and carry out the research. There will also be opportunities to contribute to the planning of the 2017 Summer Institute, including the possibility to work on enhancing its web presence as appropriate.

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We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 170 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Exploring the Undergraduate Experience of Research & Inquiry at McMaster University MIIETL is currently conducting an institutional scan to explore the current practices of undergraduate research and inquiry (URI) at McMaster from the diverse perspective of faculty members at McMaster. Data from this phase will be used to understand and celebrate how URI is conceptualized and operationalized at the university. The proposal for a subsequent phase of data collection with undergraduate students is planned to capture the student voice in the experiences of URI on the ground. Focus group data will be used in conjunction with perspectives from faculty members to explore the broader meaning and experience of URI across McMaster. The graduate and undergraduate student partners will work with Dr. Nancy Fenton and Dr. Lynn Martin, the URI working group co-chairs, to assist in the data collection and analysis, as well as take part in disseminating the research findings. A working knowledge of research methods will be an asset. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 120 hours of work for 1 student, and 60 hours of work for a 2nd student, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Faculty, Students and Pedagogical Change This project is part of a large, multi-institutional research program (sponsored by Elon University), which explores the factors that influence faculty to shift their teaching practices in ways that have positive implications for teaching and learning. Researchers in 4 countries (Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, US) are developing overlapping studies devoted to better understanding what facilitates and impinges upon faculty change in a range of teaching and learning contexts. As part of this larger work, the present study aims to investigate the ways in which students might influence, participate in, and experience change processes (for example, through feedback or in-class responses, through contributions to perceived ‘student cultures’, and/or as faculty partners in change initiatives). Student partners will work closely with Dr. Beth Marquis and other MIIETL colleagues to conduct a pilot study involving faculty and student perspectives on teaching and learning change initiatives currently underway at McMaster. Students will be involved in qualitative data collection and analysis, as well as synthesizing and reporting on the preliminary findings (perhaps contributing to the development of a manuscript if time allows). Prior experience with qualitative research would be an asset. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 150 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Implementation and Evaluation of a Learning Portfolio in the McMaster English Language Development Program MELD is a bridging program for International students who have a conditional offer to McMaster contingent on achieving a certain English proficiency level by the end of the year. Students take courses to develop reading, speaking, listening, writing, and social skills. We believe that putting evidence of the development of these skills over the course of the year into a portfolio will 7

accelerate the MELD students’ learning, increase their confidence, and enhance their sense of connection to McMaster. We are looking for an undergraduate student (2 nd year or higher) to assist both the students and instructors in making the implementation of the learning portfolio a smooth one. The student partner will develop and lead workshops to introduce MELD students to the concept of the learning portfolio and the technical skills needed. They will monitor entries in the students’ portfolios and provide feedback (not grading) along the way. They may hold office hours. In addition, the student partner will conduct a literature review of the use of portfolios in second language learning and collaborate with the project lead (Dr. Amy Warriner) in brainstorming how to evaluate the effectiveness of this initiative. This may involve developing surveys or collecting other data that could lead to a research presentation or publication. We are looking for a student partner who is interested in cross -cultural communication or ESL, who is comfortable with learning new software and explaining its use to others, and who has experience tutoring or teaching in some capacity. Assets would include experience with Wix or Weebly or other website building software, experience having created a portfolio, and experience with MELD or an equivalent ESL environment. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 120 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Inclusive Student Engagement in SoTL Various scholars have noted the transformative and integrative potential of student-faculty partnerships in the area of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research. However, not all students have equal access to these partnership opportunities. Research has found that some students tend to be favoured in SoTL work and partnerships, while others are ignored--whether it is directly or indirectly. In this study, we aim to investigate the ways in which student partners come to be involved in SoTL partnerships, as well as some of the barriers to involvement. This study is the first phase of a larger study in which we aim to put together a best practice guidebook for inclusive practices informed by student partnerships inclusivity research. This project is still in the planning stage. The student partner will assist in the production of an annotated bibliography in the area of equity, inclusivity and student partnerships in Canadian teaching and learning centres. The student partner will also assist in project development, data collection, and will work closely with Dr. Danielle Gabay (Research Coordinator, MIIETL). Experience conducting literature reviews, developing questionnaires or conducting interview would be an asset. Additionally, knowledge of equity and diversity initiatives within Canadian higher education would be an asset. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 160 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Learning Portfolio Passport Program The Learning Portfolio program at McMaster is on the verge of significant change that is being determined by the Learning Portfolio Provost’s Committee. We are currently working to develop and implement a leadership and mentorship “passport” initiative within the structure of the 8

Learning Portfolio. As this program is in early planning stages, the goals of this project are to: a) help identify best practice for students to engage with the Learning Portfolio in the context of leadership and mentorship; b) develop and implement methods to assess leadership and mentorship within the Learning Portfolio context; and c) work collaboratively with Dr. Julie Conder and the Provost’s Committee to build a clearly-defined framework of program requirements for increasing undergraduate breadth of experiential learning and documentation via the Learning Portfolio. The student partner's tasks will include conducting a literature review and spreadsheet of results, and creating a manual outlining the specifications and requirements of the developing program. The student partner will also identify, and interact with, various student, staff, and faculty stakeholders to ensure optimal program development. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 160 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

MacChangers The MacChangers program is in its second year, and is in the midst of a re-design process, currently supported by two Student Partners. MacChangers' goals are as follows: offer students experiential learning in an interdisciplinary setting, the opportunity to develop collaboration, team building and communications skills working with students from other Faculties and academic disciplines, cross training in different intellectual approaches to problem solving, a vehicle for tackling a significant Grand Challenge and creating positive local change, the opportunity for international collaboration with others working on Grand Challenge problems, and the opportunity to document and reflect on experience through using the learning portfolio. Students will develop/join teams of 4-6 students from all Faculties. Our goal is to work with 6-8 project teams. Project teams will work on one of a series linked problems focusing on sustainable approaches to transportation, a HamiltonMcMaster approach to the Grand Challenge of improvements to urban infrastructure. Two student partners (being sought through this call) will assist in overall project management, including work with teams on team building and development, coach and mentor student teams/individual students, and connect student teams with McMaster researchers and individuals and groups involved with transportation from City officials to transit action groups. Student partners will support student teams, helping project staff to ensure that teams are functioning well and project execution is going according to plan; they will also support project staff to determine if student learning objectives are being met. Project staff: Beth Levinson (MIIETL), Lynn Stewart (Faculty of Engineering) We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 240 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

McMaster Child and Youth (MCYU) in the City Facilitator Training Study MCYU in the City is an extracurricular community outreach initiative in its third year that engages youth in education in Hamilton's priority neighbourhoods. MCYU in the City student facilitators work in interdisciplinary teams to develop inquiry based workshops on topics of relevance to the community. Facilitators present their workshops to students in grades 3-10 in schools, libraries and 9

afterschool programs. Our (Beth Levinson and Dr. Erin Allard from MIIETL) goal for the upcoming school year is to evaluate the impact of the facilitator-training program offered through MIIETL. We are looking for two Student Partners to start this Fall to help in: 1) administering facilitator surveys, 2) extracting and analyzing quantitative survey data, 3) coding qualitative data, and 4) writing a report regarding the research findings. Ideally, partners will commit to 5 hours of work/week until the end of April. Research experience, organization, and project management skills will be an asset. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 170 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Media Representations of Higher Education Constructions of teaching, learning, and the university within the media and popular culture can exert an important influence on public understanding and expectations of higher educa tion. Combining film and media studies with the scholarship of teaching and learning, this project seeks to analyse recent representations of higher education within the media (focusing particularly on film and television) and to consider the sociopolitical ramifications of these texts. Student partners have worked closely with Dr. Beth Marquis (MIIETL/Arts & Science) to design the project, review appropriate literature, select and analyse media texts, and co-author conference presentations and publications. This next phase will focus primarily on conducting a qualitative study which aims to understand how teachers and learners experience and respond to these representations, and on co-authoring a manuscript detailing the results of this study. Prior experience with film studies and/or cultural studies (or a commitment to learning) would be an asset. Students who have contributed to the design and development of the project to date will be given priority. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 170 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

MIIETL Distinguished Scholars Program Members of the research team at MIIETL including Associate Director Beth Marquis, and Education and Research Developer, Jennifer Fisher, are looking to work with two student partners to develop the Distinguished Scholars Program. The Distinguished Scholars program includes eminent pedagogical researchers from McMaster and beyond including Henry Giroux, Mick Healey, Geoff Norman, and Torgny Roxå, who work with the institute to advance MIIETL’s research mission (please see: http://miietl.mcmaster.ca/site/sotl/?tab=distinguished-scholars). While the program officially launched in 2015, we are looking for two student partners to work 90 hours over two terms to develop and implement a number of strategic initiatives related to Henry Giroux’s proposed speaker series on the topic of political education and the “resisting university.” Duties include developing two public events alongside a variety of communication and public relations projects (i.e. writing blog articles, conducting interviews, and promotion campaigns). Students will also be encouraged to participate in the design of initiatives intended to integrate and enhance other DS programs.

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We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 90 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

One Week, Many Ripples: Measuring the Impacts of the McMaster Fall Break Canadian post-secondary institutions are increasingly introducing a fall break into their term calendars, with the stated goal of reducing student stress and improving academic success. In 2015, a full-week fall break was introduced at McMaster University in order to improve academic performance and mental health and well-being among students. Surprisingly, however, there is no published research investigating whether implementation of a fall break meets the intended goals. Preliminary research on students’ perspectives on the first year of the fall break was conducted in Fall 2015. The second phase of this longitudinal study will begin in September 2016, and we invite students to partner with the research team for the next stage of this project. The student partner will work closely with Dr. Heather Poole, Dr. Michael Agnew, and Dr. Ayesha Khan on the project, and responsibilities will include designing and administering online surveys; coding and analyzing survey data; recruiting study participants; and literature review. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 160 hours of work, over one term. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Perceptions of Approaches to Teaching and their Relationship to Student Performance There is a considerable body of research showing that faculty members' approaches to teaching have a major influence on student learning approaches and outcomes. This has resulted in the creation of faculty development programs designed to foster change in faculty’s approaches to teaching to promote better learning. However, the results of implementing these programs have been mixed. One confounding factor involves the difficulty of measuring faculty approaches to teaching, which has typically been done by means of self-report instruments. Therefore, the present research program is attempting to investigate the validity of teacher self-report measures, in particular by comparing self-reports to student perceptions of instructors' approaches to teaching and by correlating with student judgments of the teacher, classroom observation, course evaluations by students and student academic success. The ultimate goal is to develop a more valid and robust measure of teaching approaches and to explore how such approaches are modi fied in relation to the instructional context. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 160 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Teaching Assistant Decision Making: An Exploration An existing body of research has investigated the ways in which faculty monitor their teaching as it unfolds and make decisions in response to a range of student (and other) cues. These processes have important implications for how teaching and learning play out, potentially impacting (amongst other things) the extent to which students feel engaged as active participants helping to shape their learning experiences. Much of the research on faculty decision making has been done with mid-late career instructors, often postulating that decision making processes are grounded 11

substantially in previous teaching experience. As such, this project aims to explore how student teaching assistants, who are often comparatively new instructors, make decisions in the classroom, and to consider the implications of these processes. Student partners will work closely with Dr. Beth Marquis (Arts & Science/MIIETL), Dr. Torgny Roxå (Lund University), a nd student colleagues to carry out an inter-institutional, qualitative study on this topic. The project is currently being designed, and we expect that recruitment and data analysis will begin in Fall 2016. Students will be involved in reviewing relevant literature, collecting and analysing data, and contributing to the development of a manuscript for publication. We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 225 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Transforming Lecture-Based Pedagogy and Encouraging Active Learning Among Undergraduates at McMaster This project is centered upon faculty and student perceptions , experiences and use of the new active learning classrooms in the Wilson building (to be ready in September, 2016). Between September, 2016 and May, 2017, the following two phases of the project will be underway: 

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Phase 1: Identifying faculty perceptions of challenges and barriers to using ALC’s at McMaster (September 2016-January 2017) – Phase I targets those Instructors via surveys (approximately 15-20 people) who demonstrate an interest in using ALC’s, but are hesitant to transform their courses. Note that those Instructors already using the ALC’s in Wilson building will be targeted in Phase II. Phase 2: Examining Student and Instructor Experiences of Using ALC’s at McMaster (January 2017 – May 2017) - By January 2017, one full term of courses will have been taught in the Wilson’s ALC rooms. This phase consists of two online surveys that will be distributed to Social Sciences students who have used ALC’s as well as faculty members (approximately 14 people) who have transformed individual courses into ALC’s. In developing our surveys we would make use of similar surveys done at other universities, such as Wilfred Laurier University. This phase seeks to understand student and Instructor experiences, challenges, and perceptions of ALC use. This information will then be analyzed by the Student Partner, RA’s and team members (in conjunction with information derived from Phase I) to help develop effective and appropriate resources for faculty members who already use, or want to use ALC rooms.

The project is being led by Dr. Karen McGarry (2016 Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellow, Anthropology). We anticipate that this project will involve approximately 130 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.)

Additional Opportunity: Student Partners Initiatives Research, Support & Development In 2016-17, we are also looking for students to take up flexible positions that will support and contribute to MIIETL's work on student-faculty partnerships in a range of ways. First and foremost, 12

the student(s) taking up these positions will work with Dr. Beth Marquis to develop materials and projects that will enhance the student partners program, and other partnership-relevant work carried out at MIIETL. This might entail the development of additional resources and activities (e.g., further training opportunities for students, more chances for students to connect across projects, greater publicity of students' work with MIIETL, etc.), or contributing to the design and development of new partnership initiatives that complement the current student partners program. It might also involve helping to expand and develop our growing program of research on student-staff partnerships, including further research on the efficacy of the student partners program itself. We anticipate that these positions will involve approximately 175 hours of work, over two terms. (Please note that this is only an estimate. A more precise approximation of hours will be provided to successful applicants before they begin.) You will not need to write an interest statement for this final opportunity, but will be asked to indicate whether you’d like to be considered for this position should we not be able to offer you a spot on one of the other projects for which you’ve applied.

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