The Queens College First Year Experience (FYE) program is seeking applications from qualified instructors who are interested in creating a “kit” for a series of workshops for first-year QC students. Each workshop series will correspond with one of Queens College’s seven meta-majors and will occur monthly throughout students’ first year. (Read about Queens College meta-majors [fye.qc.cuny.edu]).

 

These workshop series should:

• work online and in-person
• be adaptable; you are creating plans for workshops that FYE staff will run yearly rather than teaching the workshop yourself
• use experiential learning both to help new students socialize and to ground them in the exciting potential of their disciplines.
• be relevant to all majors within the meta-major
• encourage students to make interdisciplinary connections
• give students a place to ask questions about college in an informal fashion
• potentially explicate campus resources as a byproduct of the experiential project (e.g., demonstrate the value of using the library to complete an element of the work being done)

 

To design these workshops, we can offer 7 NTAs a stipend of $5000 apiece that can be paid in Spring or Summer 1 or a combination of the two (must happen before June 30th). You must have NTA hours available during Spring or Summer 1, in accordance with PSC limits.

 

What does that mean, in practical terms?: 

Each person designing a workshop kit needs to create 8 workshops (workshop breakdown: 60 minutes for actual work + 15 minutes of around-the-group check-ins), each consisting of:

1. 8 lesson plans with explicit learning goals
2. 8 separate moderator guides with a step-by-step breakdown of what should be happening
3. 8 five-minute max. introductory videos for each workshop, plus one short welcome video.
4. A webpage introducing your workshop series where we can put an RSVP list and get students interested

 

While the workshop kit designer is building towards a larger goal for students who attend (for example, for the Arts, Humanities, Communication, & Design meta-major, a play written by, designed/costumed, and staged by students), ideally each workshop is a separate mini-project that newcomers can readily pick up (for example, a workshop on sound/music design). An important note to remember about the videos is that they are meant to present the workshop kit designer as an asynchronous role model/mentor to new students (someone who was once a freshman and is now experienced in their field).

 

If you are hired, there will also be 2-3 meetings as a group. You can read more below about FYE principles.

 

What do I need to submit to apply?: 

• Short proposal (500 words max.) that presents the idea for the workshop series, rather than delineating the contents of all 8.
• CV

 

When is the deadline?: April 15th

Please email your proposal and CV to fyequeens@gmail.com.

Workshop kit designers will be contacted by the end of April. If you have questions, please email Megan Paslawski (FYE Director) & Charlotte Thurston at fyequeens@gmail.com.

 

First Year Experience principles: 

• Encouraging students to actively shape their path through college to reach their goals for the future, which they should begin (non-rigidly) defining now.
• Introducing students to the “real world” possibilities of introductory coursework with projects that encourage learning by doing.
• Thoughtfully promoting interdisciplinary collaboration
• Providing faculty and peer mentorship during a crucial year of transition
• Believing that college is for everyone and providing the practical support to make that more true.
• Putting students from a variety of educational backgrounds on a more equitable footing by deliberately demystifying college expectations (how to study, how to allocate time, how to use faculty office hours, etc) and resources (the library, the Center for Career Engagement, the Writing Center, Academic Learning Commons).
• Treating “the hidden curriculum” as a site in need of critical analysis.
• Affirming that making friends is important to the college experience despite the difficulties attendant to distance learning and a commuter campus.

 

—

Megan Paslawski, PhD

Director, First Year Experience

Honors Hall 05

Queens College, CUNY