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Academic Excellence Workshops (AEW's)

LSAMP AEW (N. Sci. 40T) Spring 2012 Schedule and Learning Center SI

Tutoring is also available through the Pathways program and the Learning Center.

Academic Excellence Workshops are regularly held, weekly meetings (2 to 4 hours) to support excellence in foundation courses in mathematics, chemistry, physics, engineering, or other technical subjects. Participants engage in structured activities that develop communications skills of students, their ability to work with others, and their mastery of the content.

Participants develop the bonds that create an academic community among the participants and create self-directed learners.

Activities

• On-going training for facilitators in group facilitating and learning.
• Students practice collaborative learning techniques (i.e., are NOT tutored or lectured) on challenging problems in the content area.
• Facilitators give students knowledge about the educational and technical culture and the transitions required for a successful adjustment from high school/community college.
• Students are guided to create peer support groups that meet outside of and in addition to the workshop.

The AEWs are traditionally led by an upper division student who is referred to as the Facilitator and is who is proficient in the subject matter. The Facilitator is responsible overseeing the workshops and for developing worksheets that is material supplemental to the lectures and/or homework and used to reinforce student learning. These worksheets are the basis of the AEWs and usually only need to list four problems each of which challenges the student participants’ at four different Cognitive Levels: (Example)

Problem # 1: Recall/Comprehension – define, describe, explain

Problem #2: Application - Calculate, demonstrate, solve

Problem #3: Analysis - Diagram examine, relate, test, separate

Problem #4: Synthesis/Evaluation – Appraise, assess, conclude, evaluate, judge, measure, justify

Rather than to serving as a lecturer and/or tutor the Facilitator is there to direct the student participant study groups on how to problem solve at these different levels using each other as a resource through discussion and self-teaching. The Facilitator is there to assist the groups when they have many questions or reach an impasse.

SCHEDULE and ATTENDANCE

• The AEWs are held once per week for 2 hours and can be taken for 1 unit – credit/no-credit grading as N. Sci. 40T courses
• Student participants must attend at least 60% of the AEW in order to receive credit. Students must sign in in order to receive credit for participation.

Through grade comparisons it has been shown that students who attend the AEWs will generally perform better in the corresponding course