The Peer Mentor, Academic Leader, & Teacher (Peer MALT) Program has two primary objectives relevant to FTS Faculty:
Leverage the power of peer-to-peer learning and have upper-level students, who have adapted to the campus community and utilize its resources, mentor and teach advising-related content to first-year students.
Create additional time for faculty to better address FTS Student Learning Outcomes and to more meaningfully engage with their first-year students both in- and out-of-class (e.g., Peer MALTs can prepare students for advising appointments and communicate common processes and resources; faculty can devote time to activities that develop and achieve the learning outcomes).
This peer-to-peer learning program includes important aspects that align with current "best practices" for peer instructors:
Increased Time to Achieve Student Learning Outcomes - By having a Peer MALT deliver the Advising Curriculum in a weekly 50-minute session, FTS faculty can devote their contact hours to developing and achieving the Student Learning Outcomes. For example, faculty have used the "additional time" to hold paper conferences, advising appointments, or flexible discussions that further developed topics covered in the Advising Curriculum. Including a Peer MALT should not preclude incorporating community building and advising-related discussions (they are highly encouraged).
Support for Peer MALTs - Peer MALTs concurrently enroll in a 4-credit course that carries general education designations, currently taught by the Peer MALT Coordinator. During this course, MALTs: receive training for teaching, advising, and mentoring; prepare lessons; engage with visitors from campus offices; reflect and self-author their experiences as mentors and teachers and connect them to future/career goals.
Campus-wide Recruitment - Peer MALTs who apply to the program are nominated by faculty, administrators, staff, and previous Peer MALTs. Students may also self-nominate and provide a reference. Any student with an interest in teaching and mentoring can engage and support first-year students.
Faculty set aside a consistent day each week (50 minutes of class time) for the Peer MALT to come to class and deliver the Advising Curriculum lesson.
Faculty will schedule the Peer MALT session at the beginning of class time on the same day each week. For example, an FTS that meets MWF from 9:15-10:20am might decide to hold Peer MALT sessions every Monday. Those sessions would be held from 9:15-10:05; faculty are responsible for the remaining 15 minutes of class time.
Faculty will not attend sessions led by the Peer MALT unless invited by the Peer MALT.
Faculty should allow for a percentage of the final FTS course grade to be assigned by grades from the Advising Curriculum (recommendation = 15% of the final grade). Peer MALTs manage a Moodle website for their section's Advising Curriculum (e.g., a Moodle course titled Advising Curriculum: FTS-100-134). FTS faculty also have full access to the Peer MALT's Advising Curriculum Moodle site for their FTS class, allowing faculty to have constant access to their students' grades.
Faculty must include visits, activities, and/or discussion of campus resources related to the Library and the Writing Center for their FTS section. Faculty do NOT need to schedule basic informational visits to Career Center or Center for International and Cultural Education, as these will be integrated into the Advising Curriculum managed by Peer MALTs. They may, however, plan more in-depth visits to either to build upon the general information provided in the Advising Curriculum progamming.
Faculty participate in the assessment activities related to this program (completion of a survey and administering a survey to the students).
Faculty are strongly encouraged to nominate at least one Peer MALT, ideally more. Faculty often recognize potential in students, and acknowledging that potential is a positive, influential experience for the student. Due to scheduling and selection considerations, nominating a student does not guarantee that student will be assigned to your FTS, but both faculty and nominated student preferences will be considered in placements.
Peer MALTs are expected to have one communication (in person or by email; faculty's preference) every other week or as the need arises (e.g., an emergent situation). If faculty would like more contact with the Peer MALT, they can discuss this and reach an agreement with their Peer MALT.
Faculty may add their own advising-related topics not covered in the formal Advising Curriculum, orthey may reinforce a topic covered by the Peer MALT (e.g., use the optional follow-up assignments in the Advising Curriculum, integrate an additional assignment, host a panel of student experts, etc. ).
Optional Follow-up Assignments that Provide an Opportunity for Faculty to Connecting With Students on Advising Topics Covered by Peer MALTs - The Advising Curriculum underwent revisions in Spring 2022 with the help of two previous Peer MALTs. One intentional revision provided more opportunities for faculty to connect with students and with the Advising Curriculum topics in meaningful ways during their FTS meetings. This change was implemented as a final section in each lesson plan containing Optional Follow-Up Assignments. Specifically, at the end of each lesson there is now a Talk About It and a Write About It assignment prompt that faculty can use after the Peer MALT delivers a particular lesson.
Talk About It assignments are intended to be 5-15 minute discussion topics
Write About It assignment prompts engage students in formal or informal writing (a suggestion for which type is provided)
Recruit students to be a Peer MALT by nominating them. The Peer MALT Coordinator will match FTS Faculty with their Peer MALT. (Placement with your nominated student is not guaranteed.)
Please nominate them!