DE Oracle @ UMUC

How Faculty Can Become Involved in UMUC's Student Clubs

Shelley Hintz

Coordinator of Student Engagement

School of Undergraduate Studies

Published: May-June 2007

Category: » Online-pedagogy » Facilitating-student-communities

UMUC offers many student clubs that meet online through WebTycho. These clubs allow students the opportunity to communicate with each other outside their regular classes, to learn more about the field of their major, and to share their work and interests with peers. In addition, these clubs offer students a chance to learn more about their faculty as well as interact with them.

Currently, all of the clubs are discipline-specific. The Learning Coaches within the Department of Academic Success (DAS) help coordinate and monitor the clubs. A faculty facilitator helps to provide relevant content, and some clubs have student facilitators that encourage discussion. Most of the clubs were created within the academic departments as a method to further enhance the students’ experience at UMUC. The DAS also likes to hear what clubs the students would be interested in creating. Our newest club, the Art Club was formed when a group of students asked a professor about opportunities students had outside the classroom to critique each other’s works. If you hear of ideas students have for new clubs, please pass them on to the DAS.

While the clubs are primarily geared towards the students, we do welcome faculty participation. Contact with faculty outside of the classroom often provides a rewarding experience for our students. It gives students the opportunity to learn about other experiences and careers that they aspire to. Faculty can become involved in the student clubs through a variety of ways. Here are some ways faculty members can participate in the clubs:

Guest Speakers: Club facilitators often ask faculty to become guest speakers within the club for one-two weeks. The guest speaker has a conference in the club to post information. During that time, students can ask questions for the speaker to answer. Guest speakers can discuss their path to their current career, their graduate school process, or a topic of their expertise.

Faculty Interviews: Club members take turns selecting one of their professors to interview. The student comes up with the questions, records the interview, and then posts the information for other students to read in either a conference or an online newsletter.

Meet the Faculty Conference: Some of the clubs have a conference where faculty who are rostered in the club can introduce themselves. Students can then ask the faculty questions informally about their interests, experiences, etc. This is a great way for students to learn anout thier professors outside of the classroom.

Resources for Students: Faculty members who are part of professional and research organizations within the field are encouraged to post information within the clubs. If enough students are interested, a faculty member may be able to facilitate a UMUC group for the organization. In addition, faculty members can post any resources that may be helpful for students. Resources can include tips on researching graduate schools, information on careers in a field, networking suggestions or student success help for classes. For example, in the Psychology Club one member of our faculty posted a PowerPoint Presentation on how to create a curriculum vitae.

Student Opportunities: As professionals and scholars in the field, many of our faculty members have access to  information on career opportunities for students. The opportunities can include internships at an organization/company that the faculty member is a part of, research assistantships with a faculty member, or an event that is looking for amateur works. The student clubs regularly post such information, so that students can enhance their learning experience. If you are not a member of a club, you can contact the Learning Coaches in the DAS who can post the information for you.

If you are interested in learning more about the clubs or participating in one, please send a message to the club e-mail address or to the author, Shelley Hintz at shintz@umuc.edu.

See the Department of Academic Success for a current list of student clubs and their contact information.

Communicating with students outside of the classroom can be a rewarding experience for both students and faculty!