Posts by Rebekah Stiles:
Explorations: An Experience that Enhances a College Career
The following blog post comes to you from John Dame, current junior and co-teacher of the fall 2012 Explorations class NCAA: Athletes, Sports, and Money.
In the spring of 2012, my classmate Jon Sobo approached me about teaching an Experimental College class that coming Fall. I had taken a class taught by my peers as a freshman, but I was fairly skeptical about teaching. The class I took my freshmen year was extremely productive but I was not sure I could handle leading a classroom on a weekly basis. Jon and I are heavily involved in the football program at Tufts, which marginalizes our schedules quite a bit. Therefore, I was concerned I was not going to be able to pledge enough time to the class due to our other commitments.
However, we were able to put forth a lot of energy into the course. We decided to teach about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), doing classes on everything from recruiting and coaching to life as a Division I athlete. We arrived on campus in late August and engaged in extremely helpful training, learning how to teach the class with its long length of two and a half hours. After the training, we participated in orientation with our students, which was a rewarding experience. The opportunity to spend time with our freshmen on their first day away from their parents was valuable. We immediately became the people they looked to on campus, as they did not have anyone else. This allowed us to form some great relationships with our students.
Once orientation ended and our students settled in, they formed a great relationship with each other. Aside from teaching, this was the most enjoyable thing about running an Experimental College class for freshmen. On the first day, they were awkward, scared, and antagonistic towards each other. However, by the third week, students were bringing in birthday cakes and decorating our classroom for their peers. Their relationships quickly developed and they relied on each other as they endured their first few months of college.
Overall, the teaching experience worked perfectly. The students were respectful each week and we achieved our goals by the end of the course. Each student received a well-rounded education on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and they all delivered excellent final papers that displayed their knowledge of the subject. Each of them took the class very seriously and also made sure to let us know that they appreciated our efforts in teaching them. We had little to no problems in our class and it was an incredible experience that made me value my teachers and the Tufts community even more.
What if you could major in the ExCollege?
Tweet I asked our student workers to imagine a world in which you could major in the ExCollege. I asked them to tell me what courses they would take this spring to fulfill the requirements for this very unique major. This is the response I received from Lynne Koester, senior, English major, and ExCollege veteran. [...]
The Proposal: A Process of Idea Babies, I Do’s and Engagement
Tweet Written by Nick Golden, Marcy Regalado, and Beky Stiles Every semester, a new list of Experimental College courses appears on our website. This magical listing jumps across disciplines and contains unique courses like “A History of Pir‘arrrgh’cy” (I’m sorry…I couldn’t resist…). Each hand-crafted class goes through an intensive series of steps (I would say [...]
The Express!
Tweet Friday, December 7: The Last Express of the Semester Be a part of the ExCollege! If you have ever wanted to command a classroom, think about joining either the Explorations or Perspectives freshmen seminar programs as a Peer Leader! Our Peer Leaders co-teach a seminar, lead their students through orientation, and act as student [...]
The Express! News & updates from the ExCollege.
Tweet Friday, November 30 Teach First Year Students! Going away this spring but want to teach a Perspectives or Explorations first year student seminar next fall? You can access the application online from anywhere! Co-teach a course to gain valuable teaching experience, engage a room of first years each week, and get credit! Check out [...]
Election Night Recap
Tweet The energy on campus and around the country built up greatly this past Tuesday, and on the Hill this election buzz climaxed with our Election Night Extravaganza! The Campus Center first began to feel the presence of a crowd around 7:30pm. Student groups with diverse interests and enthusiasm for the night’s affairs lined the [...]
ExCollege Express: Everything Election
Tweet This week’s edition of the eXpress looks at the upcoming election week through the eye of the ExCollege! Friday, November 2, 2012 The Who’s Who of the Election Night Extravaganza With Election Night only 4 days away, the ExCollege is in high gear preparing for our Election Night Extravaganza! [...]
A Freshman Perspective
Tweet Written by student worker Nick Golden, Class of 2016. Phew! It’s been a fast couple of weeks into my first year of college now, and what a few weeks it has been. From midterms to activities and clubs, Tufts has been an experience and a half. Nothing, however, has really captured my attention as [...]
The Express: Weekly Updates from the ExCollege
Tweet Friday, October 5, 2012 Applications, Applications, and Even More Applications Today is the day: Visiting Lecturer applications are due! The stack of applications grows higher and higher on our desk. The sheer number of creative course ideas that flow into our office makes our minds spin. Even after almost 50 years, the proposals [...]
Behind the Scenes: The Student Worker Perspective
Tweet Ever wonder what it would be like to work at the ExCollege? Lenea Sims, sophomore and new student worker at the ExCollege, reflects on why she chose to work here at the little brown house on Talbot Ave! Like most other students here, Tufts is the only university I’ve ever attended. However, I think I [...]