Student Peer Teacher
University Library has developed a student peer teaching program. As Student Information Assistant/Peer Teachers, these individual are part of the Library’s Access Services Team and work at University Library’s main service desk, contributing to our mission to promote learning, provide information, and enable access to library resources for all our patrons. In addition, Student Information Assistant/Peer Teachers are trained to assist Librarians in teaching information literacy and research skills in 100- & 200-level undergraduate courses.
The position is designed to build your leadership, presentation, communication, and Information Literacy competencies. The first semester you work through a curriculum designed to develop your teaching and Information Literacy competencies. During the first semester, you have the opportunity to shadow teaching librarians and begin to co-teach. After the first semester, you enter the peer student teacher pool and can volunteer to teach or co-teach classes as well as meet with students 1-1 in research consultations.
Excitingly, the position also qualifies as an Intership experience on the IU Indianapolis Record of Experiential and Applied Learning. Students can access their Record via one.iu.
Learning Outcomes & Goals
This position provides an opportunity to develop and demonstrate your skills as a:
Communicator
- Communicate effectively with library patrons and co-workers, via email, phone, and in person.
- Work with Librarians and faculty to instruct peers in information literacy concepts and research skills in class.
Problem Solver
- Solve problems using appropriate technologies, research tools, and information sources.
- Collaborate with part-time and full-time staff to answer patron questions and complete projects.
Innovator
- Apply knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom and during job training to a range of situations.
- Develop short assessment tools for lesson plans.
Community Contributor
- Engage respectfully with our diverse library patrons and staff.
- Serve as a peer teacher and ambassador for University Library.
- Collaborate with Librarians to develop teaching tools.
Responsibilities
- Provide outstanding customer service to all patrons.
- Help patrons locate, check out, and return library materials.
- Help patrons with research tasks, including library catalog and database searches.
- Shadow Librarians in class to observe lesson plans and classroom atmosphere.
- Teach information literacy sessions in 100- and 200-level courses.
- Reflect on in-class activities through regular meetings with Librarians.
- Develop and complete a project to support student learning for the library.
- Respond to a wide range of informational inquiries about the library and campus in general.
- Provide research and information services via phone and email as well as in person.
- Provide patrons with technology assistance.
- Sort, route, and re-shelve library materials.
- Help full-time staff monitor the third and fourth floors of the library and assist in library closing procedures.
- Work with full-time staff on projects to improve the function of Access Services and the library.
- Work with Librarians on projects to advance the teaching goals of the library.
- Attend regular staff meetings.
- Participate in on-going training and professional development opportunities.
- Participate in on-going performance review and self-evaluation processes.
Contact
If you have questions about the student peer teaching program, please contact Sara Lowe, Associate Dean for Educational Services.