PSYC 3F01: Facilitating Communication and Critical Thinking in Groups
WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2023-24.
Students who are interested in leading seminars for PSYC 1F90 must apply to PSYC 3F01, which is an experiential learning course designed to provide upper-year students with the skills and support they need to be successful facilitating group-based discussion. Seminar leaders must be in their third or fourth year of study; consequently people apply for the position at the end of their second or third year.
Why Take PSYC 3F01? Though it is closely connected to the introductory psychology course, PSYC 3F01 is intended to foster several broadly transferable skills, including:
Clear and effective oral communication, as well as active listening
Creating and implementing strategies for engaging diverse groups
Critical thinking
Conflict resolution
The ability to think on your feet and adapt to a changing environment
Former 3F01 students tell us that these skills have been critically important to them as they moved on to graduate school or the workforce. We asked former 3F01 students Lewis Lau and Blayne Smith to tell us a bit about how their experience in the course was beneficial to them:
PSYC 3F01 Course Work The first term of PSYC 3F01 is mainly focused on gaining the skills required to effectively facilitate discussion within the seminar context. The second term is aimed to a greater extent on general pedagogical principles that guide the effective transmission of information from you to your audience, whether that be in an educational or employment setting.
There are no exams or major papers in 3F01. Course work will vary from year to year, and may include:
Class attendance and participation: 3-hour class per week and preparation time to complete weekly readings/assignments
Training workshop (6 hours) before the start of classes in September
Peer assessment of seminar facilitation skills
Reflection papers
In-class presentation (Ted-Ed talk)
Teaching Assistantship (Paid Position) PSYC 3F01 students will hold a paid contract as a PSYC 1F90 Teaching Assistant. The rate of pay for this position is determined by the current CUPE 4207 Collective Agreement. Paid duties vary from year to year, but typically include:
Leading group discussions for 4 PSYC 1F90 seminars per week
Reading all seminar materials and creating lesson plans for seminar activities
Attending PSYC 1F90 lectures (2 hours per week) or reading online material
Proctoring exams in December and April
Attending grade collation meetings (this requires being on campus until as late as Dec 22 in D2 and April 30 in D3)
Tracking student attendance and participation and assigning seminar grades
PSYC 3F01 class of 2017-18
Who Should Apply? The calendar requirements for PSYC 3F01 are: Open to PSYC (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 8.0 overall credits, 3.0 PSYC credits above PSYC 1F90 and permission of the instructor. The prerequisites are PSYC 1F90 and 2F23.
Applicants who are psychology majors will be given priority for positions in the course, but applications from strong students in other majors are welcomed. Successful non-psychology applicants will be given an override into 3F01 if they do not meet all of the course requirements noted above.
You should not apply for this position if you cannot commit to the time that will be needed (typically about 10-12 hours per week), nor should you apply if you have a required course that conflicts with PSYC 3F01.
The following document from the American Psychological Association may be helpful as you make a decision about whether to apply for this position:
A copy of your grades in .pdf format: The grades file should be downloaded from Brock's self serve so that your name is printed by the system at the top of the document. Use the following instructions:
Load your current marks screen.
Choose the "Print" option from the top right as the screen.
Choose "print to PDF" in your print options.
Note: If you have a lot of courses you may need to load the second page of courses and repeat this process.
Please note: The filenames for each of the documents must include your surname (e.g., SMITHresume.docx, SMITHgrades.pdf). APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED WITHOUT EMAILING THESE THREE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
Please feel free to contact Tammy Stewart (tammy.stewart@brocku.ca) if you have any questions.
The deadline for completed applications (the application form plus all supporting documentation) is MAY 31 at 5:00 pm.