ISCOPES students have the unique opportunity to serve with their community and faculty coaches and community members to plan, implement, and evaluate projects that address real community-identified needs. Students also take on shared leadership roles within their teams. Students who want to take on an additional leadership role may apply to serve as a program representative.
How much time is involved for students?
What is required of student participants?
How are students evaluated?
What are the benefits of participating in ISCOPES?
What is the additional leadership opportunity?
How much time is involved for students?
Students are expected to commit at least eight hours per month throughout the academic year to ISCOPES service (not including commute time). This time commitment includes bi-monthly team meetings, ISCOPES trainings, on-site activities and/or community events.
Although the number of hours may vary from month-to-month according to the needs of the project, each individual is expected to remain dedicated to their team and site from September through April. ISCOPES is a program requirement for students in some disciplines and a program recommendation for others; however, all team members are expected to contribute equal time and energy for the success of the team.
What is required of student participants?
All student participants are required to:
- Commit a minimum of 8 hours/month (not including commute time) to ISCOPES.
- Visit/serve in the community at least once/month, demonstrating respect for community site personnel and clients at all times
- Physically and mentally participate on his/her team and in all ISCOPES meetings, events, trainings, and team project planning/implementation/evaluation.
- Complete ISCOPES progress measurements.
- Progress measurements: mid-year evaluation, end-of year evaluation, training report back feedback, and team feedback (coaches and peer evaluations).
- Regularly utilize ISCOPES communication media to connect with team including:
- Wiggio – communication platform that allows teams to share a calendar; manage files; create to-do lists; assign tasks; send e-mails, texts and voice messages; set-up virtual meetings; and access ISCOPES shared files
- Serve as a team liaison for at least one meeting/year. This is a shared leadership role and will rotate among all team members. Students will sign up in the beginning of the year for the team meeting(s) they will serve as team liaison. Responsibilities of the team liaison occur in the following chronological order (example: signing up as “Team Liaison” for 9.28.11):
•Take Minutes/Notes at Team Meeting at 8am on 9.27.11
•Bring Minutes/Notes to Team Liaison Debrief with ISCOPES Leadership Team at 6pm on 9.28.11
•Plan Agenda using Mintues/Debrief Info for Team Meeting on 10.11.11 - forward to teammates by 10.4.11
•Facilitate Team Meeting at 8am on 10.11.11 using Agenda (where next team liaison will be taking minutes/notes)
- Attend at least one 1-hour small group training/year – students will select one small group training to attend during the academic year on behalf of their team. They will be responsible for reporting back during their subsequent team meeting and will look for feedback from their coaches on how well they report back.
- Write at least one blog post/year on behalf of team. Team will submit at least one blog post/month (minimum of 8 total/year) to: iscopes@gwu.edu
How are students evaluated?
All student participants will be evaluated at the conclusion of each semester by their respective team Faculty Coach, Community Coach, and 1 Peer. Evaluations are shared with students’ professional programs to demonstrate level and quality of involvement. Each professional program uses the student's evaluations as part of the Dean's Letter, as a percent of a grade, and/or to determine transcript designation.
Evaluations are based on both process (team work and participation) at 50% and outcomes (presentation and written assignments) at 50%. The evaluation includes:
- attendance/ punctuality,
- team participation,
- project participation,
- understanding of ISCOPES training curriculum,
- participation in end-of-year presentations, and
- understanding/appreciation/value of their community.
What are the benefits of participating in ISCOPES?
There are both intangible and tangible benefits. A few of the intangible benefits include: connecting with neighbors throughout the DC Metro community, getting to know colleagues from different disciplines, learning more about DC, learning from non-traditional teachers, applying your academic studies, and knowing that you actively made a difference by strengthening the health of our nation’s capital.
As for tangible benefits, all students who are actively engage and regularly participate in ISCOPES meetings and team efforts will receive a special designation on their academic transcript (letter of explanation of special designation and ISCOPES available for transcript accompaniment upon request). Moreover, each team will anonymously select one team member as the MVP (most valuable participant) for the year. MVPs will be announced at the end-of-year presentations.
Students who successfully take on an additional leadership role by serving as a program representative will receive a special notation
What is the additional leadership opportunity?
Student Program Representatives
Student program representatives from each of the disciplines involved in ISCOPES provide ideas, constructive feedback, and support to the ISCOPES program overall.
Specifically, representatives are involved in serving as liaisons between their academic program, peers and ISCOPES; hosting 1 check-in event per semester with their discipline; meeting with other student representatives and the ISCOPES Leadership Team periodically throughout the year to discuss the overall ISCOPES experience; and helping with program recruitment and retention, program proliferation, and program continuous quality improvement. Representatives are selected in September and commit to serving for the duration of the academic year.
Program representatives meet with the ISCOPES Leadership Team at the following times:
- 9/28/11: 6pm
- 10/26/11: 6pm
- 12/7/11: 6pm
- 1/25/11: 6pm
- 2/22/11: 6pm
- 3/21/11: 6pm
- 4/18/11: 6pm
Students who successfully fulfill the above-stated obligations will have their participation and additional leadership role noted on their transcripts, as well as receive certificates at the end-of-year presentations.
To apply for this position, please complete the required leadership application found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3TZCTK2
