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Are you looking for an opportunity to get more connected to your courses, work closely with faculty and help your peers? Consider being a preceptor!
Preceptors are highly motivated students who are either concurrently enrolled in the course, or who have previously taken the course. They serve a very unique role because they provide support both in and out of the classroom. Since they are often students concurrently enrolled in the class, they do not serve as content experts. They function instead as mentors, guides and additional instructional support both in and outside of the class.
In-Class Assistance
Practically, they enable the instructor to reduce the Student to Instructional Team ratio to as low as 10:1 even in very large courses. In this regard, preceptors serve as additional classroom managers and mentors. Many instructors have preceptors sit throughout the lecture halls to model good classroom behavior and get feedback on what the students are and are not understanding.
With guidance from their supervising instructor, preceptors are also able to lead small group discussions and laboratory experiments within the courses. In times of major budget crises, many instructors are short on GTAs and find that preceptors offer an efficient means for administering these activities. Finally, we encourage preceptors to work with their instructors in delivering presentations or in-class activities on either course material or specific skills necessary for success in the class (i.e. writing, math, time management).
Outside-of-Class Assistance
Preceptors are able to increase the outlets for help with course material. They often hold office hours or one-on-one tutoring sessions with students in order to help them with course concepts or assignments. Since they are not the providers of knowledge, but merely guides, they can offer a type of assistance different from what the instructors offer. Preceptors do not necessarily know the answers, but their expertise as students allows them to offer personal strategies for learning the material and their own process for reaching the answer. In this respect, they also serve as mentors and help the students with skills applicable to future courses.
Preceptors also often hold exam review sessions outside of class. Since they take the exam with the rest of the class, preceptors have an invested interest in the material and are unaware of the specific exam questions. This allows the review sessions to be held like a study group where students and preceptors answer their own questions, but with extra guidance from the instructor and GTAs. Finally, preceptors can also hold workshops that help students who may be deficient in certain skills (math, reading, writing, time management, etc.), which in turn helps even out the skill levels in many first and second-year courses.
For their participation in the program, preceptors receive 2-3 units of academic credit. To receive this credit, they enroll in one of our preceptor training courses: UNVR 197a, UNVR 297a, and UNVR 397a.
Why should I become a Preceptor?
Preceptors are presented with many opportunities that few other students can take advantage of. By working closely with faculty and GTAs, preceptors create invaluable contacts with people across all disciplines on campus. Preceptors also have the opportunity to voice their opinions about teaching styles and class activities within the course for which they preceptor. While working within their teaching team, preceptors learn what it takes to run a university course and how to work with others to reach a common goal. These skills and contacts can be very useful both inside and outside of the university community.
Preceptors often find that they do better in the class they are preceptoring because they stay up to date with their homework and papers by being required to finish assignments early; they are constantly checked for their comprehension of course material and understanding of assignments by working closely with their professor and GTAs; preceptors gain a more thorough understanding of the course material for themselves because they are helping to teach other students.
If you are interested in becoming a preceptor, there are four simple steps you need to take.
1. Find a preceptored course.
The easiest way to do this is to check the Preceptored Course List. Look for courses you are registered for, currently taking, or have taken in the past.
2. Contact the Instructor.
Let them know your affiliation with the course and that you are interested in becoming a preceptor. If preceptorships are offered in a course you will be taking in an upcoming semester, you can wait until the semester begins. Most instructors make a short presentation in the first week of class advertising preceptorships.
3. Apply/Interview.
Some instructors choose to have their preceptors fill out an application and interview for their preceptorship positions. Make sure to ask your instructor what their procedure is.
4. Register for preceptor training.
If your instructor has decided they would like you to become a preceptor, your next step is to register for a preceptor training course. Additional information can be found on the Preceptor Registration and Training page.
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The University of Arizona Teaching Teams Program
Department of Planetary Sciences/Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
Kuiper Space Sciences 351 | 1629 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85721-0092 | 520-621-3991 | ttp@u.arizona.edu | © 2004 Arizona Board of Regents
Last updated
December 6, 2005
