ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Hi Robin,

It seems that most university departments have reserved some course designations for "independent study" to allow students to explore topics that are related to but  not offered directly in their courses. As a student I took advantage of these courses to gain credit for internships at non-profits who could not afford to pay me. At the first science center I managed I created an independent study course description (including outline, syllabus and detailed expectations) for a graduate-level course in Curriculum and Instruction and then partnered with a professor at our local university to find students.  This partnership worked well for everyone involved because:
* the students got 'real-world' experience and credit towards their degrees 
* we got free  help from very enthusiastic and conscientious workers who were in the midst of researching cutting-edge techniques
* the professors fulfilled their duties to mentor graduate students and create community collaborations with minimal amount of time invested (as I did most of the work in creating the course and supervising the students)

I'd be happy to discuss the details with you.  In general my recommendations for such a program are to
1.  start small (1-2 students) and 
2. while you want to leave room for flexibility to maximize the individual strengths of your students, be very clear from the start of the program about what you want to have gained/received from the student by the end of the semester (there is nothing more frustrating for everyone involved than to keep the program so open-ended that by the end of the semester you are on one track and they are on another).

Hope this sparks some ideas.

Cheers,
Debra



-------------------------------------------------------
Debra Klich
Exhibit Developer
Derse Museum Group
1234 N. 62nd Street
Milwaukee, WI  53213
[log in to unmask]
(800 ) 562-2300
(414) 257-2000
(414) 257-1145 fax


>>> [log in to unmask] 10/12/04 01:37PM >>>
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Aloha,
We are looking into the relationships of Science Centers and
universities/colleges.  If your science center has a partnership with a
college, whether it's providing an internship program, located on campus,
involving volunteers in any capicity, or something else, we would be
grateful to hear about it.

Thanks for your time.
Best wishes,
Robin

Robin Mazor
Executive Director
Kaua`i Children's Discovery Museum
4-831 Kuhio Highway
Kapa`a, HI  96746

(808) 823 - 8222
www.kcdm.org 

Visit us under the Whale Tower in
Kaua`i Village (Safeway) Shopping Center, Kapa`a
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More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
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