Why teaching?

Lead. Support. Inspire.

Participating in teaching, leadership and mentorship roles as an undergraduate in the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers a wide range of benefits—both personal and professional. These experiential learning opportunities help to reinforce your own understanding of the curriculum and connect you with faculty, administrators and other campus partners. More importantly, serving in a leadership role gives you an opportunity to hone your communication skills while helping your peers navigate a variety of challenges.

SCRIPT requirement

Peer Assistant courses administered by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication may be used to fulfill the SCRIPT experiential learning requirement for students in the major. Browse course options.

What does a teaching experience look like?

Student Engagement Ambassador

Student Engagement Ambassadors support outreach efforts, provide mentorship, and assist students in the major with social and academic endeavors. 

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

UTA's provide instructional support for introductory courses and may assist with curriculum development. Review CLAS Undergraduate Teaching Roles.

Student Leadership

Team leaders in the Adler Agency, Prep Sports Report, and ISLE Workshop assist with managing projects, collaborating with clients, and supervising student groups.

What are my course options?

Review JMC:3000 Requirements and frequently asked questions. 

Teaching courses that fulfill the SCRIPT requirement for JMC majors
CourseTermTitleSubtitleHours
JMC:3000:0001Fall/springPeer AssistantStudent Engagement Ambassador0
JMC:3000:0001SummerPeer AssistantISLE Workshop Leadership0
JMC:3000:0002Fall/springPeer AssistantAdler Agency Leadership0
JMC:3000:0004Fall/springPeer AssistantUTA for JMC:13000
JMC:3000:0005Fall/springPeer AssistantUTA for JMC:27000
JMC:3000:0006Fall/springPeer AssistantPrep Sports Report Leadership0

JMC:3000 Requirements

Enrollment

Peer Assistant courses are typically restricted to students in the major. Students in these roles are paid and therefore may not earn semester hours for the experience. 

Enrolling in a course for 0 s.h. allows you to:

  • Fulfill the SCRIPT experiential learning requirement.
  • Eliminate tuition and fees associated with registration.
  • Document leadership participation on your transcript.

Assignments

To meet experiential learning objectives, peer assistant courses require meaningful assignments to help you connect the experience to your academic or career pursuits. 

To receive a satisfactory grade, students must complete:

  1. Pre-experience survey
  2. Post-experience survey
  3. Short reflection

FAQs

Why can't I earn credit hours?

Students cannot receive both academic credit and payment from the university for the same experience. Peer Assistant roles in the department are paid positions and only offered for 0 s.h. Enrolling in a course for 0 s.h. allows you to document a leadership experience on your transcript and fulfill the SCRIPT experiential learning requirement.

How is the course graded?

Peer Assistant courses are graded as satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U). To successfully complete the course, students must submit all required assignments and perform their duties to the instructor's satisfaction. 

When are assignments due?

Do I have to complete assignments every semester?

Who do I report to?

Meet the Team

Student Engagement Ambassadors hold office hours in the Adler Student Center.

Student Profiles