How to Build and Run a Successful Emerging Scholars Program A 2009 MAA Summer PREP Workshop Workshop Leaders: Dave Kung, St. Mary's College of Maryland Teri Murphy, Northern Kentucky University Katherine Socha, St. Mary's College of Maryland Natasha Speer, University of Maine

2007 workshop particpants hard at work.

Question: What can you do to level the playing field for your students?

Answer: Start your own Emerging Scholars Program!

Emerging Scholars Programs (ESPs) promote exceptional achievement among under-represented student populations and provide a model that is easily expanded to other introductory science courses, as has been demonstrated at many institutions of higher education.

Developed by Uri Treisman and implemented during the past 30 years at a variety of schools across the US, ESP workshops build student success through collaborative group work on problems more challenging than typical calculus problems. Led by faculty and teaching assistants, a typical ESP workshop focuses on student-driven approaches to difficult worksheet problems, with Socratic questioning forming the primary assistance given by the ESP leaders.

This PREP workshop, now in its second year, will provide you with the tools you need to plan, establish, and run an ESP at your institution. You will learn about successful models from many institutions from liberal arts colleges through research universities. Workshop participants will receive (1) ESP materials including problems and an ESP director's guide, (2) practice developing and leading (simulated) ESP meetings including writing worksheet problems, (3) guidance in developing a plan for an ESP perfect for your institution, (4) ongoing support through an online forum and through follow-up meetings at the Joint Mathematics Meetings and MathFest, and (5) access to a database of thousands of calculus problems appropriate for workshop use.

The final workshop day will be devoted to implementation issues including how to obtain administration buy-in and support. Each participant (or pair of participants) will draft a proposal to his/her home institution for piloting ESP. The full group will discuss each proposal and help each participant (a) revise the proposal and (b) anticipate potential challenges to its implementation.

We strongly encourage participants to come in pairs from the same institution or from neighbor institutions.

• "It went beyond my expectations. They presented a wellspring of resources for building an ESP from the ground up."
• "We came in with little-to-no knowledge of ESP and now we’re essentially experts. We are walking away with a nearly completed proposal and ideas that will work for our university."
• "Every day was a good mix of presentations w/activity/work time."
• "I feel more knowledgeable about ESP programs and what is involved in beginning one. The organizers were fabulous, knowledgeable, and helpful."

• Rose Asera wrote a piece for the College Board, entitled "Calculus and Community: A History of the Emerging Scholars Program." Pay particular attention to the origins of Treisman's work and to the section on Instructive Mistakes made by those who start ESPs.
• Eric Hsu, TJ Murphy, and Uri Treisman wrote an article for a recently released MAA Notes volume. An electronic copy will be made available to registered participants.