Passion-based seminar program culminating in senior internships¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

UCLA-CS uses a seminar program, driven by teachers' passions and partner availability, to expand course offerings despite small size and limited staff; topics range from robotics to Latin American film, and new courses such as Exploring Computer Science and AP Capstone began as seminars. The program culminates in a senior internship taught as an applied economics course that "foregrounds the value of students' aspirational capital", connecting students with mentors across the city and on the UCLA campus.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teachers willing to add seminars to their workload
• partner organizations and mentors at internship sites

Constraints¶

• Adding a course to a teacher's workload can be a challenge, per the report

Target Learners¶

• Middle and high school students

Target Learning Goals¶

• Student agency
• career exploration
• college and career preparation

Related Strategies¶

• Build students' intrinsic motivation and share learning sciences principles with students to support buy-in and ownership

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Karen Hunter Quartz. (2023). UCLA Community School: Celebrating Language, Culture, and Community. Learning Policy Institute. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED642538