What Do Peer Educators Do?
In the spring quarter Student Leadership Development: Honors Peer Educator Training course (HONORS 397) you will prepare for fall quarter by developing a 6-week curriculum through lesson planning, teaching practice, and reflecting on your personal strengths and areas of development. Throughout the spring, the Honors 100/397 Instructors will provide you with ample feedback on your lesson plans, personal reflections, and teaches, as well as providing additional support through a mid-quarter 1:1 check-in and close collaboration at the overnight retreat. Peer Educators are encouraged by the instructors to seek additional feedback and support if desired.
In the autumn quarter, you will enroll in Student Leadership Development: Honors Peer Educator Seminar (HONORS 397) where you will apply your skills and preparation from the spring by facilitating a total of six 50-minute sections of Honors 100. You will serve as a mentor to the students in your section of Honors 100, sharing your insights and experiences with the Honors curriculum, community, and resources with new Honors students. Throughout autumn, you will also continue to meet weekly with your peer educator cohort and Honors 100 Instructors for support, collaboration, and feedback.
Requirements and Key Dates
- Registration in and successful completion of the Spring HONORS 397 seminar (Tuesdays 3:30-5:20pm, 2 credits*). This seminar course will help you develop plans for your sections collaboratively with the support of Honors advisers and your peers.
- Registration and attendance in the Autumn HONORS 397 Seminar (Wednesdays, 3:30-4:50pm, 2 credits*). This seminar brings all Peer Educators together to collaborate and share ideas about their sections with support of the instructors.
- Instruction of all Autumn quarter HONORS 100 sections and attendance at all HONORS 100 lecture sessions (Mondays OR Tuesdays, 3:30-4:20pm).
- Individual time devoted outside of class and meeting times in spring and autumn quarter to effectively prepare for individual HONORS 100 sections (~3 hours per credit, or ~6 hours per week).
- Participation in the Spring Peer Educator retreat from March 31st to April 2nd.
Hear From Our Past Peer Educators
“Once I learned that being a Peer Educator would fulfill one of my graduation requirements, I decided it would be a worthwhile experience. Little did I know that being a Peer Educator would be one of the most memorable experiences of my college career” -Griffin Dugan, 2017′ 2019′ Peer Educator
Why Apply?
After an unprecedented year of learning online, 2020 Peer Educators became the first Peer Educator cohort to teach their autumn Honors 100 sections online. Here’s why they think you should apply to be a Peer Educator:
Apply Now!
The Peer Educator Application for 2023 will open on January 3rd, 2023 and will close on Monday, January 23rd at 9:00am PST
2023 New & Returning Peer Educator Application
2023 Application Timeline & Process
Recruitment & Selection Process | Dates & Details |
Application Opens | Application opens Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023 via online submission for new and returning Peer Educators |
Information Sessions | Attend an optional information session to hear more about the position and ask questions: • Monday, January 9th from 4:00-4:30pm | Zoom Link • Thursday, January 19th from 12:30-1:00pm | Zoom Link |
Application Deadline | Applications are due Monday, January 23, 2023, by 9:00am PST via online submission |
Interview Offers | All candidates will receive an email from honors100@uw.edu Friday, January 27 by 5pm PST regarding an invitation to interview for the PE role |
Interview Offer Response Deadline | If selected, please sign up for an interview date and time by Thursday, February 2nd at 9am PST. Failure to meet this deadline will forfeit your candidacy. |
Interview Confirmation | Interview date, time and details will be emailed to you by Friday, February 4th at 5pm PST |
Group Interviews | Group interviews will take place between February 8-10th, 2022, exact times TBD |
Peer Educator Status Notifications | All candidates will receive an email from honors100@uw.edu Thursday, February 16, 2023 by 5pm PST informing them of their status of being selected for the Peer Educator opportunity |
Deadline to Accept | If selected, candidates will have until February 22 at 9:00am PST to accept or decline |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible?
All current Interdisciplinary Honors Students who have completed Honors 100 are eligible to apply to the role.
What are the benefits?
Honors course credit: As a first time peer educator, you will receive two credits for each quarter of your enrollment in HONORS 397: Honors Peer Educator Leadership Development, for a total of 4 credits for the year. After completion of autumn quarter, these credits are combined to count towards one of your five required Honors additional any courses, and also count towards UW’s General Education I&S Area of Knowledge.
Priority Registration for an Honors course: All PE’s will be invited to request priority registration for one Honors course offered in the winter quarter following completion of the role.
Experiential Learning: This experience is eligible for application to the Honors Program Experiential Learning requirement.
What support do Peer Educators receive?
During both spring and autumn quarters, Peer Educators meet weekly with one another and the Honors 100 instructors to develop their courses collaboratively, discuss important questions, and reflect on challenges related to teaching and mentoring. These meetings provide a supportive environment to openly discuss the successes and challenges of leading an Honors 100 section.
In addition to weekly meetings, in both spring and autumn the Honors Instructors check in with every student individually mid-quarter to discuss progress, give feedback, and hold space for questions. Pre-quarter and end of quarter individual reflection assignments help instructors prepare for these check-ins and help guide the conversation. The reflection assignments are also used as a tool to inform Peer Educators, who often find these assignments helpful for informing their quarterly goals, as well as capturing the growth and progress they have made through the experience.
Outside of class, check-ins, and individual reflection assignments, all Peer Educators will get comprehensive feedback on each lesson plan from their instructors, as well as space in class to ask questions about and incorporate the feedback prior to submitting their final lesson plans at the end of spring quarter (while space in class is provided to ask questions about and get support from peers and instructors to incorporate lesson plan feedback, Peer Educators will still need to dedicate time outside of class to work on their lesson plans).
Finally, the overnight Peer Educator retreat in early spring allows Peer Educators to learn more about themselves, their peers, and instructors, deepening our connection as a cohort and building trust in each other.
“I made more connections [during the retreat] than I had all quarter. It was really nice to get to know my fellow Peer Educators in a way that isn’t exactly possible in a classroom setting…I knew that I admired each and everyone of my colleagues, but learning that they felt the same way really warmed my heart. ” –Taylor Halverson, 2017 Peer Educator
What type of qualifications, skills, or characteristics are you looking for in a Peer Educator candidate?
You don’t need to have extensive leadership, public speaking or curriculum planning experience to be selected as a Peer Educator, however, you do need to have a desire to challenge yourself, learn, and grow in the spring training course and autumn seminar with the support of your peers and Honors 100/397 Instructors.
Here are some qualities we look for in potential Peer Educators, please note that this list is not extensive:
- Desire to understand educational equity in more depth, as well as a desire to create an inclusive and supportive classroom environment
- Ability to speak through personal experience, and a willingness to share some of those personal experiences/stories with your students
- Creativity and enthusiasm for supporting the Honors Program and larger UW community
- Strong organizational and time management skills; demonstrated ability to balance a variety of activities, including academics and extracurricular activities.
- Demonstrated involvement on campus or in the community OR articulated desire to build leadership experience
- Ability to articulate the value and purpose of assignments, activities, and lessons
- Strong interpersonal communication skills: ability to work well with peers, new students, staff; ability to listen and respond to individuals’ questions and concerns; ability to help others problem solve and make decisions.
- Collaboration skills- be open to learning from and with fellow PE’s and be motivated to tailor/personalize the Honors 100 lesson plans with other PE’s
- Public speaking ability- be comfortable presenting in front of an audience of 15–20 people and facilitating discussions AND/OR have a desire to improve and a willingness to challenge yourself in the spring H397 course
What is the time commitment like?
Please see the Requirements and Key Deadlines section above for more information about the course requirements, overnight retreat, as well as other required events.
Returning Peer Educator Pathways and FAQ
Have you served as an Honors Peer Educator in the past? Returning PEs are eligible to apply to serve as a Lead Peer Educators (LPEs), with additional responsibilities for Honors elective credit. The application form for LPEs is the same. To learn more about this role, email Nadra at honors100@uw.edu.
Still Have Questions?
Connect With an Honors Student Leader:
Consider reaching out to your past peer educator or find a past peer educator to connect with via our Student Leader page. Nobody can speak to this experience better than someone who went through it themselves!
Attend a virtual information session!
- Monday, January 9th from 4:00-4:30pm | Zoom Link
- Thursday, January 19th from 12:30-1:00pm | Zoom Link
Contact Nadra Fredj (Honors 100/397 Course Instructor) at Honors100@uw.edu