Program Requirements

Community members are expected to attend and actively participate in all required WISE RP events throughout the academic year. They are expected to keep their Tuesday evenings free to participate in required programming, and participate in a variety of additional optional programming and events that occur weekly throughout the semester on various days of the week. Prospective students can view a sample WISE RP Passport to Success below. 

Community members are expected to maintain consistent communication and engagement with their assigned Peer Mentor and mentee group. This includes, but is not limited to, responding to texts, group chat messages, and emails in a reasonable time frame, participating in activities, and maintaining open lines of communication.

Community members are expected to maintain consistent communication and engagement with their Resident Advisor, meet individually once a semester with the WISE RP Associate Director, and participate in WISE RP Welcome Week (fall term) and Alumni Weekend (winter term) activities. Participation in WISE RP Study Groups is also strongly encouraged.

Purpose

The WISE RP Passport to Success program allows students to learn more about themselves as students, future STEM leaders, and as human beings. WISE RP leadership, in addition to our student leaders, implement workshops, speakers and panels, and critical conversations that elevate and enhance student learning in a living & learning environment. 

Learning Outcomes

In congruence with outcomes for both the broader Michigan Learning Communities and the introductory ALA 107 and 108 WISE RP membership courses, students will know success by:

• Gaining an appreciation for campus support resources and how best to leverage touch points within their own journeys.
• Developing a solid sense of connection and belonging to the WISE RP community.
• Apply curricular concepts from academic coursework.
• Actively engaging with WISE RP staff and student leaders individually and collectively.
• Possessing an increased sense of self-efficacy across various developmental topics.
• Holding themselves accountable for meeting Passport standards and expectations.

Participant Expectations and Accountability

As part of our WISE RP Passport to Success, all program participants are expected to attend and actively participate within all required WISE RP events throughout the academic year. All required and optional events will be reflected with the appropriate notation in the WISE RP Google Calendar and in the weekly WISE RP Newsletter.

First-year WISE RP participants are expected to earn 200 total points towards their WISE RP Passport to Success.

100 of your 200 points are earned by attending WISE Nights in the fall term. Alumni Weekend is included in the 100 required points during winter term. The remaining 100 points are earned by attending a variety of WISE RP Events. The points can be earned in the following categories:

• Peer Mentor Programs
• Peer Mentor / Squad Touchpoints
• WISE RP Resident Advisor Events 
• Additional WISE RP Approved Events

All events are listed in several online platforms, including:

• WISE RP Google Calendar
• WISE RP Slack Channel
• WISE RP Weekly Newsletter

It is the responsibility of all community members, including student leaders, to review and understand your specific expectations and requirements. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE TO THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS.

In congruence with outcomes for both the broader Michigan Learning Communities and the introductory ALA 107 and 108 WISE RP membership courses, students will know success by:

• Gaining an appreciation for campus support resources and how best to leverage touch points within their own journeys.
• Developing a solid sense of connection and belonging to the WISE RP community.
• Apply curricular concepts from academic coursework.
• Actively engaging with WISE RP staff and student leaders individually and collectively.
• Possessing an increased sense of self-efficacy across various developmental topics.
• Holding themselves accountable for meeting Passport standards and expectations.

WISE RP Seminar occurs in both the fall and winter term. Community members are expected to maintain enrollment in and successfully complete ALA 107 and ALA 108. Ten percent of one's ALA grade is connected to their co-curricular engagement through the Passport to Success Program.

Community members are expected to maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher for the Fall term. If a community member plans to return as a student leader in any capacity, they are also expected to maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA for each subsequent term.

Course Description 

ALA 107 is a required one-credit course for all first-year students enrolled in the Women in Science and Engineering Residence Program (WISE RP). Through a combination of class discussions, interactive presentations, and classroom activities, this seminar will expose students to both the intellectual life at the University of Michigan and what it means to pursue an education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The course is anchored by the following tenets of the WISE RP: identity in a STEM context and cultivating STEM efficacy. Through discussions, group activities, and readings, students will explore how to grow in these tenets and cultivate the skills necessary to be successful in and out of the classroom. 

Learning Outcome

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Recognize the ways in which identity, power, and privilege informs and impacts experiences in life broadly and in STEM specifically.
• Articulate their personal and professional goals and the resources they need to fulfill them.
• Cultivate a critical perspective/understanding of the ways in which social, political, and racial dynamics are present and impact individuals, research, policy, and various disciplines of STEM.
• Discover ways in which to bolster and maintain STEM self-efficacy.
• Develop skills necessary to facilitate mentoring relationships and build one’s network.
• Identify and utilize academic and campus resources (e.g., science learning center, engineering learning center, writing center, internships, workshops, speaker series, time management principles, tutors, study groups) to promote personal and academic success.

Course Description

ALA 108 is a required one-credit course for all first-year students enrolled in the Women in Science and Engineering Residence Program (WISE RP). ALA 108 builds upon concepts discussed in ALA 107 as they pertain to STEM efficacy and identity, and situates those concepts in practice to cultivate tangible skills that promote success in any STEM context. Through a combination of class discussions, interactive presentations, and classroom activities, this course will assist students in continued self-definition, finding their voice as leaders broadly and within STEM environments, and offer forth tips and ideas on how to accomplish their goals. 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Define for themselves what success looks like in STEM.
• Deepen their understanding of how their identities shape experiences in STEM environments and leadership practice and apply this knowledge to engage in culturally competent leadership.
• Explore how bias manifests in leadership contexts and cultivate best practices to navigate these challenges.
• Understand foundational concepts of leadership, including strengths, capacity building, attitudes, skills, and beliefs.
• Apply various best practices to promote STEM success (i.e., enhanced communication skills, professional development, exposure to various STEM-related resources).
• Cultivate presentation abilities and enhance team/group engagement skills.
• Identify and utilize academic and campus resources (e.g., science learning center, engineering learning center, writing center, internships, workshops, speaker series, time management principles, tutors, study groups) to promote personal and academic success.

• Reflection Papers
• Online Discussion Posts
• Group Projects & Facilitation
• Social Media Takeovers 
• Synchronous and Asynchronous Activities
• Interview with gender minoritized STEM professionals

• Self-Efficacy in STEM
• Imposter Syndrome
• Mentorship & Networking
• Identity & Intersectionality in STEM
• Leadership Development
• Cultural Competency