Teaching a Seminar
Reflection and Projection
This is a sample of the RAP webpage that each of your new student advisees will complete and submit on-line. Students are directed to the RAP website in August and submit their RAP letter electronically. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of your advisee's submission, which you will be able to access on-line via the same website. Faculty mentors should use the students' responses to the RAP as the foundation for mentoring sessions during Orientation and throughout their relationship with their students.
Sample RAP Letter and Prompt
Dear Member of the Class of 20xx,
Throughout the years that will lead to your Skidmore degree, you will be asked to reflect upon your educational experience, to define what education means to you, and to plan goals for the future that will make good use of your education. This activity of Reflection and Projection begins with the Skidmore RAP, a letter you write to your faculty mentor. Your RAP will be uniquely and individually yours, but it will help you apply the many resources available at Skidmore to your personal goals. Your RAP will grow by stages and will change along with you. There will be plenty of opportunities to review and revise, but now is the time to start reflecting on your future.
Write a RAP letter to your faculty mentor; this individual is the instructor of your Scribner Seminar and is your academic advisor. Your faculty mentor will want to discuss your letter when you meet on Tuesday, September 6th, during New Student Orientation, so be honest and be thoughtful. Although you are writing to your mentor, you are also writing for yourself. Make the most of this exercise as an important next step toward the many opportunities Skidmore can offer you. As you compose your letter, you might want to respond to some of the following questions:
Why, in your opinion, is a liberal education important and meaningful in the 21st century? Why are you attending Skidmore and what do you hope to explore while here? What topics are most intellectually stimulating and enjoyable to you? What issues, questions or concerns do you approach with the most excitement or anxiety? In what circumstances, inside or outside the classroom, have you learned or grown the most, and why? What do you hope to achieve after one year at Skidmore?
Please submit your letter by xxxx. You may only submit your letter ONCE, but will be allowed to add comments at any time.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the FYE office at (518) 580-8111 or fye@skidmore.edu.
Sample email to class
Dear Members of the Class of 20XX,
As you prepare to journey, both literally and intellectually, to Skidmore later this month, we'd like you to take some time to reflect on this moment in your lives. For obvious reasons, this marks an important transition in your personal and intellectual maturity. You will confront many challenges both in and out of the classroom, some of which you can no doubt imagine, others of which you might not.
Please take the time to respond to the RAP. Not to sound too authoritarian, but this is mandatory. The deadline for responding is _______________. The Academic RAP will be used by your faculty advisor during orientation (and beyond) to discuss your future academic plans (it should be noted that only your faculty advisor will have access to your Academic RAP).