Undergraduate Teaching Interns

To be a UGTI, you need to earn a grade of B+ or higher in the course for which you are applying. University Park and World Campus students are both eligible to apply and are not limited to assisting only at their home campus.

Additionally, students may become a UGTI at any point in their academic career — freshman through senior year — if they have successfully completed the course for which they are applying.

Students who are interested in this opportunity may either apply using the UGTI application form distributed by the department each semester or be directly recruited by a faculty member. If you enjoy the content of a particular course or are interested in working with a specific faculty member, you are encouraged to reach out directly to that faculty member to express your interest. You may also contact a member of the advising team to discuss your options.

For students who do not have a specific course or instructor in mind, the application may be submitted with general interests and background information. The department will evaluate faculty needs and attempt to align those needs with student interests so that qualified students may serve as UGTIs.

Regardless of whether a student has been recruited by a faculty member, an application form must be submitted to be considered for a UGTI position. Submitting an application does not guarantee selection as a UGTI, but it is an essential first step in the process.

Students typically apply during the semester prior to the one in which they will serve as a UGTI. Each semester, the department sends the application link to all BBH students at University Park and World Campus. If students wish to work with a specific faculty member or assist with a particular course, they should discuss the opportunity with the faculty member before applying. When assisting with a specific course or faculty member, students must obtain the faculty member’s permission before proceeding. Students may apply up to one week before the course in which they will serve as a UGTI begins.

For the fall semester, students can expect to hear from the department in early to mid-August; for the spring semester, in mid-December or early January. Selected students will receive an email from the department with onboarding instructions for their UGTI position.

All onboarding tasks must be completed prior to assisting with the course. Once the pre-work training and clearances are complete, the department will notify the student and instructor. Students cannot assist with the course until they receive this confirmation email from the department. 

All UGTIs are required to complete three self-paced online trainings and a Canvas orientation module prior to beginning UGTI duties.

Pre-work

Students must complete three trainings on Penn State's Learning Resource Network (LRN)

• FERPA tutorial and quiz
• Clery Act Training
• Building a Safe Penn State: Reporting Child Abuse

These trainings must be completed every academic year. Students who serve as UGTIs for multiple semesters only need to re-take the trainings if it has been more than a year since their previous completion.

Canvas orientation module

After accepting a UGTI position, all students will be added to a UGTI training page on Canvas. After reviewing the module, students must complete a 10-question quiz and score 100%. Students have three attempts to score 100%.

Clearance

After accepting the UGTI position, the department will submit a clearance request on behalf of the student with Penn State Human Resources. Students will receive an email from DoNotReply@fadv.com within a few days. They must click the link in the email and provide the requested information. The department will be notified once the background check is received.

The process usually takes less than a week. If students do not receive an email from Penn State HR within three or four days of accepting the UGTI position, they should notify the department. 

Students can either volunteer or earn credit as a UGTI.

Some students do not want or need additional credits and would rather volunteer for the experience. Students can develop positive relationships with professors and peers, which can lead to letters of recommendation and leadership experience. Even if volunteering for the position, the student must complete all pre-work, forms, and clearances. 

If earning credit, students can earn one to three credits in BBH 496: Independent Studies. A few things to note if earning credit:

• BBH 496 does not count toward BBH elective requirements. It can count toward degree requirements, but only in the University-wide offerings category.
• When registering for BBH 496, students do need to pay tuition for the class, just like any other Penn State class.
• When registering for a for-credit class, students are expected to spend approximately three hours of work time per week per credit. If participating for credit, students should talk to the course instructor about how many hours per work they are able to commit to the internship and decide accordingly how many credits to take. (For example, if the student plans to work on average six hours per week, they should register for two credits of BBH 496.)

All students, whether volunteering or earning credits, will be held to the same standards and must act professionally.

Additionally, all students must submit the BBH registration form after completing the training. Students will receive a link to the form in their initial onboarding email. This form has a section that allows students to indicate whether they are earning credit or volunteering. Credit will not be added in LionPATH until this form has been submitted, which should be done by the end of the first week of classes for the semester in which they are serving as a UGTI.