Principal Investigator(s): Professor
Sharon Duffy, Department of Education
Contact: Professor Sharon
Duffy, Sharon.duffy@ucr.edu
Site Description:
The UC Links program at the Eastside Cybrary is
part of a larger collaboration between the UC Riverside
campus and the Eastside Public Library in Riverside. Five
afternoons per week, K-12 children from various local
schools take part in the Cybrary computer room. Undergraduates
provide these youth assistance in a variety of computer-based
activities, offer homework assistance and other educational
support, and encourage students to pursue a path
to higher learning. Undergraduates participate in
the Cybrary by enrolling in a course in the Graduate
School of Education at UC Riverside.
Course: Education 106: Practicum
in Child Development
Participants (based on 2005-06 data):
- Approximately 250 1st–12th grade youth
per academic year
- 70% Latino, 12% African American, 12% White,
6% Asian
- 40% male, 60% female
- 65% English language learners
- Approximately 20 undergraduates per academic year
Collaborators:
- Graduate School of Education and the Department
of Psychology, UC Riverside
- Riverside Public Library
Goals:
- Provide safe and healthy places after school
for children to learn and develop a sense of self
as participants in a global world
- Promote academic achievement and encourage low-income
youth to pursue paths to higher learning
- Increase technology literacy
- Increase math and basic literacy skills for participating
youth
- Increase knowledge and improve attitudes and
aspirations toward higher learning for participating
youth
- Develop appropriate social skills for participating
youth
- Improve the quality of graduate and undergraduate
education by connecting academic coursework to
practicum field experience
- Encourage undergraduates to explore the possibility
of a teaching career in urban, low-income communities
Activities:
- Collaborative exploration of educational software;
Board games and art projects
- Literacy and research activities
- Homework assistance, independent academic tutoring,
and writing assistance
Evaluation:
- University of California Student Academic Preparation
and Educational Partnerships (SAPEP) Annual Performance
Report
- UC Links Reading Assessment
- Survey of undergraduate interest in pursuing
graduate or professional school studies
Research focus:
- Attendance patterns
- Parent perceptions of students’ motivations
and value of participation
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