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Discovery Academy courses depend on faculty mentors to make sure the outcomes and standards for the classes are met. Learn more about mentor information below.

Faculty mentor responsibilities are outlined in the College Faculty Mentor Agreement, found under the
forms section below. The annual meeting with the Director of K-12 Initiatives will also serve as a chance to review the responsibilities and learn any updates to the Discovery Academy program.  

It is required that faculty mentors make at least one in-person meeting and one class visit per relationship per semester. Suggested topics for these visits are:

Meeting topics may include: 

  • Course syllabus – development, requirements, outcomes, etc. 
  • Course outline 
  • Assignments and assessment criteria 
  • Course curriculum (including materials and resources) 
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  • Course philosophy and theory 
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  • Overview of faculty mentor and high school teacher expectations and completion of agreement forms 
  • Overview of the Discovery Academy handbook 
  • Professional development 
  • D2L and effective use of the software 
  • The length and number of classes and how they will be used to cover the subject matter of the course 
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and MN Government Data Privacy Act 
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Classroom observation topics may include: 

  • Clarity of the lesson objectives 
  • Organization of the presentation 
  • Communication of subject matter 
  • Demonstration of concept or principles examples 
  • The monitoring of student learning and adjusting instruction appropriately 
  • Receptiveness to students' views and responses 
  • Answering student questions clearly and positively 
  • Summarization of key points 
  • Definition of terms and background information given when necessary 
  • Student engagement and/or involvement in classroom activities 
  • The methodology used to assess student learning 

For high school teachers teaching a Discovery Academy course at their high school the faculty mentor is responsible for an additional meeting with that teacher.  This meeting is an orientation meeting for the new high school teacher and a chance to review course-specific content, which includes but is not limited to curriculum, assessments, pedagogy, course theory/philosophy, review of the handbook, professional development requirements, etc.   

Forms