Signature Work at DU

To realize DU’s public good vision, DU students have opportunities for connected, high-impact educational experiences that prepare them to make connections among ideas and experiences in order to apply information and skills to public discovery.  

On the path to public good discovery, some students carry out signature work. Signature work is a high impact practice through which students: 

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    Transfer their learning from classes to projects that address complex problems of importance to the student and the public good

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    Have agency and play a key role in defining and carrying out projects in which they immerse themselves

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    Receive individualized mentoring

 

At DU, signature work is often collaborative. For example, community-engaged signature work emphasizes equitable collaboration with community partners to address public problems.   

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Student Research & Creativity

As part of our commitment to holistic learning, both undergraduate and graduate students have access to mentorship and funding, so they can imagine and pursue projects that matter to them. From research to creative work, faculty are key collaborators who help students develop their ideas, build grant proposals, carry out their project, and more. We call it Student Signature Work, and it brings hands-on learning and career-ready skill building to life.  

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Faculty Community of Practice

Communities of Practice bring together cohorts of faculty and staff who commit to work together over the academic year to build their leadership skills and capacity to mentor students in signature work and high impact practices. The topics that Communities focus on change from year-to-year to meet the evolving interests of faculty and staff.  

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Signature Faculty and Students Program

The DU Signature Faculty and Student Program recognizes faculty with records of excellence in mentoring undergraduate signature work in order to support their capacity to mentor collaborative, community-engaged signature work that addresses DU Grand Challenges issue areas. DU’s Office of Public Good Strategy and Research will make two awards in AY 2024-2025. For full award details click the link below.

The 2024-2025 application is now open. The deadline to submit proposals is September 16th, 2024 at noon.

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Graduate Mentor Fellows

Graduate Mentor Fellows are graduate students working to develop and apply their skills as mentors. Over the 2023-2024 academic year, Graduate Mentor Fellows will join a cohort of graduate student peers to develop their own mentoring skills through guided training, collaboration, and reflection designed to support their personal, professional, and academic goals. In turn, Graduate Mentor Fellows will work with faculty members to co-mentor undergraduate students in research and/or creative work.

The 2023-2024 cohort is now full. To learn more about the program, click below: 

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