Academic Counseling About Us Leadership & Staff Academic Support Framework Contact Us ZotUnity Academics Learning Specialist Support ZotUnity FAQ ZotUnity Academics Home Education Medical Education MD Programs Student Support MD Programs Academic Counseling > ZotUnity Academics What is ZotUnity Academics? ZotUnity Academics is a peer-based learning program facilitated by dedicated upper-class students who provide learning strategies and guidance to facilitate the transition to medical school learning for their peers. The program supports long-term learning techniques, clinical correlations, and exam preparation, and promotes excellence in education through the training and development of student MS2-MS4 facilitators. The ZotUnity Academics program for MS1s was launched in 2020. We currently serve MS1s to MS4s. Program Highlights Participation 97% of MS1s actively take part in the ZotUnity Academics program. MSATs ZotUnity Academics is supervised and guided by MS2-MS4 student teachers. Satisfaction Feedback collected every two months shows that our students find ZotUnity Academics sessions valuable and that they enhance their learning. Outcome Results indicated an improved understanding of medical concepts, increased learning quality, stronger relationships and the creation of compensated leadership opportunities for MS. Support Models MS1 Program Exam Review Tutorials Course-specific for content preceding an exam 2-hour sessions Biweekly Case-Based Collaborative Learning Communities Navigate clinical vignettes in tandem with the course curriculum Diverse learning communities with 5 - 8 peers 1-hour sessions Academic Mentorship Each MSAT will check in with their cohort of students at least once monthly Provide 3rd party resource recommendations, study strategies, and mental wellness support Small Group Tutoring By student request MS2 Program Exam Review Tutorials Course-specific for content preceding a UCI exam 2-hour sessions Shelf Exam Review Tutorials Course-specific for content preceding a shelf exam 2-hour sessions Monthly Board Style Questions in Collaborative Learning Communities Navigate Step 1 questions in tandem with the course curriculum Diverse learning communities with 5- 8 peers 1-hour sessions Academic Mentorship Each MSAT will check in with their cohort of students at least once monthly Provide 3rd party resource recommendations, study strategies, and mental wellness support Small Group Tutoring By student request MS3 Program Shelf Review Sessions Rotation-specific for shelf exams Covers the 7 core rotations 1-hour sessions Academic Mentorship Each MSAT will check in with their cohort of students at least once monthly Provide 3rd party resource recommendations, study strategies, and mental wellness support Small Group Tutoring By student request Intro to Rotation Sessions OSCE Review Sessions Become an MSAT MSAT recruitment begins in Spring for each academic year. All positions are paid and MSATs may work up to 10-hours per week. Student Teacher 30 - 50 positions Plan, prepare, and deliver lesson plans that facilitate active learning using evidence-based pedagogical methods to a cohort of 5 - 8 students (MS1 and MS2 Programs) Provide small group and/or individual tutoring Serve as an Academic Mentor: Provide monthly check-ins with your cohort of students to discuss 3rd party resources, learning strategies, and mental wellness support Director of Operations 1 position Provide support in the implementation of the ZotUnity Academics program by overseeing the day-to-day administrative operations of the program Assist each program Director in managing schedules and instructional resources for sessions Post session notices, set-up and maintain sign-up sheets and respond to student questions Use technology to streamline processes and maintain quality assurance of central repository for instructional resources Serve as Student Teacher MS1, MS2 & MS3 Directors 3 positions Assume leadership and responsibility for developing, coordinating, and implementing the ZotUnity Academics program with excellence Refine program vision, mission and strategy in collaboration with Learning Specialist and Student Advisory Board Coordinate efforts among Student Teachers, Course Directors and faculty to ensure alignment between curriculum, small group instruction, and resources Foster a culture of professionalism by observing and evaluating Student Teachers to ensure use of effective, research-based teaching methodologies and practices Stay informed and proactive about implementing innovative research-based solutions to support student learning drawn from academic literature Serve as Student Teacher Curriculum Specialist 4 positions Support Student Teachers by developing and improving instructional materials for MS1 or MS2 sessions Plan and examine curriculum across all teaching staff to ensure instruction is research-based, focused and efficient Develop instructional materials and curate resources to support instructional leadership for case-based and/or other learning sessions Incorporate Student Teacher feedback to improve instructional resources Serve as Student Teacher Education Research Specialist 3 positions Support program research and data analyses Work collaboratively with team to facilitate education research projects Conduct and write literature reviews related to educational research, evaluation, and assessment Support systematic collection and analysis of data, write reports, prepare presentations on findings Serve as Student Teacher Hired MSATs will participate in the following: Initial training and orientation in best practices in teaching and tutoring Ongoing monthly professional development Peer observations of optimal teaching practices Data collection of student satisfaction and program refinement Research and publication of program outcomes ZotUnity Academics Testimonials My ZotUnity Academics program tutors were amazing and devoted their time to answering our questions and motivating us. I truly enjoyed my experience with the program and would consider doing it again. -UCI Medical Student My tutors were amazing and helped conceptualize the material in a way that was clinically relevant. -UCI Medical Student I repeatedly learned more from these tutors in a few hours than I did the rest of the block. They're great teachers because they understand their students and set reasonable learning objectives. -UCI Medical Student