Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme
Encyclopedia
The Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme (UAS) is a program in the United Kingdom
devised to encourage students enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs to enter teaching by awarding them with degree course credits.
devised the idea with three aims:
UAS was set up to provide a structure to get undergraduates into the classroom, based on a model pioneered at Imperial College London
, but adding the incentive of academic credit for program participants..
After receiving approval to pilot UAS from the University of Surrey
, Singh backed a launch of the program with his own money, with the assistance of Ravi Kapur and others. Student interest in the program was high. Singh indicated that in the pilot year of the program 10 of 13 math undergraduates who participate at the University of Southampton
subsequently entered teacher training. By the midpoint of its second year, in February 2004, the program was being described by the Times Educational Supplement
(TES) as a success, with nine universities onboard and an additional 30 expressing interest. In October 2005, Singh wrote in The Guardian
that UAS was established in "over 50 university departments, mainly mathematics, science and engineering, with more coming on board each year." In the 2007-2008 academic year, involvement had risen to 107 university departments, with 750 undergraduate participants.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
devised to encourage students enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs to enter teaching by awarding them with degree course credits.
History
Noting the declining enrollment in STEM subjects at UK universities, a team including author Simon SinghSimon Singh
Simon Lehna Singh, MBE is a British author who has specialised in writing about mathematical and scientific topics in an accessible manner....
devised the idea with three aims:
- to encourage undergraduates in those fields to go into teaching,
- to support teachers and
- to provide role models for school students who might otherwise never meet a young person who had chosen to study a STEM subject.
UAS was set up to provide a structure to get undergraduates into the classroom, based on a model pioneered at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, but adding the incentive of academic credit for program participants..
After receiving approval to pilot UAS from the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
, Singh backed a launch of the program with his own money, with the assistance of Ravi Kapur and others. Student interest in the program was high. Singh indicated that in the pilot year of the program 10 of 13 math undergraduates who participate at the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
subsequently entered teacher training. By the midpoint of its second year, in February 2004, the program was being described by the Times Educational Supplement
Times Educational Supplement
The Times Educational Supplement is a weekly UK publication aimed primarily at school teachers in the UK. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in The Times newspaper. Such was its popularity that in 1914, the supplement became a separate publication selling for 1 penny.The TES...
(TES) as a success, with nine universities onboard and an additional 30 expressing interest. In October 2005, Singh wrote in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that UAS was established in "over 50 university departments, mainly mathematics, science and engineering, with more coming on board each year." In the 2007-2008 academic year, involvement had risen to 107 university departments, with 750 undergraduate participants.