A Hullabaloo U Instructor is a TAMU employee who teaches a section of Texas A&M's first-year experience course, Hullabaloo U. They serve as educators, resources, and ambassadors for Texas A&M University. Hullabaloo U instructors work closely with an undergraduate peer mentor to create engaging learning opportunities for their students.
Applications to serve as a Hullabaloo U Instructor for Fall 2026 are now open! Apply here by Friday, March 2nd, to be considered.
Questions? For more information about serving as a Hullabaloo U Instructor, check out our Hullabaloo U Instructor Information and Frequently Asked Questions sections below.
Hullabaloo U Instructor Information
- Receive a $500 bursary per semester that will be disbursed to your department for your use for professional development.
- Have an impact and connect with Texas A&M students. As a Hullabaloo U instructor, you will be a touch point for your students every week throughout their first semester, and will be able to ensure they are equipped for success during the rest of their time at Texas A&M. You will be an integral part of their transition to college.
- Stay connected to the student experience. Connecting to real first-year students can help put your role as a teacher/administrator/ practitioner in perspective. You will be able to work with students in a group setting and hear their common concerns during their first semester.
- Expand your network of faculty and staff. With over 350 instructors representing various campus offices and departments, instructors have the opportunity to experience a greater connection to the Texas A&M University community.
- Engage with professional development opportunities. Instructors have the opportunity to engage in student learning strategies, become more familiar with transitional needs of first-year students, and learn things they can apply to their other responsibilities.
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Commit to serving as an instructor for a semester-long (typically fall), 0-credit hour transition to college course. Sections are composed of approximately 25 first-year students and meet weekly for 50 minutes.
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Prepare and facilitate weekly well-organized presentations, class discussions, and activities on various topics. Mandatory content modules for four weeks of the semester are provided to you by the Office for Student Success. Additional encouraged content modules for other weeks with lesson plans, activities and facilitation guides is available to you as well.
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Develop a rapport and a safe relationship with new students.
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Communicate accurate and timely information to students about academic and student resources.
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Be accessible and willing to assist students as they navigate their first year, and make referrals to appropriate resources for issues that are beyond your scope of expertise.
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Abide by all curriculum guidelines such as learning outcomes, required content, etc.
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Conduct provided assessments and return completed surveys/artifacts to the Office for Student Success.
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Attend required training workshops. Instructor training will consist of:
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Hullabaloo U All-Instructor Symposium: Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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New Instructors must also complete a New Instructor Workshop
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The New Instructor Workshop is a 5-hour in-person workshop to be offered on several date options in Spring/Summer prior OR online modules to complete at one's own pace.
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The In-Person Workshop is required for new FYEX 101 instructors but is an option for all new instructors in lieu of online New Instructor Training.
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Training Dates for Fall 2025 are:
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Friday, May 2, 2025
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Wednesday, May 7, 2025
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Friday, May 16, 2025
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Meet regularly (weekly is highly recommended) with the Peer Mentor assigned to your section to coordinate and plan course components.
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Provide your Peer Mentor with leadership development opportunities to achieve their goals as a co-facilitator and co-contributor inside and outside of the classroom.
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Hold at least a Bachelor’s degree
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Status as a current Texas A&M University employee:
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Faculty OR
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Full-time staff OR
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Graduate students (who have completed at least 18 hours of graduate coursework at Texas A&M)
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International Graduate Students must have work authorization - please connect with the International Student & Scholar Services Office for more information
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Have worked at Texas A&M for a minimum of one year (as of 8/19/26) OR at least 6 months if you previously attended Texas A&M as a student
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Completion of required training workshops
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Approval by the instructor’s supervisor or department head (approval form attached during application process (print and sign form version OR electronically fillable form with digital signature version)
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Ability to teach an in-person class in College Station one day per week (specific day/time assignment is based on your availability)
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Student centered educational philosophy
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Willingness to incorporate engaging pedagogy that involves students in the learning process and socially integrates students with their classmates and peer mentor (ex. Small-group work/collaborative learning)
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Capable of relating to and developing classroom rapport with a diverse group of students
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Genuine interest in advising and mentoring new students
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Commitment to general education and development of the student as a whole person
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Awareness of campus resources and student-support services
Frequently Asked Questions
Complete the Hullabaloo U instructor application. The application requires your supervisor’s approval, with an approval form uploaded in the application process. You will also need a current resume to upload to the application as well. This application is reviewed by the Office for Student Success, and decisions are communicated on a rolling basis. If you have any questions, contact Katie Campbell, Program Manager for the First Year Experience at k_campbell@tamu.edu or (979) 458-6117.
Instructors tell us that the Hullabaloo U time commitment averages 3-4 hours per week during the teaching semester. A new instructor will be on the higher end of that scale with a returning instructor being on the lower end. All instructors teach for 50 minutes a week for 10-14 weeks, plus meet once a week with their peer mentor. Typically about one additional hour is spent per week for class prep, student follow-up and one-on-one meetings with students. We have numerous Hullabaloo U section time slots available to accommodate different schedules. The amount of time spent varies considerably by instructor based on previous teaching experience, lesson planning, grading, and other additional activities that you may undertake for your section. This is a 0-hour credit course, so outside assignments (and thus grading) should be minimal. For instructors who want to teach but have little time, we have created a template syllabus and fully developed lesson plans and facilitation guides that can be used with little to no customization.
You are welcome to co-teach with another instructor, though you should be aware that the $500 bursary will only be provided to the primary instructor of record. Additionally, co-teaching requires a great deal of collaborative lesson planning, so you may find it easier to teach independently than to co-teach. All Hullabaloo U sections are assigned a peer mentor, who also acts in some instructor capacities. Co-instructors may find it difficult to create more individualized relationships with students when there are so many instructors in the room.
Pretty flexible. There are four required Hullabaloo U lessons with associated curriculum modules that will take 4 of the 10-14 class periods. These include:
- Wellness & Mental Health
- Academic Success Strategies
- Aggie Core Values
- Careers & Goal-Setting
Outside of the 4 required lessons, you are free to customize your course to best match your experience and expertise, as well as meet the unique needs of the students in your section. The Office for Student Success will provide a repository of developed curriculum and facilitation guides that you can “plug and play” as desired or you can generate your own lesson plans that fit within the overall purpose and outcomes of the experience. More information related to course development will be provided at the New Instructor Workshop.
Instructors for CLEN 181 will follow a set curriculum/schedule and utilize the provided materials for that course.
Our New Instructor Workshop has components on course development to get you started. We have created a template syllabus and fully developed lesson plans and facilitation guides that you can utilize as well. Throughout the summer, we will offer optional instructor and course development workshops to equip you with the tools and resources you will need to be successful as an instructor.
Many of the best peer mentors have come from instructor recommendations. Please feel free to submit names of peer mentor nominees by filling out the Peer Mentor Nomination Form. We will contact the student with the application and let them know you have recommended them. Contact hullabaloou@tamu.edu if you have any additional questions.