DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Teaching Program for Graduate Student

Introduction

The primary goal of the Teaching Program should be to train teachers. This needs to be done while protecting the graduate student's progress towards degree completion and ensuring that undergraduates are exposed to only highly qualified teachers. The secondary benefits to the department are that assistance will be available in teaching large classes and a greater number of courses will be added to our curriculum. The program has three tiers. All students would be required to complete the first tier. Participation in the other tiers of the program would depend on the student's career goals.

Each participant in levels beyond the Teaching Assistantship will enroll in PSCL 500, Teaching of Psychology, a course on teaching offered by a member of the psychology faculty. This course ordinarily will be offered in the spring and may rotate among faculty.

• The seminar ordinarily will be offered each spring.
• Prerequisite for teaching a PSCL 390 course.
• The course will count as one full course in the faculty activity count.

• Meet once a week to teach fundamentals of course design, instruction, and student interaction.
• The instructor will hold additional monthly meetings during the fall and spring semesters for all graduate teachers. The purpose of these meetings will be to discuss teaching issues encountered by the graduate teachers and to offer further didactic experiences.
• Act as a secondary resource for all graduate instructors. The graduate teacher's primary resource will be the faculty member who is serving as the student's teaching supervisor.

Level 1: Teaching Assistantship

• Expose graduate student to a teaching mentor. The mentor is expected to discuss all aspects of course development including topic selection, syllabus construction, and grading philosophy.
• Provide experience in developing and effectively delivering lectures.
• Give experience in tutoring students and grading exams.

• Approval of Chair.

• Required of all students.
• Perform duties of Teaching Assistant in one course.
• Complete requirement within the first two years of graduate studies.

• Defined by course instructor but to include the following.
• Attend all class meetings.
• Hold weekly office hours.
• Hold review sessions before each exam.
• Grade exams under supervision of course instructor.
• Lecture on one topic. Lectures not to exceed one week of class meetings.

Level 2: Seminar Teaching (PSCL 390, 1 credit course)

This part of the program would follow the successful experience which the department has had with the program in which students have had the opportunity to offer a 1 credit seminar on a topic of special interest. The revised program includes a course on teaching and direct supervision.

• $1000 in stipend

• Give student experience in developing a special topic seminar where class size is limited to 20 students.
• Provide experience in developing and effectively delivering lectures in a small seminar format.
• Give experience in tutoring students and grading exams.
• Supervision by faculty member who has expertise in the area of the course.

• MA degree.
• Completion of Level 1 teaching experience, Teaching Assistant.
• Positive recommendation of instructor of course in which the student was a Level 1 Teaching Assistant.
• Completion of PSCL 500, Teaching of Psychology.
• Approval of Chair.

• Optional experience for students who want to develop teaching expertise.
• Seminar offered during the third or fourth year of graduate study.

• Hold weekly office hours.
• Perform all duties of a course instructor.
• Attend monthly meetings of graduate teachers.

• $3000 in stipend

• Give student experience in developing a course where class size is limited to 40 students.
• Provide experience in developing and effectively delivering lectures in a larger class format.
• Give experience in tutoring students and grading exams.
• Supervised by faculty member who has expertise in the area of the course.

• Completion of Level 2 teaching experience.
• Positive recommendation of faculty member who supervised the Level 2 course.
• Approval of Chair.
• Approval of faculty member who is expert in the substantive area of the course.

• Optional experience for students who want to develop teaching expertise.
• Supervised by faculty member with expertise in the content area of the course.
• Course offered during the fourth or fifth year of graduate study.

• Hold weekly office hours.
• Perform all duties of a course instructor.
• Attend monthly meetings of graduate teachers.