TIDES offers a variety of professional development activities for CNS faculty, instructional staff, postdoctoral associates, and graduate students to develop and refine their teaching skills.
SCIENTIFIC TEACHING WORKSHOPS
TIDES hosts monthly lunchtime working sessions with CNS faculty interested in learning effective teaching strategies and developing their teaching skills. Spring 2016 workshops will be on February 3, February 29, April 5, and May 3, 12-1:30 pm in FAC 328. Registration is required. Email TIDES for registration information or suggest workshop topics.
graduate concentration in undergraduate teaching and mentoring
Beginning in Fall 2016, TIDES will offer three seminars for graduate students interested in learning to teach and mentor undergraduate students effectively. Students who complete all three seminars will complete the CNS Graduate Concentration in Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring.
- NSC 088L - Introduction to Evidence-based STEM Teaching: Students will learn to define learning objectives and design learning tasks and corresponding assessments. They will observe classrooms to identify effective teaching strategies, practice teach, and develop familiarity with research on science teaching and learning. No pre-requisites.
- NSC 088T - Mentored STEM Teaching: Students will design, teach, and conduct assessment of an instructional unit (~3 hours of class time) in an undergraduate CNS course. The process will be accomplished in collaboration with a faculty member currently teaching the course, with guidance and mentorship from an education specialist in TIDES. Pre-requisite is NSC 088L or equivalent.
- NSC 088M - Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers: Students will develop skills in mentoring undergraduates and other junior researchers in doing STEM research. Students will discuss how to define appropriate projects, establish relationships, set expectations, encourage communication, balance guidance and independence, and consider ethical issues and diversity in mentoring. No pre-requisites.
Peer Observation
Observing a colleague teach or having a colleague observe your teaching is a great way to identify new, interesting, and effective ways to teach.
- Find a class to visit. CNS faculty use various teaching practices and welcome visitors interested in observing and using these strategies in their own teaching. Contact TIDES if you would like help finding a class to visit.
- Observe systematically. One of the challenges of visiting a colleague’s classroom is knowing what to pay attention to. These tools are useful for making systematic observations of what an instructor is doing and what students are doing as a result: Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM, Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol, and Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol [Note: The RTOP takes extensive training to use reliably.] Contact TIDES if you would like someone to visit your class and give feedback to improve your teaching, or try one of these protocols
- Reflect on teaching. Thinking about the what, why, and how of teaching is an important part of making the most of peer observation. These tools are useful for individual faculty and entire departments to identify which effective teaching practices they are already using and where there are opportunities to improve: Teaching Practices Inventory and PULSE Departmental Evaluation Rubric and Guidelines.
