New graduate course on teaching offered

The Institute for Teaching & Learning (ITL) and the Graduate School are offering a new Summer Institute in College Instruction that will run from May 12 through 23.

This Institute is the graded core course for the graduate certificate program in college instruction that is intended to boost the teaching skills of graduate students and teaching assistants and provide them with a significant teaching credential.

The course carries three credits and is intended primarily for graduate students who are in the early stages of their Ph.D. program and who intend to take other courses to complete the nine-credit certificate in college instruction.

The Institute will consist of 10 days of morning and afternoon classes, seminars, and workshops that will focus on such topics as syllabus creation, good pedagogical use of PowerPoint, and engagement in the classroom.

It is designed to enable graduate students to develop instructional material using the best practices in course design; integrate educational technology into courses; deliver effective classroom instruction; create assessment and evaluation methodologies that match learning and instructional objectives; and document course and teaching achievements.

“Many graduate students plan for a career that involves teaching,” says Keith Barker, director of the Institute for Teaching and Learning.

“This Summer Institute, as part of the graduate certificate, will for the first time provide the opportunity for any graduate student to obtain a credential in teaching.”

The Institute has a capacity of 20 students. To apply, students must complete and submit an application form, along with a current resume and a one-page statement that addresses their career goals, specific teaching interests, why they wish to participate in the Institute, and how they anticipate the learning will contribute to their program’s courses.

Candidates must also solicit one confidential letter of recommendation from a UConn faculty member.

Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2.

More information is available on the Summer Institute website.