Course Description
This course provides opportunities for senior Neuroscience graduate students to obtain supervised, documented experience in preparing and delivering lectures and/or leading discussions.
Athena Title
Neuroscience Teaching Intern
Non-Traditional Format
Internship.
Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall, spring and summer
Grading System
S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory)
Course Objectives
This program provides opportunities for senior Neuroscience graduate students to obtain supervised, documented experience in preparing and delivering lectures and/or leading discussions. Neuroscience graduate students have few such opportunities as graduate lab assistants. The expected learning outcome is development of speaking skills to enhance development of professional communication skills that are essential elements of teaching and research.
Topical Outline
Administration: 1. The Graduate Coordinator or faculty member designated by the head will administer the program. 2. Participation is voluntary by both the faculty instructor and graduate student intern (GSI). Any undergraduate course, including 4000/6000-level Neuroscience Program course taught by one or two instructors, may be included in the program. 3. To be eligible to participate in the program, graduate students must have completed at least two years of graduate school and must have completed a course in teacher training. The GSI may be, but need not be, a GLA in the class. 4. Once a graduate student and a faculty member decide to participate in the program, they must notify the program administrator of their intentions and request approval. 5. The GSI may give no more than 10% of the lectures in a given class. It is recommended that no more than one GSI give lectures in a single course; if more than one GSI participates in a given class, the total number of lectures given by GSIs may not exceed 10% of the total lectures in the class. If more than one graduate student is interested in serving as a GSI in a given class, the course instructor will decide which student is the most qualified and/or if it is appropriate for more than one graduate student to serve as a GSI in the course. 6. GSI lectures may be given in a block to provide continuity and an opportunity for the GSI to develop themes; formal feedback and evaluation would probably follow the block of lectures. In other cases, the GSI may give single lectures at different times during the semester, with formal feedback and evaluation following each lecture. This approach would give the GSI time to make useful adjustments before the next lecture. The objective in either case is to provide constructive criticism, but in such a way as not to shake the confidence of a GSI who will be giving the next lecture without sufficient time to make adjustments and/or work on problems. 7. The GSI will prepare a detailed outline of the lecture(s) to be given and then will discuss the outline with the instructor. It is important that this initial planning of the lectures be done more or less independently by the student as part of the training experience. The instructor then will work with the GSI to develop the final outline, being sensitive to the GSI's interests and wishes (i.e., the GSI should not be expected to give exactly the same lecture the instructor would). 8. The instructor will attend all the lectures given by the GSI (both lectures in the case of large introductory courses). The instructor will provide a written evaluation of the GSI's performance using a form similar to that used for peer faculty teaching evaluation in our department and will discuss the evaluation in detail with the GSI. If equipment is available, it is highly recommended that one or more lectures be videotaped and discussed by the instructor and GSI. 9. If other GLAs are involved in the course, they should be strongly encouraged to attend the GSI lectures and provide written evaluations. 10. The GSI will prepare the exam questions covering the lecture material he/she delivered and will submit them to the instructor for discussion, possible modification, and approval. The GSI will grade the answers to his/her questions in small classes or instruct the lecture GLAs on the grading procedure to use in the case of large classes. In 4000/6000-level courses, graduate student exams will be graded by the instructor, not the GSI. 11. Service as a GSI is undertaken voluntarily, in addition to and completely independent of any GLA assignment. Documentation 1. This is a one-hour course entitled "Instructional Internship" graded on an S-U basis. Graduate students will be able to take this course for credit each semester they deliver two or more lectures in a course, up to a total of 10 hours. 2. By the end of the semester, the GSI will submit to the program administrator the following information in written form: 1) a copy of the detailed lecture outline developed in consultation with the instructor; 2) a summary of the pre-lecture and post-lecture discussions held with the instructor; 3) confirmation that the instructor attended all of the GSI's lectures in their entirety; 4) a copy of the instructor's written evaluation; 5) an evaluation by the GSI of this teaching experience and the important lessons learned. This documentation will be placed in the student's file; the program administrator will keep a copy in a separate file. Graduate students who fail to submit this documentation to the program administrator will not be eligible for further participation in the program. Faculty who do not provide the written evaluation (item #8) will not be eligible for participation in the program until approved to do so by the Graduate Coordinator.