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OSTEP | Graduate Teaching Fellows Program

OSTEP GTF Group

About the Graduate Teaching Fellows Program

The OSTEP Graduate Teaching Fellows Program offers support and opportunities for senior graduate students who are nominated by their college, school, or department to develop new, discipline–specific teaching support activities for other GTAs in their units. This program is co–sponsored by UCAT and Ohio State's Graduate School, and is supported in part by a strategic investment initiative from Ohio State's Office of Academic Affairs.

Click here>> to learn more about other GTA Enhancement Initiatives.


Announcing a Call for Applications for the 2012–2013 Academic Year

We are pleased to invite applications to participate in the Graduate Teaching Fellows Program for the 2012-13 academic year.

Application deadline: Monday, May 7, 2012

Links to information within this page:


Objectives

  • Enhance student learning by providing structured, ongoing teaching support to Graduate Teaching Associates.
  • Establish collegiality and sharing of program ideas across disciplines.
  • Provide assistance to units in designing and implementing enhanced GTA programs.

THE PROGRAM

Program Elements

Selected Graduate Teaching Fellows participate in a comprehensive 3 credit summer seminar, meeting twice per week during summer term (June 18 through August 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:50 - 4:30 PM in 300 Younin Success Center) to study important aspects of teaching and teaching support at the university level and examining models for departmental GTA preparation and support programs. They then meet once per month throughout the academic year to share ideas and assist with each other's project planning.

Graduate Teaching Fellows assist with departmental preparation and ongoing support of new GTAs. While they may participate in their respective department's pre–academic year teaching orientation and help GTAs get off to a good start, the central thrust of these programs will be to provide ongoing, systematic teaching support throughout the academic year. Teaching Fellows may observe and videotape GTAs, provide constructive feedback, share instructional strategies, or develop and present seminars and workshops. According to the needs of their individual departments, they will help design, modify, and implement the project proposals submitted by department chairs and faculty mentors with the program application. Graduate Teaching Fellows may do any of the following activities:

  • assist with the departmental GTA orientation activities
  • work with faculty to develop discipline–specific brown bags, workshops, or colloquia
  • lead microteaching sessions
  • observe and perhaps videotape GTAs' classroom teaching
  • provide voluntary individual consultations
  • hold office hours to consult with individual GTAs
  • organize and promote activities within departments
  • address issues of concern such as technology
  • learn and model multicultural pedagogy

Department's Commitments

Departments that choose to nominate Graduate Teaching Fellows agree to do the following:

  • provide a faculty member who will serve as liaison to the program and will mentor the Graduate Teaching Fellow in designing a program which truly meets the needs of the department and its GTAs
  • implement the activities designed by the Graduate Teaching Fellow, augmenting the seed money provided in the initial year as needed
  • institutionalize activities based on those developed by the Graduate Teaching fellow and modified by feedback collected by the program as part of the ongoing support offered to departmental GTAs
  • provide the Graduate Teaching Fellow as light a teaching load as possible in the academic year (reduced teaching assignment is beneficial for the Fellow to have the time to participate in the seminar and to plan and implement a program to enhance teaching by other GTAs). Alternatively, departments may wish to put the GTA on a 75% appointment, to compensate for the additional activity

Faculty Mentor's Commitments

If selected as a participating department/program, the faculty mentor to the Graduate Teaching Fellow agrees to the following:

  • serve as liaison to the Graduate Teaching Fellow program and the department/program
  • mentor the Graduate Teaching Fellow in designing a program that truly meets the needs of the department and its GTAs
  • help implement the activities designed by the Graduate Teaching Fellow
  • meet individually with the UCAT program coordinator and Fellow at least once in the academic year to discuss project progress
  • attend meetings as scheduled (at least one per quarter) with all Fellows and their faculty mentors throughout the relevant academic year

Nominee's Commitments

If selected, Graduate Teaching Fellows agree to the following:

  • register for the EPL 7434 Graduate Teaching Fellows course (June 18 through August 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:50 - 4:30 PM in 300 Younin Success Center)
  • participate in the course to share ideas with other Fellows and assist in each other's project planning
  • assist with departmental preparation and ongoing support of new GTAs
  • work with a faculty member to devise a program to provide ongoing, systematic teaching support throughout the academic year to GTAs in home department
  • participate in two meetings per quarter during the relevant academic year
  • meet individually with the Graduate Teaching Fellows coordinator and faculty mentor at least once during the relevant academic year, to discuss project progress
  • complete a final assessment report of the program

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

  • Each fellow will receive one summer stipend from UCAT ($1000 for fellows in departments that are new to the program; $500 for fellows in departments that are contiuing in the program)
  • Each unit will receive programming funds, to be used in support of the activities designed by the Graduate Teaching Fellow ($400 for new departments; $200 for continuing departments)

ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION PROCESS

Graduate Teaching Fellows must be:

  • nominated by a department, school, or college,
  • have a strong interest in teaching at the college or university level,
  • have had two or more years of university teaching experience, and
  • have maintained good academic standing and progress to degree.

Nominations will be reviewed by a steering committee for OSTEP. Consideration will be given to the level of departmental support, the quality of the proposed teaching enhancement project, diversity (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disciplinary distribution), and commitment to the program. Selection of participants will be jointly made by the committee and UCAT.


APPLICATION FORMS

Application forms (in Microsoft Word format) can be downloaded by clicking here>>. If you require the application form in an adapted format, please either e-mail us (ucat@osu.edu) or telephone us at 614–292–3644.

Completed application forms may either be submitted by electronic e–mail attachment to rohdieck.1@osu.edu (please type "Graduate Teaching Fellows Program Application" in subject line), or sent by mail to the address below.

Please note: All departments must submit an application form, regardless of how many years they have been participating in the GTF program.

Application deadline: Monday, May 7, 2012

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information about the Graduate Teaching Fellows Program, please contact:

Stephanie Rohdieck
Assistant Director
University Center for the Advancement of Teaching
260 Younkin Success Center
1640 Neil Avenue
Columbus, Ohio  43201–2333
Phone: 614–292–3644
E–mail: rohdieck.1@osu.edu (please type "Graduate Teaching Fellows Program" in subject line)