Tier 1: Teaching Assistantship (year two)

Prerequisite:

• Successful completion of UNIV 400, Professional Development for Graduate Teaching Assistants (taken in the first year of graduate school)

Purpose:

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

Duties (defined by course instructor but often including 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 1 or 2 topics

 

Tier 2: Seminar Teaching – PSCL390, 1-credit specialty course (third year)

Prerequisites:

• Completion of Tier 1
• Completion of PSCL 453 (Seminars in Psychology: Teaching of Psychology), usually in the second year; PSCL 453 includes the design of a 1-credit course
• MA Degree
• Positive recommendation of instructor of course in which student was a Teaching Assistant

Purpose:

• To provide experience in developing and effectively delivering lectures in a small seminar format (class size is limited to 20 students)
• To give experience with grading systems and policies

Duties:

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

 

Tier 3: Teaching in a Larger Course – 3-credit course (optional)

Students who wish to pursue a career in academia must have demonstrable experience in teaching larger classes. The course will be a regularly scheduled course which represents a major area of expertise in each training program, such as Abnormal Psychology, Child Development, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Health Psychology, or Statistics. Compensation is provided through a stipend. These teaching opportunities are based on departmental needs and availability of funding for student stipends.

Prerequisites:

• Completion of Tier 2
• Positive recommendation of faculty member who supervised the Tier 2 course
• Approval of faculty member who is expert in the substantive area of the Tier 3 course

Purpose:

• To give students experience in developing a course where class size is limited to 40 students
• To provide experience in developing and effectively delivering lectures in a larger class format
• To give experience in tutoring students and grading exams

Duties:

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