Tier 1: Teaching Assistantship (year two)

image credit UMC

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