Preparing Future Faculty
Graduate Courses

GS 610: Seminar in College Teaching (1 Credit Hour)

This course addresses teaching and learning issues in the college classroom. It is intended for graduate students who want to prepare for future academic careers and enhance any current teaching activities. The seminar will examine pedagogical issues in a general format with opportunities for discipline-specific applications. This course can serve to augment any department-based programs.

This seminar will focus on making teaching and learning more effective, efficient, creative and enjoyable. Developing effective teaching strategies early in one's career can reduce the time and stress associated with teaching, free time for other scholarly work and collegial interactions, produce positive student evaluations, and generally make one's entry into academia more enjoyable and productive.

Goals of GS 610 are to:

1. become knowledgeable about models of teaching and learning, resources for discipline-specific pedagogy, student diversity, and alternative strategies for teaching.
2. acquire skills in making teaching and learning goals explicit, designing teaching strategies which contribute to those goals, and choosing assessment techniques that provide formative and summative feedback.
3. value creating an inclusive learning community, investigating and applying innovative teaching techniques, and engaging in reflective teaching practice.

GS 650: Preparing Future Faculty (2 Credit Hours)

This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the roles and responsibilities of the college teacher and to assist them in understanding the variety of institutions in which effective teaching takes place. Through discussions, readings, and direct experience, students will focus on the academic expectations, institutional identities, and particular policies and procedures which characterize several different types of institutions of higher learning. They will also have the opportunity to develop skills meant to assist them in applying for teaching positions and achieving success in their first appointments.

Goals of the course are the following:

1. To assist students in determining whether a college or university faculty position is a desirable goal for themselves.
2. To assist students in determining the qualities which characterize successful college teachers.
3. To assist students in identifying the various expectations which prevail in different institutions of higher learning.
4. To assist students in developing the requisite skills for obtaining a faculty position at the institution of their choice.
5. To assist students in acquiring some of the skills necessary for a successful academic career in college teaching.

Faculty from a variety of sister institutions such as Asbury College, Centre College, Eastern Kentucky University, Lexington Community College, Kentucky State University, and Transylvania University have been co-facilitators of the course.

For more information, contact Dr. Morris Grubbs at morris.grubbs@uky.edu or (859) 257-9725.

Direct questions to grad.webmaster@email.uky.edu
Last updated by Roshan Nikou February 07, 2007