School of Graduate Studies and Research and the Center for Teaching Excellence Certificate in Preparing Future Faculty
Catalog Description
The Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Certificate provided graduate students an opportunity to gain experience and skills necessary to teach at a college or university in their disciplines, while completing their graduate degree at IUP. The Certificate was provided through the Center for Teaching Excellence and the School of Graduate Studies and Research, though students must have received approval from their specific graduate program coordinators. Students must have completed core classes (nine credits) within their degree programs, completed an approved teaching class (three credits), and participated in activities specific to skill learning and teaching practice. This certificate provided interested students the exposure to faculty life in a protected educational context, and allowed them to make an informed decision about whether or not they want an academic career, while gaining the experience to be competitive if they choose to move forward into teaching.
Background
In fall 2016, the Center for Teaching Excellence began a PFF initiative with graduate students across campus. This initiative was led by John Lewis (RP co-director and criminology professor) and Stephanie Taylor-Davis (CTE director and food and nutrition professor) was mirrored after Duke University, considered to be the premier PFF program, and also drew upon the framework for the departmentally-based PFF program offered by IUP's Criminology Department. From 2016 to 2018, monthly workshops were held to provide students specific information and skills related to teaching at community colleges. These workshops provided interested students information that may not have been available in their degree program, though some graduate departments do offer a teaching course specific to their discipline. The goal of the CTE PFF program was to help IUP graduate students meets their needs to obtain skills to make them more competitive in their respected fields, as well as make them more informed instructors if employed to teach at a community college or university in the future. The CTE PFF program was expanded upon and formalized to become part of the IUP Preparing Future Faculty Certificate program (approved by University Senate on May 1, 2018), supported by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the School of Graduate Studies and Research. The PFF Certificate provides all interested graduate students the opportunity to document gained knowledge and skills to prepare for college teaching within their discipline. The first cohort of students was accepted into the program in fall 2018.
The role of the Center for Teaching Excellence in the Preparing Future Faculty Certificate program included:
- Monthly meetings to enhance understanding and competence in the major areas of faculty responsibility that emphasizes teaching with some programs on advising, scholarship, and service. Workshop Agenda
- CTE Advisory Board review and approval of course syllabi from different departments who want their course(s) included for the PFF teaching course requirement. Courses may be cross-listed with a GSR prefix course. Currently Approved Courses
- CTE Advisory Board reviewed applications and recommended candidates for admission to the PFF certificate program.
- CTE Advisory Board and CTE Reflective Practice Co-Directors provided feedback on one classroom teaching observation (in-person/face-to-face, via real-time audio-videoconference, or by reviewing a video recording) per PFF student.
PFF Teaching Observation Form