PREPARING THE PROFESSORIATE
Notes Regarding Previous Applications

Several different types of applications for Preparing the  Professoriate have been successful during previous years of the program. Some mentoring configurations were traditional and centered on course design, while others were highly interactive.

All successful applications shared the following characteristics:

• The Teaching Associates were far enough along in their academic careers that they were ready to teach a course.  A minimum of 18 graduate level credit hours must be completed before joining the PTP program.  Preference will be given to those with 30 graduate credit hours or more.

• Teaching Associates were enrolled in a Ph. D. program at the time of application.

• Teaching Associates had a competitive grade point average.

• The plans for the teaching portfolio, by which participation in Preparing the  Professoriate could be documented, were well developed and articulated.

Examples of portfolio contents: reflective/summative statements by Teaching Associates and/or mentors about the experience; statement of course goals, course syllabi, student and faculty evaluations of teaching, videotapes of teaching, examples of student work with commentary, course handouts, exams, and articles or presentations at professional meetings that result from the mentoring experience.

• The process by which the Faculty Mentor would give feedback to the Teaching Associate was clearly articulated.

Examples of feedback mechanisms: class observations with mentor feedback, videotaping, reviewing papers with mentor, etc.

• The pre-teaching experiences in which the student would participate with the mentor were clearly defined (e.g., observation, curriculum materials development, co-teaching, and teaching small segments of a class).

• The teaching semester was taught solely by the Teaching Associate or was co-taught with the mentor, but the Teaching Associate performed a significant amount of the teaching.

The following were typical problem areas in the less successful applications:

• The information in the application was vague or incomplete.
  
• There was little or no evidence that the applicant had thought about the mentoring experience thoroughly.
  

• The Teaching Associate was not at an appropriate point in his or her academic career to fully utilize a significant supervised teaching experience.

• The Teaching Associate was proposing very little "hands-on" teaching.

Other points to keep in mind:

• The teaching semester must be done at the undergraduate level.  Teaching Associates cannot teach a graduate level course.

• If you alter the observation/teaching semesters and do not do them consecutively and within the year you participate in the program as a cash award winner, the second half of the cash award will only be issued upon completion of all program requirements.

• Your observation semester cannot be done if you are enrolled in the course that you will be observing.  

When returning the application please include:

• This application form
• Curricula vitae of both the Graduate Student Teaching Associate and the Prospective Faculty Mentor.  The curricula vitae for mentors should be a maximum of two pages highlighting selected teaching activities.
• A photocopy of your transcript

            Now click here to go to 2007-2008 Application page.