Start to Teach - Career Perspectives Series
As a PhD student, you may be asked to teach (a section of) a course. ‘Start to Teach’ is designed to cover the foundational principles of university teaching through a series of workshops that will support you as you start on your teaching journey. This course assists you in planning and preparing your teaching activities, gives you the tools to engage and activate students, and shows you some best practices for giving feedback and assessing assignments and exams.
The training will start a few weeks before the start of your teaching activities. Assignments will continue during your teaching activities to enable on-the-job reflection. The assignments will be provided via Nestor.
| Target group | PhD students with teaching activities |
|---|---|
| Level | No (educational) experience required |
| Date |
Semester 2a/Block 3:
Semester 2b/Block 4:
|
| Study load | 42 hours (1,5 ECTS); preparation of assignments is required before meeting attendance |
| Price |
450 EUR (course offered by the Graduate schools) PhD Scholarship students who cannot cover the costs with their PhD training budget can request a reduction in course costs. Please indicate if this applies to you in the registration form and we will contact you with more information. |
| Number of participants | 10-24 |
| Language | English |
| Certificate |
Successful completion of all assignments and 75% attendance will award you a certificate. Please note that the first session is absolutely mandatory in order to follow the course. |
| Entry knowledge |
For this training you will need: |
| Contact info |
For more information: contact the team of Start to Teach (starttoteach rug.nl) |
Learning Objectives
After completing the training you will be able to:
Preparation
- Describe the design of your course, including the learning objectives, and the teaching and assessment methods that are chosen for the course you will teach
- Describe the outline and preparation of a tutorial or lab work
- Define and plan your own responsibilities in collaboration with the course coordinator
- Make your expectations of students explicit, in order to overcome problems with cultural differences
Carrying out interactive lectures and tutorials
- Teach interactive lectures and tutorials to small groups (20-25) of students, which includes: providing explanations, leading different types of conversations with students, formulate clear assignments for students, and adapt to prior knowledge and expectations
- Prepare materials for students
- Solve problems (in the international classroom) in order to create an inclusive classroom environment
Feedback and Assessment
- Provide feedback on student work (in a verbal and written form)
- Mark student work reliably and transparently
Testimonials
'The environment was positively challenging. I liked to do the course with people not in my field, know their problems , and have an external point of view to solve mine.'
'To be a good teacher, one has to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of oneself. A good teacher is not only knowledgeable, but also good at giving this knowledge to other people with various personalities and backgrounds. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of yourself, allows to assess your quality as a teacher at various situations and if necessary, make adjustments in behaviour.'
| Last modified: | 15 January 2021 11.27 a.m. |