Each year the academic market places increasing weight on teaching skills. Many business schools, in fact, now require teaching presentations of all prospective faculty. At the University of Washington, we offer one of the nation’s most comprehensive training programs for future business educators.
All first year students should attend the UW TA Conference on Teaching and Learning. First year international students are required to participate in the International TA Program workshops. The Conference is hosted by the Center for Instructional Development and Research (CIDR).
All first-year students are required to participate in the Foster School’s Teaching Effectiveness Training Program. The program begins with intensive training during the Autumn Quarter with the Teaching Effectiveness Seminar. Weekly sessions address crucial issues in teaching and course development in preparation for the student’s teaching assignment Winter Quarter. You will observe other instructors, including someone teaching your Winter course assignment, draft your syllabus, and receive feedback on a microteaching session. During Winter and Spring Quarters there is follow-up help available from staff in the School’s Instructional Resources Office and the University’s CIDR. Teaching assistants assigned to teach core courses receive additional guidance from faculty course coordinators.
Throughout the doctoral program, students have access to the Instructional Resources Office growing library of Foster School-specific pedagogical materials, including samples of syllabi, lesson plans, quizzes, and exercises. There is feedback from peer classroom observations and an opportunity to share experiences and ideas informally at lunch gatherings of teaching assistants. Some UW students–with the assistance of Preparing Future Faculty grants from the Pew Foundation–have put together formal teaching presentations that aided them both in the interview process and in the transition to full-time tenure-track faculty.
Many of our teaching assistants have received high praise for both the style and substance of their teaching. Three Foster School doctoral students have received the University of Washington’s prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award.