2024 Postdoctoral Short Course on College Teaching
in STEM

January 22 - April 8, 2024

Applications for 2024 open on October 16, 2023

The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) and the Rackham Graduate School are excited to offer the Winter 2024 Postdoctoral Short Course on College Teaching in STEM (PSC) for University of Michigan STEM postdocs. The 10-week course will be offered in a blended format, combining in-person and online synchronous and asynchronous interactions. (See PSC Format & Time Commitment below).  

PSC Overview

The purpose of this 10-week professional development course is to prepare postdoctoral scholars from a variety of STEM disciplines to teach effectively as future faculty members. You will learn a research-based framework that describes how students learn best in STEM courses. The framework will address three major questions:

• What do cognitive-science and neurobiology tell us about how students learn best?
• How can we deliberately cultivate a learning environment where all students are treated equitably, have equal access to learning, and feel valued and supported in their learning?
• How do we incorporate principles for effective course and lesson design into our teaching?

Throughout this course, you'll discuss and apply learning theory and strategies, develop instructional skills, create classroom and job search materials, and interact with U-M postdoctoral colleagues across the STEM disciplines. You will demonstrate your acquired skills through three capstone experiences:

• A practice teaching session;
• A syllabus for a course you may teach;
• A statement of teaching philosophy.

Eligibility

• This course is open to current University of Michigan postdocs in STEM disciplines (e.g., biological/biomedical sciences, computer & information sciences, engineering, environmental & geosciences, health sciences, mathematics & statistics, physical sciences, psychology & neurosciences).
• The course requires no tuition or payment from participants or their advisors. 
• To be eligible, an applicant's faculty supervisor MUST verify their support for the applicant's full participation in the program by responding to the email sent by psc.facilitators@umich.edu after submission of the application. 
• For questions, please e-mail psc.facilitators@umich.edu

PSC Format & Time Commitment

The course will be offered in a blended format, combining in-person and online synchronous and asynchronous interactions. Learning and engagement activities are expected to take about 5-7 hours per week, on average. We will progress through the content and learning activities as a cohort.

The PSC is organized into 10 weekly learning modules plus a course orientation module (see Schedule at a Glance). Seven of the weekly learning modules will also have a synchronous meeting (online or in person). We ask that you commit to attending all 7 synchronous meetings and completing all weekly learning modules*. 

* We understand that COVID-19 remains endemic and has implications on managing the demands of work-life especially challenging. We want to reassure you that we understand and this should not be a barrier to your participation in the Postdoctoral Short Course. However, if you expect that you will miss more than one weekly learning module, we may ask you to consider applying during a subsequent year.

CRLT has an institutional commitment to ensuring that all of our programs and events are accessible to all individuals. Please reach out to psc.facilitators@umich.edu if you believe you may need an accommodation or have questions about accessibility.