That "Teaching Gap" When Applying to a Faculty Position

TL;DR

Rama, a full-time engineering professor, shares his journey, resources, and tips for transitioning from postdoc to professorship and becoming an effective teacher in academia.

Transcript

welcome back to phd coffee time this is the online community for you as phd student to get motivation peer support and practical tips during your phd today we have a special coffee with my dear friend rama have you presented a paper or a poster at the conference have you defended your phd dissertation because on each of those occasions you were tea... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🏫 Transitioning from postdoc to professorship involves learning how to be an effective teacher and thinking of oneself as both a professor and a teacher.
• 👨‍🔬 Teaching experience can be gained through presenting research proposals, papers, or posters, as well as defending a PhD dissertation.
• ❓ Subscribing to newsletters and seeking advice from colleagues can be helpful resources for improving teaching.
• 🧑 Treating undergraduate students as responsible adult citizens and focusing on helping them learn are important principles in teaching.
• 🤔 Grading should encourage deeper thinking, consider individual circumstances, and be interpreted with caution.
• 🧑‍🎓 Job candidates without formal teaching experience can highlight their experiences in presenting research and propose how they would satisfy the needs of undergraduate students.
• 💗 There is a growing interest in trying new teaching methods in addition to the traditional lecture and textbook system.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Rama learn how to teach? Did he have formal training during his PhD or postdoc?

Rama gained experience teaching undergraduate lab courses during his master's and PhD and team-taught a course during his postdoc. He also mentored a senior year capstone design project. While he did not have formal training, these experiences helped him develop teaching skills.

Q: What resources did Rama find useful in improving his teaching?

Rama subscribed to newsletters like Teaching Professor, Faculty Focus, and Tomorrow's Professor. He also found it helpful to share experiences with colleagues and ask for their perspectives.

Q: What are some important tips Rama always reminds himself of when teaching?

Rama emphasizes treating undergraduate students as adult citizens in training, reminding them of their responsibility. He focuses on helping students learn, highlighting that the purpose of teaching is for students to understand and learn. He also advises being patient with students' understanding and encouraging them to ask questions.

Q: Can Rama provide insights on grading and the best way to approach it?

Rama explains that grading requires doing well on tests, exams, and internal assessments. He highlights the importance of framing questions to encourage deeper thinking rather than just memorization. He also advises taking students' circumstances into account and interpreting results with a grain of salt.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The video is a conversation with Rama, a full-time engineering professor, discussing the challenges and experiences of transitioning from postdoc to professorship and becoming a teacher.

• Rama shares his journey of learning how to teach, including his teaching experience during his master's, PhD, and postdoc.

• Rama highlights useful resources for improving teaching, such as subscribing to newsletters like Teaching Professor, Faculty Focus, and Tomorrow's Professor.

• The video emphasizes the importance of treating undergraduate students as adult citizens in training, focusing on helping students learn, and being patient with their understanding.

• Rama discusses the grading aspect of teaching, the importance of framing questions to encourage deeper thinking, and taking students' circumstances into account when interpreting results.

• The conversation also touches on the importance of showcasing teaching experience during job interviews and suggests applying similar principles used in presenting research proposals or defending a PhD dissertation to stand out as a potential professor.

• Rama discusses the move towards trying new teaching methods in addition to the traditional lecture and textbook system, as well as the challenges of teaching online during the pandemic.