Overview:
The College of Engineering Graduate Student Teaching Fellows program is a one-year competitive program that prepares graduate students who are currently (or will be) teaching at the postsecondary level. This is a unique opportunity that allows graduate students to engage with evidence-based teaching methods applicable to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Graduate Ph.D seeking students will learn to become effective teachers through active participation in a peer-observation program, learning evidence-based course design and development, structured discussions with faculty mentors, and taking part in a course focused on teaching. Upon completion of the program, participants are awarded a non-degree certificate of completion and named a UNL College of Engineering Graduate Student Teaching Fellow. Students will simultaneously earn associate level certification through the CIRTL@Nebraska program (go.unl.edu/cirtl) to be named a CIRTL Associate.
Applications for the 2024- 2025 cohort
Applications for the 2024-2025 cohort are now open: Graduate Student Teaching Fellows Cohort Application Form
Program Requirements
- College of Engineering Ph.D graduate students who have completed one year in their program (at least 18-credit hours in your PhD program)
- Submit a one-page letter of application detailing your motivation for seeking participation in the program. Describe how your participation in the program would support your current or future teaching and overall growth as a teacher. The letter should have your first and last name, phone number, and email address. You can submit this letter on the online application form.
- A short recommendation letter from your adviser that states their approval of your participation. You and/or your adviser can submit the recommendation letter on the online application form.
Program Structure
The program is completed over the course of the Fall and Spring semesters.
Fall Semester
In the Fall, graduate students must:
- Enroll in a 3-hour credit course titled "STEM Teaching" taught by Dr. Tareq Daher, tdaher2@unl.edu. The course number is ENGR 833 section 001. The course meets on Fridays in Nebraska Hall W213 from 11:50 am to 2:50 pm (The course is offered remotely between PKI and KH. In-person attendance from either location is required.) You can enroll in the course through MyRed at: https://myred.nebraska.edu/
- Write a Teaching Philosophy - (Completed as part of the STEM Teaching course).
- Attend a 2.5 to 3-hour training on the use of the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS). Time, date, and location TBD.
- Conduct 2 - 4 classroom observations as a participant in the Teaching Evaluation project at COE using COPUS. You will be contacted by the program facilitator regarding your observation assignments. Each observation is 50 minutes each.
- Complete all of your submissions through the Canvas course. If you do not have access, please email Lisa Rohde (lrohde2@unl.edu) to request access, make sure you state in your email that you are working on becoming a Graduate Student Teaching Fellow in the College of Engineering.
Spring Semester
In the Spring, students must:
- Participate in at least FOUR CIRTL-approved workshops, including at least one focused on each CIRTL Core Idea (i.e., Teaching as Research, Learning Communities, and Learning through Diversity). You may participate both in cross-network and on-campus workshops to complete this requirement, but each workshop can be applied to only one category. A complete list of workshops are available to you on the CIRTL homepage at https://cirtl.unl.edu/.
After completing four or more workshops, generate a 1–2-page reflective memo about the experience. This memo needs to be uploaded to your UNL CIRTL account. A reflective memo is required for your observations and for workshops you attend. - Conduct 2-4 classroom observations as a participant in the Teaching Evaluation project at COE using COPUS. You will be contacted by the program facilitator regarding your observation assignments. Each observation is 50 minutes each.
- Attend two focus groups with DEBR faculty regarding your experience in the program and to learn Eng. Pedagogy. Mentors TBD.
If you have any questions regarding the program, contact Dr. Tareq Daher at (402) 472 4761 or tareq.daher@unl.edu.
Alumni
Meet our inaugural 2018 - 2019 Graduate Teaching Fellows student Cohort
Picture from 2019 Graduate Student Reception with Dr. Dan Linzell and Dr. Tareq Daher; The doctoral students in the inaugural cohort of the Graduate Student Teaching Fellows Program (GSTFP) are (from left): Frank Fabian, chemical engineering; Shahab Karimifard, civil engineering; Mostafa Soltaninejad, civil engineering; Shaobin Li, civil engineering; and Jairo Cervantes, electrical and computer engineering.