Applicants often need to provide evidence of both teaching development efforts and teaching effectiveness as part of the academic job application. In the ensuing interview process, candidates are asked to discuss not only their research skills and interests, but their teaching strategies and philosophy as well.
The Teaching Development Program (TDP) helps graduate students teach better, now and in the future, and prepares them for the job search process by helping them focus on and document their teaching development efforts.
The TDP Process
The TDP offers you an early opportunity to reflect on the link between teaching and student learning outcomes and to develop a formal documentation of your teaching development activities.
Classroom visits are usually conducted between the 4th and 10th week of each semester, and are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Make TDP Request
(To speak with a teaching consultant without scheduling a classroom visit, email graddev@unl.edu)
After your request, the TDP occurs in four stages:
INITIAL INTERVIEW (optional)
A 10-minute phone conversation allows the TDP consultant to understand your experience and the content and cognitive level of your course, and allow you to identify any questions or concerns you have about teaching. We'll work with you to design a personalized plan for documenting your teaching. You might submit a copy of your syllabus or sample assignments to provide additional background.
STUDENT FEEDBACK AND OBSERVATION: DATA COLLECTION
After the initial interview, the consultant will collect data about your teaching.
- The consultant will schedule with you one classroom visit to observe your class.
- If the classroom visit occurs between the 4th and 8th week of the semester, the consultant may administer the Teaching Analysis by Students (TABS) survey to your students. TABS allows your students to assess your relative teaching strengths and development needs, and includes both student perspectives and a summative analysis.
- You may also request a video recording of the session to provide a student's eye perspective of your teaching. The video will be available for download later that day, and is only accessible by you.
INDIVIDUALIZED CONSULTATION: DATA REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
About one week following the classroom visit, you'll meet with the consultant again to review the student feedback. You'll work together to identify your strengths and development needs, and identify three or four teaching goals to reach by the end of the semester. The consultant can help you design and implement strategies to meet these objectives.
EVALUATION AND DOCUMENTATION
By completing this entire process, you'll be able to produce a document for your teaching portfolio, based on your experience and real data, which is a powerful demonstration that you take a deliberate, thoughtful approach to your teaching development. You'll also be able to evaluate the success of the process and apply what you have learned to future teaching efforts. The consultant can provide a formal letter of documentation that inventories and describes the TDP process.