Programs for New Engineering Graduate Student Instructors

Each term, CRLT North works with the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education to organize and facilitate the new Engineering Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) Teacher Training Program. Participants receive training in the fundamentals of effective teaching and attend workshops on topics such as handling office hours, using active learning in the classroom, and developing skills to reach all students. The orientation features two required practice teaching sessions for every GSI. CRLT North also provides training for tutors from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Learning Center and is present at GSI orientation programs for departments including Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Industrial and Operations Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

Engineering GSI Mentor Program

CRLT North hires, trains, and manages the ten Engineering GSI Mentors. Through this program, every engineering GSI is paired with an experienced mentor, and the mentor provides services that include:

• Classroom interventions such as midterm student feedback sessions, classroom observations, and videotaped class sessions with follow up consultations;
• Individual consultations on issues including effective teaching strategies, time management, and GSI-faculty interactions; and
• Group consultations on topics such as developing transition materials for laboratory courses and providing career advice for graduating seniors.

Preparing Future Faculty Events

The central CRLT office, in collaboration with the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, offers a variety of programs for future faculty, and engineering GSIs frequently attend. The Seminar on College Teaching, held each May, includes information about preparing for the academic job search and learning about U.S. higher education and faculty worklife, and it provides opportunities to discuss effective and reflective teaching. Each October, CRLT also offers a one-day conference, designed to help graduate students and postdoctoral scholars prepare for the transition to faculty jobs. The Rackham-CRLT Graduate Student Mentorship Program brings together U-M graduate students and faculty from nearby colleges and universities to explore faculty worklife and the academic job search.