Teaching
From QED
| Table of Contents |
General Information
You need to be a teaching assistant (officially, Assistant in Instruction, or AI) twice before the end of your fourth year. For first- year students many of you will be teaching introductory biology (EEB211). Generally, Lolly O'Brien matches teaching assistants with courses, but it is a good idea to talk to professors whose courses you are particularly interested in teaching (and the earlier and more frequently you talk to people the better). If you are the only AI for a large class, it may be possible to hire graders (usually other grad students) to help with, for example, exams; talk to the professor and Lolly O'Brien to find out more.
Before you teach for the first time, you must take a short AI training course through the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning (usually taken at the start of your first year). The McGraw Center also offers a teaching certificate (this is mentioned on your transcript and can make a good addition to your CV) and many teaching workshops.
| Grad Student Testimonial
“TEACH!!!! The first year can be incredibly boring, especially if you don't have your thesis figured out, and if you just sit around trying to think up a thesis all day, you may end up frustrated and not using your time wisely. Furthermore, every year of grad school will be far, far busier than your previous year. Thus, I highly recommend teaching during the first year because you have the most time for it then and it will make your first year productive.” |
Fifth Year Teaching
There is no automatic department support for your fifth year. In order to cover this, you will either need to get an external fellowship (e.g. NSF), find funding through your advisor, or teach two semesters. It is sometimes possible to teach one of these semesters before your fifth year and the second one during your fifth year. Even if you have an external fellowship, you may still be asked to teach again your fifth year, in which case you'll be paid in addition to your fellowship.
