Overview for the MATP Program

1. Mentor and Teaching Practicum (MATP) Program Beth L. Overman Doctoral Student, Department of Physiology College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Barbi Honeycutt Graduate Teaching Programs The Graduate School Spring 2010 Program Requirements Participant Feedback Overview for the MATP Program The Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching (CoAT) program offers graduate students a chance to demonstrate their commitment to teaching excellence through training, evaluation, and recognition. Through the EDGES program, Beth Overman is working to develop a challenging teaching experience for CoAT students. EDGES is a developmentally-structured, competency-based approach to supporting faculty in the design and implementation of community-engaged scholarship projects during key transition points (or “edges”) in their career paths. This pilot project, called the Mentoring and Teaching Practicum (MATP), program allows advanced CoAT students to experience mentorship, observation, and teaching in an undergraduate classroom at this university or neighboring universities. Through critical reflection and application, participants are able to enrich their personal growth and professional development in teaching and learning, applying the skills they learn in CoAT workshops in the classroom. Participants are given the opportunity to work with professors demonstrating exemplary teaching skills and active, engaged classrooms. The MATP program is designed to supplement the CoAT program, providing a challenging opportunity to further growth in teaching experience and pedagogy. The program includes interviewing a professor, observation of that professor’s teaching, and guest lecturing in that classroom. “Participating in MATP has really helped me think about what it means to be a faculty member. When I do search for a job, I feel like I'll be much better prepared to find out if I'll be a good fit with an institution. I have a better idea about what I'm looking for in a department.” -Karen Bliss “I liked being able to work with someone from a different school. I found it really interesting to hear about everyone else's experiences …there was something to learn from everyone no matter what field they worked in.” - Kristen Stagg “Through MATP, I have found a mentor in my field who is involved in research that interests me in my future career. She has helped me not only improve my teaching, but also given me another resource in my field. My experience meeting, interviewing, and observing a professor and teaching at another school has undoubtedly prepared me for the interview process once I begin applying for a job in academia.” – Susan Crook "Not only did my mentor offer some great teaching tips that I have immediately been able to integrate into my own classes, but he also had a wealth of advice for preparing job applications, deciding between a faculty and post-doc position, and local math conferences." – Zach Abernathy “Participation in the MATP program has afforded me an eye-opening experience that I could not have hoped to have found in my everyday professional experience. The lessons that I have learned in this program, be they from my mentor, my co-participants, the program facilitators or the invited speakers, will meaningfully impact my professional strategy in the coming years as I seek passage into the professoriate.” – Steven Toaddy “MATP has provided me with the opportunity to be exposed to different instructional delivery strategies outside of my realm of expertise. My experience in the program was amazing and exciting because I got to experience another university system. As I will be graduating soon I hope that I can serve as a mentor to a student enrolled in the MATP program in the future.” – Spencer Barnes • Orientation : MATP Seminar I • Introductory activities, as well as discussion of the goals and objectives of the programs. Participants will review the requirements of the course and write questions that they will use in the interview of the professor. • First Classroom Visit: Professor Interview and Observation • Participants will visit the professor and spend time asking interview questions. This is suggested to occur in conjunction with the first classroom visit. Participants will critically observe and record observations of the mentor professor teaching one class in the classroom. Participants will also critique the syllabus of the class. • MATP Seminar II • Participants will compare and discuss their observations of classroom management, teaching styles, and syllabus construction. Participants also compare and contrast university systems and mission statements. • Second Classroom Visit: Teaching Experience • Participants will plan for and teach one class session in their mentoring professor’s class. Students will construct a lesson plan, write learning outcomes for the lesson, and assess student learning. Professors will observe participant teaching, record their observations on the CoAT observation form, and meet with the participant to discuss their performance. • MATP Seminar III • Participants will discuss and compare teaching experiences as well as professor observations of performance. A member of NCSU SoTL Faculty will come hold a question and answer session for participants. Participants will also evaluate the MATP program, providing essential feedback for the development of this program. Goals for the MATP Program • The CoAT MATP Program enables participants to: • Shadow an experienced professor in their field of study, at NC State or neighboring universities • Discover the ‘inside scoop’ on being a tenured/experienced professor • Earn three credits towards CoAT workshops • Receive individualized assistance in teaching • Enhance their teaching portfolios • Complete the observation process to receive formal feedback on teaching skills Spring 2010 Program Participants and Mentors Future Goals of the MATP Program • Continue the program’s partnership with EDGES and CoAT • Include a greater number of graduate student participants • Create partnerships with a greater number of universities and institutions, including community colleges and secondary schools • Increase participant involvement through peer observation and evaluation • Increase emphasis on engaged learning through more guest speakers • Create a self-sufficient, sustainable, stand-alone program to enhance other graduate programs at NCSU Prerequisites for the MATP Program Complete at least 2 CoAT workshops emphasizing teaching and learning concepts. These workshops must include Introduction to Teaching, and either Classroom Management or Writing Learning Outcomes. Include your reflections from these workshops as a part of this application. Have at least one semester of teaching experience, including developing lesson plans and lecturing. This does not include leading a lab or discussion section. This does include leading lecture sessions and co-teaching with other faculty. eloverma@ncsu.edu barbi_honeycutt@ncsu.edu