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Greenberg
seminars prepare PhD students for rigors of academia
Photo by Hilary
Schwab
More
than 40 graduate students attended the opening reception
for the Greenberg Seminars in mid-September. According to
Greenberg student Heather Schloss, the seminars “provide
both a glimpse into an academic career as well as helpful
techniques to become a successful teacher.”
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BY
ADRIENNE FRANK
When
Josh Franzel embarks on his job search next summer, the PhD candidate
in public administration will have one competitive advantage over
other aspiring university teachers: a résumé that
includes three years of hands-on training from some of American
University’s finest faculty members.
The
Greenberg Seminars, sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence
(CTE), provide AU’s PhD candidates, and a handful of master’s
students, with professional instruction they wouldn’t otherwise
receive. According to Virginia Stallings, associate director of
teaching and learning resources for CTE, the seminars prepare graduate
students for the rigors of teaching by pairing them with faculty
mentors who lead discussions on everything from learning styles
to academic integrity to how to find a job. They’re important
lessons, said Franzel, that will make him a valuable addition to
any university’s faculty.
“[The
program] puts so many things on your plate to consider—things
you wouldn’t ordinarily consider until you’re faced with
them,” he said.
“One
of the things I like the most is the open dialogue—not just
between faculty and students, but between students in one department
and students in another,” continued Franzel, who’s participated
in all three years of the seminar. “Sometimes you get isolated
in your own area; with the Greenberg, you get this great mixing
of ideas.”
The
seminars were established in 1990 by Milton Greenberg, professor
emeritus, who also served as AU provost and interim president. Although
AU already had an informal mentor program for PhD students, Greenberg,
one of the university’s most highly regarded figures, wanted
to give it more structure in order to better prepare graduates for
the rigors of academia. The establishment of the seminars coincided
with research that indicated many PhD graduates were unprepared
to teach. “New hires were trying to jump into the university
setting, keep up their research, do service, and then do the awesome
task of teaching without any training or background,” said
Stallings. “It just wasn’t working.”
Today
the program includes three, year-long seminars—one for each
year of the PhD program. Participation is voluntary, and those students
who complete the seminar receive certification on their transcript.
For the 2004–05 AY, 69 students are enrolled in the program
with the majority, 48, participating in the first seminar.
The
first year of the program focuses on the basics of teaching, such
as diversity in the classroom, academic integrity, and learning
styles, while students in the second year of the program spend a
majority of time observing professors. Participants also learn how
to construct a syllabus and discuss various grading techniques.
During the third year of the program, students like Franzel learn
how to develop a résumé and a philosophy of teaching,
and discuss the different types of interviews. Undoubtedly, the
main objective of this final seminar, according to Stallings, is
to help students land jobs.
Each
seminar’s curriculum is developed by the mentors, who volunteer
for the position. This year’s mentors include Sarah Irvine-
Belson, Victoria Connaughton, Marianne Noble, Cathy Schaeff, and
Alan Kraut from the College of Arts and Sciences and Patrick Jackson
from the School of International Service.
“As
a mentor, what I see in the various folks involved in Greenberg
is a wonderful level of engagement,” said biology professor
Schaeff, who said her work with third-year students helps rejuvenate
her as a teacher. “Also, I want to support our students at
being excellent at what they do.”
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