CIRTL
CIRTL @ UMASS
UMass Amherst is a member of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) network, a consortium of Research-1 institutions with a shared goal of improving the preparation of graduate students and postdocs for careers that include college and university teaching.
CIRTL Opportunities for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Researchers
UMass grad students and postdocs can take advantage of the following opportunities through CIRTL @ UMass:
- Online offerings. The CIRTL Network offers full-semester courses, short-term workshops, and drop-in events that cover all aspects of teaching and preparing for a teaching career. They are taught by members of different CIRTL network institutions and hosted by CIRTL Central at UW Madison. These offerings are free to grad students and postdocs, although the number of participants from each campus is limited. Credit can be arranged here at UMass. Simply go to the CIRTL Network website, create a free account, and register for a course, workshop, or event!
- On-campus workshops every semester in collaboration with the Office of Professional Development (OPD). This ever-changing lineup includes workshops on different aspects of teaching as well as advice for how to prepare for and get academic jobs. Watch for offerings in the OPD email blast.
- Become a CIRTL Associate, Practitioner, or Scholar. All CIRTL institutions recognize these three levels of participation & achievement.
- To become a CIRTL Associate, you may either take the CIRTL online MOOC or participate in a combination of on-campus and online workshops.
- Becoming a CIRTL Practitioner or Scholar involves developing & implementing an evidence-based teaching project to assess whether you are meeting your teaching goals in the classroom.
- Past projects include: The Art of Science and the Science of Art; Establishing First Impressions for Classroom Engagement; Assessing Plant Blindness and Teaching Efficacy in First-Year Seminars; Impact of a First-Year Seminar on Students' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Future Use of Geographic Information Science and Technology.
- Please contact dspope [at] umass [dot] edu (Denise Pope), CIRTL @ UMass coordinator if you are interested in a CIRTL project.
- Become an Engineering or CNS Teaching Fellow. Grad students and postdocs in these colleges are eligible to apply to be teaching fellows. After receiving thorough training in good teaching practices, Fellows each teach their own sections of First Year Seminars. Watch for ads distributed every spring. Fellows automatically receive CIRTL Associate status. Other colleges also have opportunities for graduate students to teach a First Year Seminar.
CIRTL Personnel at UMass Amherst
Institutional Co-Leaders:
- Elizabeth Jakob, PhD. Graduate School Associate Dean for Student Success and Professor of Biology - ejakob [at] umass [dot] edu (ejakob[at]umass[dot]edu)
- Tilman Wolf, PhD. Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering - wolf [at] umass [dot] edu (wolf[at]umass[dot]edu)
Coordinator:
- Denise Pope, PhD. Coordinator for CIRTL @ UMass - dspope [at] umass [dot] edu (dspope[at]umass[dot]edu)