ORGANIZATION
The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) at University of Virginia is dedicated to building a collegial community, enhancing teaching and learning, and fostering teaching innovation for instructors at all levels and in all academic disciplines. The CTE believes that striving for excellence in teaching is an iterative, dynamic, and scholarly process that spans an instructor’s entire academic career. We promote teaching that is evidence-based, learner- centered, and rooted in equitable and inclusive practices. The CTE serves all UVA instructors through intensive institutes, learning communities, workshops, and individual consultations.
MENTOR
Adriana Streifer, Associate Director-CTE and Associate Professor
Jessica Taggart, Assistant Director-CTE
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
This internship will prepare interns for careers in any of the following:
- Academic Research and Administration
- Faculty
- Teaching (Non-Faculty)
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
This internship will provide experiences to develop and polish the following skills:
- Communication (Written and/or verbal)
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Problem-solving and Analytical Thinking
- Self and Career Management
- Teaching, Mentoring, and Training
MENTORING PLAN
The intern will receive ongoing mentorship and support from the CTE faculty and staff members who oversee the programs and projects to which the intern contributes. The faculty and staff mentors will meet with the intern on a weekly or bi-weekly basis starting in August 2024 to co-create a plan for the intern’s activities during the 2024-2025 academic year. In addition to attending bi-weekly meetings throughout the course of the internship, the intern will also attend CTE staff and faculty meetings to learn about the organizational structure of the CTE, its mission, and how it carries out its work. Through these meetings, the intern will make connections with all CTE faculty and staff to learn from others beyond the core mentors. Internship mentors will provide feedback on the intern’s work in progress, connect the intern to relevant resources as they plan workshops and other CTE events, and connect them to other professionals who can help them explore a potential career in educational development.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The intern will strengthen skills in teaching, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), peer mentoring, workshop and resource development, public speaking, collaboration, and communication, particularly as these relate to educational settings. By the end of the internship, the intern will know how to design interactive pedagogical workshops, assess the pedagogical development needs of graduate TAs and instructors, and plan well-aligned programming and resources. Overall, the intern will develop a deeper understanding of pedagogical practices in higher education.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The intern will contribute to the CTE’s mission of supporting excellence in teaching and learning at UVA. In particular, the intern will further the CTE’s goal of developing graduate students’ teaching skills, thereby empowering them to be more effective TAs and instructors and preparing them for successful faculty careers. By contributing to graduate-focused programs and research projects, the intern will be instrumental to the CTE’s approach to teaching as a scholarly, evidence-based, and learner-centered practice. The intern will help to design and implement programs that provide professional development opportunities to graduate students across UVA, such as Tomorrow’s Professors Today, Teaching as a Graduate Student summer orientation (TAGS), and programs designed to help instructors conduct scholarship on their teaching. Acting as a mentor or leader for these programs, the intern will develop and facilitate workshops, and/or produce online resources to support the development of their fellow graduate students as teachers.
DESIRED QUALITIES
The CTE welcomes applicants from all academic backgrounds and disciplines. We seek mid or late-stage graduate students who have a record of good teaching and familiarity with course design (to be augmented with participation in the CTE’s Course Design Institute in May 2024). Ideal applicants will not only be innovative and effective teachers, but they will also demonstrate a desire to support the pedagogical development of their peers. Applicants should possess strong interpersonal, communication, and public speaking skills. Prior experience with mentoring or otherwise supporting the development of graduate students’ teaching skills (formally or informally) is desired, but not required.
MODE OF INTERNSHIP
In-person
DURATION
Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS.