Teaching
Practicum:
Our Department offers a teacher training program, and provides opportunities for graduate students to obtain supervised experience developing and teaching undergraduate courses. Currently taught and directed by Dr. M. Licht of the Clinical area, this program requires that any student wishing to assume responsibility for teaching an undergraduate lecture course must first complete a two-semester training sequence. The first semester involves taking a seminar/practicum in teaching psychology that includes didactic instruction in pedagogy, observation of experienced instructors, and development, presentation, and videotaping of a sequenced series of practice lectures with peer, student, and instructor feedback (these start with micro-lectures in the seminar and progress to guest lectures in undergraduate courses). The second semester involves supervised development of the actual course the student will teach in the fall (including developing the syllabus, lectures, slides, other teaching activities, exams and other evaluations, grading policies, etc.). Once the student begins teaching, s/he is periodically observed, receives feedback, and continues to be involved in the practicum so that refinements can be made and learning can be passed on to others.
