Educator Training Program

The School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences (SGSHS) at UMMC is committed to providing a holistic approach to the training of our graduate students, through the incorporation of professional development opportunities throughout their time spent earning a PhD in biomedical sciences.

Many of our graduates accept faculty positions in which teaching is required at the laboratory bench, in the lecture hall, online, or a combination of all of these. Therefore, one of these professional development opportunities offered to our students is formal training in educational theory and practice through the Educator Training Program (ETP).

In the ETP, senior graduate students and post-doctoral fellows have the opportunity to take two courses: Teaching in Higher Education (ID 715) and Teaching Practicum (ID 716). During these two courses, students will study the theories behind successful learning, teaching, and evaluation as they pertain to being an effective educator, as well as put these theories into practice under the mentorship of an experienced educator.

Upon successfully completing ID 715, students will emerge with a teaching portfolio (see below) that includes a curriculum for an undergraduate or graduate level special topics course, course syllabus, microteaching lectures and activities, student assessments, and a statement of teaching philosophy.

After ID 715, students have the option of taking ID 716, during which they will be paired with a faculty mentor at an area undergraduate institution for their Teaching Practicum. During this practicum, students will facilitate weekly lecture and or laboratory lessons under the supervision of their faculty mentor. They will receive evaluations from both the undergraduate students and their faculty mentor, which can be included in their teaching portfolio.

An additional teaching opportunity at the elementary level is available in the form of the community outreach program, Project REACH. Click HERE to learn more about this volunteer opportunity. 

More information:

Contact GradSchool@umc.edu with questions about the SGSHS Educator Training Program.