CoMInDS Summer Workshop

Improving the Preparation of Graduate Students to Teach Undergraduate Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry

Location: The University of Maine, Orono, Maine

Dates: June 7-9, 2023

Is your department interested in helping graduate students learn to teach? Perhaps your department is considering starting a teaching-focused professional development program. Or maybe your department has a program but is interested in updating and enhancing it. Many departments now offer pre-semester orientations, semester-long seminars, and other opportunities for graduate students who are new to teaching so they will be well-equipped to provide high-quality instruction to undergraduates.

With funding from NSF (grant DUE-1432381), CoMInDS (College Mathematics Instructor Development Source) is a collaboration with the Mathematics Association of America that provides instructional materials and guidance to departments as they establish or revise their graduate student professional development programs.

This summer we will be offering a workshop for faculty from mathematics, physics and chemistry departments who are involved in this work.

The workshop will occur June 7-9. During this time, you will:

learn how to design a successful graduate student professional development program
gain familiarity with research and evaluation related to teaching and instructor preparation
gain access to a large collection of lessons, activities, and assignments to use in your program
become familiar with activities designed specifically for use with graduate students teaching in your discipline (i.e., mathematics, physics, chemistry)

Built into the schedule for the workshop will be time for participants to:

plan or revamp their professional development program with input from experienced providers in your discipline
network with others from around the country who run graduate student professional development programs

Departments or institutions are encouraged to send two-person teams to the workshop. Teams can include two people from the same department/discipline or from different departments/disciplines at the same institution.

We have funding to support the costs of registration, lodging (in individual rooms on campus) and food for all participants. We have a limited amount of funding available to subsidize participant travel to the workshop. We ask that you make use of at least partial travel support from your home institution if feasible in order to maximize the number of people who can participate.