UCSD UCSD

University of California, San Diego

Summer Graduate Teaching Fellows Program

Summer 2008 Guidelines

Awards announced December 13, 2007

The program provides excellent opportunities for advanced graduate students to obtain mentored teaching experience by teaching Summer Session courses.  At the same time, it increases Summer Session course offerings to undergraduate students.  General Campus departments and programs are invited to nominate advanced graduate students to teach in Summer Session as participants in this professional development program for university level teaching.

Graduate student teaching fellows will receive the regular Summer Session salary as Associates, plus a $1,200 stipend for participation in a professional teaching development program.  The program entails guidance by a faculty mentor, workshops prior to the beginning of the course hosted by the Center for Teaching Development, teaching observations and feedback during the course, and a post-course evaluation.  The mentoring experience is a key component of the program. Previous year's fellows have praised the value of this opportunity.

  • Graduate students must have advanced to candidacy by the beginning of the Spring Quarter preceding Summer Session
  • Must register in the Spring Quarter preceding Summer Session or the following Fall Quarter
  • Nominees may not be scheduled to receive their degrees prior to the first day of Summer Session

Completed nomination forms must include the following:

  • Evidence of the graduate student's qualifications, including progress toward the Ph.D. and performance as a teaching assistant;
  • Identification of the faculty mentor, with an indication of his or her willingness to serve in this capacity;
  • A brief statement from the mentor describing their anticipated role in guiding the teaching fellow; and
  • Information about the course to be taught, with an explanation of how offering this course during summer would reduce pressure on course offerings during fall, winter and spring.

Nominations and proposed course offerings must be approved by Department Chairs.  Additionally, please be reminded that Senate policy allows graduate students to teach existing courses but not new courses offered for the first time.  Nominations are reviewed by an interdisciplinary selection committee, chaired by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education, and approved by the Senior Vice Chancellor. New this year, each department may submit up to two nominations.

Please contact Marie Sidney (sidney@ucsd.edu or x40097) if you have questions about the program.