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Welcome to the home page for the Molecular Biology Teaching Pilot Program. This page will contain resources and information related to our projects and events, which are designed to help improve the quality of teaching in Princeton's Mol. Bio. department.
Watch this space for updates, news, and more information!
The Teaching Pilot Program is a joint effort between the department of Molecular Biology and the Graduate School to enhance discipline-specific training of graduate students. The program was initiated to enhance the quality of instruction that undergraduates receive by promoting a positive and educational teaching experience for the graduate student instuctors. Therefore the TPP will focus on the following goals:
Preparing AIs for their teaching experience: Being an AI can be both challenging and rewarding. To help graduate students face this challenge, we have designed and implemented a training program for incoming AIs. This program will be held biannually, in January and September, with the AIs for the coming semester. The program will try to focus on laboratory training in the winter session and precept courses in the fall in order to complement the courses offered by the department.
Fostering faculty/AI interactions: Graduate AIs are an essential part of the teaching in the department of Molecular Biology. However, AIs are most successful when the faculty and AIs are aware of each other's expectations and goals. To increase communication between AIs and faculty, we have asked professors each semester to meet with the AIs to discuss course goals and expectations, responsibilities, scheduling, and grading. In addition, we are encouraging faculty to actively mentor their AIs in teaching skills.
Creating an infrastructure of teaching with the department of Molecular Biology:We hope to create continuity through the exchange of personal experiences and information. A successful part of this program includes a lunch at the start of each semester for previous and current AIs of the courses being taught. These lunches have, for example, prepared AIs for their first weeks in a course, given them ideas for how to lead precepts and to efficiently execute a lab assignment.
Creating a program of assessment and improvement of graduate teaching: It is only through experience and evaluation that AIs can improve their teaching skills. We believe it is important to be evaulated during the teaching process and have implemented both a mid-term evaluation for each course and also a system for web-based feedback. In addition, videotaping services can be provided.
Making available materials relevant to teaching courses within the department: We have written an AI Training Manual for Molecular Biology. We are in the process of assembling materials relevant to teaching specific courses. Plus, we have identified materials from other universities that can be accessed through the world wide web.
Developing teaching opportunities for graduate students interested in teaching: We hope to encourage the department to develop more teaching opportunities on our campus, other campuses, and in the community. We currently organize programs and discussions to help students interested in teaching careers to develop their own pedagogical skills and ideas.
Our schedule: We're working on a cooperative learning experience with
a Princeton High School biology course.
Look for more information later.
We'd love to hear your suggestions and comments about how we might improve teaching within the department.
Contact Toh Hean Ch'ng or Jill Penn , student co-chairs of the Pilot Program committee or any of the other student members:
with your thoughts on teaching, this web page, or other related areas.
Useful Science Education Links
science-education.nih.gov/homepage.nsf
science.coe.uwf.edu/narst.html
lyco.lycoming.edu/~newman/models.html
Women in Cell Biology: Teaching Science in High School from the ASCB Newsletter, Vol. 23 No. 8, August 2000.
What's New? | Welcome | Our Schedule | Teaching Manual | Contact your AI | Talk To Us |
Last modified 9/7/01