During the spring of 1998, several graduate students approached the associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Engineering concerning the need for Ph.D. students in the college to receive some formal training in college teaching. Some of these students were aware of the establishment of such a program in the College of Natural Science and encouraged the College of Engineering to follow a similar track. In response to these students, a planning committee consisting of faculty and graduate students was formed and charged with developing a proposal for the establishment of such a program. One of the first tasks undertaken by this committee was a survey of faculty. Each department representative administered such a survey and results indicated that faculty were supportive of such a program, but were concerned about the additional workload demands on faculty such a program would generate. During the 1998-1999 academic year, the committee met several times and developed a proposal to establish a College Teaching Certificate (CTC) program in the College of Engineering. This proposal was submitted to Acting Dean Van Dusen on April 20, 1999. Since that time the College administration has committed resources for the program and three faculty members of the College have been identified to implement the program starting in the spring semester of 2000.

One of the challenges faced by a new faculty member is balancing the initiation of a research program and competently and effectively teaching courses. In many cases, this may be the first time the faculty member has been completely in charge of teaching a course. It is anticipated that our doctoral students who have completed the CTC program will be in an excellent position to successfully achieve this balance. Preparing our students to excel as new faculty members because they have the experience of this program is the main argument for its establishment. Two secondary benefits include enhancing the competitiveness of our students for faculty positions (especially for non-research oriented schools) and improving the overall quality of instruction in engineering.

The planning committee proposed to establish a College Teaching Certificate (CTC) program for doctoral students in the MSU College of Engineering. Upon successful completion of this program, the students will receive a College Teaching Certificate notation on their transcripts. The program requires successful completion of two courses:

EGR 910 (1 credit): Theory and Practice of Teaching Engineering Students

EGR 911 (1 credit): Mentored Teaching of Engineering Students

The first course will introduce students to the methods used in teaching engineers. This course is not designed to disseminate rules for engineering teaching, rather it is hoped that students will use the course and the course materials as a guide to help them as they enter their first faculty appointments. The course syllabus is proposed below.

In the second course, students will work in a mentoring relationship with a College of Engineering faculty member and will gain direct experience in teaching engineering students under the mentor’s guidance and supervision. This course involves a teaching experience with a substantial component being the transmission of course material to students, along with all attendant and associated background work. The mentor experience should include all of the following items that are applicable within the context of the course:

Assigning and grading homework and/or class projects

Creating, giving, and grading tests

Holding office hours consisting of single and multi-student interactions

Logistics of team building

Course development and improvement

Logistics of course organization and lecture preparation

Responsibility for lectures on single or multiple units of the course

In general, the mentored student should have control of the course sometime during the semester. Faculty mentors must be aware that this experience must be more than a typical teaching assistant experience for the student. The mentored student should be viewed as a colleague, not as a teaching assistant. A class contract will be prepared that details the duties of the student.