Description of the Program

The University of Missouri-Columbia has a number of opportunities available for developing future STEM faculty beyond their research program. The overarching goal of these activities is to increase the readiness of participants to assume faculty roles within a wide range of academic and professional contexts, including an emphasis on preparation for teaching. University-wide activities include: the Graduate Minor in College Teaching, Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program, PFF Brown Bag Seminar Series, and Wakonse Conference on College Teaching. STEM-specific activities include the “Conversations on College Science Teaching” series and a course entitled, “College Science Teaching.” In addition, many STEM departments offer training to graduate teaching assistants. The PFF Program and Wakonse operate on an application/selection-basis, while the other programs are opted for by the students. Depending on which activities students choose, they can invest as little as 2 hours per month or a greater commitment that includes course credit of 3 or more graduate hours per semester. These activities are highlighted below:

Graduate Minor in College Teaching: Available to all doctoral students at the university, the minor requires 12 credit hours beyond the student’s major program. It include 6 hours of core courses, including “Seminar in Higher Education” and “College Science Teaching,” 3-6 hours in a Teaching Practicum, and electives.

Preparing Future Faculty Program: Doctoral students from all disciplines apply and 15 are selected each year for the PFF Program. Upon completion, they receive a Certificate of Achievement . PFF activities include: participation in the PFF Seminar, fulfillment of individual contracts to address 4-5 areas of interest for professional development, completion of an academic portfolio, and participation in a multi-campus internship experience.

PFF Brown Bag Seminar Series: Monthly brown bags about topics of interest and concern to graduate students are open to all graduate students, not just those selected for the PFF program.

Wakonse Conference on College Teaching. Faculty members, undergraduates, and graduate students across the disciplines from several universities participate in an annual retreat to a recreational camp on the Lake Michigan shoreline to discuss issues and practices in college teaching. University of Missouri-Columbia provides the funding for over 30 participants per year.

“College Science Teaching” course. This course, taught by Science Education faculty members who are jointly appointed in the College of Education and a Science department, focuses on how college students best learn science and best practices for helping them learn.

“Conversations on College Science Teaching” series. The series provides a forum for faculty and graduate students in the sciences to discuss issues of teaching and learn new instructional strategies. Biweekly luncheon conversation are led by science and education faculty on campus. Includes pizza, presentation, and discussion.

Outcomes of the Program

1. STEM Participants:

Graduate Minor: Since established in 2001, three students have completed the minor, and another 30 are currently enrolled, from disciplines across campus.

Preparing Future Faculty: Now in its third year , the PFF program averages 4 STEM students per cohort of 15 students .

“College Science Teaching” course: This course has been offered 2 times to a total of 25 STEM doctoral students (including biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, civil engineering, fisheries and wildlife, and microbiology).

Wakonse Conference: This past summer, 2 STEM doctoral students participated in the Wakonse Conference on College Teaching,

Conversations series: The biweekly conversation attracts about 20 participants per session, approximately one third of whom are STEM doctoral students.

Implementation of the Program

1. Challenges to implementing such programs include:
• Time available to STEM doctoral students to pursue such activities
• Value placed on such activities by STEM doctoral advisors
• Leadership by faculty members to establish and maintain activities
• Time available to faculty members to lead activities
• Overall leadership of a diversity of activities on campus is necessary
• Documentation and evaluation of activities. Which office is responsible, how are student participants tracked, and how are activities evaluated are key questions.

2. Needed resources:
• Human resources are the most important—these activities need faculty leadership to get off the ground and to be sustained
• Recruitment activities—website and brochures—demand resources to create and maintain.
• Developing partnerships with other institutions in the region is important.
• Devoting some resources to program evaluation is critical.

3. Time investment by faculty and staff:
• Our program is multi-faceted and led by a cadre of faculty and staff members across campus, which lessens the burden on each individual involved. However, a need exists for a centralized clearinghouse of such activities. In the case of our programs, the Graduate School serves this function.