CIRTL Spotlights: Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University, often cited as the first modern graduate research university in America, firmly believes that teaching and research complement and strengthen one another. Johns Hopkins University began awarding PhD degree’s in STEM areas in 1878; today it produces one the largest cohorts of PhDs each year of any private university in the country. In 2010, Johns Hopkins awarded 363 PhDs in STEM disciplines.

The University has a rich concentration of science and engineering academic expertise and is currently connecting training opportunities for PhD students in science and engineering disciplines through a number of initiatives. A TA Training Institute provides graduate students with opportunities to attend an annual training conference, participate in individual hands-on workshops throughout the academic year, and take a credit course, “Preparation for University Teaching.” This course offers advanced graduate students the chance to develop their first courses by constructing course syllabi, identifying instructional objectives, preparing individual learning modules, enhancing their presentation skills, and developing assessment strategies.

In 2011, the University also embarked on a Provost-sponsored program to enhance learning through a Gateway Science Initiative. Gateway science courses are defined as STEM courses (undergraduate or graduate) that are required as foundation courses for advanced study. Ten Gateway Science projects are underway, each of which has been vetted by a faculty review committee and contains a rigorous assessment strategy.

The CIRTL program at Johns Hopkins will build upon and expand both the Gateway Science Initiative and the TA Training Institute.