The UW Chemistry department has no formal program for the development of teachers/future faculty. We, however, make extensive use of campus wide resources such as the Center for Integration of Teaching, Research, and Learning (CIRTL) and its DELTA program for Teaching, Research, and Learning, and the UW Teaching Academy, as well as departmental outreach programs and teaching assistantships, to train our future teachers. Outreach endeavors such as Students Participating in Chemical Education (SPICE) and ChemCamps allow participants to gain experience by leading activties geared toward middle/high school students, while TAing and the DELTA program introduce doctoral students to the college classroom and teaching-as-reasearch (TAR) methodologies. A seminar in teaching chemistry is also offered every semester with varying emphases, inluding informal chemistry education and developing leadership skills. DELTA Program Institute for Chemical Education Outreach Activities

Resources DELTA program for Teaching, Research, and Learning Coursework (through the department or DELTA) Departmental TA training Internship opportunities in teaching and chemical education research Institute for Chemical Education Journal of Chemical Education Chemistry Learning Center UW Teaching Academy CIRTL Diversity Institute Chemistry Education Interships Institute for Chemical Education Journal of Chemical Education Chemistry Learning Center UW Teaching Academy CIRTL Diversity Institute

Program Context Nearly all doctoral students in the UW Chemistry Department teach at some point in their graduate career. Most commonly, students hold a teaching assistantship during their first years when the demand on research productivity is relatively low. Teaching, however, is not a requirement for a Ph.D. in chemistry; it is simply a mechanism by which students are financially supported in their first years before they have chosen a research laboratory. The amount of time students spend as a teaching assistant varies among research groups. Students with a vested interest in developing their skills as a teacher beyond those gained as a teaching assistant must do so independently of the requirements for the Chemistry Ph.D. This is done normally by extracurricular participation in the aforementioned programs, outreach activities, and coursework.

Participation 16 students participate in DELTA in some capacity 2 students will earn a DELTA certificate in Teaching, Research, and Learning 4 students are Future Faculty Partners of the UW Teaching Academy 2-4 students perform chemistry education research ~25 students serve as deparmental tutors every semester

Unanswered Questions Is the current structure of our department satisfying the needs of those students who would like to pursue a teaching-intensive career? How can we integrate the skills necessary to become a successful teacher into our current program? Are these skills inherent to teaching or can they be imparted more broadly to all students regardless professional aspirations?

Why Are We Concerned? The recent CID student survey of our department yielded a surprising result. Of those students responding to the survey, 32% wish to pursue a career at a teaching-intensive institution. We were surprised to discover that such a high proportion of our students want to pursue a career at this type of institution. Our previous assumption had been that most of our students were seeking industrial or research-extensive faculty positions.

Contact Information Judith N. Burstyn [email protected] Samuel Pazicni [email protected]