1 Name: Post-Doctoral Professional Development Program Person responsible: Dr. Robert Webb & Gurlovleen Rathore Time Commitment: As many or as few as time permits # times offered: 1.5 cycles Primary Audience: Post-docs and advanced graduate students Participants per offering: 3-28 per session; 14 on average Total participation: 230 since inception in 2009 Program Details

2 Goals: – College Teaching Be able to write a first syllabus Be able to choose appropriate learning outcomes Be able to describe assessment techniques – Scientific Writing, Grant Writing, Proposal Writing Get tips for successful scientific writing Be able to search for and write a grant or a research proposal Be able to develop a research budget Program Goals & Learning Outcomes

3 Goals: – Leadership & Communication Learn how to manage research teams in laboratory Learn how to manage different interpersonal communication styles and difficult situations in the workplace – Navigating the Job Market Get tips for successful networking Know of successful interview techniques Learn how to prepare a CV or Resume Get tips for negotiating first faculty contract Program Goals & Learning Outcomes (cont.)

4 Goals: – Work-Life Balance Get tips for managing work and personal life CIRTL Learning Outcome Level: Initial Awareness Program Goals & Learning Outcomes (cont.)

5 Did the participants’ general understanding and confidence in a topic improve as a result of participation in the workshop? What significant idea did the participant learn? What behavioral change occurred as a result of participation in the workshop? What did the participant like most/least about the workshop, and how can we improve the workshop for the future? What questions remain answered? Evaluation Questions

6 Methods: – Post-workshop surveys, require: Likert-type item responses Short answer responses – Participants in attendance responded at will to surveys Data Analysis: – Average Mean scores for Likert-type items & emergent theme analysis of qualitative data Methods and Data Analysis

7 Evidence & Evaluative Claims (1 of 3)

8 Evidence & Evaluative Claims (2 of 3)

9 Evidence & Evaluative Claims (3 of 3)

10 There appears to be interest in adding a Fellow & Scholar participation level to the Post-Doc program Adding these activity levels will give participants an opportunity to be more involved with the program and hopefully be more impacted by it. We must do a better job of marketing this program to post- docs in the STEM disciplines to enhance participation in these areas. (It is also worth noting that during the past year two similar programs were started in the College of Veterinary Medicine and at the Texas A&M Health Science Center.) What has been learned from your evaluation results that will improve future learning outcomes programming and evaluations?

Webb, Interim Dean, OGS Herbert, Faculty, Geology/Geophysics Simms, Grad Student, TLAC Local CIRTL Team, 2006 & Webb, Faculty, Physics Herbert, Faculty, Geology/Geophysics Scott, Associate Dean, College of Science Fowler, Associate Director, CTE Rathore, Grad Student, ITDE Williams, Grad Student, TLAC Appiah, Grad Student, Rural Public Health Ray-Blakely, Grad Student, TLAC

12 Strengthening of pre-existing graduate student PD program – GTA Introduction of new PD programs – CIRTL-GTA TAR Fellows; GTA II; CAC; Post-Doctoral; IBL/PBL Network course; K-12 Initiative Graduate Student Dissertations (2) Impact of CIRTL on our institution?

13 Professional Development thru Network: – ~15+ of TAMU students participated in CIRTL courses – ~50+ of TAMU students participated in Coffee Hour – Share Texas A&M vision thru IBL/PBL course Strengthening of Texas A&M – Ideas for NEW workshops for the Post-Doc program, with resources from MSU – Leveraged Network Exchanges to introduce GTA participants to TAR and subsequent development of CIRTL- GTA TAR Fellows program, with resources from UW- Madison and CU-Boulder Connectivity to the Network / cross-network activities

14 New Office of Graduate Studies leadership committed to participating in the new NSF proposal Move to house TAMU-CIRTL in OGS/Center for Teaching Excellence Plan to continue existing CIRTL programs - the post-doctoral professional development program, College Alignment for Collaboration (CAC), and collaborations with GTA program Evidence of Institutionalization

15 Plans for strengthening current TAMU-CIRTL programs – add Fellow & Scholar level learning outcomes to the Post- Doc program – help sustain GTA II (scholar level activities, including TAR, in learning communities on certain topics in teaching & learning) – develop a guidebook for CAC that can be used to train facilitators to offer CAC workshops in other colleges – encourage interactions between existing and new programs at the program and participant level Evidence of Institutionalization

16 Over the course of the 4+ years that TAMU has been a participant in the CIRTL Network grant, we have worked hard to infuse a variety of existing programs and develop several new programs based on the CIRTL Pillars. Our original focus on stabilizing the operation of the GTA has gone a long way to providing this group a solid foundation upon which it has been able to build an even stronger graduate student professional development program and this program now produces approximately 50 “Fellows” per year. Now with the addition of our CIRTL TAR Fellowship program, we have been able to construct a very high end professional development activity that reaches the CIRTL practitioner level of accomplishment for its participants. We have already seen that many of the alumni of the GTA have gone on to assume teaching positions around the country and are beginning to impact the next generation of college graduates. Next, we foresee the continuation of our post doctoral program as another way of impacting future faculty and their students. In the STEM disciplines, the path from grad to faculty almost always passes through a post doctoral position or two. By working with this often overlooked portion of the grad to faculty career path we will be providing these participants with the tools that they will need to become more effective and reflective classroom teachers. Lastly, the continuation of the CAC activity on our campus will connect our TAMU-CIRTL activities with our university’s commitment to improve undergraduate teaching in all disciplines through inquiry guided learning. (We graduate more than 2300 students annually with baccalaureate degrees in the STEM disciplines) Impact on the future teaching and learning of the national STEM faculty?