In a job market growing ever more competitive, it is no surprise that higher education institutions are requesting more of young PhDs applying for teaching positions. Among the application materials required by many hiring institutions, for example, a portfolio testifying to the teaching excellence of the applicant is expected along with curriculum vitae and research samples.
While academic preparation at a doctoral level primarily stresses research, PhD candidates usually graduate with little preparation – if any at all – for effective teaching, a skill necessary for those who intend to pursue careers in academia. Assembling a competitive teaching portfolio that details teaching competence can be an unsettling experience.
To bridge the gap between excellence in research and excellence in teaching at Hopkins, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the Center for Educational Resources, Sheridan Libraries have partnered, under the auspices of a PhD Innovation Initiative Award, to create the program certificate Preparing Future Faculty Teaching Academy.
This program offers Ph.D. students an opportunity to acquire an overview of pedagogy, explore different educational models, attain instructional and assessment skills, and work with faculty teaching mentors in a classroom, online course, or laboratory practicum environment. Students acquire critical skills needed for their initial faculty appointments as well as certificates to enhance their competitive advantage as they seek their first faculty appointments.