Development of an Advanced Training Course for Teachers and Researchers in Chemistry

Based on our long-standing Intensive Training Program for Effective Teaching Assistants in Chemistry, we have developed an Advanced Training Course for Teachers and Researchers in Chemistry at The University of Chicago. The topics in this course are designed to train graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to become effective teachers and well-rounded PhD candidates. The goals of the course are to build ethics, critical thinking, and a positive self-image as a teacher through the use of a variety of pedagogical tools. Concurrently, the GTAs are transitioned into independent researchers with the skills to prepare written reports and oral presentations. The goals of this course were achieved based on the results of participant feedback. The experience gained and issues identified from the course may be used to guide future training courses.