Postdoc Internship

Registration is now closed for the November Postdoc ISW.  The next Postdoc ISW will be in person in July 2024.

What is the Postdoc Teaching Internship?

  Successful applicants will be notified approximately 2 weeks in advanced of the workshop.

The next Postdoc Teaching Practicum cohort will start in November 2024. Registration will open in December to those who have completed an ISW or similar program. To prepare for this cohort, you can participate in either the postdoc ISW in July or November 2024, Foundations of Pedagogy Course in the Winter 2024 or a Faculty ISW.

Introduction to PDTI

Postdoctoral Fellows’ Teaching Internship (PDTI) is a teaching development program designed specifically for UBC postdocs who are interested in pursuing academic teaching as a part of their career.  The program is being offered by UBC’s Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) in collaboration with the Postdoctoral Fellows Office.

Program outcomes

By the end of the Internship, the PDFs will be able to

  1. Create a framework for how a typical university course operates
  2. Articulate how teaching and learning theories intersect with the practical requirements of a university course
  3. Design university lessons which incorporate learner-centered lesson planning basics, demonstrating the alignment of learning objectives, learning activities and assessment techniques
  4. Develop and refine a teaching portfolio using the evidence of teaching effectiveness gathered throughout the internship

Components

The PDTI consists of two major components implemented over approximately one academic semester:

  1. The Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW): A widely recognized 24-hour teaching intensive workshop where the participants learn and practice the fundamentals of lesson planning and adult learning theory in a peer-based environment. We offer two PDF-specific ISWs throughout the year.  PDFs are also welcomed to attend Faculty ISWs held throughout the year
  2. Mentored Teaching Practicum: A one-term mentorship program where the PDF (referred to as ‘the intern’ or ‘the mentee’ in the rest of this document) works with an experienced instructor in their discipline (referred to as ‘the mentor’ in the rest of this document) to enhance their understanding and experience of teaching a university course. During the internship, the interns will observe mentors in their teaching, teach guest lectures and receive feedback on their teaching, discuss approaches to teaching with their mentors, and engage in group discussions of teaching with other PDFs from their cohort.
  3. Supporting workshops: Throughout the internship, CIRTL also offers a number of teaching development workshops (typically one 2-hour workshop per month) to support the interns for different components of the Internship. This may include workshops on:
    • Jan 12, 2023 Lesson planning clinic
    • Feb 02, 2023 Developing Teaching Philosophy statements
    • Mar 02, 2023 Discipline-based Educational Research
    • Mar 23, 2023 Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in Teaching
    • Apr 13, 2023 Q&A session with a panel of teaching experts

CIRTL Outcomes

    • Completing the ISW will lead to CIRTL Associate level.
    • Completing all mandatory components of the practicum and supporting workshops will lead to CIRTL Practitioner level.

 

How to register for the PDTI?

November 2022 Postdoc Instructional Skills Workshop

Registration is now closed for the ISW waitlist.  After the registration deadline has passed, names will be randomly selected from the waitlist and will be notified. If the dates for the Postdoc ISW do not work for you, postdocs are welcome to attend a Faculty ISW

Register for the Teaching Practicum (January 2023 cohort) 

Once you have completed the Postdoc ISW (or if you have already completed the ISW or Foundations of Pedagogy), you will be eligible to enroll in the next cohort of the Teaching Practicum.  If you have any questions about the program, contact us at cirtl.info@ubc.ca