SFSU-UCSF Instructor Training Program (ITP)
The Formal Post-Bac Program and Dental Post-Bac Program, in partnership with Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) at UCSF, selects, trains and hires post-docs (and possibly graduate students) as lecturers for courses offered by these Programs. These courses are mainly 3-semester-unit upper-division Biology lectures, although instructors for a small number of introductory Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses may also be needed on occasion. We especially seek lecturers who wish to establish long-term teaching relationships with our Programs.
Click Here for our 2-page ITP and Hiring flier.
ITP Application
The ITP application consists of a 1-2 page Cover Letter, a CV with teaching experience clearly documented and contact information for references. In the Cover Letter, please indicate the content areas that you are most able to teach (see list of courses below). Copies of Formal Teaching Evaluations, if available, are greatly appreciated. Please complete the Online Registration form and submit the abovementioned materials to: FPB.Teaching.SFSU@gmail.com.
Selection and Training
We use a multi-step selection and training process that ensures that our instructors are well prepared to teach their assigned courses.
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Applicants of interest are invited for an ~1 hour interview with the Program Director (Barry Rothman) and/or the Program Co-Director (Shannon Anderson).
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Interviewees of interest are invited to participate in an informal post-doc teaching community that is associated with teaching a course, usually Introductory Biology I (Bio 230) during the 10-week summer semester.
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Members of the post-doc teaching community are asked to attend at least one Bio 230 lecture per week, and to discuss the quality of that lecture immediately afterward.
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Those that attend regularly will be invited to present a ~30 min practice lecture to the Director, Co-Director and teaching post-doc community. Here extensive feedback is provided.
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The lecture is formally presented to the students enrolled in Bio 230; these students evaluate the guest lecturer.
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Guest lecturers with sufficient teaching skills are invited to further develop these skills under the guidance of the Director, Co-Director and post-doc teaching community, and in most cases invited to teach or co-teach a mini-course and/or a full course during the following fall or spring semester. Extensive support is provided in the development of the syllabus, lectures, online course resources, exams and problem sets, including when possible enrollment in the BEST course at UCSF.
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In summer 2010 we established a teaching community of 7 post-docs from UCSF and 1 from UC Berkeley. An experienced post-doc instructor joined us in late fall, 2010. Of these 9 post-docs, 3 taught courses that summer, 4 taught or co-taught courses during fall 2010, 4 taught or co-taught courses during spring 2011, 3 taught or co-taught courses during summer 2011, 3 are teaching or co-teaching courses during this fall 2011 and 3 will be teaching or co-teaching this spring 2012. One, Shannon Anderson, was also hired as full-time Co-Director of the Formal Post-Bac Program. These hires have/will taught/teach or co-taught/teach the following courses: Introductory Biology I (Bio 230), Introductory Biology II (Bio 240), Cell Biology (Bio 350), Parasitology (Bio 453), Human Physiology (Bio 612, Molecular Pathophysiology (Bio 615), Cellular Neuroscience (Bio 640), Systems Neuroscience (Bio 642), General Microbiology (Bio 401), Medical Microbiology (Bio 430), Pharmacology (Bio 730), Immunology (Bio 435) and Devolopmental Biology (Bio 382).
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In spring 2011 we trained two additional ITP participants, both post-docs at UCSF. One of these participants taught Cell Biology during summer 2011, while the other taught Microbiology.
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In summer 2011 we continued the ITP with a group of 16 graduate students and post-docs from UCSF. Two of these participants were each invited to teach a 4-week summer mini-course to our Dental Post-Bacs: Physiology and Cell Biology. This fall 2011, two are co-teaching a General Biochemistry course, one is co-teaching Cell Biology and one is teaching an Introductory Biology II discussion section. For spring 2012, we have invited one to teach Development Biology, one to co-teach Genetics, one to co-teach Molecular Pathoiphysiology, one to teach a Biophysics discussion section and one to teach an Immunology discussion section.
Hiring by Post-Bac Programs at SFSU
We list below part-time and full-time paid positions we are seeking to fill within the Formal Post-Bac Program . However, in nearly all cases, only applicants that have completed the ITP are considered for such teaching and administrative positions. The only exceptions are applicants with extensive, well-documented teaching histories.
Positions To Be Filled for Spring 2012
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Writing Instructor/Writer: has two major components (see below) that could be combined into one job or separated into two jobs held by different people. To apply for this position please e-mail to FPB.Teaching.SFSU@gmail.com your CV, writing samples and a cover letter indicating your experience teaching writing, your experience as a writer, your suitability for the position, and telephone numbers, especially for your cell phone. Copies of Formal Teaching Evaluations, if available, are greatly appreciated. Applications will be processed in the order received.
* Writing Instructor: Work individually and in groups, both in-person and online, both informally and through a formal 2-unit course, the Health Professions Colloquium, with groups of SFSU undergrads and post-bacs, some/many of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged pre-health students.The goal is to help these students improve their writing skills, often by way of preparing a personal statement, and to help them gain more insight into their trajectory through and motivation for a career in the health professions. Pay is $15 per hour and/or $3,400 for running the full Colloquium.
* Writer: Write or help write formal 5-10 page letters of recommendation for pre-health undergrads and post-bacs based on detailed questionnaires completed by each student. This is seasonal work that typically runs from May to October. There are 5 letters left to complete thus year and we anticipate ~100 letters to complete next year. Pay is $15-20 per hour, depending on expertise and efficiency. This position could be expanded to include grant writing.
Part-Time Pharmacology Lecturer: This is a 3 semester-unit class to be taught to ~40 students. Syllabus and teaching materials are available. Can be taught by one instructor or co-taught by two. Presently scheduled for TuTh, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm, but might be scheduled for any TuTh, 75 min block or MWF, 50 min block. Pay is about $1,700 per unit, a total of about $5,100 for this 3-unit class. This class is likely to be offered every fall and spring semester, and could lead to the teaching of additional courses during fall, spring and/or summer. To apply for this position please e-mail to FPB.Teaching.SFSU@gmail.com your CV and a cover letter indicating your teaching experience, your suitability for the position, content areas you feel competent to teach and telephone numbers, especially for your cell phone. Copies of Formal Teaching Evaluations, if available, are greatly appreciated. Applications will be processed in the order received.
*Note: Successful candidates applying to teach or co-teach a course in spring, 2012, will be interviewed and invited to give one or more guest lectures during this fall 2011 semester.
Click Here for our 2-page ITP and Hiring flier.
