The Faculty Teaching Academy is a program that provides faculty within their first three years of teaching at Yale with opportunities to advance their knowledge of scholarly approaches to inclusive and excellent teaching as well as practice foundational skills. Participants must complete six components to receive a $3,000 contribution to their research or professional development accounts: (1) two teaching focused events, (2) one individual teaching consultation, (3) a Poorvu Teaching-intensive Summer Institute or approved alternative, (4) a six-session learning community, (5) two peer classroom observations, and (6) a final program portfolio.
How to Register
All faculty within their first three years of teaching at Yale who regularly teach undergraduates – including newly hired full-time ladder faculty and full-time lecturers and lectors who hold multi-year or one-year renewable appointments – can register for the Faculty Teaching Academy and keep track of their progress in the program using this FTA checklist. Once registered, faculty may take up to two years to complete the program.
“The Poorvu Center introduced me to faculty across Yale, and sharing our approaches to teaching with each other has helped me to improve my pedagogical skills. The Poorvu Center served as a valuable bridge that fostered meaningful connections and collaborations.”
Ozan Erat, Ph.D, Lecturer in Computer Science
Program Details
Participants must attend two workshops or discussions on teaching, which can include Poorvu-sponsored events or a department-sponsored discussion of disciplinary teaching
Participants must complete an individual consultation with a Poorvu Center staff member about one’s teaching style and classroom goals. Sign up for a teaching consultation and indicate that you are requesting an instructional consultation as part of the Faculty Teaching Academy program in the “Details of Request.”
Each year the Poorvu Center offers its three-day Course (Re)Design Summer Institute in May after Yale Commencement . The institute may differ in focus from year-to-year, but all will share a similar overarching framework and encompass the following components:
- Programming over an intensive period (e.g. three days, or five mornings), with full-time participant attendance
- Engagement with core ideas of pedagogy: how people learn, inclusive teaching practices, student assessment, with attention to disciplinary variation
- Attention to collegial discussion and interaction
- Applied teaching project development
- Development of individual post-program plan
Alternatively, eligible faculty members may participate in one of the following options, or identify and participate in an alternative not listed below with Poorvu Center input:
Participants must enroll in semester-long faculty learning communities to support structured sessions that allow faculty to engage with peers and share strategies and resources. The Poorvu Center offers the learning community each fall and spring semester. The program convenes every 2–3 weeks and is tailored to the needs of the group. To fulfill the requirement for the Faculty Teaching Academy program, participants must attend at least 5 out of 6 sessions.
Faculty can arrange to observe other classes on their own or through Faculty Bulldog Days. The two observations must be of two different faculty members to see different approaches.
The final program portfolio will consist of four pieces, outlined below. Suggested lengths and potential questions to consider are included to provide a starting point. Once you submit your portfolio via Yale Connect, email faculty.teaching@yale.edu to let them know and set up your optional exit interview.
- A reflection on one’s teaching development over the time period, as well as thoughts about future teaching development (500-1000 words)
- Starting point: What is important to you in your teaching? Have your teaching values changed at all since joining Yale? How do you continue to reflect on inclusivity in your teaching? What do you wish to explore or work on with regard to your teaching?
- Participant’s course evaluations with reflective commentary on student ratings and comments (300-500 words)
- Course evaluations can be taken from one or more than one course
- Reflective commentary can be provided directly on the course evaluations or articulated as a separate piece of text
- Starting point for reflective commentary: What surprised you about the evaluations? What feedback reflected your teaching approach?
- A representative syllabus that portrays individual teaching and learning principles as well as goals
- Student work examples that document learning, with reflective commentary on how the assessment reflects student development (300-500 words)
- Work examples may include weekly/homework assignments, papers, projects in a variety of media forms
- Please include multiple student work examples showcasing a diversity of assignment types
- Starting point for reflective commentary: How does the students’ work demonstrate progress towards the course learning goals? What in the students’ work aligns with your expectations for their learning? What surprised you about the students’ work?
Questions?
For questions about the Faculty Teaching Academy program, please contact faculty.teaching@yale.edu.
We’re here to help!
Reach out to the Poorvu Center team if you have any questions or to learn more about our programs.