What started as an optional program with roots in the University of Wisconsin for graduate students in scientific disciplines to exercise their own teaching abilities will now expand to 25 different universities across the country, according to a UW statement.
The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning is an “experiment in itself” and a cross-disciplinary program focused on math and science, according to the statement.
It was announced Monday that the program will expand, which will allow it to grow and give students a larger base to work with, the statement said.
The CIRTL appeals to those interested in math and science on campus because the teaching is presented so that one creates an idea and tests it out in the classroom, said Associate Dean for Physical Sciences Wendy Crone.
It gives people the opportunity to figure out the best way to utilize an idea, evaluate it and refine the teaching method, she added.
Courses are optional for graduate students, but do not only help them to teach. Crone said she had a student who enrolled in courses so he could further understand his own learning. Although it is optional for students, there has been a high rate of attendance. Students can chose to take as many classes as they desire.
A certificate in teaching is highly valued to learning institutions, Crone said.
“Not all of the educators are coming from Madison, a big research institution,” Crone said. “This expansion will give students the opportunity to collaborate with students from other institutions.”
As the CIRTL expands to other institutions, its programs will grow and change, but the UW program will not see many variations.
“We have a very mature program,” said Crone.
The CIRTL is not a TA training program, as the university has many of those. It is for students and faculty looking to help their students learn better and understand the learning process, she said.
This experimental model being used gives time to professors to find out what works for students, according to Crone. She added this is done through a series of student self assignments and comparing test scores.
This model also focuses on three core ideas to refine teaching, according to the UW statement. These three values are “teaching-as-research, learning communities and learning-through-diversity.”
Graduate students are not the only students who gain from CIRTL, according to Crone; undergraduate students also benefit from the teaching improvements.
Crone added that many undergraduate students in the engineering department where she teaches have already been affected in a very positive way by the teachings of CIRTL.
CIRTL began with six universities, according to the statement. This will be extended to 25 with the universities being added. A complete list of these universities can be found on the UW news website.
