Course Science Teaching (Mandatory)

The course Science Teaching is being offered by the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS and Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Aarhus University, fall 2023.

Name of course: Science Teaching (Mandatory)

ECTS credits: 3.0 

Course parameters: No. of contact hours/hours in total incl. preparation, assignment(s) or the like: 8 hours online course over 2 weeks and three obligatory course days. Course participants will also be doing individual and group assignments before, between, and after course days.
Capacity limit: 72 participants

Objectives of the course: The course objective is to strengthen your teaching skills and competences as a PhD student. The course provides guidance and inspiration for planning and implementing teaching to enhance students’ learning. In collaboration will peers you will learn to apply tools to identify and find solutions for challenges in your own teaching. During the course, you will train your teaching skills by developing and implementing a teaching activity in your own teaching and use methods to provide feedback.

The course addresses both traditional and online teaching, and you will have the opportunity to specialize in the type of teaching which is most relevant for you.

Learning outcomes and competences: At the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Plan and implement teaching activities to support student learning according to learning outcomes
• Apply tools for classroom management to motivate students’ active preparation and participation
• Use effective feedback to assess and support student learning
• Identify and evaluate solutions to challenges in your teaching
• Use peer observation and feedback to develop your teaching practice
• Apply educational technology and evaluate relevance in own teaching

Compulsory programme:
The online course, the three course days, and the assignments are mandatory. Participants who are absent from course day 1 will not be able to take part in the course. Participants who are absent from course day 2 or 3 will only be able to take part in the course if a special agreement has been made with the course lecturers.

Recommended knowledge for participation: Preferrable participants should be teaching a class in the same time period as taking the course, or at least have knowledge of which course they will be teaching. 

Course contents:
The course addresses teaching in technical and natural sciences at university level and covers challenges and teaching formats relevant for teaching assistants at the faculties of Natural and Technical Sciences. This includes e. g. small class teaching with problems solving, computer lab, student presentations or discussion of scientific literature, laboratory teaching, field work, online teaching, and outreach activities. The course will focus on the following themes: 1) Planning and applying teaching activities according to learning outcomes, 2) assessment and feedback for learning, 3) classroom management for active preparation for and participation in teaching, 4) techniques to support classroom dialogue and interactions, and 5) methods for development of own teaching including peer observation and feedback.

Prerequisites:
PhD student at Aarhus University who is teaching a class.
NB: The course is compulsory for all new PhD students starting their PhD education 1 October 2015 or later and who have teaching obligations as part of their employment as a PhD fellow or a student teacher.

Name of lecturer:

Ole Eggers Bjælde, Centre for Educational Development, AU
Rikke Frøhlich Hougaard, Centre for Educational Development, AU
Annika Büchert Lindberg,  Centre for Educational Development, AU

Course structure:
The course consists of an 8 hours’ online module over 2 weeks (this part is flexible with no meetings),  three obligatory course days with preparatory work and approximately 25 hours of project work between course days.

Teaching methods:
Course participants will get hands-on experience with active learning and classroom assessment techniques, and develop and implement new activities in their own teaching. The teaching is organized as a combination of short lectures, group and class discussion, as well as individual and group assignments and project work. Teaching will take place both on-campus and online.

Course homepage:
Brightspace

Recommended knowledge for participation (if any): Preferrable participants should be teaching a class in the same time period as taking the course, or at least have knowledge of which course they will be teaching.

Provider:
The Centre for Educational Development, the Graduate School of Natural Sciences, and Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University

Time:
Online module (self-paced): 22 August - 5 September

On campus course days: 12 and 19 September and 19 December 2023

Place:
Online module: Brightspace
On-campus course day 3

No show fee:
Course participants on our transferable skills courses, who do not show up at the course or cancel their course participation after the course cancellation deadline (without providing a doctor’s note), may have to pay a no-show fee, unless someone from the waiting list is able to take part in the course instead.

The no-show fee is DKK 1,200 (the price of one ECTS). The no-show fee has been introduced due to many late cancellations, thus preventing people from the waiting lists to have a seat at the courses.

Registration:

• Participation in the course is without cost for PhD students from Aarhus University

Due to an Agreement between Danish Universities coming into force as of 1 January 2011, participants from other universities than Aarhus University will have to pay DKK 1,200 per ECTS. In principle this also applies to external parties, but exemption can be granted under specific circumstances.

Please be aware that your registration for the course not necessarily equals your admission for the course. You will receive an e-mail after the registration deadline regarding whether you are admitted for the course or if you are registered on the waiting list. Please note that seats are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Course dates:

• 12 September 2023 09:00 - 16:00
• 19 September 2023 09:00 - 16:00
• 19 December 2023 09:00 - 16:00