Emerging Scholars of College Instruction

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The Emerging Scholars of College Instruction (ESCI) program provides IUPUI graduate students with the opportunity to develop and document the college teaching skills that are critical for a successful academic career. Structured to be completed in three semesters, the program requires participants to attend workshops and webinars, as well as facilitated discussions with other program participants.

The ESCI program is not a K-12 teacher licensing program and is non-credit bearing. As a result, it will not appear on participants’ transcripts. It can and should be listed on participants’ C.V.s.

In semester one, participants explore foundational teaching principles and the effective use of appropriate instructional technology. In semester two, participants consider evidence-based disciplinary approaches to teaching; based on what they learn, they then create and implement a class or lab lesson plan and reflect on the results, including on the ways in which they have integrated technology. In the final semester, participants progress towards developing scholarly teaching practices and prepare for delivering a teaching demonstration as is often required in interviews for faculty positions. To continuously improve their teaching through a process of planning, monitoring, and evaluation, participants will take a reflective approach to their teaching every semester by combining self-reflections with feedback from their peers, CTL and faculty mentors, and their students.

Participants will leave the program having created the foundational components of a teaching portfolio, including sample course materials, teaching observation reports, and a preliminary teaching philosophy statement. Depending on the techniques that participants learned and honed during the certificate program, they may also have the option of co-presenting a session at the IUPUI TA Orientation with a CTL consultant.  

ESCI Application Process 

Any graduate student who will graduate after May 2019, and who is currently in a teaching role or will have future teaching opportunities (as primary instructor, lab instructor, grader, classroom assistant, managing office hours and recitations, or giving guest lectures) can apply for the ESCI. The online application system will open in early October, and applications for the 2018 Cohort will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2017. 

Application instructions for graduate students: 

• Complete the application form
• Upload an up-to-date CV
• Submit a one-page letter of interest
  • The letter should convey the applicant's enthusiasm and should explain in detail his or her reason for applying to the program. It should also outline his or her previous teaching experience and the opportunities he or she will have to teach at IUPUI. Lastly, it should address what the applicant hopes the program will help the applicant achieve in his or her future career. A letter of interest should be at least a full page in length--a paragraph or a few sentences will be insufficient. Letters containing only a paragraph or a few sentences may be rejected in the review process.
• Inform their advising faculty about the voting email that they should have received after submission. 

Application instructions for faculty advisors:  

• Once the graduate student submits their online application, their advising faculty member will receive an email requiring a vote of approval and uploading a letter of recommendation. Please do not send recommendation letters directly to the CTL.

CTL consultants will review the applications and admit a maximum of only ten new cohort members based on their likelihood to complete the program within the specified time frame (3 semesters) and their interest in a career in university teaching. Successful applicants will be notified no later than early December.

Click here for an Overview Timeline for the Spring 2018 ESCI Cohort 

Submissions for the 2018 ESCI Cohort is now closed.

The Emerging Scholars of College Instruction program is not remedial; it is intended to provide IUPUI graduate teaching assistants with a solid foundation for a successful teaching career after graduation. The program is also intended primarily for doctoral students, but master’s students may apply if they can fit program requirements into their degree timeline. New program cohorts begin each spring semester with a welcome meeting in early January. 

For more information about the ESCI program, contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at thectl@iupui.edu or 317-274-1300.