Emerging Scholars of College Instruction

Emerging Scholars of College Instruction Program (ESCIP)

This program provides IUPUI graduate students with the opportunity to develop and document their college teaching skills in preparation for a future faculty position. This three-semester long program which includes face-to-face cohort meetings, feedback on teaching, and creation of materials that you can use in your teaching.

Upon program completion, you will have constructed the foundational components of your teaching portfolio, which can be used when applying for faculty positions and teaching awards. These components include:

  • sample course materials
  • teaching observation reports, and
  • a preliminary teaching philosophy statement

New cohorts begin each spring and applications are accepted starting in late fall. This program is not credit bearing and does not include a fee to participate.

Note: The ESCIP is not a K-12 teacher licensing program. As a result, it will not appear on your transcripts. It can and should be listed on your CV. 

Program Outcomes

During the program, you will:

  • Develop and practice disciplinary inclusive and evidence-based teaching strategies that foster your students' learning.
  • Critically and continuously, reflect on your teaching skills and its impact on your students' learning.
  • Construct a teaching philosophy statement that demonstrates awareness and understanding of:
    • purposeful integration of technology
    • inclusive teaching
    • evidence-based teaching practice
  • Create the foundational components of your teaching portfolio in preparation for an academic job search.

Participation opened my eyes to a whole new world of how to teach better and structure my teaching so that it is most beneficial to the students. I now think more about how what I am teaching will impact the students in the bigger world, especially when asking for them to complete assignments.

- 2017 ESCIP cohort participant

Are you eligible to apply?

Any IUPUI graduate student who will graduate after December 2023 and is currently in a teaching role or will have future teaching opportunities (as a primary instructor, lab instructor, grader, classroom assistant, managing office hours and recitations, or giving guest lectures) can apply for the ESCIP. You must also have approval from your advisor to participate.

We will open the program for applications in late October, 2022.

ESCIP application process

Purpose of the application materials

We want to learn about your motivation for applying to the program, your career aspirations, and your previous experiences as a student and instructor. The application materials, particularly the letter of interest, give you the opportunity to tell us how much you have thought about your experiences as a student, what it’s like to be a teacher, and what you think makes a good teacher. We also want to make sure that you will have an opportunity to teach or that you will be able to seek one out.

What you need to submit

  1. The application form
  2. An up-to-date CV or resume
  3. A letter of interest (400 - 500 words). Your letter of interest can address the following questions:
    • Why are you interested in applying for the program?
    • What specific skills and knowledge do you hope to gain?
    • How will this program help you achieve your career goals?
    • What previous teaching experiences have you had? These can be formal experiences, such as a teaching assistant, grader, or primary instructor.
    • If you have not taught formally, what informal teaching experiences, such as mentoring or tutoring, have you had?
    • If you have had formal or informal teaching experiences, describe how you teach (e.g., how do you prepare to teach a class, what activities do you use, how do you interact with learners, and how do you know if your teaching was effective?).
    • What opportunities will you have to teach at IUPUI? Your classes will be observed during the program, so include opportunities such as teaching assistantships, adjunct instructor positions, or guest lecturing opportunities.
    • How have your instructors influenced what you think makes a good teacher?

Criteria for evaluation

Before your application will be reviewed, your advising faculty must approve your participation in the program. Please inform them that they will receive an approval email following your application submission and must respond or your application will not be considered.

Your materials should meet the following criteria:

  • Discuss any previous teaching experience in sufficient detail including:
    • Courses and topics you have taught
    • A description of how you taught your students (Did you lecture, do activities, do group work, complete worksheets, etc.?)
    • A description of how your teaching was effective
  • What is bringing you to this program and why are you interested in teaching?
  • Describe how the ESCIP program connects to your teaching career goals.
  • Description of what teaching opportunities you will have during the ESCIP program, such as teaching assistantships, primary instructor role, guest lecturer, etc.
Applications that do not have advisor approval, or are incomplete (e.g., missing cover letter or resume), will not be reviewed.