Release date: July 26, 2004
Contact: Deb Hammacher, Associate Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-727-0644 or dhammac@emory.edu

Emory Ahead of the Class in Preparing Professors for Teaching

Emory University's rigorous teacher training program, which is required for all Ph.D. candidates, has helped to make doctoral students hot commodities on the job market while reinforcing the university's commitment to teaching within a research institution.

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences' nationally recognized TATTO program--Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity--serves as a model for other schools. The program, which began in 1991, provides a three-to-four-year multi-stage training regimen that emphasizes hands-on training and mentoring by experienced faculty.

"To the best of our knowledge, we are the only school in the country that has made teacher-training a university-wide academic requirement for a Ph.D.," says Virginia Shadron, director of special projects, programs and initiatives for Emory's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. "For many of today's faculty, there was not much teacher training when they were in graduate school. The usual method was 'sink or swim.' Some people are lucky enough to be natural teachers, but most of us have to be trained. For any graduate student, it's a vital part of their development as scholars."

The TATTO training definitely has helped students find jobs, says Dan Reiter, director of graduate studies for Emory's political science department.

"Liberal arts colleges want people who can teach, and TATTO gives our students the experience they need to have an edge in the job market," Reiter says. "Many people who apply to our program also are very interested in TATTO, so it helps with recruitment as well."

The first stage of TATTO is a three-day course offered in the summer, taken just before a student's first teaching experience. Faculty for the course are drawn from some of the best teachers across the university. There are workshops on syllabus preparation, grading, lecturing and leading discussions, among other topics. Students also deliver lessons on their discipline to other graduate students.

In the second stage, departments provide discipline-specific training that addresses intellectual problems and teaching strategies appropriate to a particular subject matter. Only then do students go on to participate in a teaching assistantship, which is under the close supervision of a faculty member who provides continuing guidance and evaluation. Students finally go on to co-teach a course or fly solo. Once TATTO training is complete, competitive Dean's Teaching Fellowships are available to students who want to continue to develop their teaching skills.

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