In any given semester, approximately 1,600 GSIs teach, mentor, and evaluate undergraduates in discussion sections, labs, and stand-alone courses. No undergraduate leaves Berkeley without having been taught by numerous GSIs. Since 1989, the GSI Teaching and Resource Center has been deeply committed to ensuring that GSIs are well-prepared for these teaching responsibilities.
The Center offers a wide range of programs to prepare GSIs for teaching, among them an Orientation Conference for new GSIs; a series of Workshops on Teaching; individual consultations and classroom videotaping; Course Improvement Grants for GSIs; GSI Departmental Grants to provide support for departmental programs that prepare GSIs for teaching; several different awards for outstanding GSIs and faculty mentors; and a Summer Institute for Academic and Professional Development.
The programs of the Center go well beyond the nuts and bolts of teaching, forging a research-based, reflective approach to teaching and learning. For example, over the last three years, the Center has convened research groups on teaching and learning, in which faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates study such issues as the impact of discussion sections on student engagement, and the implications of grading policies and practices for student motivation. The Center also offers workshops, courses, and consultations for GSIs on developing teaching portfolios, not just as tools for academic job searches, but as methods of becoming better, more reflective teachers.
Graduate students acknowledge the impact the Center has had on their work with undergraduates. Heather McCarty, of History, states, "Berkeley undergraduates directly benefit from the professional development the GSI Teaching and Resource Center provides for GSIs. Each program I have participated in at the Center has taught me new techniques, which I have applied in the classroom. The amazing staff there not only helped to prepare me for teaching as a first-time GSI; they also offered programs to aid in my continuing growth as an instructor throughout my graduate studies. My experiences with the Center have been nothing short of phenomenal."
The Center has been uniquely attentive to the pivotal role that faculty and departments play in providing GSIs with mentorship in teaching. The Center's annual seminar for faculty teaching with GSIs has reached approximately 140 faculty members, many of whom teach the largest courses on campus. Faculty who have attended the seminar report significant improvements not only in their mentoring skills but also in their teaching of undergraduates.
Faculty who have worked with the Center give it high praise: "The Center's 'distinctive contributions to undergraduate education' cannot be overstated," according to Bob Jacobsen and Bruce Birkett of Physics. "The Department of Physics has a long-standing partnership with the Center and its efforts have directly impacted our students' educational experiences." And Jeffrey Reimer, of Chemical Engineering, says, that his work with the Center "forced me to rethink my teaching philosophy."