Mentored Teaching Fellows are doctoral students who complete the CET Future Faculty Teaching Institute and preparation meetings with their faculty mentor in the fall semester, and teach a course as an instructor of record in the spring semester with continued support from CET and faculty mentor meetings.

Previous Mentored Teaching Fellows

Criteria for Appointment of Mentored Teaching Fellows

Appointed students must meet all the following criteria. 

• USC Doctoral student with experience as a TA at USC.
• Appointment as an instructor of record for the spring semester. The student should be listed as the primary instructor in the USC schedule of courses. 
• Available to attend the fall CET Future Faculty Teaching Institute.
• Available to attend weekly meetings with a faculty mentor during the spring semester.
• Available to attend 2 CET community of practice meetings during the spring semester.
• Student in good standing, making excellent progress toward the degree.
• Capable of managing the duties associated with an independent teaching role, the intensive training and mentoring involved in the fellowship – up to 20 hours per week averaged over the spring semester, in addition to regular graduate program requirements.

Interested students should contact their chair, dean’s office, or faculty mentor if they wish to be appointed as a Mentored Teaching Fellow. Appointments are made by your school’s Dean or Vice Dean based on a process determined in the school. 

The call for appointments will be sent to Deans and Vice Deans in April 2023. The deadline for appointments is August 1, 2023.

Appointment Process of Mentored Teaching Fellows

1. Faculty interested in appointing students should contact their Dean’s or Vice Dean’s office and submit a recommendation that describes how the student and faculty mentor have met, or will meet, each of the fellowship requirements.
2. Administration should validate the student and faculty mentor’s ability and commitment to fulfill the fellowship requirements.
3. Administration should ensure an appropriate existing course and funding are available for the Fellow for the spring semester.
4. Completion of the Mentored Teaching Fellow Appointment Form by school administration (link provided in announcement letter). 
5. CET will confirm the appointment with the student and school administration. 

Support Provided by Schools 

• Appointment of students as primary instructor of record for a Spring 2024 course. 
• Ensure that no more than one course is taught by a Fellow, and that the duties of the assigned course or section can be accomplished in 20 hours a week averaged over the semester.
• Continuation of the student’s established funding paid by the school.
• Assignment of a faculty mentor for each Fellow appointed.
  • Mentors should meet with students during the Fall to prepare for a spring teaching experience. 
  • During the spring, Mentors should have a “Teaching Development Plan” that covers important information students should know about teaching in their discipline as they embark on their careers. Mentoring meetings ultimately may not strictly follow the plan, as more pressing issues may come up organically. Nevertheless, it is helpful to have a framework to ensure important information is covered before the semester ends. Teaching development plan structure and content are created by faculty mentors, and serve only as internal guiding documents for the fellow and the mentor. They are not submitted for review. CET has created a downloadable, editable Teaching Development Plan Template for Mentors that faculty may find useful as a framework or starting point, or faculty may create their own.
  • Faculty mentors should observe their fellow teaching a class at least once. Feedback from observations is meant to be a “no-stakes” formative learning experience. It is meant to help students develop their teaching skills, and is not intended to evaluate them in any official capacity.

Training and Support Provided by CET

• The CET Future Faculty Teaching Institute during the fall semester. The Fellow must complete the requirements for a certificate.
• Option of two individual consultations for teaching practice with CET Assistant Directors during the spring semester.
• CET-sponsored community of practice meetings. Four 90 minute meetings will be offered during the spring semester, of which the Fellow must attend two.

Questions should be directed to usccet@usc.edu.