Pedagogy course changes STC offerings

By Wesley Chou     9/30/13 7:00pm

Since the spring 2013 semester, Rice University students desiring to teach a student-taught course have been required to take COLL 300: Pedagogy for Student Instructors before they can teach their course, according to professor of biochemistry and cell biology and former Wiess College Master Michael Gustin, who helped found the STC program. 

According to the Rice course catalog, 18 STCs are being offered for the fall 2013 semester, while 21 were available in fall 2012 and 31 were offered in fall 2011. The catalog also states the number of students taking COLL 300 increased from 17 in the spring 2013 semester to 41 in fall 2013. 

According to the COLL 300 website, students meet weekly for seven weeks, developing a proposal and good instructing techniques.

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Professor of earth science and master of Sid Richardson College Dale Sawyer, one of the instructors teaching COLL 300 this semester, said proposals for the spring 2014 semester are due Oct. 11, two days after COLL 300 finishes.

The STC website states that besides taking COLL 300, prospective student-teachers must write a syllabus, complete a proposal, gain the approval of both a faculty sponsor and the dean of undergraduates, and attend a teaching practicum during the actual STC.

Brown College senior Amod Desai said he was concerned the COLL 300 requirement might dissuade potential student-teachers.

"Many people have the approach: 'Why should I take a class to teach a class?' " Desai said. "I think some people think that in addition to finding a sponsor and coming up with a proposal to the dean, [COLL 300] is too much red tape." 

Baker College senior Grace Chang, who is teaching COLL 127: Hallyu: Riding the Korean Wave this semester, said that with so many prerequisites, the single credit hour instructors receive for teaching their STC may not be enough to adequately attract prospective instructors.

"Another factor that [has] contributed to fewer STCs is the amount of work that the teacher has to put into preparing the lessons, class and course in general and the little outward reward," Chang said. "As of now, teachers only get one credit hour for all their work. That's not to say teaching and sharing your joys in the topic that you're teaching are not rewards, but it might not be enough

for others."

Chang said she believes COLL 300 does have some advantages and helped her plan her course.

"[The course] demonstrates determination and commitment and helps structure your course for the application and when you actually teach," Chang said. "The professors provided wonderful feedback for my syllabus, which was directly linked to how and what I wanted to teach. The professors prompted me to have a theme that would run throughout my course as well as a logical sequence of lessons that would produce a more organized class."

Desai, who is teaching COLL 128: Introduction to Football Analysis and Broadcasting this semester, said he was skeptical at first but now appreciates COLL 300.

"I initially was not excited about taking an extra class, but it did in fact channel my idea into a complete structured lesson plan," Desai said. "I think that this was not only helpful, but [also] provided a standard structure for all STCs. And finally it brought [together] a cohort of different STC instructors from all parts of campus."

Will Rice College Master Bridget Gorman said most COLL 300 students' STCs will be approved by Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, but she said there will be fewer than 41 courses in spring 2014 because some students will co-teach or study abroad.

Gorman, a professor of sociology and one of the instructors teaching COLL 300 this semester, said professor of computational and applied mathematics and former master of Brown College Steve Cox, who developed the STC program with Gustin, conducted an evaluation of STCs last spring and decided a prep course would standardize STC quality.

Sawyer, the Sid Rich master, said COLL 300 has helped streamline STC approval. 

"Before COLL 300 was available, there was no regularity as to which people in each college would help students with proposals," Sawyer said. "Three years ago, we'd have students running to their masters on the proposal deadline date, asking them to sign their forms. But now, students are constantly asking [the instructors] questions and getting immediate

feedback."

Gustin acknowledged concerns that the COLL 300 requirement may lower the number of STCs but said he is confident the spontaneity and unity that STCs bring will help them continue.

"People have been completely changed by teaching or attending [STCs]," Gustin said. "They are able to learn from their peers and sometimes even find out that their peers know more about them in the topic they teach. And they find out another cool thing, that STCs bring people from across campus into small groups with a shared intellectual activity or

interest."

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