How to be the best teacher ever

OK, we’re not going to lie. This isn’t your traditional “Issues in Education” article. As you may or may not have noticed, every June this column turns into an advertisement for the Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium, which is held just prior to the INFORMS Annual
Meeting in November. This article will be no different. We want to tell you about TEC 2010.

Who?

The TEC is open to INFORMS members who teach in departments offering courses in operations research or management science. We welcome both tenured and tenure-track faculty as well as doctoral students who plan to graduate and teach within the next year. Sometimes we even allow people who already think they’re good at teaching to attend so we can prove them wrong (or vice-versa).

What?

The TEC is a two-day program designed to improve the teaching of OR/MS. Experts in the field of quantitative education will give talks, lead discussions and answer questions about the most effective pedagogical methods in use today. Issues ranging from lecture style, classroom organization, the use of technology and assessment will be covered. Also, TEC participants will have the chance to learn from each other by sharing educational experiences and successful techniques.We also get to share laughs by hearing about nightmare students from other institutions. This is often quite therapeutic, actually, as we realize we are not alone.

When and where?

The 2010 Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium will take place on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5, from 7:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. both days. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. As in previous years, the meals will be shared by participants of all three colloquia (TEC, Future Academician and Future Practitioner), allowing for interesting networking and learning opportunities. Last year, the food was quite yummy, so it might be worth attending just for the eats.

Why attend TEC?

1. (Altruistic reason): To better the science of better.

The field of operations research and management science is mostly about research. (The word “research” is actually in the title!) A lot of us consider education a secondary priority at best. But the only way the field will survive and prosper is for us to educate future operations researchers and management scientists. So, the better the educators, the better the education, and the better the field in the years to come.

2. (Realistic reason): To become a better teacher so you will get better evaluations and be more likely to earn tenure and promotion.

Most of us attended (or attend) topnotch graduate programs where we were exposed to high-caliber research. But most of us also got little to no teaching instruction or experience. Our guess is that the first time you stood in front of a classroom was your first day on the job after you earned your doctorate. The crazy thing is that secondary school teachers are trained for four or more years, yet college-level teachers – including those in OR/MS – are usually trained for about four minutes. So it’s no wonder we struggle to find our places as instructors.

While we can’t guarantee better evaluations or tenure, we can promise that the 2010 TEC will improve your teaching. You will leave the colloquium a more thoughtful, prepared educator. (And it looks pretty good on your vita, too.)

While we can’t guarantee better evaluations or tenure, we can promise that TEC will improve your teaching.

How?

Participants in the Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium are selected based on nominations by their departments. A complete application includes:

1. A letter of recommendation from the department chair;

2. A list of OR/MS courses taught or expected to be taught by the nominee;

3. A list of INFORMS teaching effectiveness colloquia and workshops that the nominee has attended in the last two years;

4. The mailing address, e-mail address and phone number of the nominee;

5. Departmental contact information for invoicing. (Information on registration fees is available on the conference Web site. For many
attendees, the registration fee is waived.)

Applications are due by July 15, 2010. Electronic applications are encouraged and can be sent to Dawn Strickland (stricklandd@ winthrop.edu) or Joel Sokol ([email protected]). INFORMS is an equal opportunity organization. Nerds and geeks are encouraged to apply.