Training Tech Professionals to Teach: Part 13

In Part 12 I looked at the documentation associated with Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) teaching qualifications for inspiration as to what might be in a course for computer professionals to learn to teach. However, the VET units focus on very small discrete outcomes, and something broader is needed for university teachers. So I searched using such terms as 'teacher training for doctoral students "computer science"'. One document this threw up was "Guidelines for Teaching @MIT and Beyond". I was surprised to find that this was based on "Guidelines on Learning that Inform Teaching", by Adrian Lee, Emeritus Professor, UNSW.

MIT's guidelines use the same three areas I had already decided on: design, deliver and assess (although I had  them in the order: deliver, assess, and design). I looked at Lee's website, but found this very hard to follow. However, both the original and MIT's version use a Creative Commons license, allowing the material to be adapted and reused.

The guidelines provide a short statement and a series of . For exmaple, "Deliver":

"The way that you present material in your course, as well as the choices you make about how your students will engage with course content can have profound impact on student learning.  Use your intended learning outcomes to guide your content delivery choices and shape your classroom environment.

• Varied Teaching Methods
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Professional Competences
• Views of Learning & Knowledge
• Learning Communities
• Student Responsibility for Learning
• Student Reflection"

Then under Varied Teaching Methods:

"Guideline:  Use multiple teaching methods and modes of instruction."

There were then references to help with this guideline. Unfortunately the link for the first reference is broken and the second paper based. Only one of the eleven additional references had a hypertext link. This makes the material of very little practical use. What is needed is online freely accessible material.