Carnegie Mellon University

Eberly Center

Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation

Learn about our Future Faculty Program

What is the Future Faculty Program?

The Future Faculty Program helps graduate students develop and document their teaching skills in preparation for a faculty career. Participants in this program learn the principles of effective course design and pedagogy through our seminars, receive feedback on their teaching through teaching feedback consultations, and apply what they have learned in completing a course & syllabus design project and a statement of teaching philosophy project.

What will I gain from completing the program?

In addition to the intellectual benefits of completing the program, graduate students who complete the program receive a record of their Eberly Center activities (e.g., seminars attended, projects completed). This can be used to strengthen a teaching portfolio or job application.

If you do not complete the program requirements, you can still download a record of your Eberly Center activities.

What are the requirements for completing the program?

The four requirements are:

  1. SeminarsYou must attend eight seminars, at least two of which must focus on DEIB (those will be tagged with a “DEIB” tag on our platform). These interactive seminars cover a wide range of topics on teaching and learning. Attending an Eberly Center seminar for your department or program may substitute for a portion of these seminars.
  2. Teaching Feedback Consultations. You must complete two teaching feedback consultations. At least one must be an observation, i.e., to fulfill the requirement, you need:
    1. One teaching observation
    2. AND one of the following: a Lesson Plan Review, an Early Course Feedback Consultation, or an additional teaching observation. 

      Note: Microteaching Workshops are no longer offered, but if you have completed one in the past, it still counts as one of the required teaching feedback consultations. 
  3. A course design project. You must create or substantially revise a syllabus for a course that you expect to teach at some point in your academic career. This may be a course for which you have served (or will serve) as the TA or instructor. An Eberly Center consultant will provide guidance and feedback as you plan the course and produce a syllabus that reflects the principles of effective course design. It also includes a 1-2 page guided written reflection that describes your pedagogical choices in developing the syllabus and how you'd use it in the context of your class.
  4. A statement of teaching philosophy project. You must write a 1-2 page statement of teaching philosophy. This document, which is commonly required as part of academic job applications, will involve you iteratively working with a consultant to produce a statement that fulfills the criteria outlined in a rubric.

How long does it take to complete the requirements?

Completing the Future Faculty Program requires time and effort across several semesters. The amount of time it takes to complete the program depends on individual circumstances—for example, the availability of teaching opportunities that are appropriate for observations as well as time commitments that do not conflict with our seminars.

There is no specific order in which you must complete the requirements, but most graduate students find it helpful to attend a few seminars before beginning either of the projects.

How do I enroll in the program?

You can enroll in the Future Faculty Program by meeting with an Eberly colleague (eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu) and creating a plan for how you can complete the program requirements. You can choose to enroll in the program at any time, and any of your prior Eberly Center activities can be used to satisfy the program requirements.

You can still use the Eberly Center’s services and resources even if you are not enrolled in the Future Faculty Program.