Graduate Remote Instruction Innovation Fellows Program
June 22 – August 14, 2020
Call for Applications
The Graduate Division’s GSI Teaching and Resource Center (TRC) is pleased to announce a call for Graduate Remote Instruction (GRI) Innovation Fellows for Summer 2020. GRI Innovation Fellows will work to develop high-quality approaches for remote instruction for the 2020–21 academic year. The program is intended for graduate students teaching discussion sections or stand-alone courses (e.g., Reading & Composition, studios, or foreign languages), and those GSIs who are assisting a faculty member in revising a course to be taught remotely in the fall. In addition to helping graduate students learn skills that can be applied in fall 2020 to enhance remote student learning on the Berkeley campus, this program will support graduate student professional development and will give them certification and skills that will enhance their teaching portfolios.
Fellows will receive training from the GSI Teaching & Resource Center and Digital Learning Services on the best approaches to remote learning and will be introduced to specific tools that can be used to create high-quality remote learning experiences for all students.
As a GRI Innovation Fellow, individuals will engage in the following types of activities:
- Apply high-quality remote pedagogical approaches to a particular course;
- Work on bCourses course page set-up, including the creation of course resources and materials best suited for a remote learning environment;
- Learn about best practices for providing student accommodations when instruction is remote;
- Learn about best practices for ensuring the values of equity and inclusion are integrated effectively into remote learning environments;
- Transition assessments to a remote format; and
- Develop activities to facilitate student-to-student and student-instructor interaction.
- GRI Innovation Fellows will be asked to share the outcomes of their work in a virtual forum with the campus community and will be encouraged to develop their ideas into publications on educational methods.
GRI Innovation Fellows will be expected to engage in pedagogical activities an average of 20 hours a week for 8 weeks during the summer (June 22-August 14) which includes a one-week seminar on designing courses to enhance student learning in a remote environment; synchronous and asynchronous workshops offered by the GSI Teaching and Resource Center and Digital Learning Services throughout June and July; and creation and peer review of course materials. Fellows will receive a $5,000 Fellowship and a Certificate in Remote Instruction. Fellows will also be eligible to receive media kits and one-on-one support, as needed.
Eligibility
GRI Innovation Fellows must be continuing graduate students in good academic standing and scheduled to teach in fall 2020. Students graduating in spring or summer 2020 are not eligible. The selection process will prioritize:
- Students who have no other source of summer support
- Graduate students who already have taken a 375 course
- Later-stage graduate students (closer to completing their degrees and working to enhance their teaching portfolios)
- Diversity of experience and academic area is preferred
- Experience teaching remotely in spring 2020 is a plus
- Graduate students assisting in the redesign of impacted courses and/or courses that are vital to degree progress and completion for a large number of students
How to Apply
Individuals interested in serving as a GRI Innovation Fellow should complete an application here. If selected, GRI Innovation Fellows must coordinate with and have the endorsement of the instructor of record for the fall course where they plan to serve as a GSI.
Application review will begin on a rolling basis on June 8, with the initial cohort of fellows selected by June 16, 2020. UC Berkeley plans to fund up to 200 GRI Innovation Fellows campus wide in summer 2020.
The materials/pedagogical insights developed by the GRI Innovation Fellows will be shared with the campus community in order to improve remote pedagogy campus wide. If you have any questions regarding the GRI Graduate Fellows program, please feel free to reach out to the GSI Teaching & Resource Center: [email protected].